Christopher Nolan has been one of the movie industry's most respected and well-received directors for the better part of two decades. Nolan has directed 12 movies, including the famed Dark Knight Trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman, most of which are known for their unique plots, cinematography, and star-studded cast.

He's had several groundbreaking films, such as Interstellar, Memento, and The Dark Knight, which reshaped the "superhero movie" landscape. Nolan's new film, Oppenheimer, boasts a cast of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and more. With "Barbenheimer" recently becoming a global sensation, it's not surprising that Oppenheimer blew past expectations, earning $174 million at the global box office in its opening weekend. How does it compare to the rest of Christopher Nolan's filmography according to critics on Rotten Tomatoes?

12 'Tenet' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%

An ambitious film by Nolan is the sci-fi action thriller, Tenet, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. In Tenet, Nolan offers a unique take on time travel and time manipulation, a recurring theme in several movies of his. However, this film seems to be his most confusing because you spend so much time trying to understand the reverse time travel that the plot gets a little lost in the background.

Despite a concept that may be confusing to some, the fight choreography and visuals are on point. The film was marketed as the movie to revive theaters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it failed to recoup its budget: this led to Tenet being a box office bomb, despite the relatively positive reception. It was released on HBO Max in August 2020 and was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year.

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11 'Interstellar' (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

The most visually breathtaking sci-fi film in Nolan's catalog, Interstellar is a unique space science fiction adventure thriller that can best be described as "an experience." It follows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), an ex-astronaut turned farmer sent to find another planet to save humanity.

In this film, Nolan shows a different use of time passage between Coop, who ventures further into space, and his daughter Murph, who remains on Earth, determined to finish an unsolved equation to help her father return. Nolan goes far to try and show the effects of traveling through a black hole, which leaves you speechless.

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10 'The Prestige' (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

On the surface, The Prestige is a movie based on two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who perform the same trick while equally trying to sabotage the other (or learn each other's secrets). The plot of The Prestige unravels into an exciting and captivating psychological thriller. David Bowie is even in the film as the famed inventor Nikola Tesla!

The movie is full of misdirects and subtle hints to tease the viewer along the film's plot, like leading a mouse through a maze with cheese. Jackman's Angier is a showman (much like the actor himself) who likes to dazzle and entertain his audience, while Bale's Borden is more about the craft and less about the show, leaning on Bale's stoic demeanor.

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9 'Following' (1998)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Nolan's debut feature was directed, written, and even edited by Nolan himself, designed to be created in the least expensive way possible. The film clocks in at just over an hour long, by far his shortest film. It follows a struggling writer who tags along with a thief on a series of burglaries to gain inspiration for his novel.

Cobb, the thief in this story, also happens (definitely not a coincidence) to be the name of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Inception, who is also a thief, albeit a very different one. In a short period, Nolan introduces multiple characters and has numerous plot twists that have become a trademark of his movies.

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8 'Batman Begins' (2005)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Batman had been treading on thin ice after the disaster that was Batman & Robin in 1997. But eight years after, Nolan was tagged to revive the Caped Crusader. Batman Begins kicks off a trilogy that fully captures the iconic hero as the dark, brooding man that he is in a captivatingly exciting way.

The film is applauded for its practical effects, traditional stunts, use of miniatures, and choreography, a trait that was carried through the entire trilogy. Liam Neeson plays Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows, an assassin group that Bruce trained with during his time away from Gotham. To cap it off, the great Hans Zimmer lends his talents to deliver a terrific score.

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7 'Inception' (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Perhaps Nolan's most complex movie and one whose ambiguous ending is still heavily discussed today. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the leader of a band of thieves, but the twist is that they steal information from the subconscious of their targets without them ever even knowing.

Nolan's use of time in this film is epic. Every subconscious has layers, and each time you go deeper, time is slowed on the outside. Cobb admits to having spent 50 years with his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), while they were in Limbo for one night in reality. It may take a couple of viewings to fully grasp Inception's rules, but the movie is awe-inspiring once you do.

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6 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

The climactic conclusion to the legendary The Dark Knight Trilogy that spanned seven years, this movie features a Batman that is beaten and broken from the events of The Dark Knight, and he has gone into hiding for eight years. Bane (Tom Hardy), an excommunicated member of the League of Shadows, emerges and wreaks havoc on Gotham, holding it hostage with bombs placed throughout the city.

Notably, the most memorable thing about this movie is Hardy's performance as Bane, as it grounds the more fantastic elements of the comic character in a believable way. It also serves as redemption from his Batman & Robin counterpart.

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5 'Insomnia' (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

The only Christopher Nolan film where he did not write or co-write the screenplay was done by Hillary Seltz. Insomnia follows two Los Angeles detectives investigating a homicide in Alaska. After accidentally killing his partner, Dormer (Al Pacino) is investigated as he battles his insomnia cocktail of guilt and the constant daylight of Alaska.

While Al Pacino's presence in the movie is typical for his brand as an actor, it's one of the few movies where famed comedian Robin Williams shows his excellent dramatic acting prowess. The movie is essentially a murder investigation inside a murder investigation inside a murder investigation.

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4 'Dunkirk' (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Nolan lends his hand to his first true war film Dunkirk. It is also his first movie since his debut film that does not have a bona fide movie star at the helm of it (although Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine have minor roles). It chronicles the journey of several Allied soldiers as they are trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, as German forces attempt to wipe them out.

The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director and is the highest-grossing World War II film, earning $527 million worldwide. It is a film that immediately drops you into the action and keeps you there the entire time.

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3 'Memento' (2000)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Certainly Nolan's most complex and confusing film, Memento is a mind-boggling film presented with a fractured narrative. Leonard (Guy Pearce) has anterograde amnesia and cannot create new memories after being attacked by two men. This makes the broken narrative, with sequences in black and white (told chronologically) and sequences in color (told reverse chronologically).

The audience and Leonard are left to figure out who John G. is, what he has to do with the death of his wife, and how all the other characters fit into the story. Without looking it up to be explained, this movie would take at least three viewings to fully understand and appreciate.

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2 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Cillian Murphy stars as the historical figure J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan's latest hit. The 2023 epic biographical thriller chronicles Oppenheimer's life and work as a theoretical physicist who went on to lead the significant Manhattan Project, which would earn him the title of "father of the atomic bomb" in the scientific community (and now the world).

Alongside other excellent actors, Murphy is perfectly cast as the conflicted, brooding, and outspoken scientist whose controversial work would lead him down a more political path. Oppenheimer's profound story is told with bold visuals (with an emphasis on practical effects), a mesmerizing soundtrack, and deliberately slow pacing that builds tension throughout the film. It's not surprising it has managed to impress fans and critics alike on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently just below The Dark Knight, as it has achieved an impressive score of 93%.

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1 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

The middle and best movie of The Dark Knight Trilogy. The Dark Knight can be credited with changing the course of superhero movies and cinema as a whole. At its core, the film is an elite crime/thriller movie led by Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, with an excellent supporting cast of Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Michael Caine (Alfred), Morgan Freeman (Lucius), and Aaron Eckhart (Two-Face/Harvey Dent), among others.

Heath Ledger iconically and rightfully won a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker; perhaps, more importantly, the Oscars expanded their nomination pool to ten movies due to the exclusion of The Dark Knight from its Best Picture Nominations, making it arguably Nolan's most impactful film to date. Only time will tell if Oppenheimer manages to break the tie and surpass The Dark Knight's Tomatometer, which would be an incredible feat.

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NEXT: All of Christopher Nolan's Villains, Ranked from Worst to Best