The Ultimate Christopher Nolan Analysis: Interstellar, Dunkirk & Tenet

[@LikeStoriesofOld]

Want to hear my first thoughts (and those of Thomas Flight) on Oppenheimer? Be sure to follow our podcast Cinema of Meaning on Nebula, where we are now doing a special series on Nuclear Cinema: nebula.tv/watchcinemaofmeaning Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/lsoo

[@blackberrydreamsz]

Nolan is not immune from corporate influence and it's tentacles always squeeze the life out of art. Tenent just sucks. Period. The review didn't have to agonizingly go over some possibility of some small aspect that could salvage a crappy movie. Just because Nolan made a few movies that had some valuable cinematic substance doesn't make him a Fellini. Honestly, Nolan doesn't deserve a multi-video expose with your intellectual interpretations and valuable insights into themes and philosophies that can be extracted from his films. You can always find something good in everything that is bad...and if that is your point, than you have no value as a reviewer, but more as a promoter or salesman. There are hundreds of films and dozens of directors who you could focus on...which makes me question if your motivations are most likely based on click rate potential. You make assumptions that Nolan is some sort of guru and philanthropist whose principal motives are to use art to benefit humanity and provoke thought and consciousness. The truth is that he has the resources to actually make such films, but he opts for blockbuster mentality for financial gain with some dashes of artistic substance to give the giant empty hulk a soul. Dark Knight was an exception and what do you know? After that movie...it went downhill after cashing in and getting the graces of investors. Now it is a matter of if he can buy back from the devil he is sold to. I haven't heard your review, but I already know you will fawn all over Oppenheimer and completely gloss over the propaganda that it is. The narrative has always been that nukes were necessary to end WW2 and blah blah blah. This is a lie as well as annihilating the innocent civilians in two large Japanese cities in order to "save lives of American soldiers". I am sure you will promote the movie by finding some aspect of it that is supposedly valuable and disregard the facts of who is behind all of the wars and these horrible weapons they produce. That is shameful and I think you need to do some introspection since you are now an arm of influence and responsible for your viewers' oftentimes limited ability to discern between reality and fiction. The movie Idiocracy was made for a fraction of any of Nolan's films and it contains exponentially more insight into human existence and it's potential future...and there are no hidden meanings or themes. Nobody is going to watch Oppenheimer and say "Oh, wow, how did we as citizens allow our governments, schools and scientists to expand our plight and slavery?!"...but after Idiocracy the answer to that question is painfully obvious. We were entertained into it and we gobbled it up because it appealed to our senses....not for our nutrition. By promoting a opportunist like Nolan and his investors you are becoming a friend of the entertainment gatekeepers laying waste to the land. Stop eating their table scraps and sustain yourself on the goodness in your own forest. Maybe I am wrong about you and I do want you to succeed with millions of subscribers...but I think your core audience was originally attracted to your authenticity and a search for truth and meaning where it actually exists. As one of those subscribers, I am giving you a pass on this Nolan worship thing because we all need to pay our bills. Meanwhile, I challenge you to review movies that have tangible merit and contain no hidden meaning...like Sound of Freedom. I realize your wheelhouse is digging into cinematic abstracts but your talents would also be remarkable promoting documentaries and documentary-inspired films.

[@joshpartridge760]

​@@blackberrydreamsznice word salad bro. Make your own channel if you've figured it all out to this extent. Also Idiocracy is one of the worst movies I ever watched

[@joshpartridge760]

I loved this vid btw, it gave really insightful analysis and didn't worship Nolan at all, rather gave pros and cons for each film and idk why anyone would think otherwise unless they didn't watch it

[@nn-hx8oe]

@@blackberrydreamsz thx for this i was baffled to see his last 3 videos after watching oppenheimer, maybe it went south since there's no analysis of it yet here...

[@AnonymousSquirrel123]

Nolan had an underlying problem of scale in Dunkirk which rendered the entire film too shallow for most people to maintain their immersion and suspense of disbelief. Dunkirk is a story of 300,000 men, which is told through what maybe 2,000 actual men on visually empty beaches. I always felt that Nolan had chosen to do this on purpose, but I cannot fathom what he was trying to accomplish with this deliberate reduction (not distillation) in bodies [brushes] used to tell the story.

[@connor56347]

The docking scene in IMAX is and forever will be the greatest experience I've ever had in a movie theatre.

[@timpage9424]

When that organ hits?!? Cinema

[@wachox]

Also when the spaceship is passing by saturn

[@timpage9424]

@@wachox That shot on an IMAX screen knocked me out. Incredible.

[@wachox]

Yup I was at he edge of my seat , sweating and breathless

[@JohnnyNiteTrain]

That Zimmer music was making my heart pound

[@HesamTalebiyan]

I think the "punctuation problem" is one of many of Nolan's tricks to create a sense of discovery when you watch his works multiple times. Hence, make it exciting to do so. He mentions in an interview that his generation of filmmakers realized that their movies would be watched several times. So they had to come up with ways to make them interesting to watch several times.

[@DarkAngelEU]

It's not a trick, but as LSOO describes an issue in his filmmaking process. I noticed the same problem independently while watching Oppenheimer in the theatre. The movie is a rollercoaster of information. Alot of things are passed onto us, but alot of information is omitted, including information we should be able to understand quickly in order to understand the progression of the story. Yet this information simply isn't there, and we are left to make up our own minds, yet the pace of the movie doesn't allow us to think about it. Instead, the movie has moved onto the next shot, with characters talking over our questions, providing new information, as if this small pause didn't matter at all. I also noticed this while watching Dunkirk in IMAX. Some of the boat shots aren't in IMAX. Nolan replied in an interview this is because the cameras didn't fit onto the boat, yet some shots are in IMAX, while others aren't. On the same boat. Seems like a lie on his part, trying to cover him forgetting to cover those shots in IMAX for whatever reason he doesn't want to share with us. Even then, there are many valid solutions to make these cameras fit onto a small boat. This is just a lame excuse for someone being too lazy to make it work and see the project through perfection, coming from a director who portrays to strife for perfection with every project. It becomes even clearer upon second and sometimes even third viewings that although Nolan knows how to create suspense and provide sensational stories, he somehow fails to meet the technical challenges that come with editing, instead focusing on sensation (eg the mayor dying in an explosion so we can have this cool scene of a football player outrunning the field sinking) over content (missing information, shots, wrongly paced cuts, etc.). His best movies are, uncoincidentally, movies that can jump from timeline to timeline because they influence each other, movies that use gratuitous violence to elevate suspense and that have dream logic instead of logic that adheres to the real world like Inception and Tenet. His real world movies have grown incredibly stale, sure Dunkirk has a great opening scene, but the rest of it is just trying to surpass Spielberg, which is still a superior moviemaker to Nolan. And at the end, I felt the same about Oppenheimer. It's Nolan's Lincoln, which is just a downright shame. There are brilliant scenes that show Nolan's greatness, yet he chooses to try and imitate someone else with some of his efforts. He should focus on making up for his own shortcomings, or keep turning them into his forte, and he would be an equally great filmmaker in his own right.

[@thewalrus1968]

​​@@DarkAngelEUyou forgot the part where Frodo finds the ring

[@Mapdotnowhere]

Love is at the root of everything. All learning, all parenting, all relationships. Love or the lack of it. -Fred Rogers

[@vidithoro7175]

Murph goes back to the room not because of a hunch. It is because she finally accepts the loss of her father. She was 'angry' at first, because of the lie. Then she meets her brother at dinner, 'the mourning'. The siblings fight because in the absence of a parent/elder, 'the bargaining'. She gives away all of belongings, 'the depression', and finally 'acceptance' in disguised as 'denial' when she goes back to find one last clue but not to find her father, she is past that now, but to save the planet and complete the equation.

[@timpage9424]

Interstellar has its issues for me, but I still connect with it on a very emotional level and love the massive spectacle that Noaln was able to pull off. Also experiencing it in IMAX really makes any issues leave your brain immediately. That's the only way I've seen it in theaters.

[@AlxRo66]

Interstellar is one of my favourite films of all time, my personal favourite of Nolan’s. I think it hit me at a very emotionally charged moment in my life and the themes and philosophical questions in it have remained significant to me since. It inspired me to write and to ponder ideas in depth and channel the answers creatively. It means a lot to me.

[@sk8mafia214]

T E N E T is more of a vibe, honestly. “Don’t try to understand it, feel it” (which is obliviously directed at the audience) and it’s not the first time in a movie when a actor says something that is being directed at the audience. Another example being from the movie Looper when Abe tells Joe “All this time travel stuff just will fry your brain” and I think some over looked that because they were too busy saying it was plot holes or the time travel didn’t make sense.

[@DThron]

terrific analysis. And, yep, even though I'm a super film nerd, I'm proud to say I think Interstellar is one of the greatest films ever made; profound, exhilarating, and incredibly moving . As it ages, I think people are coming around to this opinion - but we're in an age where earnestness is frowned upon as embarrassing, and talking directly about wonder and love is a social faux pas in art. We'll get by that, though, and films like this will be seen for the genuine, real feeling they represent.

[@harrishall7557]

Agreed whats so bad about doubling down on the ecstasy of love

[@r-pupz7032]

Earnestness is my favourite thing in any medium, but especially films. I love Interstellar with all my heart, it connected with me on so many levels. One of my favourite memories is watching it to my parents - my dad is a science geek and my mum loves stories about human connection, and seeing them both enjoy it so much was really special to me - it's rare they both love a film that much. It's been my favourite film for years now ❤

[@harshvardhanparmar2000]

The problem that most people have with the movie isn't that the solution to the problem was love, that's actually a great message, it's just the way it was executed that leaves a lot to be desired.

[@williamsolis1]

Interstellar is also one of the best IMAX experiences that I've had. Which is interesting because it was the last Nolan film that I truly enjoyed. Both Dunkirk and Tenet just didn't land for me and not being able to hear the dialogue properly was frustrating.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

They were horrible I hope Oppenheimer delivers

[@k.c.3022]

Yeah Dunkirk was not my cup of tea but I could fully appreciate the quality and thought that went into it. Tenet had some interesting elements and SO much potential but then ended up feeling like a 2.5 star marvel movie version of a Nolan film 😂

[@sejwalvishu]

Sadly Oppenheimer is in the league of dunkirk and tenet too. Still waiting for the vintage interstellar inception nolanesque film magic. :(

[@Ali-fo4uv]

@@sejwalvishu no it was incredible to me and I have been super critical of him

[@phoenyxpetersen4551]

Yes, that! The mumble dialog in Tenet was a major disappointment. Well, seeing Oppenheimer tomorrow. With high expectations.

[@Halopend]

You really love saying "spatial and temporal dimensions". Not surprised you're such a big Nolan fan. :P

[@jedgould5531]

You have transcendent observations of film in general and Nolan in particular. 41:33 Well put. Nolan builds in the necessity of multiple viewings, with a goal of deeper overall understanding. 46:25 Yes, a collective hero’s journey. Key point. 1:01:58 Yes, ‘inversion’ started applying to too much. People, cars, wounds, TIMELINE…I can just hear Jenifer Lame sitting with Nolan over Premiere telling him not to worry, if only because she didn’t want to deal with re-shoots. 1:10:59 I like this, uninvent the bomb.

[@johnytwotimes4072]

I cannot wait to see this Oppenheimer. I almost feel the same about a LSofO upload. You have something special. My mother, a casual movie goer, loved Interstellar and it's probably my least favorite Nolan film but after this I am definitely giving it another go. Stories are so human and film is such a beautiful way of telling them and you have a beautiful way of reminding me about how special they are to me. Great work as always friend, thank you.

[@joetheperformer]

Agreed. LSofO is not afraid to be “deep”, which a lot of people make fun of.. and some of the time deservedly.. but LSofO achieves deep in a meaningful way that’s also practical and not self-important. Which I appreciate.

[@moosemush]

Love this essay and your balanced view of Nolan's work; not a fanboy nor a critic, but a balanced view of his filmography and a larger discussion of the way he tells stories.

[@DedFred739]

I cant help but feel that the mention of vibes in tenet is a subtle reference to patrick willems

[@ellee3736]

okay, so, I've watched Tenet 6 or more times in focused watches in and out of the theater, and for me it's Nolan's best movie (apart from Dunkirk). I know this is an unusual opinion, but for me, Nolan is not a director who's good at building character. For me, his strength is in the conceptual grounding of his films which pushes the viewer to be thinking heavily as well as responding emotionally/physically. I think it's clear from his ouvre that he's very concerned with how time impacts humanity, specifically even possibly how we began to perceive time at the crux of the contemporary era, where technology forms an intermediary into the social passage of time. Dunkirk plays into this heavily formally, and I think Oppenheimer looks at this narratively. Tenet feels most emotional to me, and plays to the strengths of Nolan as a director without attempting to build strong characters (similar to Dunkirk). I read it as a philosophical exploration into how our relationships, regret, loss of selfhood are impacted by the barrage of time through the spy genre.

[@swanpas]

I'll be watching this tonight but just wanted to pop in and say this series of yours is amazing, wonderful work. Thank you so much!

[@mikebasil4832]

Certainly after Tenet, I'm pleased by all the positive hype that Oppenheimer is getting from the interviews I've seen so far on KZbin. Thank you, Tom, for this analysis.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

I hope it’s good. How was tenets reception in the beginning

[@mikebasil4832]

@@Ali-fo4uv I didn’t see Tenet in the beginning. I saw it on the movie channels and found it way too convoluted. But deserving of praise for its visual effects.

[@nqxba]

I feel like the Tenet chapter was a gross misunderstanding of the characters' motivations and the nuanced spy flick vibes that Nolan intended. The first act (before the Freeport scene) cleverly disguises Tenet as your regular spy film with assists (Neil, Priya & Sir Michael Crosby), a heist (the Mumbai arms dealer break-in) and generally cool spy stuff (assuming a cover identity as a wind turbine technician; fake CIA-issued cyanide pills) to generally immerse the audience before he allows things to go absolutely off the rails. Even with the motivations for breaking into the Freeport, there's such a deep conversation he has with Kat (with a classic Nolan flashback montage interspersed) about her envying the freedom of her future self diving off the boat. In regards to Sator, we obviously know that despite his diabolical deals with the future, he very much wants Kat to wanna be with her and as such, would be willing to both manipulate her into staying before using brute violence to keep her around. The beauty of Tenet is literally right there but people keep entering the experience trying to decipher it so much that they end up closing themselves off to the very real emotionality of the film.

[@ArsanCraft]

I personally think - after watching this brilliant essay - the connecting concept to all these movies is emergence, which oddly also stands behind life itself. It is the complex interplay between "dead" molecules that makes up the living cells and organisms. It means the 'group' or population has properties that are any individual within it has not. On a small scale your Body is built from carbon, metals, water and other elements. On a bigger scale your chemical makeup is able to perceive Nolans movies and to analyze and critique them. Your left foot couldn't do that on its own. Emergence from the ego towards your next of kin could also be coined "love". Is this the wonder of life?

[@searsino]

I'll say this almost every time a Nolan review is created on this site. Hans Zimmer is arguably the largest reason these films are able to be so strong. I'm convinced Hans is so good at what he does, often it can cover up the flaws of directors because of the level of emotion brought out, even if a scene is lacking.

[@jasonkraley]

as a collective (partial) filmography, the breakdown of “Interstellar” is the most incredibly fascinating, objective examination & dissection of “Interstellar” that truly made me take a pause to “rethink” my already positive views on the movie! very impressed, thank you!

[@R3TR0J4N]

love how Christopher Nolan agrees to make a film length music video for Hanz Zimmer compositions.

[@ClayJunior2]

lol so true 😂😂

[@TheTayloredMason]

This was such a good series! I always love when you come out with content, but especially with these last two videos, when I have gotten the notifications, they have brought me much joy and excitement. I love the depth with which you documented and analyzed Nolan's movies - certainly no surprise, given the quality and finesse of your more "regular" work. But I think I just really enjoyed staying with one of my favorite directors through the thoughts and words of one of the most well-spoken people on this platform. I would love to see more even-longer-form stuff like this, if ever you feel so inspired. Thanks for always making quality works, and thank you for always managing to remind me, through excitement or sobriety or tears, the beauty of what it is to be human, and our capacity for creativity and love. Thanks for all you do. :)

[@lancelotdufrane]

I really appreciate your ability to put into words, the depth of human connections from great films. I feel the lessons but cannot verbalize them with clarity. You’re a gifted analytical mind. Excellent. Thank you.

[@eccentricbeing]

In your Dunkirk segment, you're definitely on to something with the way Nolan edits his movies. Like sometimes, the narrative becomes a little confusing because of how Nolan paces his scenes and shots. I had the same experience for the first half hour or so with Oppenheimer. Upon a rewatch, I understood it better and was able to be immersed. Edit: Just watching the Tenet segment, you're illustrating more points I agree with. 100%, he doesn't linger with his shots to take in the vibes. Everything needs to be in constant motion.

[@Brometheus.]

I have loved tenet ever since it came out despite not understanding half of it and I have only grown to love it even more. I hope Nolan makes more films like it. It’s bold and a fantastic experience. I’ve had tenet playing on the tv non stop at home for like 2 weeks now as I wait to see Oppenheimer and I just appreciate the heck out of it. The ending when sator is on the phone and talks about being a god and bringing a son into a world that’s ending mixed with Neil’s sacrifice is what does it for me

[@ofentsesebiloane475]

I'm so glad that you said this. I feel the exact same. I watched TENET during its open weekend and I loved it even though I didn't understand everything after first viewing. As I watched it two more times, I came to realise how truly well done the film is. I regard it as being one of his very best works. An excellent spy sci-fi thriller. The score by Ludwig Göransson is world-class. Nolan is just next level. The film has developed a great cult following. As time passes, more people will acknowledge it as being a cinematic masterpiece. Dare I say, I believe that it might age as well as films like American Psycho, Fight Club and Eyes Wide Shut. Films which were massively underrated upon initial release, but grew to be renowned as masterpieces which will forever be relevant.

[@Brometheus.]

@@ofentsesebiloane475 Absolutely. I get the criticisms of it to a degree but to me the story, the actors, atmosphere, visuals, and the SCORE far outweigh whatever downsides there are. I think people expect perfection from Nolan for some weird reason. Neil and TP talk at the end was just the icing on the cake for me. Its perfect. Great comment by the way

[@sandeepdas3526]

There is no other movie that has grown on me like Tenet. Every issue I had with the movie became the strength of the movie as i kept watching it again and again. For example- the lack of character development was a big issue i had after my first viewing. But seeing the movie the 2nd time around, i understood why he chose to cut down on character. There are a lot of risky choices that he made in the film that no other filmmaker would have taken at least on a movie with a $200 million budget. If you look at Nolan movies before Dunkirk, he used to play it safe and didn't take as risky decisions as he takes now. Tenet might not be his best but i definitely enjoy watching tenet more than most of his other films. Also, Nolan could have made the film a bit simpler for the audience by compromising the plot but he didn't. And I really appreciate that. He just went for it. Made it as packed as he could. I have noticed that people who don't understand the movie call it nonsensical and convoluted while those who understand most of it call it complex/complicated.

[@dagahk1]

Thank you for covering Interstellar. It's one of my favorite movies of all times indeed.

[@joffreykouadio1095]

Interstellar is my favourite movie of all time and you made me like it even more, thank you!

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Oooohhhhh, I’m saving this one for later. Can’t wait. Its been 5 years since I’ve been excited for a movie.

[@livia5158]

Beautiful analogy! I watch Interstellar once every couple of years and it amazes me every time. It's not just a movie, it's an experience...and I love it

[@larryisntmynamebutyoucanca9625]

I believe Interstellar is one of the greatest films of all time. It is one of my absolute favorites.

[@iandavies7991]

Interstellar is my favourite Nolan movie… probably. That or inception. Yea the Batman trilogy was incredible and I love them too. The first being my personal favourite. I love all of his movies

[@jinks908]

With regard to your point about people who simply watch Nolan's films once and then are done vs. those of us who pour into the details, watch KZbin videos, discuss on Reddit, rewatch and rewatch, etc., I think we are quite literally witnessing the films of a director that will one day become classics. We don't simply read Hamlet or Moby Dick for the plot. Instead we analyze these stories, we view things through the lens of each character, we come to terms with the allegories and metaphors the author was making, we view the stories within the context of the contemporary times in which they were written (what was the world like, what wars or conflicts were there, what were the societal values of the era, etc.). Only then can we fully appreciate and even understand what these stories are *_really_* about and what kind of thoughts or questions do they leave us with. With all of his movies, but especially his cerebral ones (Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Tenet), you gain something new every single time you watch it. They are so fantastically multilayered. Nolan is such a transcendent artist that it is simply not fair or appropriate to judge these films upon first viewing. I was *_compelled_* to rewatch Oppenheimer after just a few days because it left me with so many questions and existential realizations that it made me go over the film and certain scenes in my head over and over. It's a rare thing for a film to do that to you, for it to stick with you for days. And I have absolutely no doubt at all that 50, 100, 200 years from now, Nolan will be the Shakespeare, the Hitchcock, the Asimov.

[@samalmond2321]

Interstellar is by far my favourite Nolan movie and certainly one of my favourite movie for the score, visuals and characters, plot holes be damned

[@TheSchaef47]

30:00 more specifically, the documentary accounts are the videos playing in the farmhouse-turned-museum. So even better than an abstract human in the future hearing these stories, Copper himself gets to look back on these from the other side of salvation.

[@OlgaMarginean]

Such a great and insightful analysis into Nolan's work. Great job! Thanks!

[@nagolici3206]

after watching this, i wish nolan would make movie about human existence, with very deep complex themes in space...

[@derfanddarf1]

"...too corny..." *Shows scene of Murph burning a cornfield*

[@strangemolars]

TeneT is film making at its purest form. 'Jokes' are made that Nolan only made the movie because he thought reverse images are cool. Well, is there anything more pure than that? Filming for the act of filming, not for the movie. Curiosity. The leap of faith that the audience will revel in the amazement of thes journey and the achievement instead of rationalizing every single aspect of something that was born out of curiosity. I wish every film maker "failed" the way Nolan failed with TeneT.

[@BenedictAllen_]

This is exactly how I felt about the movie. As a creative, I just had great appreciation for Nolan TRYING something so different than any other film. People get so nit picky about realism that they lose that child like wonder to appreciate how interesting the premise is.

[@DarkAngelEU]

Maybe it's because I'm a photographer and interested in cinematography and editing, but the movie is one of his best imo. It was surprisingly good considering so many people thought it was a failure and told me to not even waste my time with it.

[@d.sfilms7677]

This series is so exciting!

[@ohhhyeah9435]

Interstellar is the greatest Film I have ever seen.

[@billarqam]

+1

[@trombonegamer14]

Lol

[@thesilvermotion]

I watched it with my son the other day. He's young but very intelligent. About 1/2 way through the movie he says "This is the best music I've heard in a movie". When the movie ended. He exhaled and said very softly "this is the best movie I've ever watched".

[@anthonyburn1010]

A failed attempt to reach the heights of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it has its moments.

[@trombonegamer14]

​@@thesilvermotionI thought this was satire, and then I thought nah maybe it's real. And now I'm totally unsure

[@MrJeffrey938]

OH, I've been anticipating this. The first two were outstanding. Here we go....

[@TheSchaef47]

28:30 his conclusion that the tesseract was created by future humans is pure speculation on his part. If we consider the central premise of Nolan's story, that love is a transcendent aspect of our humanity, then it does tie things together neatly. In that case, I would chalk it up to Nolan's penchant for having his character say their feelings out loud. But in truth, it could have been any sentient being that had empathy for humanity. Humans are an obvious choice, but a benevolent deity is a pretty likely candidate, or a species that has relations with humanity in the future, not unlike the ending of Arrival.

[@melissaharris3389]

I have always thought it was future humans from Dr. Brand's colony we see at the end of the film. The mission to ensue humanities' survival by sacrificing those left behind redeemed by those decended from the new humanity taking pity on those left behind.

[@TheSchaef47]

@@melissaharris3389 within the constraints of the film, that is the most likely answer. I'm just saying that his arrival at that conclusion is pure speculation. It fits the story only inasmuch as the film presents no alternatives to compare to his theory.

[@nagolici3206]

i never realized that interstellar is so different than other nolan (or most of other epic) movies. you said it simple: humanity vs nature

[@sabretoo]

Thanks for this excellent series. It's a very impressive feat: thorough analysis, truthful reviews, seamless editing. I was never much of a Nolan fan, but this is inspiring me to watch/rewatch all of them.

[@kyle.gilmour]

I actually respectfully disagree with your point on Dunkirk’s confusing editing and punctuation. I think the moment when the commander prepares for his impending doom - only to be superseded and saved by a miraculous Farrier - is an incredible moment of catharsis which I think sums up the experience of the Dunkirk evacuation: with the enemy closing in, that the soldiers (and so many of them) were saved was a miracle, despite the doom, the visceral fear and so on. I thought it was one of the films’ moments of masterful editing. Nevertheless, I love your analysis and contributions! Just wanted to add to the discussion.

[@sobeso]

I was understanding your take on his punctuality until your example with the bank heist in the dark knight, I did not have the same issue in noticing that Gordon was investigating the bank that the joker just robbed...

[@mastpg]

He's our Hitchcock...if not our Hitchcock and Kubrick. "No time for caution" is epic beyond words, though you put some to it. The practically of existence and the indifference of the universe towards ours and the necessity of a "save nothing for the swim back" approach towards, again, same....distilled. Utterly brilliant. ...still trying to understand if I understand Tenet or just think I do. That said, I just eye rolled Interstellar on first watch...but it just kept growing on me. Rare when a work can hold so much for the invested viewer that it can change the perspective so completely.

[@ssssssstssssssss]

I think he is one of a kind. There have been no other directors that can make movies that are so artistic yet entertaining and make money.

[@mastpg]

@@ssssssstssssssss Yeah......that's not true, but it's good you've found a director you like. He is probably the best director with box office grosses of that size...at least since Cameron started making ridiculous Smurf movies. While it's technically true to call him unique, the films themselves aren't what most people would call overly "artistic", but he has high mastery of his craft. The concepts and characters are at the forefront of his pictures...not really the "artistic" methods and subtexts. He certainly has interesting narrative messages and explores them in original ways. Picking up Oppenheimer was a good strategic play, since there's definitely a "based on true events" demographic out there.

[@jesustovar2549]

@@mastpg I wouldn't say Avatar is as bad as some people say, I liked The Way of the Water dspite what some people said, I think Nolan can be perfectly Cameron's successor, about movies that do the "art for the entertainment", I think on Steven Spielberg, with Oppenheimer, Nolan is doing it's "Schindler's List" (coincidentally, produced by Universal) a more mature and ambitious project that might demonstrate to some critics that he just dosen't do commercial blockbuster (that had many depht than what more people think, same with Spielberg), which he already tried to demonstrate with Dunkirk, I didn't hate, it's not a film that would attract world masses despite being a WW2 film, it's easy to roll eyes on it, I understood what Nolan was trying to do, it could've been much better if he focused on more details and extend the lenght, 1 hr and 47 might not do justice to the tragedy that was Dunkirk.

[@mastpg]

@@jesustovar2549 Nolan started much more seriously than Spielberg, though Empire of the Sun does hit more seriously for me as I get older...or more precisely, as my kids get older while not remotely approaching Memento...though Spielberg's debut, Duel, could I guess be on that level of seriousness for the time period and for being a TV movie. Anyway, there's no "doing justice" to Dunkirk. I honestly don't 100% believe that what Steven did with Saving Private Ryan's Omaha Beach was necessarily the right thing do to for a movie like that. Seems to me that all the emotional impact of Dunkirk was in the inflection point where it is realized by the British soldiers as they're coming back on the train that they are not being welcomed back with jeers and mocking but with open, defiant and optimistic arms. The movie shows you what was at stake and how and what could be accomplished. It gives you an understanding of the mindsets of those people

[@franug]

excited also for this lengthy video, I enjoy your analysis so much! Going to send it to my husband bc Nolan is his favourite director, he'll love this...we already bought tickets for Oppenheimer in the only IMAX here in Chile, SO EXCITED

[@sichard.rimmons]

Wow you perfectly captured my experience and challenges with Tenet. Beautifully put

[@pdzombie1906]

Interstellar: A love letter from Nolan to his daughter. Love is the way you can't go wrong, specially when looking a direction for humanity. Dunkirk: How can you not identify with someone who only wants to survive? Tenet: A metaphor about watching movies, inversion is watching a movie again, you know whta's going to happen and yet you feel excited again! Oppenheimer: What are the real consequences of your actions? Great as usual, Tom, thanx!!!

[@originaozz]

Dunkirk is Nolan's most mature film yet (without seeing Oppenheimer). He shows restraint and stripped back to the minimum for cinematic storytelling. Tenet is almost the opposite, in being the most indulgent of his own style. I do admired both though because you can feel that he is still experimenting.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

They are both crap with crap terrible dialogue and story telling

[@isaacsheu2282]

exactly. but i think oppenheimer takes dunkirk spot

[@coltonfyfe5508]

Amazing video!!!! This was well put together and reminded me of why I love cinema

[@GamerNurseGale]

Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar and Tenet are my favorite Nolan films 😁

[@kevinjain]

It was a great three part series. It was interesting to learn about the underlying similarities in the style of each Nolan's films and how he progressed as a director. Even though he might have the punctuation problem as described in the video, one might argue that it may be the very thing that makes his movies re-watchable. Almost as if he is aware of this and the punctuation problem is an editorial choice. Leaving out certain parts of information; making jumps in character development; letting the audience do the math and connecting the dots; sounds pretty on brand for Nolan at this point. I always leave the theater with something to think about. That is very rare with movies these days.

[@jonfreelove]

This was an excellent piece

[@Scramblefred2399]

Respectfully I vehemently disagree with your takes on tenet. Zoom out and look at his trajectory. I assume the central metaphor to any art is the human brain. In particular, every story is an examination (meditation) between the logical and conceptual sides of the brain. The characters in between are representations of ego. First, inception, 4d, mind. Interstellar, 5d, emotion. Then, tenet, a complete mirror from both directions with instead of a deep character we get an almost video game type, nameless, altruistic protagonist, where are more free to plug ourselves in. Tenet examines the flow state, movement of mind and emotion, so seamlessly on every level. Next, we’ll have Oppenheimer. An examination of an ego (character) who knows and must risk destroying the entire picture. (Reality) Nolan’s own ego perspective with reality as he moves through his meditation as an artist is nearly perfectly, microcosmically reflected in the themes of his movies

[@Scramblefred2399]

This is why the story between kat, the artist, feminine side of the brain, and the rich, powerful, male side of the brain. Since the stakes are so high, these archetypes must be almost caricatures. The solution to this over solidification of ego in each role? A nameless protagonist. The hero on his journey

[@dynosor2011]

I listened this while working, and as always I absolutely love your videos, this was amazing as usual ❤

[@_ptoni_]

1h20min?! Let's go then.

[@cadenmorse1024]

you finally said it. the "punctuation problem" is the reason i found his recent 4-5 films "off" for many years...

[@S3RAVA3LM]

Over an hour of contemplating, considering, relating, hypothesising, elaborating, some induction here, some conjecture there, some purviews here and synopsis, introspections and retrospection everywhere; some second thoughts, and via time realisations had. Well done. 18:38 The part about sacrificing humanities very essence here. Who is sacrificing humanity again? - nobody is. Really, the only thing you can sacrifice is the attachment of not being able to let go of something you haven't absolute control of. What is humanities essence?

[@jedgould5531]

1:03:07 Thank you. Too busy keeping up with the rules, the order of events, that at least a part of the visceral experience is lost. 1:05:13 Agreed. That small point of improving his dress could have been dealt with an opportunity for Washington to acknowledge it. Like in a mirror. Lovely the way you tied his films together.

[@StuartHamilton-r9v]

On Tenet: I never saw a climate change message. The future is trying to erase its past for its own survival, but you can't have the future without a past. It resonated with me on the level of our current culture battles over the historical narrative. Some advocate it is progress to deconstruct the ideas of western society...but the ideas of western society built stable civilization--that's our foundation, both for good or ill. If we wipe out those ideas...what foundation could we hope to replace them with? Grandfather paradox.

[@ssssssstssssssss]

Edit: I think you need to give Nolan the benefit of the doubt when it comes to your punctuation comment and start by assuming it is intentional, even if you don't like the execution. Nolan is too good of a writer/director not to notice some of the things you pointed out. I think Tenet is my favorite. Time reversal is the perfect vehicle for showing birth/creation and death/destruction and that reversing time causes death/destruction to become birth/creation . What made Interstellar great is how effectively he used distance. Don’t need to say anything about Dunkirk because that got almost universal acclaim

[@melissaharris3389]

I think you're right about the editing being intentional. The only time I've ever had a moment where the editing in a Nolan film felt off or jarring is the cut from the Joker hanging up side down near the end of The Dark Knight. I've always wondered if the abrupt cut was due to coverage (not wanting to suspend Ledger longer or the take was just to good not to use), was intentional to draw the audience away from the Joker and toward the pathos of the next scene with Dent; or, if it was purely for time (nipping the end off a scene or two to make studio runtime expectations). For me the deluge of visual information is actually a feature not a bug of Nolan's films. It places the viewer in an almost trance like transcendental state (greatly helped by Hans Zimmer's scores'). The visuals provide just enough to allow the audience to interpret what is happening, then move on, allowing the cumluative dramatic or emotional intention to be picked up. I also think his unusual 'punctuation' is a response and challenge to traditional editing styles. Like a poet using 'improper' grammer or punctuation to elevate writen language from mechanical 'rightness' to artistic beauty.

[@AutoMattOn]

Nolan makes movies that are intelligent, engaging and, above all, original. even more improbably, he is able to make massive blockbuster movies that are intelligent, engaging and original. a veritable unicorn. ok, if not unique then definitely in a certain small clutch of standout directors working today. His directorial flaws are ultimately erased by his ambition to show us something we haven't seen before but will stick with us forever once we have. As sophisiticated and experienced viewers it is easy to forget that the movies we first loved, that forged our love of cinema, also had flaws and yet still retained thier power. Nolans ambition and vision brings in a new generation of starry eyed viewers to cinema, and still manages to enthrall us veterans. i will always look forward to a Nolan release as a result

[@CoffeeKillersClub]

I'm not going to suggest that his movies are perfect, but I will suggest that maybe you are viewing a new expression through an old lens. I'll take Tenet for example. There are... "unnecessary" elements, parts that you point out as confusing or unclear, but I would argue that that is not right approach. The correct approach, from my view, is unnecessary. The world is full of unnecessary things and events that are absolutely important and influence how we do things, how we interact, what we interact with, and ultimately the story as a whole. Is isn't our journey through life nothing but a series of unnecessary events that occur culminating in our stories? If the man who has power seeks power, he always wants more power, necessarily. Not because he needs it, he wants it, without purpose. The introduction of seemingly unnecessary elements, but elements that are inherently important to the overall plot gives a more realistic and deeper aspect beyond what is shone in the movie to your eyeballs and allows you to see that maybe there is more to each character and moment that has nothing to do with the other characters or moments within the story. I would argue that this gives more importance to each moment and character as it shows their unique and independent aspects, giving a depth that other more straightforward movies cannot give you. If you create a story that is only about one character and one sequence, everything is flat, dynamic story telling is not flat. Flatness is easy to digest, but the world is not flat, it is not easy to digest, and it is confusing and a struggle at best. This sort of depth in a story may take some time to get used to, but each viewing may allow someone to see a new movie, instead of just a different hidden Easter egg or point of view or commercial. The elements of the world are an inconvenience and unnecessary and individually unique, but the interactions are the story.

[@lkeke35]

Okay, I am now convinced that the way women watch movies is not the same way men watch movies and I am wondering how Nolan's movies are filtered through people who are socialized differently in Western culture. I really enjoyed Tenet. In fact, I loved it which is not something I've heard any men say about this film. The ones I listened to all seem to have mixed feelings or they hated it, and the reasons they gave for disliking it were the very reasons I liked it! Are men overthinking that movie? Am I overtihnking it? I don't know. And I have not heard from a lot of women about almost as if no women watched it or perhaps they did but for them it wasn't worth remarking about.

[@ellee3736]

im not sure if this is what ur saying exactly but i'm a woman and i LOVE tenet! Its my favorite of Nolan's films

[@IntoTheDeepBreathwork]

Wonderful analysis. And I feel like it's a shame that the idea that 'love really matters' is so often seen as corny - love does really matter. I'm so glad that Nolan got to capture that truth in a beautiful movie.

[@madistellarxx7302]

Interstellar is my absolute favourite! And I watch a lot of movies

[@aileenxie3321]

same

[@eli-kn9ni]

Interstellar is amazing, will always be my favorite movie.

[@6Rock6God6]

If you cant suspend disbelief for inversion then I just dont know what you are doing watching movies.

[@Godsen5]

About the Interstellar mixed reactions by different kinds of public: *be me * study cinema amateurially, watch lots of video analysis content, lots of making of movies contents, read a lot about movie theory, philosophy of cinema and so forth * listen to the difference between casual movie goers saying Interstellar is their favorite movie regardless of the critics * reconsider all the evident flaws of Interstellar in different aspects * look at my desktop (which never changed in the last 5 years) * Desktop being like: - Gargantua and the Endurance - * consider if I overstated the value of the movie * rapidly remember about "Docking scene" being the best scene in the history of cinema period (it's been 9 years and not a single person has presented me with sufficient evidence contradicting this fact) * continue watching the video

[@morbid1.]

I love how interstellar introduced masses 😉 to how gravity works...

[@seanwoolford8039]

I'm sooooo looking forward to seeing Oppenheimer. I'm going on a little holiday and will have to drive almost 500 miles from where I live to one of the few Imax theatres in Canada that will be showing it. I have my tickets for the 25th. :-)

[@hughjass8430]

Wow. I live I'm Ireland. 500 miles in any direction and I'm in the sea. Lol. About 60 miles for me to get to the one Imax screen here.

[@alexbeausejour9954]

Dude my English teacher would fail you, you can't expect us to grasp gigantic spoken sentences like this: "Interstellar poses a complicated existential issue, because on the one hand, our limited perspectives as individual and mortal human beings put us at risk of not being able to properly address temporal movements that operate beyond our limited perception of time and therefore to act in the best interest of humanity in general, but on the other hand, it seems we cannot truly overcome these limitations either not without putting ourselves at risk of becoming cruel self-delusional and just altogether disconnected from any real sense of humanity." 20:35 Language like this makes your train of thought very hard to follow throughout your video, and ends up feeling like it's going in circles

[@fredsifyable]

You change my life in more ways than you will ever know.. you are the gift I needed Mr. Stories of Old.

[@XanderShiller]

Nice choices and selections. For me, that inspiration is Martin Scorsese and if I see his name in a trailer then it'll usually be a great year. Can't wait for Kilers of the Flower Moon and his "deniro as Genovese" movie.

[@lanegeorgeton8266]

Good job pulling is in with critique and then empathy

[@c.m.9369]

0:41:25 What you say here is EXACTLY the problem I had with a scene towards the end of "Interstellar". There is this entire cut-together scene, where Cooper sends the data through the watch and his daughter finds it... and then there is this weird "ticking clock" element with Cooper's son who has to deal with the burning field and races back to the house to... "stop his sister" from getting back into her own room? It's such a weird, unnecessary addition (heck... Cooper's son in his entirety is an unnecessary addition, let's be honest here), just a strange additional element that doesn't work thematically, that doesn't add anything narratively, but it's just "there" to give us an additional element to create an artificial punctuation of relief that really isn't needed.

[@livia5158]

I always felt weird about that scene in Intersteller when Cooper finally gets to see Murph at Cooper's Station right before she dies. It has a weird edit and cuts off at such an emotional moment so fast. That's pretty much my only complaint. Other than that, it's a cinematic masterpiece

[@colingallagher1648]

It’s always exciting when he drops

[@skatemetrix]

Interstellar is Christopher Nolan's magnum opus. One of the great sci-fi films of the 21st century and, barring a few other sci-fi films, stands above all other sci-fi films released this century.

[@j.k.1239]

Interstellar throughout the years has grown a cult following and is among Nolan top 3 loved movies.

[@AynenMakino]

The over- and under- emphasis on characters, especially in your examples of the Batman trilogy, perhaps shows something important after all: In the structures we build, and the people we populate them with, it's very hard to tell which parts, which people, are the ones that end up being important. Humans lack the capacity to accurately oversee the importance of each element in such enormous structures. And when a trilogy is largely about dealing with the corruption of our societal systems this is entirely on-theme. We don't know who to 'bet' on. Not really. And that's a major contributing factor to how the systems we built also fall apart right under our noses.

[@javzgalindo]

I'm so glad you and Thomas F are making things together, I've long thought the two of you, amongst a handful of others, are some of the most thoughtful and introspective creators on KZbin and some of my favorite. Nuclear cinema is exactly what I have been wanting for a long time lol: I'm glad that the imminent arrival of Oppenheimer has people thinking about this subject a little more. Millennials and Gen Z probably don't think about nuclear weapons and existentialism of nuclear capability as much as pre-End of the Cold War generations did. I wish we did tho; nuclear things are an existential knot in humanity's side, in a similar arena to massive things like climate change or capitalism. Perhaps both ultimate threat to life and (possibly, I don't know) solution in some ways to some of the energy crises that we face? Dunno. The idealist in me wishes there were no nukes and we could just throw away all knowledge of nuclear power forever, to get rid of the potential threat. But someone somewhere someday would rediscover it, and the entire problem begins again. How to live in a nuclear reality? Dunno.

[@lanegeorgeton8266]

Glad I’m not the only one to have the disjointed nature experienced in Dunkirk

[@CrimsonModify]

Amazing Video, thank you so very much. I have gained a shitload of Insight.

[@NewGoldStandard]

Your editing is great. I love how you say Interstellar is criticized for being corny while you show a scene of one of the protagonists in a cornfield. Haha!

[@uqbar42]

32:30 THat visual joke maked me up!

[@christophermanley3602]

39:10 - random football player? That's Heinz Ward, good sir.

[@thesilvermotion]

I can't wait to watch this movie!!!

[@highwind1991]

Im so glad that he changed his Cinematographer after The Dark Knight Rises

[@vishwas.setlur]

Looking forward to your take on Oppenheimer. Would you compare the character journey similar to that of Clarence in 'The Fall' by Albert Camus?

[@revoltzzz1178]

@53:25 "... reexperiencing the same events backwards" .. meanwhile, the word Tenet is spelled exactly the same backwards. . .

[@AuspexAstarte]

I watch videos like these but I find that it rly depends if I feel that a movie is rly something that i wont mind a breakdown of, for terrible to exceptional reasons. Add to being a sci fi fan to begin with and picky at what i watch and just appreciate when i do rather than criticizing it non stop. Anyway interstellar is def special in my eye S

[@dr_volberg]

51:28 - It is part of the Sator Square, thus it had to be included.

[@wachox]

At Dunkirk, Isn't who dies the boaters son's friend ?

[@PictureBoxPuppy]

Ironically film twitter and Reddit don’t actually seem to like films at all. They seem to only enjoy posturing and divisive discourse. There’s unfortunately little to no sense of community there. It’s just who can say what to get the most engagement over and over again until it reaches you and you decide if you agree or not and are affected enough to engage and perpetuate the cycle.

[@Gagegillespi]

As someone who is watching this and everything else, interstellar is legitimately in my to 5