Why Sir Christopher Nolan inspires such devotion—and contempt
THE SEVEN most dangerous words anyone can say to a film aficionado are: “What do you think of Christopher Nolan?” The question will almost certainly elicit one of two reactions: a long, fevered disquisition on the masterful craftsmanship of his 12 feature films (now 13, with the release of “The Odyssey”)—or eye-rolling contempt. Almost nobody will shrug and say, “Eh, he’s fine.” Filmmaker Christopher Nolan poses on the red carpet during the Mumbai premiere of The Odyssey, in Mumbai, India, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS) Perhaps that is unsurprising: ambitious artists tend to provoke strong reactions, and Sir Christopher Nolan is nothing if not ambitious. He is the seventh-highest-grossing film director ever, and the most important British film-maker since Alfred Hitchcock. Like Hitchcock, he is devoted to the technical work of film-making: “The Odyssey” is the first blockbuster to be shot entirely on IMAX film, a format that produces sumptuous images but is harder to work with than digital cinematography. Sir Christopher stands out from his peers for having the widest-ranging, most original and brainiest oeuvre. …
