The best Christopher Nolan movies, ranked (including Oppenheimer)

1. Interstellar

Christopher Nolan’s most visually stunning movie to date is Interstellar, and because of its breathtaking cinematography, strong performances, and its themes of sci-fi and the preservation of humanity, it gets the number one spot. The film came out in 2017 and features an ensemble cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, and Matt Damon.

McConaughey plays a former NASA pilot named Joseph Cooper who’s asked to embark on a mission in space to find an inhabitable planet outside of the solar system. Cooper must leave his daughter Murphy behind as the crew travels through a wormhole to investigate planets, and because of time dilation, they inadvertently lose 23 years.

Interstellar is an emotional journey that focuses on Cooper’s relationship with his daughter along with the complexities of space travel and time. The movie was applauded not only for its attention to detail but also for its scientific accuracy. After watching, this one sits with me longer than any other entry on this list.

Though it relies on space tropes and very obviously takes cues from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar can also stand on its own as one of the best sci-fi movies ever.