Not only is it the clear film of the year, but it has also officially crowned itself the highest-rated project of Nolan’s entire career. To celebrate his triumphant return, we are looking at how The Odyssey ranks alongside the master filmmaker’s other critical standard-bearers.
When Christopher Nolan announced he was embarking on a six-country, $250 million production to adapt Homer’s ancient poem, the industry knew they were in for a spectacle. But few predicted just how completely the film would win over critics. Shot entirely on massive IMAX 70mm cameras—a historic first for a feature-length film—The Odyssey is being hailed as a sweeping, emotionally devastating exploration of post-war disillusionment, disguised as a monster-filled survival blockbuster.
1. The Odyssey (2026) — 98%
By taking a 3,000-year-old story and treating it with the visceral, grounded urgency of an anti-war film, Nolan has crafted his ultimate masterpiece. Matt Damon stars as a war-weary Odysseus, carrying a performance that critics are already calling a career-best, alongside Anne Hathaway’s emotionally restrained Penelope.
Whether navigating the terrifying psychological horror of the Cyclops or the sweeping loneliness of the open ocean, the film’s 98% debut proves Nolan’s boldest gamble has paid off in historic fashion.
2. The Dark Knight (2008) — 94%
IMDb
For nearly two decades, The Dark Knight stood as the undisputed, towering crown jewel of Nolan’s filmography. It is the film that didn’t just redefine comic book adaptations—it fundamentally changed how the Academy Awards selected Best Picture nominees.
Anchored by Heath Ledger’s immortal, Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker, the movie traded colorful superhero tropes for a grim, rain-slicked, and morally complex crime epic. It remains a flawless exercise in escalating tension, and its 94% score is a testament to its timeless, culture-shifting impact.
3. Memento (2000) — 94%
IMDb
Before he had the keys to $250 million studio blockbusters, Nolan put himself on the map with a reverse-engineered, low-budget psychological noir puzzle.
Told backward to mimic the short-term memory loss of its protagonist, Memento remains one of the most structurally daring features ever made. Guy Pearce’s desperate, tragic search for his wife’s killer is soaked in existential dread and paranoia. Tieing The Dark Knight at 94%, this early indie triumph proved that Nolan’s obsession with the non-linear mechanics of time was present from the very beginning.
4. Oppenheimer (2023) — 93%
IMDb
The biopic that turned into a global box-office juggernaut and secured Nolan his long-overdue Best Director and Best Picture Academy Awards.
Oppenheimer is a three-hour, dialogue-heavy historical drama that Nolan somehow paced with the heart-stopping adrenaline of a thriller. Cillian Murphy’s haunted, skeletal performance as the father of the atomic bomb, paired with Ludwig Göransson’s propulsive, Oscar-winning score, made the film an intense psychological horror movie about the end of the world. At 93% on the Tomatometer, it remains the defining cinematic achievement of the 2020s.
5. Dunkirk (2017) — 92%
IMDb
Before tackling the ancient shores of the Mediterranean, Nolan turned his historical lens to the bleak, desperate beaches of France in World War II.
Dunkirk is a masterpiece of minimalist storytelling. Striping away standard character backstories and heavy exposition, Nolan chose to let the relentless, ticking-clock structure of the evacuation speak for itself. Told across three shifting timelines—land, sea, and air—the film is a masterclass in pure, visual suspense that captures the terrifying, communal instinct of human survival. It lands comfortably in his top five with a brilliant 92%.
The Bottom Line
With The Odyssey joining this elite circle of cinema, Christopher Nolan continues to defy the laws of gravity in modern Hollywood. He is one of the last remaining directors who can demand a blank check from a major studio, build a massive physical world without relying on green screens, and consistently deliver an immaculate critical home run.
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ officially opens in theaters and IMAX tomorrow, Friday, July 17, 2026.
