I don't like Nolan movies. I've never liked Nolan movies. But, when I look at the current state of film, its not difficult to see why he's so popular. Over the last 15 years, audiences have been bombarded with sequels, prequels and remakes. There are only a handful of filmmakers who make original films anymore and people are dying for entertainment with some substance. Nolan doesn't give his audience that at all, but he's very good at making it seem like he does.
Nolan's entire approach to filmmaking is centered around making his audience feel special and intelligent. He picks topics that seem complex on the surface - like multilayered dream realities or intricate scientific concepts, which, when well explained, are surprisingly simple. But as his scripts overly convolute the topic only to then overexplain it in long, unfocused exposition dumps, they're are given the illusion of depth precisely because they feel like a lecture.
Then there's his insistence on presenting himself as a cinema purist. Refusing to mix sound for anything less than top-tier speakers might seem like a commitment to quality, but really it's just a technical failing. After all, shouldn't great sound sound amazing on any system? It's just an aesthetic choice to appeal to the film buffs with a slightly pretentious streak who want to feel that they're getting something no one else will give them, even if what they're getting is objectively worse.
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Mynvosa (95)
2 months ago
Nolan also has a penchant for sprinkling in references to deep philosophy without actually diving into the depths of those questions. Quoting a line from the Bhagavad Gita might sound profound, but it's just surface-level intellectualism. He's giving his audience a taste of something profound without actually having to deliver on profundity. It simply isn't needed. Even if the audience isn't familiar with whatever philosophy he's espousing, they know from the surrounding culture that it's an important text, idea, philosophy etc., and they'll credit his work through association. Nolan fans do all the heavy lifting, and this makes them feel smart. Nolan's genius lies more in aesthetics than substance. He creates the illusion of depth and intelligence without fully delivering on it. And apparently, that's what some audiences want.
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Tam87 (115)
a month ago
its not difficult to see why he's so popular. Over the last 15 years, audiences have been bombarded with sequels, prequels and remakes. There are only a handful of filmmakers who make original films anymore and people are dying for entertainment with some substance. Nolan doesn't give his audience that at all, but he's very good at making it seem like he does.
Well said.
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