![]() ![]() What became clear quickly was that viewers weren’t putting up with the bewildering-but-plainly thought-out zig zag of Nolan’s storytelling as a tradeoff for the more conventional pleasures, the zero-gravity fights and city-folding special-effects shots. Quite to the contrary, that byzantine structure made it a must-see in summer 2010, amassing fans with each sold-out screening. The convoluted nature of Inception’s plotting would inspire lots of jokes at its expense ( Dan Harmon had a field day), but it wouldn’t hurt the movie. Escher complexity: a brain-bending sci-fi action picture that layered its dream reality like nesting dolls, daring audiences to keep track of multiple planes of dilemma unfolding at different speeds. Without the safety net of beloved intellectual property, the director thrust audiences into a heist movie of M.C. ![]() "From the writer-director of The Dark Knight" may have put asses in seats, but his follow-up’s runaway popularity dispelled any concerns that Nolan was a flash in the pan, that his powers might weaken beyond Gotham City limits. Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros./Courtey of Evertt CollectionĪrriving between this historic success and the less rapturously received closing chapter of the Dark Knight saga, Inception was the true test of Nolan’s stature-and the movie that solidified his standing as a reliable purveyor of big-idea blockbusters, the thinking man’s Hollywood hitmaker. The movie was such a sensation-not just a record-breaking box-office juggernaut, but one of those rare films that seems to dominate the entire pop-cultural attention span for months on end-that it all but guaranteed its maker some runway, the ability to chase his muse out of the franchise trenches. The success of that magisterial superhero movie, the middle chapter of his seminal Batman trilogy, wrote a blank check that he’s been cashing ever since. Tracing the arc of Nolan’s career backwards, Memento-style, takes you to the origins of his reputation for crafting uncommonly brainy blockbusters: 2008’s The Dark Knight, still the biggest hit he’s ever helmed. Remarkably, those viewers have rewarded his trust over and over again, by coming out in droves to each new picture, undeterred-maybe even exhilarated-by the very real possibility that it will require some intellectual labor. Nolan trusts viewers to keep up with the pretzel logic of his movies. Cinephiles may debate how truly "deep" his blockbusters are, but there’s no denying that almost all of them are conceptually audacious, applying complicated structural gimmicks to their narratives and traipsing into matters of theoretical science. It also feels like a culmination of Nolan’s whole deal: his heartening, unfashionable tendency to respect the intelligence of his audience. Oppenheimer, which opened to a staggering $80 million domestically last weekend, doesn’t simply count as another smash in a career full of them. ![]() Except, apparently, when they have Nolan’s name on them. Movies like this don’t make big money, especially not in 2023. It’s a three-hour drama about quantum physics and McCarthyism, a summer movie set in laboratories and courtrooms it’s a true gabfest blown up to IMAX proportions. ![]() Oppenheimer, much more so than Barbie, is the traditional definition of a tough sell. One of the simplest takeaways of this past weekend is more of a forceful reminder of something that should be conventional wisdom, even gospel for executives by now: Christopher Nolan, the writer, director, producer, and reigning blockbuster visionary of our age, can turn just about anything into a hit. If Hollywood learns any lessons from Barbenheimer, however, it’ll probably be the wrong ones. But two over a single weekend? Barbie and Oppenheimer-the yin-and-yang hits of this summer movie season, radically different spectacles united through the unexpected good luck of concurrent release-will surely inspire a lot of reactive thinking on the part of studios hoping to replicate the phenomenon of their joint success. One movie massively exceeding expectations is, these days, a major event. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to hear a lot about what “ Barbenheimer” really means for the film industry. ![]()
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