Inflight Dublin Favourites: Christopher Nolan

December 21

To coincide with Tenet hitting inflight entertainment screens this month, we thought it’d be a nice idea to write a few words about our favourite Christopher Nolan films.

Hope you enjoy, and keep an eye out for more “Inflight Dublin Favourites” – coming your way soon.

 

Jamie Baker – Audio Services Lead

Prior to the release of Batman Begins in 2005, live-action Batman films had garnered a reputation for being campy, tongue-in-cheek, and often silly representations of the comic book icon and his Gotham City escapades.

The franchise was in dire need of an overhaul, but few people could have expected the dramatic shift in tone once Christopher Nolan took the helm.

Batman Begins is built on foundations of realism and grit. For the first time on the big screen, it tells the origin story of Bruce Wayne, the son of a billionaire who tragically loses his parents to one of the many criminals churned out by the sinister streets of Gotham City.

“Batman Begins is built on foundations of realism and grit.”

It takes relatively lesser-known villains from the Batman universe and magnifies them, creating complex characters with interesting motivations and unique relationships with Batman.

But what truly sets Nolan’s film apart from all the Batman films before it is its determination to focus in on Bruce Wayne as a character, adding layers of intrigue to the man behind the mask.

 

At its core, the film is a character study which follows a broken and brooding man’s search for purpose, fuelled by trauma, rage and an unwavering need for revenge.

While often overshadowed by the incredible narrative and mammoth Heath Ledger performance featured in the sequel, Batman Begins is my favourite Christopher Nolan film because it is the first movie to truly get Batman right.

It set up one of the most memorable and consistently brilliant trilogies in film history, and significantly raised the bar for all superhero movies that followed it.

Rika Argadireja – Metadata Executive

The Christopher Nolan movie I like the most is Interstellar. An epic sci-fi set in a dystopian time in the future when the earth is dying, it follows a group of astronauts who attempt to find a new home for mankind through interstellar travel.

The combination of time relativity adventures, space exploration, exceptional acting (I personally think that Matthew McConaughey’s acting is Oscar-worthy), an unpredictable cameo appearance, and aesthetically pleasing visuals perfectly compliment the story about humanity.

The other thing that I really like about the movie is the ending – I don’t want to say too much but the last five minutes are emotional, tear-jerking, and it made me realise how valuable family and time are.

I can’t recommend it enough, Interstellar is definitely high up on my most favourite movies list!

Conor Regan – Snr. Content Acquisitions Executive

Inception has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from a Nolan film: beautiful cinematography; thrilling action; a non-linear narrative; mind-bending visual effects; a pulsating Hans Zimmer score, and ruminations on philosophy and metaphysics.

But for me, one thing in particular gives it an edge over his other work, and that’s how moving it is.

“... one thing in particular gives it an edge over his other work, and that's how moving it is.”

Because if you take away the talk of extractions and projections, what we’re left with is a man, who’s exiled from his family, doing anything it takes to get home. And it’s this simple narrative strand that anchors the movie, and gives it its emotional heft.

Key to the film’s power is Dominick Cobb, Inception‘s brilliant, yet troubled, protagonist.

Like the director’s best characters, he’s a bundle of contradictions, and far from the “good guy” archetype of way too many action flicks. He mightn’t always be likeable, but, as we learn more about his backstory, we come to understand his motivations and empathise with his situation.

The closing scene, in particular, packs a serious emotional gut-punch. Without giving too much away, it’s a rollercoaster of excitement, tension, release, and ambiguity that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

Inception isn’t just my favourite Nolan, but one of my favourites full stop. An awesome film.

Jane Boland – Marketing Executive

My favourite Christopher Nolan film has to be The Dark Knight, the second film in his Batman trilogy.

Although I am a big superhero film fan, I love how Nolan steers clear of the supernatural elements that make up a large part of most Marvel plots and presents to us a very relatable and realistic superhero story.

Although the problems faced were not as catastrophic as saving the universe, they seemed bigger and more impressive to overcome knowing the hero had no supernatural powers contributing to the outcome.

The casting was 10/10 with an outstanding performance from Heath Ledger as the Joker, which for many people carried the entire film. However, Christian Bale brought two great characters to life; the strong crime-fighting Batman and the wealthy yet troubled Bruce Wayne.

Intense action scenes such as the opening bank robbery scene and the car chase/truck flip are iconic still to this day.

I think I need a Batman trilogy movie marathon now!

Tenet will be available for inflight entertainment systems from January 2021. At Inflight Dublin, we pride ourselves on providing the best film, TV, audio and innovative content to our clients – and that includes Christopher Nolan films! If you’d like to learn how we can do the same for your airline, make sure to get in touch; you can contact us here.

All images property of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

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