Of all the titles that make up the 2026 movie schedule, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is easily one of the most talked-about entries on it. Not all that buzz has been totally positive, though, as some Internet users are already sharing gripes with the film ahead of its release. Up until this point, Nolan has pretty much let the footage of the film speak for itself, but he’s now weighing in the critiques. In doing so, he even mentions Interstellar, and I really appreciate the thoughtful point he makes.

A portion of people complained following the release of the first Odyssey trailer near the end of 2025, noting details that they believed to be historically inaccurate for the Greek epic. The costumes worn by some of the characters as well as the accents the stars used for their performances were just some of the elements that stirred up debates. Nolan discussed the viral chatter while participating in Time’s cover story about his latest film. The British director specifically mentioned Interstellar to illustrate his approach to world-building:

Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi epic may be about the future as opposed to the past like The Odyssey, but he presents some sound logic here. As mentioned in the article, the public’s knowledge of the Bronze Age comes from “very fragmentary archeological records.” With that, creative liberties needed to be made, so it would make sense for Nolan to try to fill in gaps where needed as he did with his astronaut drama. On top of that, let’s remember that while that space film has been critiqued, it’s still considered to be one of the best Nolan movies.

In regard to The Odyssey, the armor worn by Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) has been heavily discussed, with some history aficionados arguing against its dark and glossy finish. Nolan went on to explain the practical reasons for that costume’s look as well as the weapon designs:

What it sounds like is that the Dark Knight helmer isn’t exactly trying to lean heavily on just the Bronze Age to inform the aesthetic for his film. On that note, he also shared the following sentiments:

Based on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey chronicles the journey of Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, who braves extreme dangers to return to his family in Ithaca after the end of The Trojan War. Nolan has apparently pulled out all the stops for this film, as he’s not only shot it solely with IMAX cameras but also put a firm emphasis on practical effects. Matt Damon previously noted the rough conditions, but he also expressed his appreciation for Nolan’s old-school filmmaking approach.

I’m certainly not one to bet against Christopher Nolan, so I won’t be critiquing The Odyssey until it hit theaters on July 17. Should the film be as engrossing and epic as the trailers and TV spots suggest, I think any concerns that some viewers have about historical accuracy will fall by the wayside.

It’s easy, in hindsight, to look at Interstellar as one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, if not his most emotional film. It’s one of his works people bring up now when they talk about how deeply his flicks can hit, the one that leaves audiences quietly wrecked by the end credits. But that wasn’t exactly the narrative when it first came out. Apparently, there was a brutal critique Nolan received “anonymously’ when the film hit theaters back in 2014.

During a recent Q&A, shared via the Nolan Archives YouTube channel and held at AMC Universal CityWalk as part of a “Timothée Chalamet Live” retrospective presented by Cinematheque screening, Nolan reflected on the Interstellar's original reception. And buried in that conversation is one of the more blunt critiques he’s ever gotten. He explained:

It’s a pretty surgical critique and a common criticism I remember in the movie fan ether of the time. Honestly, it's a criticism that still follows the director to this day. What’s interesting is that Nolan doesn’t dismiss it outright. Instead, he frames his space epic almost as a response to it.

According to the Dark Knight visionary, the emotional core of Interstellar wasn’t an accident but the reason he signed on in the first place. Responding to a question from Chalamet about the film's growth in popularity and reevaluation, the director responded:

That part is especially interesting. Nolan isn’t saying audiences weren’t ready for Interstellar as a movie so much as they weren’t ready for him to make that sort of movie. Coming off films like Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy, which some still consider one of the greatest superhero trilogies of all time, there was a certain idea of what a Nolan blockbuster was supposed to feel like. Interstellar is huge and brainy, sure, but it’s also achingly sentimental in places.

For some viewers, that clicked immediately, especially if they had kids. For others, it clearly took time but, if they weren't clicking Interstellar on release, they have found new reasons to appreciate it. To Nolan’s credit, he seems at peace with that now. He added:

The Oppenheimer helmer's measuring stick wasn’t an immediate consensus, but whether the flick truly reached people, and clearly, it did. If anything, Interstellar’s long afterlife kind of proves his point. It’s become one of those films that has only grown in stature, even making our list of best sci-fi movies of all time.

If I’m being honest, when I caught the film in theaters back in 2014, I left feeling underwhelmed and considered it one of my least favorites of his movies. I haven't really returned to it since. But, after hearing Nolan and Chalamet talk about the movie and its reevaluation over the years, I think it's time for me to give it a second shot. Luckily for me, I can catch it streaming with my Paramount+ subscription.

So yes, somebody once branded Nolan as the guy who made “cold films.” Interstellar now feels like the film that quietly, and pretty definitively, disputed that argument. Even if his movies feel a bit too clinical at times, it's clear the man behind Memento, Inception and yes, even Interstellar, is anything but cold.

Timothée Chalamet loves Interstellar. Literally, he’s obsessed with it – in fact, Kylie Jenner surprised him with a screening of it for his birthday. However, hilariously, not everything about that experience was fantastic for him. He made that clear while talking to Matthew McConaughey about the Christopher Nolan flick, too, as he revealed the nasty prank the lead actor played on him.

While Interstellar is by no means the movie Chalamet is best known for, because he plays a very small role in it, he speaks about it a lot with a ton of reverence. He proved that once again during an event for CNN and Variety, where he talked with Interstellar’s lead, Matthew McConaughey. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though, and I mean that in a very light-hearted way, because the True Detective star played an absolutely gross prank on his co-star that left him feeling “disrespected.” In Chalamet’s words:

What a wild way to end production. I know I’d certainly be off put if that happened to me, so I can see why Chalamet was not happy about what he found in his bathroom. However, I can’t help but laugh about the reason why McConaughey did it.

I also can’t help but laugh about the one-word response the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star had after the Dune actor revealed this gross prank:

You know, it is a pretty unforgettable souvenir…and as shown by this tale, Chalamet still remembers (and laughs) about it.

While being a funny story by itself, I also love how it adds to the ever-growing lore of the Little Women actor’s love for this movie. Back when it came out, Chalamet had really only done small parts, like his eight-episode arc in Homeland, and he was not the movie star he is now. In fact, Interstellar was one of the biggest films he’d been in up to that point, and it wasn’t until three years later that he starred in his breakout project, Call Me By Your Name.

While he was bummed about his lack of screentime in the movie, seeing as he plays the younger version of Casey Affleck’s character, his affection for the film is evident. In the same interview with McConaughey, he explained that Christopher Nolan is his “favorite director to this day.” He also noted that when he read Interstellar, he “thought it was gonna change the world.” Chalamet also took the opportunity to tell his on-screen dad that this sci-fi epic “hugely inspired” his work in Dune: Part Three, which will be released on December 18, per the 2026 movie schedule.

So, even though the prank Matthew McConaughey pulled on Timothée Chalamet was icky and it made the younger actor feel a bit “disrespected,” clearly, there’s absolutely no bad blood. In fact, now they both look back on it all and laugh while the Marty Supreme star continues to gush about his love for Interstellar.

Timothée Chalamet is proving time and time again that he is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. The Oscar nominee recently hosted a career retrospective where he welcomed names like Denis Villeneuve, Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey and more to help him discuss some of his career highlights. He also welcomed director Christopher Nolan who he worked with when he joined the cast of Interstellar. It was an awesome mini-reunion, and Nolan hilariously gave Chalamet a noogie during it.

For the retrospective, Chalamet screened Call Me By Your Name, which many consider his breakout film. During the screening, the Dune star reflected on reuniting with Nolan earlier that month to revisit their collaboration on Interstellar. He was only 17 when he did the movie, and Chalamet only had a small part in it, but it was memorable nonetheless. The actor had an absolute blast talking to the famed director again, and the whole interaction was like no time had passed. He told the audience at the event (via People):

Even though Chalamet only had a small part in the film, he still considers it a core memory. He has said that it’s his favorite project he’s been a part of, and has watched the film more times than any other. So it makes sense he would want both Nolan and McConaughey to participate in his career retrospective.

Nolan also seemed to have a great time reuniting with the young actor as well, as he gave him a noogie, which Chalamet documented on his Instagram. He said of the moment:

Even though 13 years have passed, Nolan still sees Chalamet as that young actor he worked with. Chalamet now has a large filmography, and he has grown tremendously as an actor, going on to star in blockbusters like Dune and Wonka, while also taking on movies like Little Women and A Complete Unknown. This photo, however, negated all of that, showcasing a dynamic that captures Chalamet’s continued youth and Nolan’s reverence for him not only as a star but as a protege.

I absolutely love this playful reunion, and it shows the lasting impact of not only an early collaboration but also Interstellar as a film. Chalamet may be Hollywood’s premier leading man, but he’s never forgotten where he came from. This is a great photo, and hopefully the reunion isn’t over, and we will see Chalamet in a Nolan movie in the near future. They are clearly a great match.

You can see Timothée Chalamet in his latest film, Marty Supreme, which is still playing in theaters nationwide. The movie made the actor a 2026 Golden Globe winner and a nominee at the 96th Oscars, so make sure to check it out on the big screen while you can. Fans can also revisit his Christopher Nolan collaboration in Interstellar, which is now streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

Timothée Chalamet is one of the biggest stars in the world right now. He recently received his third Oscar nomination for Best Actor, which is insane for an actor so young, but it turns out one of his favorite movies is one he made before most people knew who he was. It’s so important to him that his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, even used it for an incredible birthday gift that Matthew McConaughey had to talk about.

Some actors never watch their own movies, but Timothée Chalamet recently revealed in a CNN/Variety Town Hall with Matthew McConaughey that he’s seen Interstellar 22 times, including a dozen times in theaters. One of those times, McConaughey revealed, was part of Chalamet's last birthday. He told the audience…

Going to the movies for one's birthday is a fairly standard thing for a lot of people. But getting a dedicated screening of a movie that premiered well over a decade ago is extra special, and it shows Kylie Jenner knows just what will make her boyfriend happy. Hilariously, Chalamet admits to being very unhappy prior to the screening because she sprung it on him as a surprise. He said…

Interstellar is great, but seeing Interstellar in IMAX is better. Most of the 22 times Chalamet has watched the movie were likely on television, so seeing it in IMAX for the first time in a long time, if not the first time ever, had to be amazing. Kylie Jenner knows how to do birthdays.

Timothée Chalamet has a small role in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar as the young son of Matthew McConaughey’s character. It’s honestly more than a little surprising to me that Chalamet loves the movie so much, as he has talked about how he literally broke into tears the first time he saw it, because he thought his part would be much bigger. The Dune star joked about the small size of his role in the movie, saying…

Apparently, he got over it, and he loves the movie. And justifiably so, as Interstellar is a fantastic film. While it may not top everybody’s list of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, that’s only because he has so many great movies.

Interstellar is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies that has remained popular for years since it was released. Part of that is certainly because it’s simply a great film, but one should not discount the fact that the film continues to be part of the cultural conversation. This is, at least partly, due to the popularity of one scene as an internet meme.

If you spend any time on social media, you have likely seen Matthew McConaughey breaking down in tears, being used by somebody referencing some other emotional moment. In a recent appearance on John Mayer’s SiriusXM show, McConaughey revealed that he apparently had no idea the scene was a meme, but he doesn’t mind, as he knows there are different reasons for different moments in films to exist. He said…

While the meme makes the scene in Interstellar into something of a joke, it’s actually a harrowing emotional moment. McConaughey’s character has ended up spending far too long on a planet suffering the effects of time dilation. As a result, he returns to his ship to a slew of messages that reveal his children have grown up without him.

When the scene stars McConaughey's son is played by Timothee Chalamet, but by the end, he becomes Casey Affleck. It's in this scene that Jessica Chastain joins the cast as the adult daughter who ultimately becomes the film's protagonist at this point.

Matthew McConaughey may not be aware his emotional breakdown is a meme, but I’m so glad Mayer asked the question because what follows is an intriguing discussion into the actor’s process on set and the way that emotional moments like this still affect him. He reveals that he only recently rewatched Interstellar with one of his children, and the scene still hit him just as hard. He explained…

I can’t imagine jumping into a scene like this at the very beginning of a week’s work, but for McConaughey, it’s what works for him. It sounds like most of what we see in the scene is from the first take that was made, because the Oscar-winner says in the first take he’s not acting, because he’s reacting to everything for the first time. He explained…

The actor says that the reason rewatching the scene recently got to him just as much was because he was reacting to the fact that he no longer needed to feel such emotions, and that he didn’t need to consider the idea of not seeing his kids again. Next time I watch Interstellar, I’m pretty sure I’ll be crying again too.

Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan is known for many things in his filmmaking: working with the same actors, using IMAX 70mm film, and creating mind-bending plot twists. For many actors, signing onto a Nolan film is the role of a lifetime, no matter how big or small. It turns out, the Inception director doesn’t see it the same way, and had a funny warning for Matt Damon before he signed on for Interstellar.

Interstellar is widely regarded as one of Nolan’s best films. The sci-fi adventure about the race through space to save humankind has an A-list cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Nolan’s frequent collaborator Michael Caine. Nolan had sent the Good Will Hunting actor the script, wondering if he would sign on to the project. Damon recently took GQ’s Friendship Quiz with longtime bestie Ben Affleck and told his fellow Boston native that before he could accept the part in Interstellar, the Dunkirk director called him with a hilarious, yet direct warning about his potential role:

Christopher Nolan’s humor is as twisted as his movies, because it’s a small part that holds tremendous weight. Damon’s role in Interstellar is, of course, the infamous Mann, leader of Professor Brand’s proposed expedition into space, whose crew Cooper and Co. are tasked with finding when their signal and data go dark. While Mann is revered throughout the whole first half of the film, Damon’s onscreen time is only a few minutes long. But to say it is a small part is an understatement.

SPOILER AHEAD (even though the film is over a decade old).

Damon’s appearance comes at a pivotal point in the film, where the truth is revealed, and everything unfolds. His role was actually kept a secret from audiences to make the twist all the more impactful. It’s a surprise to see an A-lister have such a small part, and because the audience knows and loves this actor, his betrayal hits hard.

According to Affleck, it was always a dream of Damon’s to play the lead in a Nolan film. It might have taken over a decade, but The Prestige director rewards those who wait. It’s no secret Nolan likes to work with the same actors, with the likes of Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy having major roles in multiple Nolan films. After moving on up to play a supporting role in Oppenheimer as General Leslie Groves, the Jason Bourne actor is finally getting his moment.

Damon will appear in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, set to be a big summer blockbuster on the 2026 movie schedule. It’s another all-star cast, including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and Elliot Page, but this time Damon is the leading man, Odysseus. The 55-year-old actor’s incredible transformation into the hero of Greek myth can be seen in the trailer below:

While filming conditions for The Odyssey might have been even worse than Interstellar, there’s no doubt in my mind that Damon was thrilled to be there. I couldn’t be more excited to see him in this role after recently watching him in The Departed and Interstellar, characters that show he can tap into the moral complexity required to play a hero like Odysseus.

I have to wonder if potentially his buddy Ben Affleck could have a cameo in this upcoming Nolan project, similar to Damon’s “small part” in Interstellar. Cause if there’s one thing I know for certain, those two are never far apart.

The bond between a parent and their child (or even between a person and their surrogate parental figure) is one of the most complex relationships there is. Hollywood certainly understands this, based on how many amazing parent-child duos have graced both the big and small screen for decades. The following are some of the world’s favorites.

Don Vito And Michael Corleone (The Godfather)

The entire Godfather saga is a tale of one man's rise to power as the leader of a ruthless mafia family, but the first of Francis Ford Coppola's Best Picture Oscar winners based on Mario Puzo's novel is, essentially, a father-son story. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) never wanted his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), to take his place in the family business, but Michael's decision to avenge his father's attempted murder himself is what places him on this dark path.

Lorelai And Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's hit dramedy Gilmore Girls was one of the first series to introduce the idea of a parent and their child also being each other's best friends. In fact, single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), whom Lorelai had when she was a teenager, consider themselves best friends first and a mother and daughter second.

Atticus And Scout Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird)

The American Film Institute named Southern attorney Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) from To Kill a Mockingbird cinema's all-time greatest hero for his refreshing empathy and undaunted sense of justice. What makes him a movie dad one would be proud to have is the way he passes his ideals onto his impressionable children, especially his daughter, Jean Louise, better known as "Scout" (Mary Badham), who bravely comes to her father's aid in his most challenging moments.

Fred And Lamont Sanford (Sanford & Son)

Not every person's relationship with their parent is perfect, and sometimes not even time can make it better. Take, for example, the bickering duo from the classic TV sitcom, Sanford & Son, in which the cantankerous Fred Sanford (Red Foxx) and his more conscientious son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), run a junk-dealing business together.

Anakin And Luke Skywalker (Return Of The Jedi)

There has never been a more awkward reunion between a parent and their long-lost child than in the beloved Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader (née Anakin Skywalker), played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones, reveals to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that he is his father. Luckily, at the end of Return of the Jedi, the Sith Lord comes to his son's rescue against Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), turning back to the light side of the Force before it is too late.

Jim Hopper And Eleven (Stranger Things)

More than the intense otherworldly phenomena like Demogorgons and Mind Flayers, what keeps fans invested in Stranger Things is the relationships between the characters, none of which are as strong and heartwarming as that of Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). The Hawkins Police Chief, who previously lost a daughter to cancer, secretly takes in the psychic child as his own at the beginning of Season 2 and becomes her legal guardian by its end.

Goofy And Max Goof (A Goofy Movie)

Despite its initially poor critical reception and dismal box office returns, A Goofy Movie is now regarded as one of the best Disney animated films of all time. The secret is the complicated, but ultimately charming, relationship between the classic, eponymous animated character (voiced by Bill Farmer) and his teen son, Max (Jason Marsden), who he takes on a road trip that changes their lives forever.

Sophia Petrillo And Dorothy Zbornak (The Golden Girls)

The main Golden Girls cast was made up of four older women sharing a house in Miami, namely Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McLanahan), and Dorothy's quick-witted mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty). Getty's Emmy-winning performance was so convincing, lending wonderfully to her and Dorothy's back-and-forth relationship, you would never guess the actor was actually one year younger than Arthur.

Dr. Henry Jones Sr. And Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade)

Even if it is not the absolute best Indiana Jones movie (most would agree that honor belongs to Raiders of the Lost Ark), 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is easily the installment with the most heart. The key is seeing Harrison Ford's eponymous archaeologist team up with his estranged father, Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. (Sir Sean Connery), in a race against the Nazis to locate the Holy Grail.

Jack And Sydney Bristow (Alias)

Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) may have had a difficult relationship with her estranged father, Jack (Victor Garber). However, they prove to be a great team in the business of espionage after she discovers that they are both double agents serving the CIA on creator J.J. Abrams' hit, action-packed drama, Alias.

Mufasa And Simba (The Lion King)

Disney's 1994 hit The Lion King would not be such a devastating tragedy if not for the powerful father-son relationship at its core. Young Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas) falls under the impression that he caused the untimely death of his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), driving him to go into hiding and allow the true murderer, Scar (Jeremy Irons), to usurp the throne.

Endora And Samantha Stephens (Bewitched)

Bewitched exaggerated the common trope of the disapproving mother-in-law to uproarious, fantastic proportions by putting veteran witch Endora (Agnes Moorehead) at constant odds with her son-in-law, Darrin Stephens (Dick York and, later, Dick Sargent). Luckily, Darrin's wife and Endora's daughter, fellow spellcaster Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery), managed to keep her mother in check, for the most part.

Ellen Ripley And Newt (Aliens)

It may seem like a bit of a cheat to include Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley and Newt (Carrie Henn, a child star who walked away from Hollywood after this role) from Aliens, as they are not biologically related or even bonded by law. However, through the survivor's fierce bid to protect the orphaned child from the Xenomorphs, she effectively becomes that little girl's mother by the end of that 1986 sci-fi movie classic.

Joseph And Murphy Cooper (Interstellar)

While Interstellar is certainly an intriguing space movie, Christopher Nolan's 2014 sci-fi odyssey is an even more powerful father-daughter story. Forced to leave Earth to search for a more habitable alternative home, Joseph "Coop" Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) becomes estranged from his daughter, Murphy, or "Murph" for short (played at different ages by Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain, and finally Ellen Burstyn), not only by miles but also by decades after traveling through a time-dilating black hole.

Man And Boy (The Road)

Director John Hillcoat's 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a brutal post-apocalyptic thriller about a man (played by Viggo Mortensen) and child (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) searching for sanctuary in a dystopian wasteland. However, by keeping the core duo nameless, the story of a father struggling to do what is best for his son despite insurmountable obstacles becomes a tale that any parent can identify with.

Georgia And Ginny Miller (Ginny & Georgia)

Netflix's Ginny & Georgia is a TV show often compared to Gilmore Girls for its plot involving a single mother (played by Brianne Howey) and her young adult daughter (played by Antonia Gentry) she had in her teens. However, creator Sarah Lampert's dramedy takes things in a much darker direction with distressing circumstances that tend to put the titular duo at odds with one another.

Marlin And Nemo (Finding Nemo)

The duo most people would more readily associate with Finding Nemo is the platonic pairing of Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). However, in the grand scheme of things, the Pixar movie favorite is really about the clownfish's search for his eponymous son (voiced by Alexander Gould) and the youngster's determination to reunite with his father.

Din Djarin And Grogu (The Mandalorian)

Before The Mandalorian premiered, Star Wars fans did not know what to expect from the now-acclaimed Disney+ original TV show, other than an adventure following a tough galactic bounty hunter. The moment the series and the character of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) truly won over audiences was when the show exposed his soft spot as he defied his orders and became a surrogate father to an adorable, infantile Jedi eventually called Grogu (but initially referred to by fans as "Baby Yoda").

John And Ray Kinsella (Field Of Dreams)

Field of Dreams has been described as a classic baseball movie, a mystifying ghost story, and a profound, heartwarming fantasy, but that is the tip of the iceberg. In its purest, most essential form, the 1989 favorite is the story of a farmer named Ray (Kevin Costner) given the astonishing opportunity to reunite with his late father, John (Dwier Brown), for a game of catch.

M'Lynn Eatenton And Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie (Steel Magnolias)

The 1989 adaptation of Robert Harling's play, Steel Magnolias, is an ensemble piece following multiple, strong Louisiana women from various walks of life. However, the core storyline, and the most memorable, is that of Mary Lynn "M'Lynn" Eatenton (Sally Field), and her struggles to let go of her grown-up daughter, Shelby (Julia Roberts), when she gets married and to come to terms with the risks that come with her diabetic condition.

Frank And John Sullivan (Frequency)

One of the most unique time travel movies ever made is 1999's Frequency, starring Jim Caviezel as John Sullivan, a modern-day homicide detective inexplicably given the chance to speak to his long-dead father, Frank (played by Dennis Quaid), from 30 years in the past over HAM radio. However, when they accidentally alter the past in grim ways, they must work together to prevent a series of murders before they happen.

Bonnie And Christy Plunkett (Mom)

The hit CBS sitcom, Mom, stars Anna Faris as single mother Christy Plunkett, who has enough on her plate trying to raise two children, in addition to maintaining her sobriety. Not making things too much easier is her mother, Bonnie (Academy Award winner Allison Janney), who is a recovering alcoholic herself, but unlike her daughter, rarely holds back from speaking her mind.

Julius And David Levinson (Independence Day)

Director Roland Emmerich's sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day is an alien invasion movie and disaster thriller with a nearly unmatched sense of charm and heart. Much of that can be credited to the relationship between MIT grad David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and his relationship with his father, Julius (a hilarious, scene-stealing Judd Hirsch).

Keith And Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Veronica Mars was a trailblazer for coming-of-age TV shows in the way it offered more subversive and grounded takes on inter-character relationships, such as the title character's bond with her single father, who is a private investigator. While Keith (Enrico Colantoni) can be a bit overprotective of Veronica (Kristen Bell), they share a bond that almost better resembles close friends, strengthened by their mutual passion for justice.

Hal And Oliver Fields (Beginners)

Some people go their entire lives never fully getting to know their parents for who they truly are, but Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) gets the chance before it is too late in the 2010 dramedy, Beginners. Oliver becomes inspired to pursue a more spirited life and romance with Anna (Mélanie Laurent) following his strengthened relationship with his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer in an Oscar-winning performance), who reveals that he is gay at 75 years old after the death of his wife.

Richard And Alexis Castle (Castle)

If Richard Castle's (Nathan Fillion) professional and, eventually, romantic relationship with Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is the lifeblood of ABC's zesty crime procedural, Castle, then the heart and soul is his relationship with his daughter. The novelist-turned-police consultant has been called reckless and immature by some, but the proof that he is an exceptional father lies in the teenage Alexis (Molly C. Quinn).

Carl And Bud Fox (Wall Street)

One of the most iconic instances of a parent and child acting alongside each other is Martin and Charlie Sheen in Oliver Stone's Wall Street. Carl Fox (Martin) and his son, Bud (Charlie), are divided by their employment status (Carl being blue collar and Bud being white collar) and an ethical disagreement that nearly severs their relationship forever, but ultimately remain united by their mutual love and admiration.

Rocky And Jim Rockford (The Rockford Files)

No one made being a private investigator look cooler than James Garner as street-smart former convict Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files. Of course, the detective was lucky to be able to rely on his allies, the best being his own father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford (Noah Beery Jr.).

Tess And Anna Coleman (Freaky Friday)

There may not be a parent-child duo on this list that understands each other better than Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) from Disney's 2003 adaptation of Mary Rodgers' novel, Freaky Friday. How so? The psychiatrist and the teen musician have literally spent a day in each other's shoes, thanks to a magical fortune cookie, in the beloved body swap movie.

Calum And Sophie Patterson (Aftersun)

Writer and director Charlotte Wells' Aftersun is a heart-wrenching, but great, A24 movie starring Academy Award nominee Paul Mescal as a man trying to do right by his young daughter, Sophie (Frankie Corio), amid his struggles with depression and anxiety.

Max And Page Conners (Heartbreakers)

Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in Heartbreakers as a mother-daughter con artist duo. They specialize in cheating wealthy men out of their money by having Max (Weaver) marry the target, having Page (Hewitt) seduce them into being adulterous, and collecting the loot in the divorce settlement.

"Big" And "Little Edith" Bouvier Beale (Grey Gardens)

The acclaimed 1975 documentary Grey Gardens introduced the world to Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little Edith," who are the cousins of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore gave acclaimed performances as the reclusive eccentrics in a dramatized adaptation of the doc made for HBO in 2009.

A common criticism thrown around when judging an actor’s performance is that they seem too “robotic,” while some roles, particularly in sci-fi movies and TV shows, actually require that sort of demeanor. Then again, the best robot portrayals usually come from performers who attempt to bring a sense of humanity to their mechanical characters. See for yourself by revisiting some of the most acclaimed, iconic, and even underrated robotic performances – including friendly robots and sinister machines alike – on the big and small screen.

Anthony Daniels - C-3PO (Star Wars)

I can understand why some fans of the Star Wars movies do not care much for C-3PO as a character, as I, too, feel annoyed by his constant complaints, especially in the 1977 original. However, his shortcomings are outweighed by the droid's heroic moments, and, not to mention, Anthony Daniels' commitment to the role (he even wears that visibly uncomfortable suit) is a highlight of the franchise.

Alicia Vikander - Ava (Ex Machina)

I consider Alex Garland's 2014 directorial debut, the classic A24 movie, Ex Machina, to be one of the most powerful cautionary statements on artificial intelligence, and the reason lies in Alicia Vikander's performance as Ava. The stunningly humanesque android convinces both programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) and the audience that she is worth trusting before pulling the rug from underneath us in the shocking finale.

Rutger Hauer - Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

Fans of director Ridley Scott's Philip K. Dick adaptation, Blade Runner, would agree that the real hero of the 1982 film is not Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard, but Roy Batty. Rutger Hauer brings a refreshing aura of humanity to his performance as the Replicant, who wants nothing more for himself and other artificial beings like him but a chance to live a full and free life, which his programming and the laws of his dystopian society do not allow.

Brigitte Helm - Maschinenmensch (Metropolis)

One of the most essential silent era movies is director Fritz Lang's 1927 adaptation of Thea von Harbou's 1925 novel, Metropolis, which takes place in a seemingly utopian society that secretly relies on a secret underground of tireless workers to function. Brigitte Helm stars in the dual roles of a saintly figure named Maria and a mechanical being made in her likeness called Maschinenmensch – an iconic robot character that even those who have not seen the film should surely recognize.

Ian Holm - Ash (Alien)

In some movies, the goal of a robotic character is to blend in among its human peers, which Ash (Ian Holm) accomplishes for most of Alien. When his true identity is revealed, Holm brings out a chilling demeanor in his android character that almost makes you forget that there is a deadlier threat onboard the Nostromo, and one of the all-time scariest movie aliens, called a Xenomorph.

Vin Diesel - The Iron Giant (The Iron Giant)

Funny how most of Vin Diesel's more acclaimed performances have been voice acting roles, such as when he voiced the title role of 1999's The Iron Giant. The actor brings such a charming, childlike innocence to an otherwise physically intimidating character, who befriends young sci-fi fan Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) in Brad Bird's directorial debut, which could have won the Best Animated Feature Oscar had the category existed then.

Peter Weller - Alex Murphy (RoboCop)

There are some iconic movie robot characters who started off as humans before being rebuilt into something more, such as Alex Murphy in 1987's RoboCop. Peter Weller gives, arguably, his definitive and most heartfelt performance in director Paul Verhoeven's action-packed, cleverly satirical sci-fi classic as the brutally murdered police officer who is selected by a powerful corporation to become the ultimate crime-fighting machine.

Brent Spiner - Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Arguably, the heart and soul of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast and an essential reason why the Emmy-winning series is one of the most beloved iterations of the long-running franchise is Brent Spiner's performance as Data. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sums up what makes the Soong-type android one-of-a-kind when he eulogizes him in Star Trek: Nemesis, referencing how he reflected the best of humanity by striving to be better than he was.

Peter Cullen - Optimus Prime (Transformers)

Some might say that Chris Hemsworth did an exceptional job voicing a young Optimus Prime in Transformers One, but the role will always belong to the actor who first brought the shapeshifting alien robot to life. Peter Cullen's portrayal of the Autobots' leader became so essential to the original beloved animated series that he readily accepted the chance to reprise the role in Michael Bay's 2007 live-action reboot.

Arnold Schwarzenegger - T-800 (The Terminator)

Playing an unstoppable, unfeeling killing machine from the future in 1984's The Terminator made Arnold Schwarzenegger a bona fide movie star. However, his arguably stronger performance in James Cameron's action-packed franchise of time travel movies comes from 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day as a T-800 reprogrammed to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong), to whom he becomes a much-needed father figure.

Haley Joel Osment - David (A.I.: Artificial Intelligence)

Steven Spielberg took over for Stanley Kubrick to direct A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, which is essentially a futuristic take on the story of Pinocchio. Haley Joel Osment gives one of the most profound and riveting performances of his early career as an android designed to both authentically resemble and act like an 11-year-old who, in order to please his new family, longs to become a real boy.

Sophie Thatcher - Iris (Companion)

SPOILER ALERT for anyone who has not seen one of the great horror movies of 2025, Companion: it is not until near the end of the first act when Iris (Sophie Thatcher), as well as the audience, discovers she is really a robot programmed with undying affection for her purchaser, in this case Josh (Jack Quaid). However, Josh turns out to be a really terrible "boyfriend," awakening a part of Iris that longs for independence, which Thatcher's commanding performance makes it easy to root for.

Kenny Baker - R2-D2 (Star Wars)

Have you ever considered the fact that Star Wars fans owe the entire franchise to none other than R2-D2? If the droid (played beautifully by the late Kenny Baker, who actually operated the character from within) had not successfully delivered Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Resistance might not have thrived in its war against the Empire.

Lupita Nyong’o - Roz (The Wild Robot)

The Wild Robot became an instant classic kids movie for the way it also appeals to adult viewers with a heartwarming commentary on the challenges of parenthood, as seen through the eyes of an unlikely character. Lupita Nyong'o is wonderful as the voice of a mechanical assistant that must alter her programming to take on the responsibility of raising an abandoned gosling and helping her other animal friends survive.

Ben Burtt - WALL-E (WALL-E)

You could easily cite Ben Burtt's enchanting vocal performance as a lonely robot tasked with cleaning up an abandoned Earth as to why WALL-E is one of the best Pixar movies, but that is the tip of the iceberg. The Oscar-winning animated sci-fi drama also offers a frighteningly plausible premonition of what humanity could become, not only if we are forced to leave our planet, but also if indolence is encouraged in favor of a fully automated lifestyle.

Paul Bettany - Vision (Avengers: Age of Ultron)

After years of lending his voice to Tony Stark's A.I. assistant Jarvis for years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Paul Bettany was given the chance to play an artificial being with a bit more personality named Vision, who debuted in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. The English actor's performance as the unique superhero only became stronger with each subsequent appearance, especially at the moment of his death(s) in Avengers: Infinity War and his mysterious resurrection in the Disney+ series, WandaVision.

Alan Tudyk - K-2SO (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

Robots always seem to steal the show in the Star Wars franchise, especially if they have an exceptionally talented actor at the helm. Case in point, one of "Geek God" Alan Tudyk's best roles is the voice of K-2SO, an Imperial droid reprogrammed with an assignment to help the Resistance (and with an extra dose of snark) in the 2016 prequel film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Lance Henriksen - Bishop (Aliens)

One of the few trustworthy androids in the Alien movie franchise is Bishop, whom Ripley is understandably slow to warm to upon discovering he is not human in 1986's Aliens. Lance Henriksen would later appear in Alien 3 as the human who created Bishop, Michael Bishop of the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

Robert Patrick - T-1000 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

As a cyborg made of liquid metal, which makes it able to shapeshift, able to pass through small openings, and nearly impossible to kill, the T-1000 did not need a great performance to make it cool. Yet, Robert Patrick made the main antagonist of 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day a special kind of villain with his cold, fierce demeanor.

Joan Rivers - Dot Matrix (Spaceballs)

Just about every major character in the Star Wars universe is sent up with a parodic counterpart in Mel Brooks' hilarious spoof movie, 1997's Spaceballs. For instance, the mocking equivalent to C-3PO is Princess Vespa's droid, Dot Matrix, who is voiced by the incomparable Joan Rivers.

David Jonsson - Andy (Alien: Romulus)

Most critics and audiences would agree that the standout performance of Fede Alvarez's terrifying 2024 sequel, Alien: Romulus, is David Jonsson as Andy. The English actor stole the show with what technically counts as a dual role, initially introducing Andy as unassuming, innocent, and consistently loyal to Rain (Cailee Spaeny) until he is reprogrammed with a new directive that makes him a threat.

Bill Irwin - TARS (Interstellar)

One of the most entertaining characters in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed space movie, Interstellar, is not a human, but still highly relatable, especially for its spicy humor setting. Bill Irwin not only provided the voice for TARS, but also was involved with puppeteering the uniquely designed robot that accompanies Matthew McConaughey's Cooper and others on a mission to find a habitable replacement for Earth.

Ryan Gosling - K (Blade Runner 2049)

Ryan Gosling's penchant for stoicism serves him very well as the hero of Denis Villeneuve's 2017 Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049. He plays "K," a Replicant assigned to hunt other Replicants, who begins to question his job and his true identity after making a startling, conspiratorial discovery.

Scott Adsit - Baymax (Big Hero 6)

What makes Disney's Oscar-winning, animated 2014 comic book adaptation, Big Hero 6, an instant classic superhero movie is not just its spectacular action and heartwarming coming-of-age themes. The most charming element is Scott Adsit's hilarious performance as the voice of Hiro's (Ryan Potter) cuddly robot friend, Baymax.

Yul Brynner - The Gunslinger (Westworld)

Years after starring as a heroic gunslinger in the classic Western movie, The Magnificent Seven, Yul Brynner played a role that is the opposite in every way, from his sinister aura and mechanical infrastructure, in Westworld. Director Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi thriller later inspired an acclaimed HBO series of the same name.

Alan Rickman/Warwick Davis - Marvin (The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy)

Some might call 2005's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy an underrated adaptation of Douglas Adams' cult favorite sci-fi farce, especially for its portrayal of Marvin. Alan Rickman provides the voice, and Warwick Davis wears the suit of the android who is perpetually depressed for having no reason to apply his immense knowledge of the universe.

Alan Tudyk - Sonny (I, Robot)

Will Smith may receive top billing for 2004's futuristic detective story, I, Robot, but Sonny is its heart and soul. Alan Tudyk captures the "unique" machine's inner turmoil beautifully as he evolves from a confused murder suspect to a hero.

Paul Reubens - MAX (Flight Of The Navigator)

One of Paul Reubens' best roles outside of his time playing Pee-wee Herman comes from Disney's 1986 cult favorite sci-fi classic, Flight of the Navigator. The comedian voices MAX, which is the computer that powers an extraterrestrial vessel that young David Freeman (Joey Cramer) must help navigate.

Michael Fassbender - David (Prometheus)

It is never clear whether or not Michael Fassbender's David is an android worth trusting... at least in 2012's Prometheus. He is clearly revealed to be a malevolent presence in 2017's Alien: Covenant, in which the actor also plays a friendlier robot named Walter.

Summer Glau - Cameron (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

The underrated TV series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, reinvents and continues the adventures of the titular hero (Lena Headey) and her son, John (Thomas Dekker). It also partners the mother-son duo with Summer Glau as Cameron, who is a cyborg unlike any previously seen in the franchise, equipped with an emotional core and the ability to feel sensations.

Robin Williams - Andrew (Bicentennial Man)

Robin Williams gives a heartfelt performance in director Chris Columbus' Bicentennial Man as a service android named Andrew, who longs to become human.

Various - Tom Servo And Crow T. Robot (Mystery Science Theater 3000)

The art of audibly poking fun at a cheesy movie is perfected in the long-running sci-fi comedy series, Mystery Science Theater 3000, which follows a human forced to watched low-grade flicks with his mechanical companions. Much like the rotating selection of human hosts, the actors known for playing the two main robot characters, Tom Servo and Crow, have changed over the years (such as Kevin Murphy and Baron Vaughn as Servo and Trace Beaulieu and Hampton Young as Crow, for instance), but the portrayers' hilarious improv skills have never faltered with each succession.

Lots of the biggest actors in Hollywood started their careers with very modest parts. Sometimes, like Renée Zellweger in Dazed and Confused, they don't even have lines. Others have a little more to do, but in all of the examples on this list, they are all in smaller roles and rarely more than cameos. Let's get on to the list!

Renée Zellweger - Dazed And Confused

Dazed and Confused has one of the most stacked casts of young actors in any movie ever. Some are stars of the movie, like Matthew McCaughney and Parker Posey. Renée Zellweger is on the other end of the spectrum. She's only seen briefly in a couple of scenes, including one with Posey, but she doesn't have any lines.

Amy Adams - Drop Dead Gorgeous

Amy Adams has become one of the most formidable actors in Hollywood today, but like many, she started with smaller roles in big movies. Her first role, in fact, was a minor role in 1999's Drop Dead Gorgeous. She would get her big break a few years later in Catch Me If You Can and has gone on to be nominated for six Oscars, but is weirdly still an actor who has not won an Academy Award.

Keira Knightley - Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Keira Knightley had a few small television roles before she landed a small part as the Queen's decoy in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. She does a great impression of Natalie Portman, of course, as that was her job!

James Gandolfini - The Last Boy Scout

James Gandolfini ground it out for years, working small parts in great movies like True Romance and Crimson Tide, and Get Shorty, before landing the role of a lifetime in The Sopranos. His first role, for which he wasn't even credited, is as an extra playing a henchman to Damon Wayans' character in 1991's The Last Boy Scout.

Alfred Molina - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

While Alfred Molina had appeared in some small roles on television, his first acting credit came as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He plays Indy's assistant who first betrays Indy, then is struck down trying to escape with the treasure at the beginning of the movie. It's a bigger role than an extra or a cameo, but not much more. He's gone on to much bigger things since, of course.

Scarlett Johansson - North

Scarlett Johansson's biggest break came in 2003's Lost In Translation, but the actress had been working in Hollywood for almost a decade at that point, first appearing in North when she was just nine years old.

Daniel Day-Lewis - Sunday Bloody Sunday

In another true "blink and you'll miss it" or, frankly, a "you'd never know if you didn't know" moment, the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis pops up as a trouble-making teen scratching cars in 1971's Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Elizabeth Banks - Shaft

Elizabeth Banks has built her career into a true Hollywood powerhouse as an actor, director, and producer. In the early days, though, she was like most actors, trying to land whatever parts she could in whatever movie she could. She appears in a handful of movies basically as a credited extra, including 2000's Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson. She was billed under the name Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell.

Matt Damon - Mystic Pizza

One thing Matt Damon wins on this list is "best character name" for his debut in a motion picture. He has a small role with the name "Steamer Windsor." There's a lot to unpack there; if only he had more screen time, we might have been able to.

Jon Hamm

Years before he would take the world by storm as Don Draper, Jon Hamm was like so many other young actors, taking any role he could, including "Young Pilot #2" in 2000's Space Cowboys, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Tom Cruise - Endless Love

While Endless Love might not seem like the biggest movie on this list, it was a minor hit back in 1981, starring Brooke Shields. It's hardly remembered today, but it did give an obscure actor named Tom Cruise his first role in a movie, and that has to count for something. Though Cruise has a small role here, later that same year, he would star in Taps, and two years later, his career would blow up with The Outsiders, Risky Business, and All The Right Moves, all in 1983. He's basically been the biggest star on earth in the decades since.

Melissa McCarthy - Go

Melissa McCarthy can do it all in comedy. She's been fantastic doing impressions on SNL and has played both memorable supporting roles in classics like Bridesmaids and This is 40, and starring roles in Central Intelligence and Ghostbusters. But it was a small role as a roommate in Go that gave her her start.

Nicolas Cage - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

The '80s classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High helped launch a lot of careers, like Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, and Phoebe Cates. It also gave Nicolas Cage his first role, though he didn't get a line in the movie. Famously, he was billed under his given name, Nic Coppola. Soon, he would change it to get some distance from his famous family, and the rest is history.

Elijah Wood - Back To The Future Part II

Elijah Wood has had a long career, and it stretches all the way back to 1989 and Back to the Future Part II, where he plays one of the kids who makes fun of Marty for using his hands to play a video in the future.

Kristen Stewart - The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas

This one is so fast (and you never actually see her face), that there is no way you'd know that Kristen Stewart's first movie role was as an uncredited extra playing a ring toss game in The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas without a list like this one.

Jack Black - Bob Roberts

In Jack Black's first role, the musician and comedian plays an absolutely terrifying fan of the politician and musician Bob Roberts in the Tim Robbins movie, also called Bob Roberts. Black plays a supporter of the politician, and the moment he appears on screen, he makes you nervous. It's kinda brilliant, if short-lived.

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey started his career with a tiny, uncredited role in the very last shot of a movie very few people remember, The Stuff from 1985.

Julia Roberts - Satisfaction

Of all the parts on this list, Julia Roberts' first role, in Satisfaction, the 1988 film that also stars Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson, is larger than most. She plays the bass player in the fictional band, and like many real-life bass players, she is mostly in the background. Later that year, she had a much more substantial role in Mystic Pizza, and from there, she pretty much conquered Hollywood.

Mark Wahlberg - Renaissance Man

Mark Wahlberg famously had some troubled teenage years while his brother Donnie stormed the music charts with New Kids On The Block. Still, eventually he would get his act together and find some success in show business, first as a musician himself, then later as one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He was already famous when he landed his film debut in Renaissance Man, but it wasn't the starring role he'd soon be known for.

Tom Hardy - Black Hawk Down

The cast of Black Hawk Down is absolutely stacked. It's so stacked that Tom Hardy, who doesn't have a huge role, is really easy to overlook. The Havoc star landed his first role in a movie alongside actors like Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, and Jason Isaacs, plus guys like Orlando Bloom and Ty Burrell in early roles.

Brad Pitt - No Way Out

It's hard to believe that Brad Pitt wasn't an immediate star in Hollywood, but he had to put in the work, just like most. Early in his career, he had a number of uncredited roles as an extra, and his most notable was 1987's No Way Ou,t where he plays a guy at a party who is really just standing behind Kevin Costner.

Anthony Edwards - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

One of the many actors who found early work in their career in Fast Times At Ridgemont High was Anthony Edwards, who has a bit part as one of Sean Penn's stoner friends. It's true he has more lines than Nicolas Cage in the movie, but his role is still pretty minor, yet memorable.

Geena Davis - Tootsie

Geena Davis really burst onto the scene in smaller, but substantial roles in Tootsie and Fletch. Sure, there weren't the smallest roles on this list, but they weren't the leading roles she would later become famous for in movies like Beetlejuice, The Accidental Tourist (for which she won an Oscar), A League of Their and Thelma and Louise.

Eric Stoltz - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

The list of actors who got their start in Fast Times At Ridgemont High is long and distinguished. One name that you have to include as having had the most impressive career is Eric Stoltz. Three years later, Stoltz would star in Mask, and he pretty much wrote his own ticket after that performance. He plays one of the stoners in Fast Times with Sean Penn and Anthony Edwards, who don't like to wear shirts in public.

Jason Segel - Can't Hardly Wait

Random teenage stoners are pretty common characters for big stars to have played early in their career. Jason Segel is a perfect example. Segel plays a random dude at the big party who appears to have overindulged with his buddy in the classic teenage comedy, Can't Hardly Wait. The watermelon he's eating does look delicious, though.

Angelina Jolie - Lookin' To Get Out

The title of this list is about big movies, and you might hear the name Lookin' To Get Out and think, "What movie?" That's fair, as it's basically forgotten today, but it was a very hyped movie with a substantial budget for 1982. It was a Jon Voight project from top to bottom, and as such, he got to cast his then-seven-year-old daughter Angelina Jolie in a small part towards the end of the movie.

Jeff Goldblum - Death Wish

When you are credited as "Freak #1" in a movie, it's a safe bet that you're not going to be featured much. Still, when Jeff Goldblum landed that role in Death Wish, he went all out, including not showering for a while to immerse himself in the minor role. To his credit, he does look almost unrecognizable in the role.

Channing Tatum - Coach Carter

Even guys as good-looking and talented as Channing Tatum need to start somewhere. For Tatum, it was as a member of the basketball team in Coach Carter, the 2005 sports drama starring Samuel L. Jackson as the titular high school basketball coach.

Timothée Chalamet - Interstellar

Like countless other New York actors, Timothée Chalamet's first credited role came on Law & Order, which he landed when he was still in high school. In 2014, he was cast in Interstellar as Matthew McConaughey's character's son. It's a small role, but it obviously has led to big things.

Seth Rogen - Donnie Darko

Seth Rogen is most famous for his many comedic roles, but his first film role, a smaller role as a high school bully in Donnie Darko, is exactly his funniest role, that's for sure. The role came after he found his early success on Freaks and Geeks, but well before he broke out as a writer, director, as well as an actor later in his career.

Vince Vaughn - Rudy

Vince Vaughn has starred in a ton of classic comedies in his career, like Swingers, Old School, Dodgeball, and Wedding Crashers. He's also made his mark in dramas like Brawl in Cell Block 99, Freaky, Hacksaw Ridge, and his first movie, the classic sports drama, Rudy, where he plays one of the teammates on that Notre Dame football team.

Alexander Skarsgård

This one is a little bit of an edge case, because while Alexander Skarsgård's first American movie was as one of the really, really good looking male models in Zoolander, he had appeared in some Swedish movies before it. Still, we think this is close enough!

Movies like The Terminator and TV shows like Black Mirror have taught us that we should be afraid of machines and, especially, the rise of artificial intelligence. However, there are quite a few classic sci-fi movies that offer a more optimistic perspective on technological progress by introducing a sentient mechanical organism with a kindly personality. These are a few examples of movies with robots that capture our hearts.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (C-3PO And R2-D2)

Going in order of release date, the Star Wars saga begins with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) delivering Princess Leia's (Carrie Fisher) message to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) on Tattooine. This heroic act from George Lucas' 1977 blockbuster was pivotal to the Rebels eventually overthrowing the Empire. Not to mention, the droids boast a politeness that not nearly enough humans possess in any galaxy.

Short Circuit (Johnny 5)

There are many perfectly understandable reasons why some might call 1986's Short Circuit a cult classic that actually sucks but we would not consider Johnny 5 to be one of them. An electrical accident causes the experimental robot to suddenly gain sentience and, with it, a positively charming personality.

I, Robot (Sonny)

One of Alan Tudyk's best roles is the voice of Sonny in 2004's I, Robot. While the loose Isaac Asimov adaptation shows that he is certainly capable of violence, he is only violent in service of mankind and is even the only robot who teams up with his enemy, Det. Del Spooner (Will Smith), to take on a malevolent A.I. known as VIKI.

The Iron Giant (The Iron Giant)

A film that easily could have won the Best Animated Feature Oscar had the category existed in 1999 is director Brad Bird's '50s sci-fi throwback, The Iron Giant. One might argue that Vin Diesel gives his best and most heartfelt performance in the title role – a sentient extraterrestrial weapon that befriends 10-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) when he crashlands on Earth and loses his memory.

Roz (The Wild Robot)

In DreamWorks Animation's 2024 adaptation of Peter Brown's novel, The Wild Robot, Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) is already programmed to be friendly, as part of her purpose as a robotic personal assistant. However, she is forced to alter her programming when an accident leaves her stranded in the wilderness where she finds herself caring for an orphaned gosling (voiced by Kit Connor).

Transformers (The Autobots)

Based on the popular toy line and tie-in animated series, the live-action Transformers movies follow two races of shape-shifting alien robots known as the Autobots and the Decepticons – the latter of which, as you can likely guess, are not too friendly. When their centuries-long conflict finds its way to Earth, Optimus Prime (Peter Weller) and the Autobots take it upon themselves to keep humanity safe.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Gort)

The 1951 classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still, is unlike most alien invasion movies in that the otherworldly visitor, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), arrives to warn humanity of impending doom, not to bring it upon them. Assisting him is a robot named Gort (Lock Martin), who comes equipped with a special laser beam that he only uses to neutralize weaponry.

Big Hero 6 (Baymax)

Even if Disney's animated adaptation of the Marvel Comic, Big Hero 6, was not an Oscar-winning superhero movie, it would still be a beloved entry to the genre, especially because of Baymax. Scott Adsit voices the cuddly, inflatable healthcare robot invented by the late father of Hiro (Ryan Potter), with whom he teams up to create the eponymous crew of vigilantes.

T-800 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

The version of the unstoppable T-800 that Arnold Schwarzenegger plays in James Cameron's The Terminator is one of the most fearsome movie villains of the '80s. The version he plays in the 1991 sequel, thanks to some reprogramming, is a hero assigned to protect young John Connor (Eddie Furlong), to whom he becomes an unlikely father figure, with the caveat that the teen ends up helping the cyborg act more human.

Wall-E (Wall-E)

Disney introduced the world to one of the most adorable robots in cinematic history in the acclaimed Pixar movie, 2008's Wall-E. The eponymous machine (voiced by Ben Burtt) is not only environmentally friendly (having been tasked with cleaning up a desolate, uninhabitable Earth in the dystopian future) but also has the capacity for love, as seen when he meets a more advanced bot named EVE (Elissa Knight).

Companion (Iris)

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) does not even realize that she is a robot programmed to be head-over-heels in love with her purchaser until grim circumstances force Josh (Jack Quaid) to tell her the truth in Companion. Apparently, she was also programmed to have feelings (both in the emotional and physical sense), which is why she earns the audience's full sympathy as she struggles to escape from her nigh-sadistic "boyfriend" in one of the first great horror movies ("horror adjacent," more accurately) of 2025.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Goddard)

In 2001's Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and its Nicktoon spin-off, the titular young brainiac (Debi Derryberry) gave himself the most reliable dog imaginable by creating Goddard. The mechanical canine can do all the things a normal pet can do, including barking, fetching, and playing dead (by self-exploding, that is) but it also comes with a myriad of other cutting-edge tools.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (David)

After Stanely Kubrick's passing, Steven Spielberg stepped in to complete A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, which does not shy away from sentient technology's potential troubles while also offering one of the most effective arguments in its favor. The 2001 futuristic fairy tale tells the story of David (Haley Joel Osment) – a robot made to resemble and act like a child who, after being adopted and later abandoned by a human family, wants nothing more than to be a "real boy."

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (Marvin)

There certainly are friendlier robots in pop culture history than the clinically depressed Marvin, who is portrayed on set by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman in Disney's 2005 adaptation of Douglas Adams' absurdist sci-fi adventure, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. However, it is not the paranoid android's fault that he was embedded with astonishingly vast intelligence and never given a chance to apply it.

Finch (Jeff)

One of the most uplifting post-apocalyptic movies you will ever see is Miguel Sapochnik's Apple TV+ original dramedy, Finch, from 2021. Academy Award winner Tom Hanks stars as the title character – one of the few to survive the destruction of the ozone layer – who decides to build a robot he names Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) so that his dog, Goodyear (Seamus), will have someone to look after him after his imminent death.

Interstellar (TARS And CASE)

Only in a Christopher Nolan movie could some of its most personable and endearing characters be machines who make up for their lack of humanity with a great deal of personality in the epic 2014 space movie, Interstellar. Josh Stewart provides the voice of the quieter CASE, who is puppeteered by Bill Irwin – the voice of TARS, who is often a little too indulgent with his humor setting but earns his place with selfless heroism.

Treasure Planet (B.E.N.)

In Robert Louis Stevenson's influential 1883 novel, Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins befriends a marooned member of Captain Flint's pirate crew named Ben Gunn. The character served as the inspiration for the amnesiac robot, B.E.N. (which stands for Bio-Electronic Navigator), who is voiced by Martin Short in Disney's cosmic reimagining of the story, 2002's Treasure Planet.

Earth To Echo (Echo)

If Steven Spielberg had shot E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in the style of a found footage movie and with a sentient alien robot instead of a living creature, the result might have looked something like Earth to Echo. The 2014 sci-fi family film follows a group of children who discover the eponymous, telekinetic android and offer to help it find its way back home.

Robots (Rodney Copperbottom)

As the title of the 2005 Blue Sky Studios animated movie suggests, every single character in the visually wondrous Robots is a sentient mechanical device, yet some are certainly nicer than others. For instance, the innovative lead protagonist Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) and his friends Cappy (Halle Berry) and Fender (Robin Williams) were built with much more favorable personalities than power-hungry business tycoon, Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (K-2SO)

It has taken some Star Wars characters on the wrong side of history years to change their tune and fight against the Empire. In the case of the charming K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) from 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, all it took was some simple reprogramming for the imperial droid to become one of the most trusted members of the Rebel Alliance.

Star Kid (Cy)

The extra-terrestrial mechanical device from the 1997 sci-fi family film Star Kid is not exactly a robot. It is actually an A.I.-powered exoskeleton or "cybersuit" (voiced by Arthur Burghardt and portrayed on set by Alex Daniels), which is why shy 13-year-old Spencer Griffith (Joseph Mazzello) gives it the nickname "Cy" when he discovers it in a junkyard and tries him on for size.

Batteries Not Included (The Fix-Its)

Most movies depict flying saucers as massive vessels that house extra-terrestrial visitors but 1987's Batteries Not Included flips the script by making the aliens themselves flying saucers of a much smaller stature. Frank (Hume Cronyn) and Faye Riley (Jessica Tandy) and the tenants of their Manhattan Apartment building nickname the otherwordly, mechanical couple the Fix-Its for their ability to repair things around the residence.

D.A.R.Y.L. (Daryl)

At first glance, Daryl (Barret Oliver, a child actor who later walked away from Hollywood) seems like an ordinary, albeit socially awkward, 10-year-old boy until his foster family notices his unusual genius intellect. It turns out that he is really a U.S. Government-issued "Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform," hence the title of the 1985 sci-fi film, D.A.R.Y.L.

Alita: Battle Angel (Alita)

One of the most underrated hero movies of its time is 2019's Alita: Battle Angel – producer James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Yukiton Kishiro's manga series. It stars Rosa Salazar in the title role of a cybernetic organism who tries to uncover the secrets of her past when she is reactivated by a professor (played by Christoph Waltz) who finds her remains in a junkyard.

Ron's Gone Wrong (Ron Bintscatsco)

In the 2021 animated flick Ron's Gone Wrong, Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer) longs to fit in with his classmates by getting the most popular digital device around called a B-bot. When he finally gets one of his own, which he names Ron (Zach Galifianakis), it is certainly as friendly as he hoped but also comes with a few bugs and glitches that make him trouble to have around.

The Creator (Alphie)

Co-writer and director Gareth Edwards' 2023 dystopian thriller, The Creator, stars John David Washington as a special forces agent tasked with locating and destroying an artificial intelligence weapon. However, when he discovers that the weapon is a cyborg resembling a young girl known as Alpha-O, whom he calls "Alphie" (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), he goes against his orders and becomes her protector.

Robot & Frank (Robot)

Few films have demonstrated a more optimistic purview of man's bond with machines like the 2012 sci-fi dramedy, Robot & Frank. It stars Frank Langella as a technophobic ex-con diagnosed with dementia who begins to warm to a robotic assistant (played on set by Rachael Ma and voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) that he reluctantly accepts from his son after it proves to be a helpful teammate in a jewelry heist operation.

I'm Your Man (Tom)

You might be convinced that you could fall in love with a robot after you see 2021's German sci-fi rom-com, I'm Your Man. English actor Dan Stevens brushed up on his German to play Tom, a robot designed to satisfy a woman's innermost desires whom scientist Alma Felser (Maren Eggert) agrees to live with for three weeks to fund her next project.

Bicentennial Man (Andrew)

Bicentennial Man, Chris Columbus' 1999 adaptation of Isaac Asimov's novelette of the same name, stars Robin Williams as a service android dubbed "Andrew" by the family that employs him. He later embarks on a quest to find other beings like him and, eventually, desires to become human.

Astro Boy (Astro Boy)

Based on the manga series of the same name, Astro Boy is the story of a robot (voiced by Freddie Highmore) programmed with the memories of Dr. Bill Tenma's (Nicolas Cage) late son. The child-like robot eventually goes off on his own and becomes a great hero.

Chappie (Chappie)

In Neill Blomkamp's 2015 sci-fi action flick Chappie, a gifted engineer (played by Dev Patel) discovers how to create a human-like artificial intelligence that, once uploaded into a robot body, must learn about life from scratch, much like a child. Said robot (voiced by Sharlto Copley) is given misguided life lessons by a pair of criminals (played by South African hip hop duo Die Antwoord).

And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird (Newman)

The 1991 comedy And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird is about two brothers (Joshua Miller and Edan Gross) who invent a sentient robot out of a vacuum cleaner that they call Newman. Much to their surprise, the machine soon becomes inhabited by the spirit of their late father (voiced by Alan Thicke).

Life is full of choices, and there’s always pressure to choose the right option - no matter how small the matter. In the examples we're about to discuss, it only took one bad call to lead to unnecessary drama, and in some cases, death. While not all of them are tragic, beware of some old wounds that may be opened up in the process.

Mayor Larry Vaughn Keeps Amity’s Beaches Open - Jaws

Ok, let’s just get this out of the way: Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) should have never won re-election. Amity Beach’s big wheel politician should have been legislative dust after keeping the beaches open in Jaws. Yes, beach towns depend on revenues from summer tourists - but if there’s no surviving tourists that want to shop, is it really a win?

Dr. Mann’s Hasty Docking With The Endurance - Interstellar

Scientific minds are supposed to be among the smartest and most rational in the world, especially if you’ve been chosen to colonize a potential new home for Humanity. That fact just makes the manner of death that befalls Interstellar’s Dr. Mann (Matt Damon) all the more fitting. Perhaps one should check that the airlock seals are properly aligned before launching into a speech about “all mankind.”

Rose Leaves Jack To Freeze - Titanic

Ok, so Kate Winslet’s 2024 Titanic revelation that it wasn’t a door Rose DeWitt Bukater was clinging to for life kind of changes the equation of whether or not she could have saved Jack Dawson. That being said, it still doesn’t change the fact that people are going to argue there was still room on “the door” for old Jack.

Peter Quill Socks Thanos On The Brink Of Victory - Avengers: Infinity War

Every time someone watches the Marvel movies in order, this moment, in particular, is the definition of an "own goal." As Avengers: Infinity War almost saw the reason for a second half nullified by taking the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos, a moment of emotion from the ever-impulsive Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) allowed the Mad Titan to keep his magic glove, and get away.

Marty McFly Buys Gray’s Sports Almanac - Back To The Future: Part II

Oh Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox). Even when you’re greedy, you’re just trying to protect the future. While our lessons in how Back to the Future’s time travel works have taught us time and again that fooling with the past is dangerous, Marty’s decision to buy Gray’s Sports Almanac was one of the greatest mistakes in pop culture history. Who really wants to live in Biff Tannen’s alternate 1985?

Someone Read The Latin - The Evil Dead Movies

This is the movie most people think of when you hear the phrase, “Don’t read the Latin.” The Evil Dead series has seen Ash (Bruce Campbell) and many others learn that lesson the hard way, as a Deadite plague tends to result after this grievous error. What did they think was going to happen when reading from a book bound by human flesh?

Iosef Tarasov’s Gang Kill John Wick’s Dog - John Wick

Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) made two huge mistakes in the John Wick movies. The first was thinking that he could convince retired hitman John Wick to sell his 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. The second, and more costly mistake, was to kill John’s dog, Daisy. The criminal underworld still hasn’t recovered from the actions of that night, so yeah: we’re thinking that’s a bad decision.

Walter Donovan Chooses Poorly - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Who did you honestly put your money on when it came to winning Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’s game for the Holy Grail? A professor of archeology who has a similarly learned father, or an industrialist aiding the Nazis? If you bet on Walter Donavan (Julian Glover) winning the day, I think you know how the Grail Knight would comment on this particular choice.

Howard Ratner Can't Stop Winning - Uncut Gems

One has to wonder if A24 set up microphones during preview screenings of Uncut Gems if only to measure the decibel level of audience yelling. The moment when Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) makes what would be his final bet had to have been one where people shouted at the screen in terror - which would have only been outdone by shock at the picture’s fatalistic ending.

General Ripper Starts A Nuclear War - Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

If any of us normal people think something’s wrong with our bodies, we usually consult a specialist. But Dr. Strangelove’s General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) isn’t quite normal, as he decided to initiate “nuclear combat toe-to-toe with the Russkies,” using only a paranoid hunch as his basis. If only the internet had been invented, so WebMD could have debunked his theories.

Icarus II Goes To Visit Icarus 1 - Sunshine

You can almost always count on a bad day in space if you’re the second expedition to venture out on a mission, and you suddenly discover the wreckage of the first. Sunshine’s Icarus II crew is put through the wringer after making the decision to visit the Icarus I. On the literal bright side, at least Capa (Cillian Murphy) saved the day, despite being the deciding vote that caused a chain reaction of deadly events.

Vincent Kapoor Tells Mark Watney His Messages Are On Live TV - The Martian

Never tell a rabble-rouser they’re on live TV, they’re just going to use the moment to misbehave. The Martian’s Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) did just that as NASA’s Director of Mars Missions, and it led to astronaut Mark Watney being so creative with his swearing his colleagues had to look it up. Which led to a double whammy of regret, as learning what those phrases meant was quite a shock.

Don Kisses His Wife - 28 Weeks Later

Ok 28 Weeks Later fans, which is the bigger mistake made by our good friend Don (Robert Carlyle): abandoning his wife Alice in the wake of an Infected attack, or kissing her without reservation as she’s in medical quarantine? That second choice seems to be the greater error, as while their reunion did patch up their marriage, the act of kissing and making up turned Don into a very special victim of the Rage Virus.

Dr. Alice Krippin Cures Cancer With Measles - I Am Legend

To be clear: curing cancer is not the poor decision that kicked off I Am Legend’s horrific apocalypse. Not to mention, the idea of Dr. Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson) to use genetically modified measles was a pretty clever twist to this medical marvel. But something suggests that there were not nearly enough human trials, as it only took three years to decimate humanity with the Krippin Virus.

Preston Reveals His Wife’s Secret - Tales From The Darkside: The Movie

Here’s a loophole you could argue until the gargoyles come home: if you confess to your wife a near-lethal encounter with such a creature of stone, but she turns out to be the cryptid in question, is it really breaking your vow not to tell the world? It sadly doesn’t matter as the Tales from the Darkside: The Movie segment “Lover’s Vow” sees James Remar’s struggling artist losing his life - as in this case, it technically counts.

Evelyn Reads From The Book Of The Dead - The Mummy (1999)

“No harm ever came from reading a book.” One of The Mummy’s funniest lines is also a statement that Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) should have known not to make. Then again, could it really be that bad of a decision if it led to a rollicking adventure that ended up with her falling for the dreamy Rick O’Connell? Oh, let us think…YES!

Dr. King Schultz Won’t Shake Hands - Django Unchained

Yes, Calvin Candie is a despicable slave owner, and one could hope he’s burning in Hell. But at the same time, Django Unchained’s big bad was in a position where a simple handshake would have allowed Django (Jamie Foxx) and his rediscovered wife to escape happily. Unfortunately, mentor/moral compass Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) couldn’t bring himself to do so…at least, not without taking his foe out with a hidden pistol.

Tony Stark Creates Ultron - Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Could we please put some more safeguards on genius billionaire philanthropist playboys using artificial intelligence to save the world? Avengers: Age of Ultron almost ushered in the promise of that dangerous title, as vindictive creation Ultron (James Spader) snipped his strings and almost destroyed humanity. Worse: his antics indirectly led to the Sokovia Accords, a set of laws so restrictive, yet so useless that all they could really do was set up a couple of Marvel sequels.

Batman Severely Underestimates Bane - The Dark Knight Rises

Bane (Tom Hardy) is a physically imposing villain so buff, that your dimension’s version of Superman might think twice before beefing with him. Perhaps the Batman of The Dark Knight Rises should have called the Kryptonian boy scout before tangling with the man in the mask, as he could have saved himself a lot of trouble, and all of the medical expenses incurred from a broken back.

Logan Nelson Misreads John Kramer’s X-Rays - Jigsaw

Do you want Jigsaw? Because this is how you get Jigsaw! Careless medical examiner Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) turned out to be the person who wronged John Kramer in the Saw franchise, which led to his place as one of the first victims turned apprentice to the criminal mastermind. As soon as Mr. Nelson made that mistake, one of the many movie retcon that confused us was born.

Daniel Hillard Creates Mrs. Doubtfire - Mrs. Doubtfire

Some people will create Scottish alter egos to avoid therapy. While Mrs. Doubtfire is still a bittersweet bundle of laughs, and though Robin Williams’ Daniel Hillard did create a fantastic children’s show host, Euphegenia’s creation should have never come from the need to see his kids. It’s kind of a case of the best intentions leading straight into legal hell, isn’t it?

Peter Parker Tries To Erase His Friend’s Memories - Spider-Man: No Way Home

If you’re a genius like Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland), you should probably know better than to bork up your request to a Sorcerer Supreme to erase that knowledge from everyone’s minds. This kid really is Tony Stark’s protege, isn’t he?

David Drayton Gets Impatient In The Apocalypse - The Mist

If David Drayton (Thomas Jane) had waited just five more minutes in The Mist, we may have seen a wildly different ending where everyone lives and learns a powerful lesson about the dangers of mob mentality. Alas, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novella did teach us that lesson, but with much deadlier consequences.

Kay Takes Compound Z - Alien: Romulus

We’re not a bunch of medical experts here at CinemaBlend, and we’ll readily admit that. But 9 out of 10 writers would agree that if we were given the choice to take the sketchy and untested Compound Z, we’d pass it up. That didn’t stop Kay (Isabella Merced) in Alien: Romulus, and the results were as messy as you'd think.

Madeline Ashton Forgets To Ask About Potential Side Effects - Death Becomes Her

The first thing that Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) could think to ask after being propositioned with eternal youth is “How much is it?” But what she should have asked is “What are the side effects,” as Death Becomes Her sees the “fading actress” panicking after she drinks the mysterious glowing pink liquid that makes it possible. Oops.

Fuller And Lewis Get Flirty With Rusty Nail - Joy Ride

You never know who’s on the other end of a CB radio. While it’s an antiquated form of communication, it didn’t stop brothers Fuller (Steve Zahn) and Lewis (Paul Walker) from having some fun with a random trucker with the handle of “Rusty Nail” in Joy Ride. What began as a flirty prank turned into a game of death…so don’t forget to screen your calls, and watch who you lead on.

The Daltons Turn Back For Hoppy - Speak No Evil

Kids. At some point, they have to grow up, and we’d like to think that the events of the horror remake Speak No Evil helped young Agnes Dalton (Alix West Lefler) get wise pretty quickly. Her family was free and clear from the murderers trying to adopt her for their own, but since she convinced them to turn back for her stuffed rabbit Hoppy, salvation was delayed throughout a long, awkward night.

Paul Hackett Goes On A Date - After Hours

Who says Martin Scorsese doesn’t have a sense of humor? 1985’s After Hours saw the legendary director land one of the best dark comedies of history, thanks to the film putting poor office worker Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) through the night from hell. And it’s all thanks to a blind date, which leads to a tragic death, which only spirals further into a nightmarish farce across New York City.

Harry And Lloyd Get Involved In A Kidnapping - Dumb And Dumber

No one would mistake Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) for being the most brilliant minds of any time. However, Lloyd’s love-sick quest to chase the woman he loves leads Dumb and Dumber’s dynamic duo into a dance with death. Stumbling into the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman, it never becomes a concern until Lloyd realizes the girl of his dreams happens to be that man’s wife.

Marty Bryce Goes Out For Pizza - Sneakers

Chance led to young Marty Bishop (Gary Hershberger) going out to pick up pizza for himself and his dear friend Cosmo (Jo Marr). If only Cos didn’t use his magic trick to force his friend to leave for dinner, he might have had a chance to save his friend from prison, and an eventual grudge.

General Brewster Activates Skynet - Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

Artificial intelligence is dangerous, kids. But you have to give Skynet credit, as it used a computer virus to trick Lieutenant General Robert Brewster (David Andrews) into giving it full control of the United States’ weapons apparatus. And that is why Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ends with the most shocking ending of the series, as Judgement Day is allowed to happen because the U.S. government wouldn’t spring for a Norton subscription.

Eli Sunday Begs For Help From Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) and Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) are a pair of foes for the ages. So when There Will Be Blood sees the young preacher begging his oil tycoon rival for financial help, the result is a monologue we could still quote by heart - and a fatal encounter with a bowling pin.

Digital visual effects have been an integral part of the filmmaking process for decades but their increased use over the years has had some moviegoers convinced that Hollywood is far too reliant on creating worlds with a computer. Well, allow us to prove to you that practical effects do still exist by highlighting some modern classics that have honored the old-fashioned ways of creating movie magic.

The Substance (2024)

As an eye-opening behind-the-scenes featurette for The Substance proves, director Coralie Fargeat went to great lengths to use as little CGI as possible to realize her vision for the film, which received five 2025 Academy Award nominations, including Best Makeup. Some of the most bizarre and disgusting shots of this intense body horror spectacle were captured on camera with shockingly realistic doubles for body parts, such as when Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) births her double, Sue (Margaret Qualley), out of her back.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

One of the most appealing aspects of the Mission: Impossible movies is their intense action sequences, achieved with little to no digital enhancement. Arguably, the franchise's most unbelievable practical stunt comes from Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Tom Cruise trained for weeks to perform a HALO jump out of a plane from 25,000 feet above the ground for a sequence that only required CGI to create the storm raging around Ethan Hunt as he descends.

Jurassic Park (1993)

While considered a revolutionary moment for CGI in movies with its timeless dinosaur creations, the first installment of the Jurassic Park movies also uses practical effects in very impressive ways. While the animatronic velociraptors are among the most famous examples, according to special effects designer Michael Lantieri in a video by Great Big Story, one of the most difficult effects was creating ripples in a cup of water to signal the T. Rex's approach, which was achieved by plucking a guitar string placed underneath the cup.

Inception (2010)

Some of the more surreal moments from Christopher Nolan's dream-exploring adventure Inception obviously could not have existed without CGI. However, as demonstrated in a behind-the-scenes DVD featurette, the scene when Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) engages in a brawl in a hotel that is literally spinning was achieved by rotating a hallway set on an axis and, for shots in zero-gravity, building a vertical hallway set and suspending the actors on wires.

The Shape Of Water (2017)

Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning romantic fantasy The Shape of Water begins with an opening credits sequence taking place in a fully submerged building filled with floating furniture. According to THR, the surrounding water was added digitally but the scene was still primarily achieved practically by having puppeteers control the movements of the suspended props.

Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi, creator of the Evil Dead movies, became an inspirational indie film hero with the use of clever, homemade practical effects in the original horror classic and would maintain that sensibility when he helmed one of the best superhero movies, Spider-Man. For instance, as a DVD commentary reveals, the scene when Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) catches Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and her falling lunch on her tray was captured for real after 156 takes, with some help from an adhesive that kept the tray steadily attached to Maguire's hand.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

The design of BB-8 is so unique that it seems it could only be achieved in a galaxy far, far away but, according to the official Star Wars website, he was filmed practically here on Earth. The rolling droid was constructed for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with magnets and gyroscopes that allowed his head to remain attached as he rolled through the sand.

Apollo 13 (1995)

The zero-gravity sequences from the classic space movie, Apollo 13, are so realistic, it almost seems like director Ron Howard and co. would have had to leave Earth to shoot them. Actually, according to AV Club, they only had to travel about 36,000 feet above ground by building the set in a NASA training craft called the KC-135 (nicknamed the "vomit comet") which authentically creates the feeling of weightlessness by taking gravity-countering dives.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Christopher Nolan said that there were "zero CGI shots" in his Best Picture Oscar winner, Oppenheimer, which dramatizes the development of the atomic bomb. To clarify, as reported in Variety, CGI was used in some instances to improve a visual but not a single shot was entirely created with a computer, including the Trinity Test, which was filmed practically using miniatures that were blown up by the crew.

Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

CGI is primarily used in George Miller's exhilarating post-apocalyptic thriller, Mad Max: Fury Road, to improve certain visuals and remove equipment from the frame. However, as a behind-the-scenes feature found on the Blu-ray reveals, just about every wild, death-defying stunt that takes place in this post-apocalyptic action movie masterpiece was performed on camera and on location, such as the pole-vaulting stunts. Bonus fun fact: the Doof Warrior's guitar was an actual working flame-thrower.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Director Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film that does not fit neatly into any genre, thanks to its mind-bending fantasy visuals, many of which were achieved practically. For instance, as mentioned in an article from Focus Features' official site, the scene when Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) appear to change size while walking around a set is achieved with a distortion chamber, which uses forced perspective to create the illusion that two people on opposite sides of a room are wildly different sizes.

Interstellar (2014)

The one scene from Christopher Nolan's breathtaking space epic, Interstellar, that, most surprisingly, is predominantly shot with practical effects sees Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) in a tesseract that allows him to literally interact with time itself. IndieWire reports that the sequence was achieved by projecting animated images onto thin strands of fabric that surrounded the fully built, life-size set which the actor was suspended inside.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert created a fantastic world (or, more accurately, worlds) for their Oscar-winning, beloved A24 movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once, with a unique combination of CGI and practical effects and the help of a five-person VFX team. As they explain in a video for Wired, the first time Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) makes an interdimensional jump was done practically by shooting the actor being dragged to another corner of the office building in slow motion.

Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

Peter Jackson and Co. easily could have used digital effects to make Elijah Wood's Frodo and other Hobbit characters appear much smaller than Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellan) in the Lord of the Rings movies. Instead, according to Wired, they went the old-fashioned route and used the simple act of forced perspective by placing actors further back in the frame to make them look smaller than the actor placed closer to the camera.

Grindhouse (2007)

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up for a double feature that paid tribute to exploitative B-grade flicks of the '60 and '70s but only one of them really stayed true to the era's filmmaking principles. Rodriguez's Planet Terror relies heavily on CGI to create its grotesque world while Tarantino's Death Proof (according to Hagerty) is lauded for adding little to no digital enhancement to its crazy stunts, especially when Zoe Bell hangs on the hood of a car while being chased by Kurt Russell's Stuntman Mike.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

All three of Christopher Nolan's live-action Batman movies provide proof of his championing for capturing as many mind-blowing sequences on camera as possible, especially in The Dark Knight Rises. As a Business Insider feature details, the opening sequence, in which Bane (Tom Hardy) hijacks a CIA plane, was performed for real after obtaining permission to drop part of the plane from a helicopter over Scottish land.

1917 (2019)

One might assume that to create the illusion of being filmed in mostly one take, Sam Mendes' 1917 used a great deal of CGI to hide the seams. Truthfully, there were some Oscar-winning digital effects used in some key moments, such as the plane crash sequence, but, as detailed by The New York Times, the explosions from the climactic scene in which Schofield (George MacKay) runs across a field bombarded with bombs were authentic.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

In addition to its breathtaking stunts, such as in the iconic canal scene, one of the most impressive practical effects from Terminator 2: Judgment Day takes place in the director's cut when Sarah (Linda Hamilton) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) remove the T-800's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) chip from his head in front of a mirror. A video by Insider explains that in order to avoid the camera showing up in the mirror's reflection, the scene was instead shot in front of a window with a recreation of the set on the other side and Hamilton's twin sister, Leslie, mimicking her actions.

It (2017)

For his 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's It, director Andy Muschietti was initially planning on using CGI to give Pennywise a lazy eye to make the demonic clown even creepier. However, according to an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, he discovered he did not need to use digital effects because Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård can move his eye individually – a fact that It: Chapter Two star Bill Hader was frightened to learn on set, as he revealed on Conan.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004)

Most of the magic from the Harry Potter movies is, obviously, brought to life with digital effects but there is one memorable, fantastic scene from the third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, that was created on camera. A feature by ScreenRant explains that, for the scene in which Harry (Danielle Radcliffe) accidentally casts a spell that causes his Aunt Marge to blow up like a balloon, actor Pam Ferris wore a special suit and facial makeup prosthetics that could actually inflate.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Awarding the Oscar for Best Visual Effects to Spider-Man 2 was a no-brainer based on how realistic Doctor Octopus' mechanical arms look alone. As explained in a DVD bonus feature, CGI was used for most scenes involving Doc Ock's evil appendages but many of their movements were achieved with rigorous puppeteering which actor Alfred Molina was also heavily involved in.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Michael Keaton said that it was important to him and director Tim Burton that the long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, use as many practical effects as possible. EW mentions that, just like in the 1988 original, sandworms were created with stop-motion animation for a scene when Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) find themselves on one of Saturn's moons.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

For Joel Coen's solo directorial debut, The Tragedy of Macbeth, the filmmaker wanted to give the adaptation of William Shakespeare's influential play a distinct look reminiscent of a theater stage. To create this aura, as seen on a featurette posted to YouTube by Apple TV+, life-size sets were built on a soundstage at the Warner lot and surrounded by matte paintings to fill in the backgrounds.

Midsommar (2019)

The secret to the visceral nature of the nightmares Ari Aster brings to life in his second great A24 horror film, Midsommar, is the use of practical effects, such as in the scene when an elderly villager has his face fatally smashed in after surviving a cliff jump. According to Vulture, the gruesome moment was filmed practically with a fake head equipped with pneumatic cylinders that could collapse and reset with the push of a button, allowing for multiple takes with the same prop.

Skyfall (2012)

What makes Daniel Craig's James Bond movies so memorable is the realism of their action sequences, such as the opening scene of Skyfall. A feature about the train fight from SlashFilm details just how challenging it was for director Sam Mendes and co. to shoot the scene on top of a real moving train.

Independence Day (1996)

The visual effects of the classic alien invasion movie, Independence Day, took home a well-deserved Oscar — not just for its convincing CGI but also for its more old-fashioned tricks. For instance, an article from the Director's Guild of America website explains that the destruction of recognizable landmarks like The White House and the Empire State Building was achieved with miniatures.

Tenet (2020)

Christopher Nolan goes above and beyond to create the most realistic and explosive action sequences possible, such as purchasing a real, full-size Boeing 747 only to destroy it. According to ScreenRant, that is how he shot the plane crash scene from Tenet.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Enough time has passed since the 1986 original that Tom Cruise and Co. could have achieved aerial action sequences in Top Gun: Maverick on sound stages and with green screens. Instead, as detailed by IGN, the actors trained for months to actually go up in the air in military-grade jets equipped with cameras for the most realistic shots possible.

First Man (2018)

According to Digital Trends, First Man director Damien Chazelle wanted to shoot Neil Armstrong's (Ryan Gosling) moonwalk without green screens but in a place that could later be slightly augmented in post-production. They chose to shoot the sequence at an Atlanta quarry and some of the only digital trickery involved was to remove elements the filmmakers did not want to be reflected in the actors' astronaut helmet visors.

Barbie (2023)

Before her feet fall flat due to an existential crisis, Margot Robbie's eponymous role is introduced in Barbie with her feet in an inhumanly arched position. Director Greta Gerwig told The Project that his shot was not achieved with CGI but by anchoring Robbie's toes to the ground with double-sided tape.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Emily Blunt made magic with her wonderful portrayal of the iconic, titular nanny in Mary Poppins Returns but that was not the only stellar trick the production pulled. For instance, as a special featurette shared on YouTube by Rotten Tomatoes reveals, the scene in which Mary and the children enter a magical realm through their bathtub was achieved with a slide built underneath the tub that was cleverly concealed with a thick layer of soap bubbles.

The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson movies like The French Dispatch exist in a world that could only come from the filmmaker's vast imagination. So, how are these striking, surreal images brought to life on camera? A video by Piercefilm Productions reveals some of the drama's most memorable visuals are created with a combination of miniatures and painted backgrounds.

We all have strange gaps in our knowledge when it comes to the movies we’ve seen. I was shocked to learn that, until recently, my colleague Eric Eisenberg, who has watched well over 100 movies a year for the entire time I have known him, had never seen Gladiator. It’s surprising that a guy who loves movies had not seen a movie that was both a box office hit and a Best Picture winner. And so it’s weird that I, the guy who has written CinemaBlend’s best sci-fi movies list, had never seen Interstellar.

Until this week, that was the case. To be fair, in 10 years I thought I knew enough about it. I thought I knew the basic story (more on that shortly) and I knew the Interstellar ending was hotly discussed, even if I didn't know the details. What else did I need to know? Well, I took the opportunity to find out when I saw Interstellar was now available with my Netflix subscription, and gave it a watch. I’m so glad I waited 10 years to see it.

I Would Have Liked Interstellar In 2014, But For Very Different Reasons

I checked my personal way back machine to try and figure out just why I had never seen a sci-fi movie from Christopher Nolan, a description which should have gotten me into the theater instantly 10 years ago. As it happens, the movie originally came out just a week or two after I got laid off from a job in my previous career, so my focus at the time was probably not on whatever got released that weekend.

I’m sure I would have liked Interstellar if I had seen it when it was released in October 2014. I probably would have loved it. Science fiction that goes heavy on science, focuses on drama and questions things like the nature of time or reality is my jam. I ate it up then and I still do today.

But I wouldn’t have related to Interstellar the way I did when I saw it now. The emotional core of the movie is the relationship between a father and daughter, and as somebody who had no kids in 2014, but has two daughters today, I get it.

Interstellar View Of Time Is Something I've Come To Understand

It’s not that I don’t think I could relate to the characters of Interstellar without kids, and I’m not here to tell you that if you don’t have kids you can’t possibly appreciate the movie (I can’t stand people like that). However, I will say that I personally connected with the movie now in a way I know I would not have then.

Interstellar isn’t just about a relationship between a father and daughter who love each other. You don’t need to be a parent to get that, just have had one you cared about greatly. But the movie takes things a step further.

Like so many of Christopher Nolan’s movies, time plays a key role. But it’s not just about how time is running at different speeds on Earth or in space, it’s about how time runs on a longer scale for parents because existence doesn't end when we do. It continues with our children.

Interstellar is presented as two parallel stories, one following a father and another following his daughter. But really, it’s one story that begins with the parent and continues with the child after her father is gone.

It Turns Out I Had No Idea What Interstellar Was Actually About

If there’s a popular movie you’ve never seen, you can probably still give a basic description of what it’s about. Being part of pop culture often makes it so we pick up these things. There’s a decent chance you knew Rosebud was a sled before ever watching Citizen Kane. My kids have yet to watch a Star Wars movie, but they know Darth Vader’s relationship to Luke Skywalker.

In the same vein, I thought I knew what Interstellar was about. I knew Matthew McConaughey played an astronaut named Coop on an interstellar journey. I knew the concept of time dilation played a part, and that it would impact his character’s relationship with his family. I’d certainly seen the meme of McConaughey sobbing which is probably the film’s most enduring image.

While all that is part of Interstellar, it’s a pretty brief description of only half the movie. There’s a whole other part of the film that I honestly enjoyed more which is, I think, the better part of the film. It takes place back on Earth and follows what humanity is doing, and it's the heart of everything.

Jessica Chastain Plays The Character Interstellar Is Really All About

If I had ever learned that Jessica Chastain was even in Interstellar, it’s a fact I had long since forgotten. So I was shocked to see her as the adult version of Murph, the grown-up daughter of McConaughey character. I was even more surprised when she became a focal part of the story.

There was a point in Interstellar when I found myself nearly blubbering like Coop does watch the messages from home, (or like Timothee Chalmet did learning his Interstellar role had been cut down), but it wasn’t that moment. It came much later when Coop is trying to figure out how to pass messages through time to his daughter. The robot companion TARS wonders if sending the needed information to a child will be of any good. Cooper believes his daughter will understand. He never even hesitates.

I don’t exactly expect to be sending high-concept mathematical data across space and time to my kids, but at the end of the day, my goal as a father is to teach my kids enough that they can figure out the rest for themselves.

Coop lives my dream as a father at the end of Interstellar. He gets to see what his daughter has become and is relieved to discover she was happy. I don't need my kids to literally save the world, though the way things are going, they may need to. I just hope that they're happy, and I hope I live to see it.

Interstellar is a great movie, and I'm so glad I saw it. But even if I was rewatching it after 10 years, I don't think it would have had the same impact that it did watching it now for the first time. Some things are worth the wait.

Even the best movies have scenes in them that completely take you out movie and ruin at least a small of it for the viewer. Films like Saving Private Ryan, The Departed, and even The Godfather all have scenes that almost completely ruin them. Well, that might be a little harsh, they are all still stone-cold classics, but they all have questionable moments that make you wonder how they remained in the movie.

The Baby In American Sniper

American Sniper is a tension-filled masterpiece with a fantastic performance by Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. The movie works on almost every level and yet there is that one scene, when Kyle is holding his newborn baby and it is clear to anyone watching that the baby is a prop. It's hard to believe the makers of the movie let that scene go like they did.

The Rat In The Departed

As if the lesson in The Departed wasn't clear enough, Martin Scorsese hits viewers across the face with a frying pan when the CGI rat walks across the balcony railing in the last shot of the movie. Why a genius like Scorsese felt the need to drive the point home in such a hacky way, we'll never understand.

The Bad Audio Sync In The Big Lebowski

Fans of The Big Lebowski know what we're talking about here. After Walter (John Goodman) fails to get Larry Sellers to crack, he decides to take to the streets and destroy what he thinks is Larry's new car. It's not Larry's, it's the neighbor's car and when the neighbor comes out, there is a really bad audio sync, and all of a sudden it feels like a bad Hong Kong action movie from the '70s. It may be the only flaw in an almost perfect movie.

Superman Turning Back Time In Superman

The Christopher Reeve Superman is still beloved to this day, and with good reason. It's among the best superhero movies ever made and it always will be. But let's be honest about the ending. The scene after Lois dies in her car and Superman is forced to fly around the world and actually turn back time is... awful. It's just so dumb and there are a million better ways that could have been handled.

The Laptop In Skyfall

Skyfall is a great Craig-era James Bond movie. There is no way around the fatal flaw that Q (Ben Whishaw) makes when he plugs a laptop recovered by Bond into MI-5's computer system. Of course, it's a booby-trapped computer that takes down the whole system. Who trained Q? his technology-challenged uncle? Come on, no one in his position would make that kind of mistake, It may sound pedantic, but it's just not reasonable.

Questionable Fight Blocking In The Godfather

Even a masterpiece like The Godfather has a moment that completely takes viewers out of the moment. When Sonny (James Caan) goes to confront Carlo, it's one of the most intense moments of the movie. Unfortunately, the fight blocking is, frankly, terrible and it looks really bad. Even the best can have flaws.

The Off-Color Joke At The End Of Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a really fun movie with some completely ridiculous moments that somehow work, like Samuel L. Jackson eating McDonalds. One insanely stupid moment that doesn't work is the off-color joke at the end of the movie by the damsel in distress. It just doesn't work at all.

Greedo Shooting First In The Re-Edited Star Wars

There are a lot of reasons to complain about George Lucas tinkering with perfection when he re-edited Star Wars in the '90s. Most of it is stuff people can live with, but reworking the scene in the cantina to make Greedo shot at Han Solo first really changes too much about the character and the movie. It should have never been done.

Tell Me I'm A Good Man In Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is among the best war movies ever made. It doesn't need that final scene of Ryan asking his wife to "tell him he's been a good man." Even if director Steven Spielberg felt that the final scene at the cemetery in Normandy was needed, the shot of the elder Ryan walking with his family is all that the audience would need to understand who he was. The cheesy line just ruins it.

Mom's Named Martha In Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice

People can argue all day long if Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice is a good movie. It's certainly a lot better than many critics believe. But there is still that incredibly stupid and silly moment when the two titular superheroes almost bond over the shared name of their mothers. Cheesy!

Darth Vadar's "NOOOOO" In Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

Whether you love the Star Wars prequels or not, most people agree that Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith is the best of the three. That's even taking into account the oh-so-silly "NOOOOOO" when the newly formed Vader realized his love was gone. You know the others are rough movies when this is including in the best one.

Deadpool In X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a movie that some love and some despise. It can really go either way. But what can't be disputed is how terrible Deadpool is in it. Enough said. Even Deadpool though Deadpool was terrible as we learn in the post-credits scene of Deadpool 2.

The CGI Of Old Characters In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is arguably the best Star Wars movie since Return of the Jedi. It takes a classic bit of Star Wars lore and makes it real. What isn't real, and almost takes the audience completely out of the movie is the CGI versions of Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin. It's so disconcerting it can't help but distract from what is otherwise a really great movie.

Flying Through Space In The Martian

For a movie that spends so much time and effort on the scientific details of surviving on Mars, The Martian completely throws it all out of the window at the end with the flying through space bit at the end as Matt Damon's character attempts to reconnect with his crew. It's such a shame such a fantastic movie ends with such a silly scene.

John Michael Higgins' Questionable Accent In Licorice Pizza

It's hard to say if John Michael Higgins' questionable Japanese accent when he is mocking his wife is supposed to play for laughs or what in Licorice Pizza, but the scene really doesn't work no matter what the intention was. It is a rare example of a scene in a Paul Thomas Anderson movie that should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Singing Elton John In Almost Famous

There is just something about a '70s rock band that is sort of loosely based on Led Zeppelin bonding over an Elton John song. It just seems so unlikely that Led Zeppelin or a band of their ilk would ever do something like that. It's so out of place in an otherwise fantastic movie.

Midi-chlorians - The Entire Star Wars Franchise

Midi-chlorians. There is probably no Star Wars fan on Earth who understands why the decision was made to make up these stupid things. They are so unpopular with the fanbase that they have essentially been reconned out of the whole universe and we're all grateful for it.

The Makeover In The Breakfast Club

Like a lot of comedies from the 1980s, The Breakfast Club has some problematic moments. Though not as extreme as a movie like Revenge of the Nerds and its very problematic content, the scene that sticks out like a sore thumb is when Claire (Molly Ringwald) does a makeover on Allison (Ally Sheedy) and she gets the attention of Andrew (Emilio Estevez) because all of a sudden she's pretty. Yikes.

The Plane Chase In Argo

Argo is a fantastic movie based on an even more fantastic true story. One thing that isn't true to the real-life escape portrayed in the film is the chase by the Iranian police of the plane on the runway as the embassy workers escape to freedom. It's a totally unnecessary addition to "Hollywood up" the ending. Just tell the remarkable story! It doesn't need more action!

Miranda Tate's Death In The Dark Knight Rises

Miranda Tate's death in The Dark Knight Rises has been derided by many as not worthy of the character. And that is totally true. It's just so...anti-climatic. She just... dies.

Every Scene With Mickey Rooney In Breakfast At Tiffany's

Breakfast At Tiffany's is one of the best rom-coms of all time. Still, modern audiences cannot get through the movie without wincing every time Mickey Rooney's incredibly racist portrayal of an Asian man is on the screen. Even in 1961 this should have been called out and left out of the movie. It's not just a bad accent, it's a very offensive one,

Surfing The Tidal Wave In Die Another Day

There are a lot of ridiculous moments in the James Bond franchise. Most of them are excusable, especially from the Roger Moore-era movies. The one scene that really isn't is when the Pierce Brosnan version of Bond para-surfs on a giant tidal wave. The CGI alone is offensive, even if we can suspend reality long enough for the ride.

The Hookup In Big

The Tom Hanks' classic Big plays out like a weird rom-com at times. It's unsettling at the least when you think about the real age difference between the characters. That's all we really need to say here.

Quentin's Cameo In Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino is one of the best filmmakers of his generation and Pulp Fiction is his masterpiece. Still, the scene that he is in, when he repeatedly uses a racial slur as he sips coffee is extremely obnoxious and completely unneeded. The bit about his wife and the coffee is fantastic, but everything after that should have just been cut.

Regina George's Death In Mean Girls

Why does Regina George need to die at the end of Mean Girls? It's such a weird exclamation point at the end of the movie that feels very unnecessary. She's been disgraced and disregarded, with good reason, does she really deserve to die? It really takes away from one of the best movies 2000s.

The God Of War In Wonder Woman

There is no question that the DCEU had a lot of problems really coming together and a great example of everything that was wrong with the now-rebooted franchise is adding scenes like Wonder Woman's battle with the God Of War at the end of the first Wonder Woman movie. It's just not needed. The movie could have ended before it and been an almost perfect superhero movie, instead, it just goes one step too far and almost gets ruined because of it.

The Rocket Launcher In Falling Down

Micheal Douglas' performance in Falling Down is amazing. The movie, for the most part, is fantastic. Sadly, what starts out as a very grounded yet terrifying look into one man's breakdown reaches the point of absurdity when he suddenly decides he needs to use a rocket launcher to get his point across. From a realistic movie to a cartoon in moments.

The Pictures At The End Of Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love goes from super fun to disturbing in the very last moments of the movie when Jessica, played by Lio Tipton gives Cal racy photos of herself. She is Cal's babysitter! Who thought that was a good way to end the movie?

The Explanation At The End Of Unbreakable

There are times when people are blown away by writer and director M. Night Shyamalan and there are other times he leaves everyone shaking their heads. The explanation of how everything worked in Unbreakable is the latter. We got, man, you don't need to bang us on the end with what it all means.

9/11 In Remember Me

One of the weirdest endings to a movie has to be the final scene of Remember Me. Everything romantic that has happened in the movie is rendered moot when it is revealed that Tyler (Robert Pattison) dies in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. What? Why would anyone think that added anything to the story? So weird.

Nuking The Fridge In Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Okay fair enough, we can hear you saying Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull isn't a good movie. And you're right, it's not. But we just had to include the famous "Nuke the Fridge" scene because it makes a bad movie even worse and other than the weird choice of an ending involving aliens the "Nuke the Fridge" moment came when the movie still held promise.

Explaining Love In Interstellar

Interstellar is an awesome that asks at least as many questions as it answers. Why then did director and writer Christopher Nolan include such a hacky scene explaining the meaning of love? The world may never know.

Looking for movies like Interstellar after revisiting one of the best sci-fi films of all time? Well, we have something that’ll make you oh so excited. In honor of the 10th anniversary of one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, we’ve put together a rather robust list of titles that touch on similar topics, have a similar tone, or fill the audience with wonder and awe (or a combination of the three).

From classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey to more modern gems like Arrival, and so much more, there’s plenty to choose from. In fact, there are probably enough options here to keep you busy on a long journey to deep space.

Arrival (2016)

Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 sci-fi drama, Arrival, has a lot in common with Interstellar, and the similarities go beyond just both movies having confusing endings. Both highly decorated movies feature incredibly complex and emotional stories about parents going to great lengths to either connect with their children or save them, as well as stories about the uncertainty of the future.

Stream Arrival on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Arrival on Amazon. 

Frequency (2000)

Gregory Hoblit’s 2000 sci-fi thriller, Frequency, follows NYPD detective John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) as he communicates with his father (played by Dennis Quaid) over the radio. But here’s the thing, his dad has been dead for 30 years and has been contacting him from 1969. 

Rent/Buy Frequency on Amazon.

Contact (1997)

Another movie about someone going to great lengths to find or contact a loved one, Robert Zemeckis’ Contact follows Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) as she finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and embarks upon an epic mission to the far reaches of space. And you’ll also get to see a younger Matthew McConaughey long before he played Intestellar's Coop.

Rent/Buy Contact on Amazon.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

One of the landmark sci-fi movies of the 20th century, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey follows a group of astronauts as they are sent on a mission to Jupiter to find a mysterious object that’s calling to Earth. This Oscar-winning sci-fi classic walked so Interstellar could run.

Stream 2001: A Space Odyssey on Max.
Rent/Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey on Amazon.

Sunshine (2007)

In Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, a group sets off to the dying sun in a last-ditch effort to reignite the solar surface and prevent humanity from suffering a cold and drawn-out death. Much like Interstellar, this film about saving the human race explores man's fight for survival, but also man's downfall.

Rent/Buy Sunshine on Amazon.

Big Fish (2003)

Okay, Big Fish isn’t a sci-fi movie and it doesn’t take place in space, but Tim Burton’s moving fantasy drama does focus heavily on the bond between parent and child. Much like Interstellar, this is a movie built on the back of familial bonds, both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Rent/Buy Big Fish on Amazon.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

One of the most inventive Best Picture winners in recent memory, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a mind-bending, genre-bending, and incredibly emotional epic about a seemingly normal woman (Michelle Yeoh) going to great lengths to form a meaningful relationship with her family. The familial bonds and drama found in this movie are on par with anything in Interstellar.

Rent/Buy Everything Everywhere All at Once on Amazon.

Moon (2009)

Moon is one of those sci-fi movies any fan of the genre should watch at least once in their lifetime. Following a lone worker (played by Sam Rockwell) as he completes his mission on the lunar surface, Duncan Jones’ inventive drama explores loneliness and humanity while also featuring one bizarre twist after another.

Rent/Buy Moon on Amazon.

Ad Astra (2019)

Though it doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, Ad Astra is one of the great space-travel movies of the past decade. The movie follows Brad Pitt’s lone astronaut as he travels to the far reaches of the solar system to find and confront his missing father (played by Tommy Lee Jones) before the weary figure can do the unthinkable and wipe out humanity with the push of a button.

Rent/Buy Ad Astra on Amazon.

Inception (2010)

Released four years before Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s Inception is another sci-fi epic that focuses on the relationship between parent and child just as much as it does with massive set pieces and philosophical questions. And with so many crazy fan theories, it’s a fun movie to revisit.

Rent/Buy Inception on Amazon.

Gravity (2013)

A Best Picture loser that should have won the top prize, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity was one of the most breathtaking cinematic experiences of the 2010s. Centering around Sandra Bullock’s solo astronaut stranded in Earth’s orbit, the movie follows the terrified yet determined heroine as she goes to great lengths to make it home.

Rent/Buy Gravity on Amazon.

The Martian (2015)

Not only do Interstellar and The Martian both feature incredible performances by Matt Damon, each film also tells a remarkable story of two astronauts as they embark upon perilous journeys that test them physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Rent/Buy The Martian on Amazon.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, like Interstellar, captures the heart and imagination of the audience better than most. This iconic ‘70s film about humans making contact with mysterious extraterrestrial visitors pushed the sci-fi genre in a new direction nearly 50 years ago, and its influence can still be felt decades later.

Rent/Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Amazon.

Ex Machina (2015)

Released just months after Interstellar, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina offers a more frightening and bleak sci-fi tale with its story about a state-of-the-art robot (played by Alicia Vikander) and the programmer (played by Domhnall Gleeson) hand-picked to perform a Turing test. Despite the different tones, both movies focus on exploration and how much we really don’t know about the universe or ourselves.

Rent/Buy Ex Machina on Amazon.

The Fountain (2006)

One of Darren Aronofsky's best movies, The Fountain is split up into three loosely connected storylines that all center on characters (played by Hugh Jackman) going to extreme lengths to save the women they love (played by Rachel Weisz) in various scenarios. Emotional, spiritual, and awe-inspiring, this is worth a revisit.

Rent/Buy The Fountain on Amazon.

Prometheus (2012)

A prequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien, Prometheus is set years before the Nostromo incident and follows a group of archaeologists as they travel to a distant moon in search of sentient life. But, what they find is far more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined. 

Rent/Buy Prometheus on Amazon.

Midnight Special (2016)

One of the best sci-fi films of 2016, Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special follows a father (played by Michael Shannon) as he tries to hide his son (played by Jaeden Martell) from both the government and a mysterious cult after it’s discovered the boy has mysterious powers. Mixing sci-fi with family drama elements, Nichols crafts an exciting and poignant story like no other.

Rent/Buy Midnight Special on Amazon.

District 9 (2009)

Neill Blomkamp gave the world one of the most groundbreaking sci-fi action thrillers in 2009 with his feature film debut, District 9. Set in South Africa years after spaceships bring an alien race to Earth, the movie dives into the tense relationship between humans and extraterrestrials, and doesn’t shy away from tackling complex themes.

Rent/Buy District 9 on Amazon.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, a project started by Stanley Kubrick and brought to fruition by Steven Spielberg, follows a young android (played by Haley Joel Osment) as he embarks upon a journey of self-discovery. Caught between man and machine, this proves to be no easy task for the emotional cyborg programmed to love.

Rent/Buy A.I.: Artificial Intelligence on Amazon.

Hopefully, this will be helpful when finding something to watch after Interstellar. But if you’re looking for newer films, there are plenty of upcoming sci-fi movies headed to the big screen in the very near future.

As a film fan and patron of the internet, I love to follow random Reddit boards that come up in my key areas of interest. Sure enough, in this year of 2024 movies that have used large format to some exciting degrees, the thread of IMAX fans keeping track of the brand’s goings on is one of the places I frequent.

Lately they’ve been abuzz about what’s been going on with the planned 10th anniversary re-release of Interstellar; which was supposed to be dropping next month. Well, those plans have been altered somewhat, and the official news has come after a heated period of speculation that included some pretty wild Christopher Nolan rumors.

The Plan For Interstellar’s 10th Anniversary Release

Initially announced during Paramount’s CinemaCon 2024 panel, director Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi blockbuster was originally going to return on September 27th. Naturally, a mix of standard digital prints and Nolan’s preferred IMAX 70mm format are going to be used, which is good for any other enthusiasts who don’t want to miss out on the next Oppenheimer-style experience.

However, as of Variety’s updated reporting on the matter, that date has now been moved to December 6th. The official party line from Paramount is that this move has been made to hype up Interstellar’s “home entertainment relaunch” later this year. However it’s the following portion of this report that has me thinking Paramount execs must have heard some of the chatter on Reddit:

The latter scenario sounds more like the truth, as I presume that if anyone told Christopher Nolan they'd destroyed an IMAX 70mm print of any film, in any condition, his anger would be akin to Oppenheimer's practical nuclear explosion effect. Paramount brass would probably be right there with him, considering Interstellar’s complicated studio dealings saw the project originate at Paramount, but eventually led to Warner Bros. getting a piece of the pie.

Having existing, runnable prints would be Paramount's way of winning the war, so to speak, as that studio would be the one primarily making money off of future reissues. At the same time, film preservation in the current movie ecosystem isn’t at a premium. Some movies are lucky to even be available digitally, much less on physical media.

So the rather dire rumors about why this Interstellar re-release was supposedly rescheduled did seem to align with what fans were ready to believe as the truth. But now, with that rumor dispelled by Paramount, it's time to talk about where those stories probably started.

The Rumors Surrounding Interstellar’s Delayed IMAX Re-release

Again, the only reason I’ve had this much skin in the game pertaining to this story is the fact that I’ve been following the Interstellar drama on Reddit for a couple days now. Two of the reasons that were circulated throughout the IMAX threads pertaining to this chain of events have some valid concerns.

And I think it all came from what looked like a pattern of theaters cancelling their plans for the September 27th release, which inspired theories such as this:

Bad News on Interstellar Re-release from r/imax

If this were the truth, I could totally see Christopher Nolan being furious about the fate of Interstellar. It would also explain how myself and other home video aficionados got our own IMAX film cells when purchasing the Blu-ray edition of 2014’s emotional sci-fi hit. So maybe we were part of the problem all along.

Reddit users took to emailing their local IMAX venues for further clarification before the official announcement was made, and with varied results. Some said that the show was still going on as planned, while others alleged that they didn't know what was happening, which helped another theory gain traction.

Occupying the more likely realm of possibility is the sentiment that most movie fans thought the IMAX portion of Interstellar’s celebratory rollout was going to be jeopardized not by print destruction, but by the major releases set to land on that same weekend in September. If you know anyone who's been clamoring for the return of Twisters in 4DX, you're familiar with what I'm about to tell you.

Both Megalopolis and The Wild Robot are debuting on that day, and you can believe those movies will be competing for real estate in the already limited large format universe. If I’m being honest, Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project might win out, as the format got behind his picture before it even had a US distributor secured.

Meanwhile, a December 6th start is relatively easy to slot, as Interstellar shouldn't have to deal with too much competition in that particular week. It just has to wait for Moana 2's Thanksgiving release to make way for its arrival...provided that Disney's previous conditions for theatrical exhibition have been relaxed in modern times.

You can begin to see where it starts to feel less like scheduling movies and more like messing around in the Tesseract at this point. Everyone knows that sometimes a rumor is worth the paper it's printed on, so getting an official confirmation of the delay to Interstellar’s 10th anniversary re-release is relatively good news.

At the same time, you have to wonder just where the line between truth and fiction lies, as it’s pretty late in the game to make such a reveal. And seriously, is the proximity of a Disney animated movie going to further complicate things? We’ll see what happens as we get closer to the new December 6th date that should reunite us with Matthew McConaughey and his adventures in the fourth dimension.

Of course if you want to enjoy this adventure at home, perhaps in an effort to debunk that recent viral theory about Interstellar, you can, of course, purchase or rent the film on digital and physical media. Not to mention those of you with a Paramount+ subscription can jump back into the beauty of Christopher Nolan’s space-time odyssey at any time, at least at the time of this publication.

Some might argue about whether or not Interstellar is one of the best sci-fi movies of the recent past, but I’m not one of them. I wholeheartedly agree that writer/director Christopher Nolan’s film is a picture worthy of that distinction; thanks to his meticulously crafted vision of space travel and time travel. So when I saw a viral video claiming that, once again, Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper is actually dead the whole time, it inspired some very pointed thoughts.

The Latest ‘Cooper’s Dead’ Theory For Interstellar

Making the rounds on social media is the video shared below by a Twitter user named “JaredFPS.” A huge Interstellar fan himself, the creator believes he’s stumbled upon some compelling evidence that he feels sews up this “Cooper’s Dead” theory tighter than TARS’ comedic delivery. Take a look:

Before I start my own counterargument against the theory we’re playing with here, I have to say that I give JaredFPS one huge piece of credit: he provides the evidence to back up his claims. Also, he's enough of a fan that's clearly returned to this film enough that he's not just a casual internet reactionist who's seeing this for the first time.

With an argument that weighs heavily on supposedly repeated footage, and pieces of dialogue that are supposed to color Matthew McConaughey’s journey into space as an afterlife odyssey, there’s a lot of backing from the actual film itself presented. At the same time, this Interstellar theory doesn’t exactly work for me.

And while I reserve the right to badger management to allow me to write a deep dive feature that allows me to dive into the Tesseract’s worth of evidence that I think could debunk it, I’ll keep things brief. I will also say that if you want another "Cooper's Dead" argument to look over, our own Sean O'Connell dug into that line of thought back when the picture was first released.

Why I Don’t Agree With This Cooper Theory…For Now

The entirety of Interstellar falls apart when you engage in a “Cooper’s Died In The Crash” theory of any type. If Matthew McConaughey is moving through the afterlife, and all of this is just a spectral fantasy, then there’s no point to this movie existing. And that’s certainly not the sort of movie that fits in the collected filmography of Christopher Nolan.

This is on top of co-writer Jonathan Nolan’s alternate ending comments, which stated that Cooper almost did die in the movie, but during his trip into the black hole Gargantua to go back in time. I don’t think that Cooper was so precious a character that he couldn’t die, but killing him at the beginning of the movie nullifies anything past that point.

In my opinion, it’s just too much of a supernatural concept for Christopher and Jonathan Nolan to have ever thought to play with. The brothers Nolan are science-fiction nuts and history buffs who love to play with time and perception, but not crossing the veil between the living and the dead.

So if Interstellar was actually a huge afterlife odyssey, the hard work of its characters trying to save planet earth is null and void; which is the last thing Christopher or Jonathan Nolan would want to convey in a movie like this. Considering this is also the most emotional Nolan movie, as well as one of the most scientifically constructed, his exacting nature doesn't lend itself to merely being chalked up as a ghost story.

My attempt to debunk this theory surrounding Interstellar isn’t meant to dispel anyone who feels this sort of concept is accurate. Much like the field of scientific thought, we need to challenge each other’s theories, in order to evolve them. And I have to say, I don’t feel confident enough to shut this subject down totally anytime soon.

As you’ll see with my Inception ending dissection, a Nolan screenplay can hold a lot of context we don’t see on screen. It's key to admit when you can't totally dispel a theory, and I have to hand it to JaredFPS, he's put together something I can't just toss away without a lot of research.

Which means we should all be making like the man of the hour, and revisiting Interstellar as soon as conveniently possible. As luck would have it, at the time of this publication, the picture is streaming through access to some of the best streaming services, such as Paramount+. Prime Video, and MGM+.

And while I may have spent a little time trying to debunk JaredFPS’s theory, I still tip my hat to him for engineering a sturdy enough concept that I couldn’t merely dispose of it with a simple argument. As a film fan, and a journalist, these are the cases I live for, and I can’t wait to reexamine this adventure, just in time for it’s 10th anniversary.

Christopher Nolan's films have genuinely changed the world – so we decided to rank them. 

When it comes to some of the most-known filmmakers, I'm sure plenty come to mind. Maybe you think of the best Steven Spielberg movies, or perhaps you think of the best David Fincher films. But today, we're going to be focusing on a director who has released some of the most influential films of the last few decades—and that's Christopher Nolan. 

From his debut movie Following to his latest, Oppenheimer, here is how we rank Nolan's films from the very start. 

12. Following (1998)

For a debut film, Following is a great one to have. The movie mainly tells the story of a young man who follows the lives of strangers in London, only to find himself drawn into the criminal world when it's taken too far. 

Nolan directed, wrote, and produced the film, and as his debut film, it's not the big, bold pictures that we've seen him make way down the line in his career. Following is an interesting story to begin on, but certainly not his best. 

11. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises is the third film in the Christian Bale Batman trilogy, telling how Batman needs to return to crime fighting when a terrorist known as Bane threatens nuclear destruction. 

Regarding the best superhero movies, The Dark Knight Rises is a great one, but it pales in comparison to the previous trilogy installments. After losing Heath Ledger, it suffers an understandable pitfall with a clunky storyline that's barely rememberable all these years later. While it's saved a bit by the performances of Bale, Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway, there's not much to this Batman entry. 

10. Tenet (2020)

Tenet was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and told the story of a former CIA agent who has to trace the origin of objects that travel backward through time to stop an attack that is going to occur. 

The premise for this film is wacky. I'll give Tenet a Top 10 spot mainly because the visual effects are out of this world. I believe it should have been given a long theatrical release when it first debuted. But, the story itself leaves a lot to be desired. I've had to rewatch this film a few times to truly understand it. 

9. Insomnia (2002)

Insomnia was released in 2002 and featured the story of two homicide detectives who are looking for the murderer of a teenage girl, only for their lives to become intertwined. 

The following movies in Nolan's filmography are all objectively great; it's just that some have more outstanding qualities than others. Insomnia, for example, is a silent killer of a movie. It features an exceptional performance from Robin Williams, but also Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, and so many more who rock here. If I had to pick one of Nolan's less intense films, this would be it—a true psychological thriller.

8. Memento (2000)

Memento is an interesting one – it stars Guy Pearce as Leonard, a man who can't make memories after witnessing the rape and murder of his wife. Now, he uses a camera and a gun to hunt down the person who did it to bring her justice. 

This film is excellent. I wasn't super impressed when I first watched all of Nolan's films, but when I rewatched it, the movie grew on me. The mystery unfolding is unlike any other and captures the eyes of the viewer in an instant. 

7. Batman Begins (2005)

The first film in the Nolan Batman trilogy, Batman Begins, tells not only the origin story of Bruce Wayne but follows as he attempts to stop Ra's al Ghul and other villains from turning Gotham City into nothing but a criminal haven. 

Reintroducing Batman to the general public after the bombs of the Batman franchise in the 1990s took guts, but Nolan did that and more with Batman Begin. It's a gritty drama with excellent acting, an incredible cast, and a story that made even a superhero hater like me a superhero lover early in her life. 

6. The Prestige (2006)

Starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, The Prestige is another psychological thriller that follows two rival magicians in Victorian London who try to sabotage the other to perform the ultimate magic trick. 

The Prestige surprised me when I first watched it, and even more so now, as it's one of Nolan's best movies. Both Bale and Jackman give career-high performances, but the sleight-of-hand scenes you witness mixed in with the game both the main characters are playing to outdo the other is what you stay for. Truly, so much fun.

5. Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk is an epic, and one of the best war films, that follows the soldiers during the real-life Dunkirk evacuation during World War II.

This film…sits with you. I don't think it's number one, but Dunkirk is a movie that you never really forget. Thanks to the sound editing, I can still feel the shaking of my theater seat years later, and I was blown away by the cinematography. 

The film is dark, realistic, and downright devastating when you think about all the lives lost. What makes it even better is that there's barely any speaking – only a true cinematic master can pull off a film with so much emotion when there's barely a peep of dialogue. 

4. Inception (2010)

Inception is a sci-fi action film about a thief who can steal information by literally entering his victims' minds. However, the chance to have his criminal record erased throws his life into a tailspin. 

Arguably, Leonardo DiCaprio should have won an Oscar for Inception, as it's one of DiCaprio’s best movies. Is it confusing at first? Yeah, it is, but everything changes once you start to understand the science behind it. And, of course, the visual effects have gone down as some of the best in film history. 

3. Oppenheimer (2023)

Oppenheimer is a biographical film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who created the atomic bomb. Was it one of the best movie experiences I've ever had? Heck, yes, it was. 

From the incredible Oppenheimer cast to the impeccable soundtrack, Oppenheimer hooked me. Pair that with an incredible lead performance from Cillian Murphy, and this is certainly one of Nolan's best-directed features. I think there are two others that surpass this, but it's up there. 

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

Most people would say that Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker makes The Dark Knight so high, but there are so many other reasons beyond his earth-shattering portrayal. 

The action scenes were incredibly well-done. Unlike any other Batman interpretation, the story was evenly paced and thrilling. The score is phenomenal. And let's not even get started on the number of iconic lines that have cemented themselves into pop culture. 

The Dark Knight would be number one if this last film didn't exist. So, one other film takes the cake for me. 

1. Interstellar (2014)

I had to put this at number one.

Some people wouldn't agree with my pick of Interstellar, but objectively, I can't not put this at number one for so many reasons. Sure, the sci-fi aspect of this film — that— they must travel into space to find a habitable planet for humans — is a little clunky — I can understand that. I've needed to watch this film a couple of times to truly understand it. 

But the themes are downright unforgettable. The Interstellar cast gives it their all for the entirety of the film, with a positively heartbreaking and yet uplifting performance from Matthew McConaughey post-Dallas Buyers Club. Hans Zimmer's score is one I still listen to in my car as I drive down a highway late at night. 

This movie has impacted my life so much ever since I first watched it — which is why I have to place it as my number one. 

This is my list, and while I believe this is the proper ranking, your ranking of Christopher Nolan's best films might differ entirely from mine. 

Either way, let's all admire how amazing he truly is as a filmmaker — and somehow patiently await his next movie, whenever that comes. 

Binary sunsets, endless oceans, futuristic worlds beyond our comprehension, and all other manners of planets have helped make some of the best sci-fi movies of all time so iconic. And while we’ll never get to travel to these beautiful and oftentimes dangerous locations except for in our imaginations (or video game versions of these films), we can still dream about them, right?

Well, here are 32 planets from sci-fi movies I want to visit, even if it means I would risk life and limb to do so. But if I were to meet my end, it would be such a glorious way to go out.

Krypton (Superman: The Movie)

Visiting Krypton would be tricky for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that it is swallowed by its exploding red supergiant sun in the opening act of Superman: The Movie. However, if I could get there before the planet’s destruction, walk around its terrain, and learn its peoples’ ways, it would be an incredibly enlightening and memorable experience.

Caladan (Dune)

Like other great sci-fi film franchises, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies are filled with an assortment of unforgettable planets. Caladan, the homeworld of House Atreides, looks like one of the safer and milder planets in the galaxy with its seemingly endless seas, towering bluffs, and seemingly mild weather. That being said, it wouldn’t be a bad place to prop up your feet and learn about its history with the help of a mentat.

Planet 0259-S (The Avengers Movies)

After Thanos wiped out half of all living things in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War he retired to Planet 0259-S, a peaceful world where he didn’t plan his next attack, but instead became a simple farmer to live out the rest of his days. I’m not saying I would carry out Thanos’ plan, but having a little planet of my own to get some rest and relaxation while farming some alien fruit honestly sounds pretty nice.

Arrakis (Dune)

Arrakis, aka Dune, is probably one of the most inhospitable worlds in all of sci-fi thanks to its endless deserts, soaring temperatures, and those earth-shaking sandworms beneath its surface, but there’s no denying it’s a beautiful place. Sure, it might be the spice talking, but those sunsets on the primary location of Dune look magical.

Pandora (The Avatar Franchise)

I know Pandora is a moon and not a planet, but I’m going to let it slide because this world from the Avatar movies is one of the most beautiful locations in all of sci-fi. Sure, I’d have to wear an oxygen mask or get an avatar of my own to survive my trip, and I’d have to learn to fight off some terrifying creatures, but it’d so be worth it. 

Genesis (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock)

If I could get to Genesis before its destruction in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, I think I’d have a good and memorable time. With all kinds of alien flora, fauna, and those awesome Klingons, a short stint on this planet would be a great trip away from the doldrums of modern suburban life.

Naboo (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace)

“But Naboo looks just like Earth?” Oh, boo hoo, cry me a river. This planet first seen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace looks like a paradise, and unlike a lot of other sci-fi worlds, it looks like I could survive without supplemental oxygen. On my hypothetical trip, I would visit those underwater civilizations, the rolling hills that look like a Windows XP background, and pay my respects to the fallen Qui-Gon Jinn.

Ego (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2)

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies were full of exotic and alien planets that look cooler than anything we’ll ever have on Earth, and that includes Ego, the Living Planet. Visiting this god/planet would be a trip of a lifetime with its outrageous scenery, stunning architecture, and Kurt Russell. I would just avoid taking a trip below the surface though. No one’s trying to see all those bones.

Solaris (Solaris)

Okay, Solaris is pretty much a giant brain in the shape of a planet, but that could make for a unique vacation that’s off the beaten path. The hallucinations and dreams and inevitable damage to my psyche would be a tough pill to swallow, but I’m down to try almost anything once. 

Cybertron (The Transformers Movies)

Cybertron, the home world of the Autobots and Decepticons in the Transformers movie franchise, doesn’t look like the most peaceful vacation destination and is lacking when it comes to lush forests, beaches, and nature in general. However, waking up to witness a civil war between two rival factions of machines that can turn into cars or animals would make for a great story when I got back to work.

LV-426 (The Alien Franchise)

LV-426, which is technically a moon and not a planet, is a location that comes up multiple times in the Alien cinematic universe. It’s dark, it’s wet, it’s deadly, and full of an army of xenomorphs, but visiting the terraformed rock would be an exciting adventure like no other. I would just have to watch out for those face-huggers popping out of giant eggs.

Kashyyyk (Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

There are so many cool planets to check out in the Star Wars galaxy, including Kahsyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiees. Hanging out with Chewbacca’s family, shooting crossbows, and fighting off clone troopers would be an adventurous vacation. I just need to see about booking some time in a bacta tank at the hotel.

Fhloston (The Fifth Element)

Fhloston from The Fifth Element would be a great way to spend a few days, or weeks, resting and relaxing from traveling through the cosmos. This paradise planet, with its resorts, opera singers, and all kinds of alien creatures, is perfect for a more low-key stay.

Vogsphere (The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy)

Though not one of the most exotic, colorful, or evolved planets in all of sci-fi, Vogsphere from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would still be fun to visit, even if just for a short while. If I were looking for somewhere I didn’t need to be creative, come up with complex ideas, or use my brain for more than simple motor skills, this would be the place to go.

Mars (Total Recall)

Will I ever get to go to Mars? No, probably not. But if I could, I would want it to be the version of the red planet from Total Recall. This wild world from the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is something else with its deadly terrain, bizarre humanoids, and sinister plots. I would just need to make sure I didn’t walk the surface without my spacesuit.

Asgard (The Thor Movies)

Asgard is more of a realm than a planet, but it’s my vacation and I can go where I want. That being said, hanging out with Thor, Loki, and those actors from the play in Thor: Ragnarok would be pretty, pretty good. Also, Asgard has the Bifröst, which would make for some cool excursions during my stay.

Altair IV (Forbidden Planet)

Altair IV, the rocky world from Forbidden Planet is pretty limited when it comes to scenery, but being a great distance from Earth could make it a nice escape from life for a while. Plus, the planet has an almost turquoise sky, which would probably make for some majestic sunsets, or Altair-sets, if we’re being precise.

Kaitain (Dune: Part Two)

The home planet of Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two, Katain would be a nice vacation destination in Denis Villeneuve’s film franchise. Sure, I’d have to watch out for politicians and other unsavory characters, but there aren’t any sandworms or seas of sand.

Abydos (Stargate)

Abydos is essentially the alien version of ancient Egypt in Stargate but with just even more great technology. As a kid, I was always drawn to the planet and its intricate structures and culture. Would it be hot, strange, and dangerous? Yeah, but I’d have a killer time.

Xandar (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

As long as I could get there before Thanos destroyed the planet to get the power stone before Avengers: Infinity War, a visit to Xandar would be a nice place to spend a few days. But since the Nova Corps isn’t too fond of criminals, or really anyone who goes against the grain, I would need to be on my best behavior. I’m not trying to spend my vacation in the Kyln.

Coruscant (Star Wars)

Coruscant, which has popped up in various Star Wars movies and TV shows over the years, is essentially one giant city in the shape of a planet. Though I’m not too fond of crowds, traffic, or politicians, witnessing the controlled chaos of the capital city-planet would be something to see.

Mongo (Flash Gordon)

Mongo, the home of Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon, seems like a cool place to visit despite not having the chill factor most seek out when planning a vacation. But this technicolor and dangerous alien world has a certain charm like the cheap end of the Vegas strip that could make it a bargain.

Miller's Planet (Interstellar)

I would need to get a surfboard and a supply of Dramamine before setting my sights on this water world, but Miller’s Planet from Interstellar would be a unique vacation spot if I’m on that side of the wormhole. And knowing that those aren’t actually mountains but giant waves, I think I could manage.

Tatooine (Star Wars)

A holiday in the vast deserts of Tatooine probably doesn’t seem like the ideal space vacation, but this planet on the outer rim of the galaxy has a lot going for it. The party scene in Mos Eisley is raging, the binary sunsets are something to see, and you never know who or what you’ll see on your travels.

Giedi Prime (Dune: Part Two)

Giedi Prime, the homeworld of House Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two, probably isn’t the best place to go for someone who’s susceptible to sunburns, but the way in which the closest star turns everything to black and white is something I’d love to see. It’d be a short trip, but I’d be down to hang out with the Harkonnen.

Titan (Avengers: Infinity War)

If I could be a fly on the wall when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes confronted Thanos on Titan in Avengers: Infinity War, I would be there in a minute. However, I’d prefer to go to the Mad Titan’s home planet before its overpopulation and limited resources led to its demise.

Vulcan (Star Trek)

Spock’s homeworld gets taken out in spectacular fashion in the 2009 Star Trek movie, but if I could somehow go back in time and visit before its annihilation, it could be a great trip with the family. Learning more about the Vulcan culture and hanging out with Spock’s family and friends would definitely be an enlightening experience.

Counter-Earth (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3)

Counter-Earth in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a place that I’d love to visit, but only if the timing was right. It’d be like going to Canada in the sense that there are some cultural differences but there are enough similarities to figure out what’s going on.

LV-223 (Prometheus)

LV-223, as seen in the opening of Prometheus, seems like a great vacation destination, especially if I’m not trying to hang out with a lot of people. Sure, I’d have to avoid the Engineer if I wanted to keep my head on my shoulders, but I’m pretty good at avoiding people here on Earth.

Helion Prime (The Chronicles Of Riddick) 

Helion Prime from The Chronicles of Riddick probably isn’t the safest place to visit on my annual family vacation, but life’s about living, right? It’s kind of drab and the locals are kind of stuffy, but it could be one of those sneaky-good holidays that catch you by surprise.

Magrathea (The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has some nifty worlds that are as cool as they are exotic, including Magrathea. If I could get a tour of the planet and find the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, this could be a memorable and powerful retreat from society.

Earth (The Blade Runner Movies)

Though the Blade Runner movies technically take place on Earth, the real-life version of the planet is nowhere as cool as seen in this classic sci-fi franchise. Ridley Scott’s vision of the future in the form of Los Angeles in 2019 is so rad. The same goes for Denis Villeneuve’s design in Blade Runner 2049. 

If anyone knows of a good travel agent who can get me to places like Pandora, Arrakis, Titan, or Coruscant please let me know because now I really want to visit these iconic sci-fi planets.

Music is a vital source of energy for any movie, whether it’s a carefully selected soundtrack or a bespoke musical score. In the case of that second option, there are so many moments one can trace back fond memories of pictures like Jurassic Park and James Bond movies, right down to the scene. With that in mind, we’re about to get nostalgic and recall scenes that are dramatically enhanced by their musical scores. 

The Visitor’s Center Showdown - Jurassic Park (John Williams)

The legendary John Williams’ resume of music is nothing short of mythical, especially through his efforts in films such as Jurassic Park. If you’ve never felt a swell of excitement when Roberta the T-Rex swoops in to save the day, then maybe you need to listen to the cue “T-Rex Rescue and Finale” again, just to be sure. 

Arthur Fleck’s Killing Joke - Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score for Joker isn’t a traditional soundscape, but rather an element as off-kilter as its own dark protagonist. When Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) tells his infamous killing joke to late-night host Murray (Robert De Niro) the unrelenting tension of melodic elements heard on cues like “Escape from the Train” propel this scene to its fatal, horrific conclusion. 

The Adventures Of Carl And Ellie - Up (Michael Giacchino)

It’s ok if you tear up just reading the words “Married Life,” as Michael Giacchino’s legendary opener for Disney/Pixar’s Up has associated that title with the greatest heartbreak imaginable. As we watch Carl and Ellie Frederickson’s courtship move through the years, the tune carries these dialogue-free scenes with all of the required emotional weight. 

Hiccup And Toothless’ Test Drive - How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell)

Heroes and buddies alike need their theme music, especially when an adventure like the How To Train Your Dragon series is afoot. Through John Powell’s sweeping cue “Test Drive” on the soundtrack of the 2010 franchise starter, we see Toothless and Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) finally teaming up to be the dragon/rider combo that eventually find themselves part of a greater adventure. 

“Avengers Assemble” - Avengers: Endgame (Alan Silvestri)

“Portals” is yet another sterling addition to composer Alan Silvestri’s career as a renowned artist. Starting as a faint glimmer of hope, and building towards Avengers: Endgame’s big moment where Captain America (Chris Evans) gets to finally say “Avengers…assemble!”, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t remember those in-theater reactions we’ve seen through numerous Avengers reaction videos. 

Define Dancing - Wall-E (Thomas Newman)

“Define Dancing” is not only the name of a very important cue that changed during Wall-E’s production, it’s also one of the best moments of the entire picture. As Wall-E and Eve get to know each other through dance, and even begin to get closer to a mutual love, composer Thomas Newman’s blend of electronic and traditional melodies lets the audience share that beautiful weightlessness this budding couple is experiencing. 

“The Name’s Bond…James Bond” - Casino Royale (David Arnold)

The theme to the James Bond movies is as iconic as the character itself, so it’s a touch-balance to know how and where to use Monty Norman and John Barry’s classic tune. In Casino Royale, it was an important 007 cornerstone saved for the end of the film. Watching Daniel Craig’s Bond confront the villainous Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) became even more impressive, thanks to David Arnold’s modern arrangement closing out this origin story with a punch. 

"Ok, Let's Do This One Last Time" - Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a multiversal dramedy that allows more than one Spider-Person to claim themselves as the one and only. So it’s natural that a track named "Only One Spider-Man" would be the basis for the many variations that composer Daniel Pemberton put together to showcase each of these MCU-adjacent heroes. Each time it happens, the laughs grow louder, and the tune never gets any older.

The Shower Scene - Psycho (Bernard Herrmann)

Everybody knows Bernard Herrmann’s short, sharp tune from what’s colloquially known as “the shower scene” in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho; and as they should. Not only is the scene signaling the demise of Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane an oft-parodied moment, but that very musical sting, or some imitation of it, is usually along for the ride.

The Bank Heist - The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer And James Newton Howard)

"Why so Serious?" Acting as the iconic question frequently asked by Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, it’s also the title of the Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard piece that helps introduce him in the film. Propelling the scene with the sweet guitar riff and percussive pressure needed to welcome us back to Gotham, it’s the unnerving notes played on the violin that tie everything together in an epic example of fear. 

Bear Bath - Paddington (Nick Urata)

As if Paddington wasn't a movie with enough adorable joy packed into its finished product, it has an adorable "give the bear a bath" sequence. With Nick Urata's cue "Bear Bath" playing over this moment of good-natured humor, the whimsy really shines through in this bright and bouncy tune.

Tish And Fonny’s Love Story - If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell)

Nicholas Britelll's "Agape" from If Beale Street Could Talk is, quite frankly, love in a song. As it accompanies the recollection of Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) in their early courtship, there's a tenderness that's so moving you're bound to tear up. Seriously, you are going to cry listening to this.

A Very Sweet Introduction - Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley)

The main titles to 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, on top of looking delicious enough on their own, also happen to double as a menu for Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley’s assortment of tunes from the picture. Fudge is rippling and chocolate is churning while audiences get their first taste of “Pure Imagination” thanks to this delicious confection.

The Jupiter 1’s Launch - Lost In Space (Bruce Broughton)

“The Launch” is quite a busy tune from composer Bruce Broughton’s Lost in Space score. As this piece of music is playing while the Robinson family is preparing to make their journey among the stars, the 1998 reboot of the famed ‘60s sci-fi series goes all out with only the most top-notch effects and Matt Le Blanc's Major West as its pilot. All the while, this stirring tune takes the recurring melody that pops up throughout the film and turns it into a most heroic event. 

“Get Off My Plane!” - Air Force One (Jerry Goldsmith)

With one line, and one commanding action, Harrison Ford’s presidential lead in Air Force One saves himself, and the plane. Dispatching of Gary Oldman’s terrorist threat is a well-earned triumph that comes after the cat-and-mouse game that played out before it. And when the moment finally arrives, the movie’s signature Jerry Goldsmith melody kicks in, boosting the patriotism in even the most jaded film viewer.

Emergency Docking With The Endurance - Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)

It’s an honest crime that the track “No Time For Caution” is only on the collector’s edition of Interstellar’s Hans Zimmer score. Not only is it a gorgeous tune on its own, but after watching Matthew McConaughey wrangling an entire space station back into control, you might feel a bit out of breath yourself. Blame those fantastic blaring organs that really set the scene towards the end. 

“You’re the man now, dog!” - Finding Forrester (Terence Blanchard)

As Finding Forrester's protagonist Jamal (Rob Brown) becomes the pupil of reclusive author William (Sean Connery), the process of refining his author’s voice includes score and soundtrack cues. But one of the most powerful is in the scene that launched the meme, as Terrence Blanchard’s score subtly boosts Brown’s typing and Connery’s proclamations of “You’re the man now, dog.”

Kevin Flynn’s Sacrifice - Tron: Legacy (Daft Punk)

One of the most heartbreaking moments on the Tron timeline is the day that Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) sacrificed himself to allow his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) to return home. Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy gets plenty of merit for its bombastic electronica pieces like “Derezzed” or “The Game Has Changed,” but “Flynn Lives” is the orchestral triumph that still brings fans to tears. 

George And Lorraine’s First Kiss - Back To The Future (Alan Silvestri)

Ok, so “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine?)” isn’t a track exclusive to Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future. However, thanks to composer Alan Silvestri working some melodic magic to heighten the tension, then relief, of George (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine (Lea Thompson) taking this huge step into their futures, a ‘50s pop song and a first kiss become the most important things in the world at that moment. 

Dinner Rush At Gusteau’s - Ratatouille (Michael Giacchino)

Michael Giacchino’s “Dinner Rush” from the Ratatouille score comes at a subtly brilliant moment in the Disney/Pixar classic. As Remy (Patton Oswalt) is running a dinner shift with his fellow rats in the kitchen, the action comes fast and furious; which is reflected in this very tune. A triumphant repeat of “Le Festine’s” melodic signature that almost acts as an indicator that Remy’s realizing, in real time, that his dreams have come true.

Andy Dufrenese’ Shower Of Freedom - The Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman)

Some moments are truly unforgettable in a classic like The Shawshank Redemption. One such highlight is the moment that Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) breaks out of a sewage tunnel and into the free world. Thomas Newman’s “Shawshank Redemption” theme heralds that moment with such a bittersweet beauty, which ultimately gives way to victorious horns. 

Tony’s Close Call In Monaco - Iron Man 2 (John Debney)

Some of the best moments in music come when you’re invoking other legends of the craft. Iron Man 2’s John Debney gives us an example of that phenomenon with the cue “Mayhem in Monaco,” which plays as Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) first squares up against Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) on an F1 track in Monaco. Close calls, tons of destruction, and a ticking clock are all baked into this tune; but it’s the Jerry Goldsmith-style theme that’s fully realized on the track “I Am Iron Man” that really gives this MCU moment its punch.

The Opera Chase - The Man Who Knew Too Much (Arthur Benjamin/Bernard Herrmann)

 Composed by Arthur Benjamin and arranged by Bernard Herrmann, a certain spot in “Storm Clouds Cantata” is marked for death, as an attempt on a diplomat’s life is set to take place. Watching Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day trying to fend off this attempt in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much is a pure, wordless thrill - until Day's shrill cry of terror shatters the moment in proper Hitchcockian fashion.

The Throne Room Ceremony - Star Wars (John Williams)

If you didn’t already know this one through watching Star Wars countless times, then maybe riding Disney Parks' various Star Tours attractions has you primed for this next entry. Either way, John Williams' music from the end of A New Hope is one of the most memorable cues from this particular galaxy. Even if the debate over Chewbacca’s lack of a medal was eventually settled in franchise lore, this moment still sticks out.

The Reunion Of Friends - Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (John Williams)

The franchise theme that recurs in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets gets a bit of an upgrade in John Wililams' "Reunion of Friends." While it sneaks in and starts with its traditional softness, the melody eventually amps up into an elevated version of "Hedwig's Theme." It was so powerful it found its way into the trailer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as that extra spark meant "adventure" in this series' musical language.

“Can you hear the music, Robert?” - Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)

Early on in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, one singular cue fans the flame of scientific discovery and progress in the mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Ludwig Göransson’s “Can You Hear The Music” starts off as a soaring melody, the tempo picks up as the imagery gets a bit more intense. Before you know it, it feels like you’re watching and listening to chemical reactions at work, in real time.

“I’m sorry, Wilson!” - Cast Away (Alan Silvestri)

Ever cried over a volleyball before? Cast Away’s limited musical score from composer Alan Silvestri will change that pretty quickly. As Chuck (Tom Hanks) laments the loss of his volleyball friend in the ocean, just as he’s setting off to freedom, the music only helps loosen those tear ducts for this sad parting.

The Indoraptor Rises - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Michael Giacchino)

A simple musical statement that plunges everything headlong into terror, “World’s Worst Bedtime Storyteller” is a cue that bathes in holy dread. As a choir sings ominously, accompanied by Michael Giacchino’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom cue, the mighty Indoraptor climbs to the top of Lockwood Manor and roars in a scene that feels like something out of the creepiest Universal Monsters movie.

Gotham’s Introduction By Night - Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (Shirley Walker)

The opening to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, on a visual level, is merely a tour through the Gotham City skyline at night. However, thanks to Shirley Walker’s powerful main title theme to the film, that tour turns into a hunt for the Batman. He doesn’t appear, but by the time this track is over, you’ll still feel like you’ve visited Gotham City and barely escaped some sort of terror.

The Tunnel Chase - The Italian Job ‘03 (John Powell)

John Powell knows the thrill of scoring speeding cars rather well. Throughout his time on the Bourne films, chase sequences became a stock in trade for his musical skills. But before he gave the world “Bim Bam Smash” from The Bourne Supremacy, Powell delivered an adrenaline rush with The Italian Job’s “Tunnel Run,” which injects a chase through the sewers of L.A. with even more urgency. 

Maximus’ Battle Of Antiquity - Gladiator (Hans Zimmer)

Hans Zimmer loves long cues of sweeping scope and intensity, as you’ll hear in Gladiator’s “Barbarian Horde." Playing during the raging battle where Maximus (Russell Crowe) and his fellow gladiators change historical records through tactics, an action-packed scene became the stuff of legends through the accompanying music helped land Sir Ridley Scott’s action epic in pop culture history.

Darth Vader’s Rampage - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Michael Giacchino)

In a sequence that shows off Darth Vader in perhaps his most threatening Star Wars appearance yet, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story includes a short cue called “Hope” that accompanies Vader’s rampage. As a menacing choir sings amidst Michael Giacchino’s threatening, then hopeful, score, the Sith Lord is seen at his most threatening. 

Music makes the images play fonder, and the examples that we've just discussed are only a drop in the bucket of cinema's best moments. So the next time you head to the movies, or flip on one of your old favorites at home, keep your ears and eyes open for moments like these classic showstoppers.

Did you see that coming? Because I certainly didn't with these excellent plot twists.

There comes a time in everyone's life when we watch a movie, and it's going all fine and dandy, and then a twist happens so suddenly that it's something we would never expect.

Perhaps it's someone's true origins that finally reveal themselves or who the murderer is in some of the best horror movies. Regardless, these twists will sit with you for days, making you think about how you didn't see that coming. These are some of the best.

And obviously, this article is full of spoilers, so there’s a movie on the list that you haven’t seen, you might want to skip that section.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director: Irvin Kershner

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Plot Twist: Luke finds out that his enemy, Darth Vader, is actually his father.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This not only sets up the rest of the Star Wars franchise but also sets Luke on an even more determined path to beat the Empire, which he does in the next movie with the help of his allies. It's from this twist that we get to know who Anakin Skywalker is, and years later, people still regard him as one of the best Star Wars characters.

Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

Plot Twist: Norman Bates had already killed his mother before the main character arrived.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: The twist is as classic as it can get, and is considered one Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies. It still hits, even now, if you’ve never seen the film before.

Get Out (2016)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landy Jones, Stephen Root, Catherine Keener

Plot Twist: The Armitage Family lures Black people into their home in order to transfer the brains of wealthy people into their bodies in order to have their physical traits.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I don’t know what the world I was expecting when Jordan Peele made his directorial debut, but it was most certainly not Get Out and its crazy twist. Out of everything, this is one of those twists that legit no one ever saw coming and when it does, all you can hope for is that Chris somehow finds his way out.

Fight Club (1999)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot Twist: The Narrator and Tyler are actually the same person, and the Narrator did everything Tyler did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: There are so many cool behind-the-scenes facts about Fight Club, but the twist truly makes you want to rewatch the film over and over again to see all the little hints that you missed that lead to it. Such a good one.

Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Plot Twist: The doppelgänger is actually the real Adelaide.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I feel like a lot of people say this twist was predictable but I distinctly remember sitting in the movie theater, shocked that this was what was going down. I legit did not know who to root for at the end, or if any of the feelings I had during the film were valid towards the main character, knowing what I know. That’s the sign of a good twist.

Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeaon, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam

Plot Twist: The former housekeeper of the Parks has kept her husband living in a secret bunker under the house for years.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, and it deserved every award, and its twist is just as good. It turns the film into a much different one, pivoting down a darker road that none of us expect – but it’s great either way.

Friday The 13th (1980)

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Cast: Betsey Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram

Plot Twist: The killer is actually Jason’s mother.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Fun fact – the Jason that we all know from the Friday the 13th movies didn't even appear in the first film. He wasn't the person killing all the teenagers in the first film. Of course, we see him later on, but the fact that there was just a vengeful mother that killed all these teenagers truly makes you gasp each time.

Saltburn (2023)

Director: Emerald Fennell

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

Plot Twist: Oliver orchestrated his meeting with Felix at Oxford in order to get close to his family and take them out one by one so he could take Saltburn for himself.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Ya’ll, say what you want about Saltburn and some of the super gross moments that this film has – its twist is pretty great. Oliver seemed like such a really weird but socially awkward guy but to find out he’s really just this mastermind behind legit everything, it definitely shakes you to your core. Although I could have done without the bathtub scene.

Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, David Arquette

Plot Twist: The killer is actually two people – and they are the boyfriend and friend of Sidney.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We had plenty of interesting villains prior to Scream, but the idea of two killers both working together so effortlessly while also being so close to the victim was such a great idea at the time, and spawned the entirety of the Scream franchise.

Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Plot Twist: Esther is actually an older woman who suffers from a hormonal disorder that stunts her growth, and poses as a little girl to kill people.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Orphan was so successful in its twist that the series itself has inspired a prequel, which I’m not even sure how you do that considering the actress who played Esther is now much older. Either way, the twist still gets you and instantly makes you wary of literally any child.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Director: Orson Welles

Cast: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Dorothy Cominore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins

Plot Twist: Rosebud is Kane’s childhood sleigh, the last thing that brought him true happiness.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: It’s a profound twist that truly teaches you that sometimes, money and fame isn’t what you want, but just pure memorable moments, and those of which that we can’t ever experience ever again.

Atonement (2007)

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan

Plot Twist: Cecilia and Robbie were never reunited, and both died due to incidents that occurred during World War II. Their love story and happy ending was just a novel.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: You never expect this as the film goes on, and when it hits, it is so hard and breaks your heart in the best way possible – and then makes you want to rewatch to see what the clues were that lead to this twist, paired with great acting.

Seven (1995)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley

Plot Twist: David Mills’ wife has been killed as part of the serial killer’s plan.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This is a brilliant twist, because not only does it shock the viewer, but it completes the story too, where the sins killer gets his envy sin, as well as his wrath sin before he is killed.

American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Herron

Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas

Plot Twist: Bateman might not have actually killed his victims and they might still be alive.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who loves American Psycho and had her friends watch it, it's great to see how people react to this twist. It makes you rethink the entire film, wondering if you imagined him killing those people as well. Were they killed? Are they alive? You never know.

Longlegs (2024)

Director: Osgood Perkins

Cast: Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage

Plot Twist: Lee’s mother has been Longleg's accomplice for years in exchange to let her daughter live.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who still stands by the fact that Longlegs is one of the best movies of 2024, this twist was one that I think I expected but not to the extent that it was given. I knew that Lee’s mother had something to do with this but the amount of bloodshed she spread was almost too much for me to handle. It gets you rethinking the entire movie and all the little hints that she dropped throughout the film.

Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anna Hathway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin

Plot Twist: The ghost trying to help Murphy is actually her father from another dimension.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Interstellar is my favorite Christopher Nolan movie; a big reason is this moment. Not only does it speak to the love between a father and a daughter, it’s a great way to tie up the film and take the sci-fi nature to the next level.

Oldboy (2003)

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung

Plot Twist: Mi-do is actually Dae-su’s daughter – and they had fallen in love.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This twist is like ten levels of gross but also heartbreaking in a lot of ways, but way more horrifying when you think about it. Like, I don’t even know how to explain why this is a great twist – it just is because this is the kind of stuff you legit never expect in any film, and yet, Oldboy gave it and more.

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, James Daly, Linda Harrison

Plot Twist: The planet isn’t new – it’s Earth, and it’s been taken over by apes.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I mean, this is probably one of the most classic twists of all time, and it spawned an entire franchise surrounding this premise. The idea of believing you’re on a different planet because it’s so different from yours, but discovering it’s the same one but just changed…terrifying.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment

Plot Twist: The psychologist that was helping Cole was actually dead the entire time.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We can't have a twist article without mentioning at least one M. Night Shyamalan movie, and The Sixth Sense is undoubtedly the one that ranks the highest. You never see this coming when you first watch the film, and the twist is so iconic that so many people parody it now.

The Descent (2005)

Director: Neil Marshall

Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Plot Twist: Sarah, seems to find a way to escape, but then at the very end, it's revealed that she hallucinated her escape and that she is still stuck in the caves – and the crawlers are coming closer and closer to kill her.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I think for anyone who is terrified of horror movies, this is your worst fear. You think you’re going to get out, and then you reach the end but it’s actually not – you’re still stuck in this same mindless pattern of mazes. That’s terrifying and renews a sense of dread for the viewer.

Shutter Island (2010)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams

Plot Twist: Teddy is Andrew Laeddis, who was imprisoned after killing his manic-depressive wife after she drowned their children. His delusion came from the guilt he felt over killing his wife, and for his children's deaths, so he created this persona inside his head to cope.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I could go on for hours about this twist. There are plenty of signs that lead to it, but only if you rewatch the film after. And the moment it hits, it’s heartbreaking and intriguing all the same because it makes you want to figure out if you could pick up the twist before it’s revealed.

Gone Girl (2014)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry

Plot Twist: Amy orchestrated her disappearance after she discovered that Nick was having an affair. It was all a scheme to get back at him for what he did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Wow, who would have thought another David Fincher movie would be on this list? But really, guys, this twist takes you by surprise because all of a sudden, in the middle of the film, it really switches gears, and then you really don’t know who to trust anymore. I love it.

These twists have truly blown my mind repeatedly, and I think you should get other people to watch these movies because they are unlike any experience you could imagine.

Matt Damon has worked with some of the best directors in the business, from Martin Scorsese to Steven Spielberg to the Coen Brothers, it seems like the filmmaker is a major deciding factor when the Good Will Hunting actor chooses a movie. It’s no surprise then that Damon jumped at the opportunity to work with Christopher Nolan when he was asked to join the cast of Interstellar. The part is small, and the Oscar winner wasn’t even a part of the marketing of the film, but his appearance is memorable anyways. Recently, Damon opened up about how Nolan pitched the movie to him, and it is absolutely hilarious. 

Before the SAG-AFRTA strike, the Oppenheimer cast and Nolan sat down with Fandango to chat about the latest biopic from the spectacle filmmaker, and their experience working with the director in the past. Damon, who always seems to come with the best stories, talked about how direct Nolan is when he speaks to actors, and used the story of him pitching Interstellar to Damon as an example. The Martian actor said:

This is so funny, and shows that the Inception director has a sense of humor. Despite the part, by Nolan’s own admission, being quite small, Damon still shines in Interstellar, and adds a great piece of conflict for the central character. The Jason Bourne actor's appearance is a welcome surprise to audiences seeing the movie in the theaters for the first time, who likely didn’t even know he played a role in the movie. He has a villainous streak in the movie, which was uncommon for the leading man, and added more tension to the space epic.

Nolan has been known to try and placate actors’ expectations before joining the casts of his star-studded movies. Florence Pugh revealed the director said something similar to her when she was offered Oppenheimer, apologizing for the fact the character had little screen-time before she accepted. The Little Women star accepted nonetheless and still plays such a powerful role in the movie. The willingness of actors to accept small supporting roles in order to work with the filmmaker shows Nolan’s prowess as a director, and how meaningful the experience working with him is. 

Damon’s part in Oppenheimer isn’t much bigger, but still is magnetic on screen. His desire to work with Nolan again is well documented, and even revealed that working with the director was a condition he negotiated with his wife while taking a break from acting. Thankfully he was willing to be a supporting character again, because General Groves wouldn’t have been nearly as effective in a less-talented actor’s hands. He may sometimes take small parts, but Matt Damon is no small actor.

You can see Matt Damon (briefly) in Interstellar, which is currently streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. Fans should also check out his latest collaboration with Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer, which is a major box office success and is still playing in theaters nationwide. It’s a spectacle suited for the big screen, so make sure to see it in a cinema while you still can. 

Following the home release of Oppenheimer, there’s a good chance many are looking to watch the best Christopher Nolan movies more than any other point in the past few years. Whether you’ve seen his various psychological thrillers and all-time great superhero movies multiple times or never before, we have everything you need to know for one incredible marathon full of the director’s incredible scenes and his trademark style and plot devices.

And while we wait for Christopher Nolan's next movie, now's the perfect time to go back and watch everything the Academy Award-winning filmmaker has given us over the years. Here's how to watch Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and so many other great films from the visionary director.

Inception (2010)

One of the sci-fi movies to not focus on aliens or robots, Christopher Nolan’s 2010 visually-stunning action thriller Inception offers a unique concept and one hell of an execution of said premise. The movie follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), an on-the-run thief who’s given the prospect of a clean slate if he can successfully break into the dreams of his client’s rival and plant an idea instead of stealing information. 

This star-studded spectacle is full of twists and turns, as well as an ending we’re still debating more than a decade later.

Rent/buy Inception on Amazon.

Interstellar (2014) 

In 2014, Nolan gave the world one of the most awe-inspiring and emotional sci-fi stories of all time with Interstellar, a movie that features equal parts hard science and human emotion. The film centers on Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a widowed NASA pilot-turned-farmer who becomes humanity’s best chance of survival as he leads a last-ditch effort to find a new home. Leaving behind a young daughter and son on a dying Earth, Cooper sets off to the cosmos for a mind-bending and heart-wrenching journey.

What makes the movie even more impressive is its scientific accuracy and the fact much of the movie was shot without a green screen.

Stream Interstellar on Netflix.
Stream Interstellar on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Interstellar on Prime Video.

Dunkirk (2017) 

One of the best war movies ever made, Dunkirk is also one of the more unique, as it picks up after the battle on which it draws its name instead of focusing on the action. With three different storylines – one taking place over a week, one a day, one an hour – the moving 2017 drama features a nonlinear narrative that shows that heroes come in all forms with varying motivations.

The movie features some of the director’s most impressive shots and sequences, and what makes them even more extraordinary are all the tricks and techniques Nolan employed to pull them off.

Rent/buy Dunkirk on Amazon.

Tenet (2020) 

Months after the pandemic forced major changes to the theatrical calendar, Nolan came out with Tenet, one of his loudest movies yet, which was also one with one of his wildest plots to date. The movie centers on a secret agent known as the Protagonist (John David Washington) as he is tasked with traveling through time to prevent World War III. 

This is an incredibly simplified description of the film’s plot and doesn’t even tackle the Tenet ending, as there are certain elements of the labyrinthian puzzle that are still being unpacked nearly three years after the film’s initial release. 

Rent/buy Tenet on Amazon.

Oppenheimer (2023)

In July 2023, Christopher Nolan released not only one of the biggest movies of the year but also one of the most well-received films of his career with Oppenheimer. This three-hour epic detailing the creation of the Atomic bomb and the man behind it, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is an absolute tour de force, both in terms of storytelling and filmmaking magic. 

Focusing on several different periods in Oppenheimer's life, the movie examines what made the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" tick as well as the fallout of his landmark achievement. With its blistering pace and heightened drama, Nolan rewrote the biopic with Oppenheimer.

Stream Oppenheimer on Prime Video.
Rent/buy Oppenheimer on Amazon.

The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005 - 2012)

Over the course of seven years and three movies, Christopher Nolan told the story of Batman (Christian Bale) as he transforms himself from the heir to the Wayne family legacy to a symbol of hope for Gotham City. From his early days of burning the candle at both ends in Batman Begins to taking on an anarchic and violent enemy in The Dark Knight to saving the city he loves from a zealot in The Dark Knight Rises, the caped crusader (as well as the man behind the mask) goes through tremendous change.

With some of the best Batman chase sequences and unforgettable scenes we still think about years later, there are plenty of reasons the Dark Knight trilogy remains so popular after so much time.

Stream Batman Begins on Max. (Rent/buy Batman Begins on Amazon.)
Stream The Dark Knight on Max. (Rent/buy The Dark Knight on Amazon.)
Stream The Dark Knight Rises on Max. (Rent/buy The Dark Knight Rises on Amazon.)

The Prestige (2006)

Between his first and second Batman movies, Nolan took audiences to late 19th-century London with a story about two rival magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) who are driven to the brink of madness as they attempt to master the art of teleportation. 

The Prestige, with its complex story, outstanding performances by its cast, and stunning visuals, remains one of the best examples of the director’s work, whether or not you like the film's ending. 

Rent/buy The Prestige on Amazon.

Insomnia (2002)

Released in 2002, Insomnia follows embattled LAPD detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) as he travels to a remote fishing village in Alaska to help local authorities nab a serial killer who has been targeting young women. With the man suspected of the killings, Walter Finch (Robin Williams) toying with the cop and taking advantage of his troubled past, Dormer finds himself in quite a heated situation.

Though it’s not talked about as much as Nolan’s other films, this remake of the 1997 Norwegian crime thriller of the same name, is something that fans of his work need to check out.

Rent/buy Insomnia on Amazon.

Memento (2000)

Memento, the movie that put Christopher Nolan on the map back at the turn of the 21st century, is one of those movies that not only transformed the director’s career but also modern cinema. This riveting psychological thriller follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) as he attempts to find out who brutally murdered his wife. But that’s not the hard part…

Leonard suffers from an extreme form of amnesia that results in short-term memory loss and the inability to create new memories, which adds a whole other dimension to this complex murder mystery.

Rent/Buy Memento on Amazon.

Following (1998) 

If you want to go back and see where it all started for Christopher Nolan as a feature film director, then you have to check out his 70-minute, black-and-white thriller, Following. What starts out as a hobby of shadowing people around the streets of London quickly turns into a game of life or death for a young writer (Jeremy Theobald) after he makes the mistake of following the wrong person.

This is your classic neo-noir story but with some inventive Nolan-isms, elements that would be fine-tuned in the movies that followed.

Rent/buy Following on Amazon.

Christopher Nolan is truly one of the greatest living filmmakers, one with an incredible number of wonderful movies. And while we don't yet know what he has in store for us moving forward, it's safe to say Nolan is going to blow us away many more times in the years to come.

I actually would consider myself a big movie-buff. While I haven’t seen many older films in my lifetime, I’ve stayed up to date with a lot of the newer directors that have become mainstays in Hollywood over the last forty years or so, such as Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Greta Gerwig, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro – the list really goes on, but one person that I had yet to see all their filmography was Christopher Nolan. 

While Nolan is responsible for some of my favorite movies of the last two decades, he has many other films that I had never seen before. So, in honor of Oppenheimer releasing, I decided to revisit all of Nolan’s films, both the ones I did watch and the ones I had never seen before – and I have a clear favorite. Let’s get into it. 

A Lot Of His Earlier Films Didn’t Impress Me That Much

I’m going to be honest – many of Nolan’s movies from the late 1990s and early 2000s didn’t do it for me. 

Don’t get me wrong, they were all great films in many ways. Following was a great directorial debut, Memento is famous for many reasons and has an excellent story, and Insomnia has plenty of psychological moments that get you on the edge of your seat. They all have their good qualities.

But for some reason, I just couldn’t get behind these first three. While they were intriguing movies, I don’t think I would find myself watching them again. While they were fun to watch one time, I don’t anticipate heading back towards their respective streaming platforms in order to watch them again. 

It’s almost like Requiem for a Dream – I’m glad I at least watched it once, but in terms of coming back to the movie in the future, that’s not really my cup of tea. 

The Prestige Was Great – But Not My Favorite

Another Christopher Nolan film I had never seen before was The Prestige, and quite honestly, I think it’s probably my third favorite among all of them. 

The Prestige is an excellent film, helmed at the front by two amazing performances from both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and just the premise alone was enough to intrigue me – two rival stage magicians who are trying to perfect some sort of magic trick that would change the world as we know it. 

While The Prestige is a totally different film from Insomnia, I think it takes the psychological thriller aspect to a new level and really elevates it. And don’t even get me started on the cinematography – it was out of this world. 

Even so, the film is one of my favorites but not the best in my mind.

His Batman Trilogy Is One Of The Best 

When we talk about Batman and any iteration of the character that we have seen on screen, Nolan’s films are always in the conversation, and that’s for good reason – they’re good freaking films. The Nolan films are honestly some of the best Batman movies ever made, in my opinion.

From Batman Begins to The Dark Knight to The Dark Knight Rises, these three have cemented their legacy in the movie industry as mainstays, with brilliant performances in all three films – but of course, I have to single out Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker as one of the best. 

Beyond his impressive performance, there is so much to love about this franchise. Christian Bale is spectacular as Batman along with the rest of the incredible cast of characters. The visual effects are great. The story is out of this world. I love it. The Dark Knight Rises is definitely my number two among all of Nolan’s films. 

Even so, there’s one more that is number one – but we’re not there just yet.

Inception, Dunkirk, and Tenet Are Visual Masterpieces – But Storywise, They Lag

Okay, don’t get me wrong – I love visually dazzling films. I was eager to see Avatar: The Way of Water because I knew it was going to be absolutely beautiful on a big screen. My favorite film series of all time is the Harry Potter franchise, a movie series that is drenched in visual effects. 

Out of everyone who knows effects, Nolan knows how to make visual masterpieces and that is amazing to see. Inception, Tenet and Dunkirk are all beautiful examples of that. Heck, I remember seeing both Inception and Dunkirk in theaters (Tenet was during the pandemic so that was an at-home watch), and I was blown away. 

But the stories just lag for me. 

Before I re-watched these films, I would've had a hard time describing what they were about. The most easy one to understand was Dunkirk, since that was based on a real-life event, but the narrative moved around a lot. Tenet was almost too much information for my brain to handle that it made the movie harder to understand, and Inception is great, but the concepts – at least to me – were difficult to grasp even now watching it again. 

Out of the three of them, Inception is great, and would probably be number four because it feels like the easiest one to follow, but still – the visuals are what draw me in for that. One stands above the rest, though. 

However, Interstellar Is My Favorite, Overall

It’s just better. 

To be honest, the main reason I never watched this movie before was because when it first came out, I was in high school and taking a physics class at the time, and the last thing I wanted to do was watch a movie that was going to be centered around physics and science. So I just missed it for years. 

Now almost nine years later, I watched it. And I fell in love. 

Is the physics of the movie still a little hard to understand? For someone like me who was never the brightest bulb in science, yes, but it’s not nearly as complicated as some of Nolan’s other films, and for all the science that is included, it somehow flows very easily where it doesn’t feel like information overload. 

What makes it better is the visuals – the visuals of this film made me wish I saw it on a big screen. Granted, my partner bought an 85’’ television, so I have a pretty big screen at home, but I could only imagine what seeing this film would be like on a movie theater screen. There was so much thought and effort and design put into every one of these shots, I was absolutely floored. 

And the Interstellar cast in and of itself is just so full of talent. The story is heartfelt and inspiring and so much more. Nolan hasn’t made a film like this one since, that’s truly captured my heart and my soul in many ways. I could rewatch Interstellar again and again and not get bored. 

To me, it’s my favorite out of all of his films – and it’s time it got even more praise. 

I’m Not Sure If Oppenheimer Will Beat It

I am currently writing this piece on July 18th, 2023, and tonight, I am going to be seeing my Oppenheimer screening. 

This movie has been getting a lot of media attention recently, and I knew I was going to see it for months just based off of the incredible Oppenheimer cast, but I’m not sure it’ll beat Interstellar for me. While I do love a gritty, biographical movie about war that aims to teach me things about history, I don’t know if Oppenheimer is going to top Interstellar. 

I do think it’ll be one of my favorites. I adore these types of films and I really do think that Nolan doesn’t really miss on anything. Even with the movies I didn’t enjoy as much, they were still easily watchable. But we’ll just have to wait and see. 

What’s your favorite Christopher Nolan film? All I know is that I am prepared to have my heart hurt after watching Oppenheimer – before re-watching it all over again once I convince my dad to go see it in a theater instead of waiting for streaming. 

Whether he’s playing with time, pulling off massive action set pieces, or surprising audiences with a sleight of hand, Christopher Nolan has long had a unique sense of style that gives his movies a distinct look and feel.

As part of our partnership with AMC Theatres, where you can now purchase tickets to see Oppenheimer presented in IMAX, we’ve gone through the visionary director’s movies and picked out a scene from each that we think best represents his style, themes, and plot devices. Deciding on just one moment from each film was no easy task, so please enjoy.

Following - Following The Man In The Suit

Christopher Nolan made his feature film debut with the 1999 black-and-white neo-noir crime drama, Following, a movie about a struggling writer (Jeremy Theobald) who follows people around London as he tries to come up with material for a book. Though the movie lacks the flash and stunning visuals seen in the director’s later work, this 70-minute thriller features one of his best opening scenes: following the man in the suit (Alex Haw).

This sequence introduces several of the trademarks Nolan would use in subsequent movies, like the quick cutting between multiple scenes, expository voiceovers playing over the action, and layer of mystery that baits and hooks the audience.

Memento - The Polaroid In Reverse

In 2000, Christopher Nolan came out with Memento, a film starring Guy Pearce as a man with short-term memory loss and the inability to create new memories, leading to him tattooing himself and taking polaroids.

The scene that sticks out the most is the opening title sequence with the polaroid of a dead body being shown in reverse. Not only does it tell the audience that violence awaits, it also introduces the director’s trademark of tinkering with time, which would show up time and time again.

Insomnia - Sting Operation In The Fog

Christopher Nolan further developed his visual style in the 2002 psychological thriller, Insomnia, a disorienting film about LAPD detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) as he travels to a remote fishing village in Alaska to assist with the investigation into the murder of a teenage girl who is believed to be the latest victim of an alleged serial killer (Robin Williams).

The entire movie has this feeling of being lost in confusion, and the scene that best represents this is the sting operation part way through the movie where Dormer attempts to lure the killer to the scene of the crime only for a wall of fog to make a mess of things. Not only is it visually stunning, it also creates this terrifying scene that messes with all your senses.

Batman Begins - The Tumbler Pursuit

Christopher Nolan has become one of the most creative directors when it comes to action set pieces over the years, and one of the best examples of this is the Tumbler chase sequence in Batman Begins.

After Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) is sprayed by Scarecrow’s (Cillian Murphy) fear toxin and goes into shock, Batman (Christian Bale) is in a race against time to save the woman he loves. And while this proves to be no easy task for the Dark Knight, considering all the police in between him and the Bat Cave, it leads to one of the most iconic action sequences of Nolan’s career, and 21st-century cinema.

The Prestige - The Reveal

Between his first and second Batman movies, Christopher Nolan released The Prestige, a movie about two rival Victorian era magicians who will stop at nothing to woo audiences and best the competition. In the final moments of the movie, both Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) reveal how they pulled off the “Transported Man” act in equally impressive yet unsettling ways.

We’ll avoid spoiling the ending for those who have yet to watch the movie, but the scene features one of the best peeks behind the curtain you’ll see in any of Nolan’s works.

The Dark Knight - Batman Racing To The Wrong Location

Coming up with the “most Christopher Nolan scenes” in The Dark Knight was harder than every other movie on this list simply because the director’s 2008 Batman movie is bursting at the seams with iconic moments like the opening bank robbery, the Hong Kong extraction, Jim Gordon’s funeral, etc., etc.

But the one that captures the essence of a Nolan film better than the rest is the sequence in which Batman races to save Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), only to show up at the wrong location. It plays with action, time, and drama, while also leads to the creation of Two-Face after Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is burned in the explosion.

Inception - The Hallway Fight

Inception, Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending heist film about a thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who breaks into people’s dreams to steal information remains one of the director’s best films, thanks in part to all those iconic sequences.

The scene that best represents Nolan’s visual creativity is the one in which Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fights through a hallway in one layer of a dream as it is being subjected to the gravity of the first layer. It plays with time, cause and effect, and action, all staples of Nolan’s work.

The Dark Knight Rises - Destruction At Gotham City Stadium

The Dark Knight Rises is another movie that could have had multiple examples, but none are as epic and memorable as Bane’s (Tom Hardy) destruction of Gotham City Stadium at the start of his occupation of the city. 

The sheer size and spectacle of the exploding and collapsing football field during opening kickoff combined with the simultaneous destruction of all but one of the bridges and tunnels leading to Goham kicks off the second half of the 2012 movie in a startling way.

Interstellar - Venturing Into The Black Hole

Interstellar is a movie about science, human emotion, and determination to save the ones we love, no matter what it takes or how many years we spend accomplishing our goals. Christopher Nolan best illustrates this in the scene in which Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) slingshots himself into the Gargantua black hole so that Brand (Anne Hathaway) can reach the inhabitable Edmunds’ planet. 

The act of self-sacrifice, the stunning visuals of a black hole unlike anything anyone has seen, and the epic swelling of Hans Zimmer’s score create a dizzying and emotionally-charged sequence of events that lead to the biggest reveal of the movie.

Dunkirk - The Ending Sequence

One thing that Christopher Nolan has done over the years is end his movies as another chapter begins. He did it with The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, and again in his 2017 World War II epic, Dunkirk.

This ending sequence shows the conclusion of all three major storylines and timelines while also leaving the audience guessing the next steps, both on the micro level with Tom Hardy’s stranded pilot and the macro with the continuation of the Second World War. It messes with our emotions and also leaves us wanting more, which is honestly the best way to end a movie.

Tenet - The Protagonist Fights Himself

There probably isn’t another Christopher Nolan movie that plays around with the concept of time more than Tenet, the director’s 2020 sci-fi action thriller starring John David Washington as a character simply known as The Protagonist. At one point in the movie, the future version of the character goes back to an earlier scene and is encountered by his past self, leading to an epic and creative showdown.

Admittedly, there are parts of the movie that feel like a puzzle that require additional viewings to figure out, but this scene is one of those all-time great Nolan moments that is just so much fun to revisit.

We can’t wait to see what Christopher Nolan has up his sleeve with Oppenheimer, but if it’s anything like previous efforts, it’s going to be one unforgettable experience. If you’re just as stoked for what’s to come, you’ll probably want to go ahead and purchase your tickets before Oppenheimer arrives in theaters on July 21st. 

So, I have a confession – I haven’t seen that many Christopher Nolan movies. 

Granted, I am also young in comparison to some of his filmography, as a few of his films came out when I was a literal baby, so it’s not like I was going to the theater to see every single movie he’s made since he started making incredible films. But the one movie that I waited to watch, for the longest time, was Interstellar.

I honestly think at first it was because I was taking physics during the time it came out and I didn’t want to go to a movie that made me think, like I knew Interstellar would. Now it’s been some time since the movie came out and I decided to give it a shot – and why on earth did I wait so long? I just need to talk about it. 

The Plot Can Be A Little Confusing – But So Intriguing At The Same Time 

I’ll be honest, the plot for Interstellar pretty much made my head hurt about as much as I thought it was going to, but at the same time, I was blown away by this movie, man. 

The idea of humanity dying because of famine, and people wanting to find a more hospitable planet, so much so that they travel far beyond even our Solar System, is something that I feel like has been done before. But with Interstellar, everything felt so incredibly researched and done to perfection that it felt realistic, and because of that, I really found myself intrigued every step of the way, regardless of whether it made my brain hurt or not. 

Did I ask my boyfriend what certain terms they said mean because he’s a lot smarter in that field than I am? Hell yeah, I did, but that didn’t take away from the overall viewing experience. I truly loved it. 

And That Ending Pretty Much Made Me Sob 

The Interstellar ending made me sob, for real. 

I knew this movie wasn’t going to have a particularly happy ending, but I didn’t expect it to be so bittersweet and yet, tragic all the same. The fact that Joseph found his daughter in the end, but she was on death’s door, and he still got to say goodbye to her – paired with Amelia finally ending up on a planet that can be inhabited by humans, but no one is there to share the moment – it’s so freaking amazing and sad at the same time.

Matthew McConaughey Gives His Best Performance Ever Here 

Matthew McConaughey has truly shown just how much of a gifted actor he is in many other roles, such as Dallas Buyers Club, The Lincoln Lawyer – heck, even the dance movie, Magic Mike, but it’s a sin that he wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Interstellar. 

I honestly think it’s because sci-fi/fantasy movies rarely get nominated for acting performances. Why? I’m not sure, but McConaughey gave the performance of his life in this movie and I think it was even better than Dallas Buyers Club, despite his obvious commitment to that role.

Anne Hathaway Deserved An Academy Award Nomination For Her Performance 

Another example of someone who should have been nominated – Anne Hathaway. Of course Hathaway is amazing and has already won an Academy Award before, specifically for Les Misérables, but there was something so subtle about her performance as Amelia. 

Her smarts mixed in with her genuine care for the world, and how the story really started to revolve around her and Joseph towards the end, while they were trying their hardest to make this mission somehow work – it all melded together so beautifully. She deserved a lot more praise. 

Also, Jessica Chastain Was Great, But Mackenzie Foy Was An Excellent Younger Murph

Jessica Chastain has been in so many great movies that I love, including The Martian, Zero Dark Thirty, and more, and she did a great job in this movie – but man, all I can remember is Mackenzie Foy as Young Murph. 

This movie came out only two years after Breaking Dawn: Part 2, and Foy really brought her A-game to this role. Watching her in this reminded me of how talented the young actress is – and I can’t wait to see her in other roles in the future. 

Hans Zimmer Is A Genius 

I mean, Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most iconic soundtracks in the world, from The Lion King to Dune, and he never goes wrong when he pairs up with Christopher Nolan for a movie. 

He did it with Inception, he did it with The Dark Knight trilogy, and he certainly did it even better with Interstellar – I could listen to “Cornfield Chase” for hours on end. The score is an utter masterpiece. 

This Movie, Visually, Looks Absolutely Out Of This World

No one is really surprised by this. It’s Christopher Nolan, for God’s sake. The man is known for making pretty movies. Just look at Inception and be blown away by the visual effects and cinematography. 

But, something about Interstellar changed me. I am not the same person I was before watching it. Maybe it was the fact that I got to watch the movie on a huge television when I had the opportunity, but the visuals here truly – and I mean this literally – took my breath away. I was in awe. How something could look so real and yet you know it’s not actually there. That was all once a green screen – it’s amazing how far visual effects have come. 

That Tidal Wave On The Ocean World Actually Scared The Heck Out Of Me

Nope. No, Absolutely not. 

There’s a reason I’ve never watched movies like Jaws or Piranha. I’ll go in the ocean, but it still scares the heck out of me, and that ocean world in Interstellar just proves my point. Just imagine a tidal wave like that suddenly coming up from the sea to crash down onto you. 

Nope. I can’t do that. I’m getting anxious just thinking about it. 

The Black Hole Scene Is Going To Give Me Nightmares – In A Good Way

When I heard that there was going to be a black hole scene in Interstellar, I admittedly got a little nervous. The last time I watched something regarding a black hole, it was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and to be honest, that gave me nightmares and made me never want to watch even the best sci-fi movies again. 

But, I was fascinated by the black hole scene. Gargantua was truly terrifying but made the story that much more interesting, and I loved how the team used the gravity of Gargantua to their own advantage, while also still making the hole in the universe that much more interesting. Weirdly amazing in a great way. 

That Five-Dimension Moment Truly Blew My Mind And It’s A Twist I Will Never Forget

I know we talked about the ending a little, but I need to get into that moment when Joseph finally realized that he was in a five-dimensional tesseract and he was able to communicate with Murph from the past through there. It blew my mind. 

There are movie twists, and then there are twists like this that will forever stay stuck on my brain. I am so in shock that I wasn’t spoiled to this beforehand because the moment I found out that Joseph himself was the freaking ghost that Murph always experienced in her bedroom – I was flabbergasted and amazed. The Nolan brothers struck gold again. 

This film is truly something that is out of this world – literally – and it’s amazingly done. I can’t believe I waited so long to watch it. It will forever stay in my mind as a classic – and now, I’m going to recommend it to anyone I meet. 

Do you remember the first time you saw Timothée Chalamet onscreen? If you enjoy filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s work, then it’s a good bet that was 2014’s Interstellar, which saw Chalamet playing the young version of Tom Hooper, the son of Matthew McConaughey’s Joseph Cooper (a smaller role than he initially thought it was). But as it turns out though, Interstellar wasn’t the movie that convinced Chalamet to dedicate himself to acting, though the Nolan sci-fi flick did still help with that.

One wouldn’t be faulted for thinking Interstellar was heavily influential in Timothée Chalamet deciding to stick with acting, as it’s the second movie he ever appeared in. Prior to that though, the actor starred in Men, Women & Children, which also came out in 2014. While speaking with South China Morning Post’s Style, Chalamet talked about where his life was at when he was cast in the Jason Reitman-helmed movie:

In addition to his time as Finn Walden on the Showtime series Homeland, Timothée Chalamet’s other early TV work included Law & Order and Royal Pains. So between those series and Men, Women & Children, plus Interstellar for good measure, that’s a nice body of movies and TV shows to essentially introduce yourself to the entertainment world. Still, it’s one thing for a young actor to appear in a few projects, then move onto other endeavors, and another for that young actor to officially dedicate themselves to acting. In Chalamet’s case, after enrolling in Columbia University, he realized he wanted acting to be his official profession, recalling:

2017 was certainly a big year for Timothée Chalamet, because along with acting in Lady Bird, he also appeared in Call Me by Your Name, Hot Summer Nights and Hostiles. This was followed by Beautiful Boy in 2018, and in the year after, he starred in A Rainy Day in New York, The King and Little Women. Now Chalamet is one of Hollywood’s most well-known younger actors, and it’s thanks to Men, Women & Children that his acting talents are being shared with the entire world. Had working on that movie, and possibly Interstellar too, not been enjoyable experiences for him, perhaps he would have stuck with his literature studies and become a member of academia instead.

With 2022 having seen Timothée Chalamet act opposite Taylor Russell and re-team with director Luca Guadagnino in Bones and All (fun fact, the actor’s fans caused the movie’s red carpet premiere to get shut down), 2023 is set to be another big year for him, as along with reprising Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two, Chalamet is playing a young Willy Wonka in the aptly-titled Wonka. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2023 release schedule.

In an event that many would consider to be a long time coming, Jessica Chastain won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 94th Annual Academy Awards. Her performance in 2021’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye earned her the nomination, which was also her third, having previously been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 2012 for The Help, and for her leading role in Zero Dark Thirty the following year.

However, the California native - who is also known for superhero movies like X-Men: Dark Phoenix, horror movies like It: Chapter Two, and action thrillers like The 355 - has given plenty of other performances that critics and audiences alike would agree deserved similar accolades. Let’s revisit these performance by checking out Jessica Chastain’s best movies available now on streaming, for digital rental, or on physical media, starting with her best work in the eyes of the Academy.

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (HBO Max)

Tammy Bakker (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jim (Andrew Garfield), build one of the largest empires in the history televangelism, until a series of shocking scandals are revealed, threatening to destroy their relationship and their reputation.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain disappears into the role of the titular televangelist in The Eyes of Tammy Faye - a bold, revealing biopic from The Big Sick director, Michael Showalter, that is based on a 2000 documentary of the same name.

Stream The Eyes Of Tammy Faye on HBO Max.
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The Help (HBO Max)

A young, aspiring author (Emma Stone) interviews Black maids (Oscar winners Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) for a book about their perspective on the White women who employ them in 1960s Mississippi.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain received her first Academy Award nomination for playing good-hearted, ostracized socialite Celia Foote in The Help - writer and director Tate Taylor’s 2011 adaptation of the novel by Kathryn Stockett.

Stream The Help on HBO Max.
Buy/Rent The Help on Amazon.
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Zero Dark Thirty (Amazon Rental)

A CIA operative (Jessica Chastain) struggles to endure the moral inner conflict and emotional turmoil of carrying out heinous interrogation methods while spending several years searching for the whereabouts of wanted terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain received her second Academy Award nomination for her mesmerizing performance as the lead of Zero Dark Thirty - originally intended as a chronicle of the failed attempts to catch the orchestrator of the attack on September 11, 2001, before his capture ten years later - from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.

Buy/Rent Zero Dark Thirty on Amazon.
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Take Shelter (Tubi)

A construction worker (Michael Shannon) begins to question the safety of his family and his own sanity after he begins to experience a series of strange, foreboding visions of an oncoming apocalyptic event.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: If you ask me, Jessica Chastain should have received an Academy Award nomination, as well as Michael Shannon, for their riveting portrayals of a husband and wife threatened by the dwindling mental health of one in Take Shelter - a masterful, heart-stopping family drama from writer and director Jeff Nichols.

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Jolene (Tubi, Pluto TV)

A young, orphaned woman (Jessica Chastain) sets off on her own at age 15 and spends the next several years traveling the country in search of some sort of normalcy, finding heartbreak and disappointment at every turn.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: In 2008, after various appearances in TV shows such as ER, Jessica Chastain made her theatrically released, feature film debut as the title role of Jolene - director Dan Ireland’s harrowing adaptation of the story by award-winning author E.L. Doctorow.

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The Tree Of Life (Hulu)

A disillusioned, modern day man (two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn) struggles with questions of existence, purpose, and faith as he recalls his complicated relationship with his father (Oscar winner Brad Pitt) while growing in Waco, Texas, in the 1950s.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: The one film that Jessica Chastain has said had the most profound impact on her life and career and is most difficult to re-watch for how accurately it captures her “heart and soul” is 2011’s The Tree of Life - a bizarre, inventive, and thought-provoking existential analysis that only writer and director Terrence Malick could make.

Stream The Tree Of Life on Hulu.
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Lawless (Rental)

Three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke) fight to keep a moonshine business afloat in the midst of unwanted offers of partnership and the arrival of a corrupt police officer (Guy Pearce) in Depression era Virginia.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain steals the show as Maggie Beaufort, a waitress who falls in love with Hardy’s Forrest Bondurant, in Lawless - writer Nick Cave (yes, the musician) and director John Hilcoat’s 2012 adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s historical novel about his own family, The Wettest County in the World.

Buy/Rent Lawless on Amazon.
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Interstellar (Paramount+)

A former science engineer and pilot (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey) leads a team of explorers on an expedition through the unknown reaches of outer space in order to find a new home for mankind as the Earth rapidly grows unlivable.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain is one of the three brilliant actresses from 2014’s Interstellar cast who play the role of McConaughey’s estranged, earthbound daughter, Murph, over the course of several decades, in co-writer and director Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning, visually stunning, mind-bending space odyssey.

Stream Interstellar on Paramount+.
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Get Interstellar on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Martian (Amazon Rental)

In the wake of a deadly storm, the botany expert (Matt Damon) of a space exploration mission is assumed dead and abandoned by his crew on Mars, where he struggles to survive as NASA struggles to figure out a way to bring him home.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: While Jessica Chastain did not get to be the one to go into space or rescue Matt Damon in Interstellar, she got to do both the following year as the disco-loving Ares III commander, Melissa Lewis, in The Martian - one of the sharpest, most intense, funniest, and simply best space movies from director Ridley Scott which is based on Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel.

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Crimson Peak (Netflix)

A young writer (Mia Wasikowska) falls for a wealthy, English aristocrat (Tom Hiddleston) who invites her to live with him and his sister (Jessica Chastain) at their lavish family estate, unwitting to the shocking secrets and vengeful spirits that lurk within the walls.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Guillermo del Toro, who previously produced the Jessica Chastain-led horror film, Mama, in 2012, directs the actress in a sinister (and, apparently, emotionally draining) performance as Lady Lucille Sharpe in 2015’s Crimson Peak - a chilling ghost story in the style of traditional, gothic costume dramas with stunning production design.

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A Most Violent Year (Showtime)

An immigrant (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Jessica Chastain) aspire to achieve the American dream by capitalizing on the crime and corruption surrounding them, which also threatens to destroy them, in 1981 New York City.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Before they both starred in X-Men movies and eventually reunited for HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage, Jessica Chastain gave an electrifying, femme fatale-inspired performance opposite her longtime friend Oscar Isaac as her onscreen husband in 2015's A Most Violent Year - a captivatingly dark period piece partially inspired by true events from writer and director J.C. Chandor.

Stream A Most Violent Year on Showtime.
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The Zookeeper’s Wife (Netflix)

A woman (Jessica Chastain) and her husband (Johan Heldenbergh) use their zoo in Warsaw, Poland, as a sanctuary for hundreds of Jewish refugees - and animals, too - in the wake of the Nazi invasion in 1939.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain is a tour de force as one of the boldest and most heroic figures of World War II-era Europe, Antonina Zabinska, in The Zookeeper’s Wife - an inspiring 2017 drama based on the book by Diane Ackerman from acclaimed director Niki Caro. 

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Jessica Chastain will soon play another famous “Tammy” in George and Tammy - a Paramount+ original miniseries profiling the romance between country music star Tammy Wynette and George Jones, which will reunite her with Take Shelter’s Michael Shannon. She also will also star in the upcoming Netflix exclusive true crime story, The Good Nurse.

In what remains one of his boldest, most personal, and most devastating films, Christopher Nolan traveled to the hidden recesses of places unknown, both physically and emotionally, in 2014's Interstellar, an intergalactic odyssey that's one of his most daring achievements. 

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and John Lithgow, this blockbuster didn't receive the same acclaim as the filmmaker's Dark Knight trilogy, but it has received more appreciation with time. Now that seven years have passed since the film blasted into theaters worldwide, we'll discover what the Interstellar cast is doing right now.  

Matthew McConaughey (Joseph Cooper)

As Joseph Cooper, a widowed NASA pilot-turned-farmer who becomes the head of this perilous space expedition, Matthew McConaughey gives one of his best performances at the forefront of Interstellar. Most notably, the actor won an Oscar for his lead role in Dallas Buyers Club. Also, McConaughey is known for his breakout supporting turn in Dazed and Confused. Away from film, the actor was Emmy-nominated for producing and starring in HBO’s True Detective Season 1.

Most recently, Matthew McConaughey starred in The Gentlemen, which he co-produced, lent his voice to the podcast, Hank the Cowdog, which he also produced, and he was seen in the Fast Times at Ridgemont High Table Read. Also, this past year, he published his memoir, Greenlights. Next, McConaughey will be heard in Sing 2 and the short film, Come Home. Moreover, the actor considered a potential political bid, but opted not to run.

Anne Hathaway (Dr. Amelia Brand)

In the role of Dr. Amelia Brand, the expedition’s chief scientist/biologist, Anne Hathaway is the female lead for the majority of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. The actress won an Oscar for her thunderous supporting turn in Les Miserables. Also, Hathaway is known for starring in The Princess Diaries movies, The Devil Wears Prada, Colossal, Love & Other Drugs, The Intern, Get Smart, and Ella Enchanted. Last year, she starred in The Witches and The Last Thing He Wanted.

Earlier this year, Anne Hathaway starred in HBO Max’s Locked Down and she was seen in Amazon Prime’s Solos. Next, Hathaway will appear in Apple TV+’s WeCrashed. Currently, she’s filming James Gray’s Armageddon Time. Hathaway will also star in Sesame Street, She Came to Me, Bum’s Rush, and The Lifeboat.

Jessica Chastain (Murphy Cooper)

Playing the part of Murphy Cooper, Joseph’s grown-up daughter who follows in her distant father’s footsteps and becomes a Plan A NASA scientist, Jessica Chastain is a lead character in the second half of Interstellar. The acclaimed actress was Oscar-nominated for her lead performance in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and she was nominated for her supporting turn in The Help. Her other notable film credits include The Tree of Life, Molly's Game, It: Chapter Two, The Martian, A Most Violent Year, and Dark Phoenix. Last year, Chastain starred in and produced Ava. 

Most recently, Jessica Chastain produced and starred in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, for which she’s expected to receive her third Oscar nomination. She also led and produced HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage and she appeared in the short film, The Sands Between. Next, Chastain will star in The Forgiven, The 355 (which she also produced), and The Good Nurse. Additionally, the esteemed actress is slated to headline and produce The Division and Spectrum Originals’ George and Tammy.  

John Lithgow (Donald)

As Donald, Cooper’s elderly father-in-law, John Lithgow plays a feeble patriarch in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. A well-versed veteran of the stage and screen, the actor is most well-known for Emmy-winning work on 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown. Additionally, Lithgow was Oscar-nominated for his supporting turns in The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment. Outside of acting, Lithgow is the author of Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse and 2020's Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age.

Most recently, Lithgow appeared in Pet Sematary (2019), and reprised his role as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter: New Blood. Next, he’ll star in FX’s The Old Man and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Currently, he's filming Sharper and The Untitled Cabrini Film. 

Michael Caine (Professor John Brand)

In the role of Professor John Brand, Amelia’s father and Cooper’s former mentor, Michael Caine reunites with Christopher Nolan for Interstellar. Considered to be the director’s good luck charm, the actor has frequently worked with Nolan, appearing in The Dark Knight trilogy, The Prestige, Inception, and Dunkirk (the latter only in a voice role). 

Additionally, Caine won Oscars for his supporting turns in Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. He was also Oscar-nominated for his performances in Alfie, Sleuth, Educating Rita, and The Quiet American. 

Most recently, Michael Caine starred in Best Sellers and reunited with Nolan for Tenet. Furthermore, Caine appeared in Twist and Come Away. Next, he'll be seen in Medieval. Earlier this year, there were reports that the veteran movie star was set to retire, but Caine disputed those claims. 

Wes Bentley (Doyle)

Playing the part of Doyle, a high-standing NASA member, Wes Bentley has a brainy supporting role in Interstellar. Best known for his chilling performance as Ricky Fitts in American Beauty, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, the actor is also recognizable from The Hunger Games, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Pete’s Dragon, The Best of Enemies, Knight of Cups, Final Girl, Welcome to Me, Underworld: Awakening, and Ghost Rider. 

On TV, Wes Bentley currently can be seen on Paramount Network’s Yellowstone in the role of Jamie Dutton. He also appeared in several seasons of FX’s American Horror Story, including Freak Show, Hotel, and Roanoke. Away from the screen, Bentley was acclaimed for East 13th Street/CSC Theatre’s production of Venus in Fur. Most recently, he was heard in Adult Swim’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

Casey Affleck (Tom Cooper)

As Tom Cooper, the adult version of Joseph’s son, Casey Affleck has a prominent part in Interstellar’s second half. The actor won an Oscar for his tremendous lead performance in Manchester by the Sea. Previously, Affleck was acclaimed for his starring roles in Gone, Baby, Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Affleck wrote, directed, and starred in Light of My Life. Also, he previously directed and edited I’m Still Here. 

Earlier this year, Casey Affleck starred in Our Friend and Every Breath You Take, which he produced. He also had a supporting turn in The World to Come, which he also produced. Currently, Affleck is filming the musical biopic, Dreamin’ Wild, where he plays Donnie Emerson. He’s also slated to star in Stoner and Slingshot. 

Timothee Chalamet (Young Tom) 

In the role of Young Tom, Joseph’s teenage son, Timothee Chalamet received one of his first screen credits in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. A few years after the rising talent appeared in this hit blockbuster, the actor gained acclaim for his Oscar-nominated lead role in Call Me By Your Name, as well as his standout supporting turn in Lady Bird. Later, Chalamet was celebrated for his work in Little Women and Beautiful Boy. On television, Chalamet was seen on Showtime’s Homeland. 

Most recently, Timothee Chalamet starred in Dune. He also had a fun supporting role in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Next, the actor will appear in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. He’ll also star in Luca Guadagino’s Bones & All. Currently, Chalamet is filming Wonka, adopting the purple top hat. He’ll also reprise his role as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two, and possibly play Bob Dylan in Going Electric.

Mackenzie Foy (Young Murphy)

Playing the part of Young Murphy, the child version of Joseph’s rather bright-eyed daughter, Mackenzie Foy has a very notable role in the first half of 2014’s Interstellar. The actress is known for playing Renesmee in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and 2. Foy’s other film credits include The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and  Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise. As a voice actress, she can be heard in The Boxcar Children and The Little Prince. Furthermore, Foy was seen on R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Hawaii Five-0, and Flashforward. 

Last year, Mackenzie Foy starred in Disney+’s Black Beauty. Next, the actress is slated to star in The Man Who Saved Paris, though development remains slow.

David Gyasi (Romilly) 

As Romilly, a physicist and astronaut participating in the Endurance mission, David Gyasi plays a supporting character in Interstellar. Previously, the actor appeared in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Gyasi’s other film credits include Cloud Atlas, Annihilation, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Red Tails, and What a Girl Wants. More recently, Gyasi appeared in Come Away and the short film, Living Things. He also produced/starred in Hell on the Border. 

Away from film, David Gyasi played Major Alex “Lex” Carnahan in The CW’s Containment. His other TV credits include The A Word, Chuggington, Carnival Row, White Heat, and Dream Team. Most recently, Gyasi was seen in Ear for Eye. 

Matt Damon (Mann)

In the role of Mann, an isolated NASA astronaut sent to an icy planet during the Lazarus program, Matt Damon had a surprise part in Interstellar. Most notably, Damon wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Oscar. From there, Damon starred in titles like the Bourne series, Saving Private Ryan, The Rainmaker, the Ocean's movies, The Martian, True Grit, and Ford v Ferrari.

Most recently, Matt Damon produced, co-wrote, and starred in The Last Duel. He also starred in Stillwater and had a cameo in No Sudden Move. Next, Damon will be seen in Thor: Love and Thunder and reunite with Nolan for Oppenheimer. 

Interstellar is available to stream on Paramount+. To read more about the film's ambiguous ending, other Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway movies, and a whole lot more, be sure to follow CinemaBlend for the latest film news.  

Hans Zimmer has been scoring major motion pictures for over 30 years, and among the filmmakers he’s collaborated with on multiple occasions is Christopher Nolan. Zimmer has composed music for six of Nolan’s movies, including 2014’s Interstellar. In fact, it’s thanks to Zimmer musical talents that Nolan made Interstellar in the first place.

During Hans Zimmer’s recent visit to the Reelblend podcast to talk about his work on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (which he chose over re-teaming with Christopher Nolan on Tenet), co-host Kevin McCarthy brought up a story about how Villeneuve cried when he first heard the “Paul’s Dream” track during a Zoom meeting with the composer, and then McCarthy asked Zimmer what it’s like to present a filmmaker his music in such a fashion and see their reaction, especially if it involves tears. After noting how he learned a long time ago not to look at a director when they listen to a piece of his music for the first time in case there’s a “slight shadow of disgust and disdain” on their face, Zimmer said the following:

Before going further, it’s important to note that Interstellar didn’t originate from Christopher Nolan; the project had been in development since the mid-2000s, with Steven Spielberg previously having been lined up to direct. That being said, evidently even before he started working on Interstellar, Nolan had an idea for a piece of music he wanted included in the hypothetical movie, and once Hans Zimmer put it together, that was enough to persuade Nolan to actually make the movie. Zimmer, on the other hand, had to wait a spell before learning the plot.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, among others, Interstellar followed a team of astronauts who are sent through a wormhole near Saturn to find a new home for humanity, as Earth’s natural resources have almost been depleted. Along with scoring a decent amount of positive reception and taking home the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Interstellar pulled in over $700 million at the worldwide box office, making it the tenth highest-grossing movie of 2014. Zimmer also received various accolades for his Interstellar score, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Along with Dune, you can hear Hans Zimmer’s musical work in the recent releases No Time to Die and Army of Thieves (both of which he worked on with Steve Mazzaro). As for Christopher Nolan, he’s now putting together his Robert Oppenheimer biopic, and it’s reasonable to assume he’ll try to snag Zimmer for scoring duties.

Over the past decade and change, few actors in young Hollywood have found as much success as Timothée Chalamet, and that’s saying something. Whether it’s his breakout performance in Call Me By Your Name, his portrayal of a young and ambitious leader in the Dune films, or his take on one of the most transformative musicians of all time, the multi-time Academy Award nominee has proven that not only is he here to stay, but he’s here to make a statement.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

There have been a great number of music biopics over the years, and it’s safe to say that James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown is deserving of a spot on that list. Released in late 2024, this long-awaited drama follows a young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) as he rises through the ranks of the American folk movement and pop culture of the early 1960s. Exploring the man, his songs, and the legend that has followed him over the years, the movie paints a brilliant portrait of one of music’s most brilliant minds.

Chalamet is utterly perfect in his portrayal of the legendary folk singer, and his performance is made even better by his commitment to learning and playing the songs instead of taking the easy road. And you know, it wouldn’t be surprising if he played spoiler at the Academy Awards.

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Dune (2021)

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, Dune, which adapted the first half of Frank Hubert’s landmark novel of the same name, follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he travels to the desert planet of Arrakis as his father is put in control the formidable location. But the young and gifted future heir finds himself in a perilous situation after his family is betrayed by powerful forces, sending him into exile.

Chalamet, already an established star by the time he was cast in the lead role in Dune, became an even bigger name after his commanding performance in this sci-fi thriller. Though you could credit co-stars Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Oscar Isaac for helping the young actor in this regard, there’s no denying his on-screen presence.

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Dune: Part Two (2024)

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Denis Villeneuve continued his epic sci-fi adventure in March 2024 with the release of Dune: Part Two, which essentially covered the second half of Frank Hubert’s beloved novel of the same name. Set not long after the first film, this massively successful and Oscar-nominated sequel followed Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in his quest to unite the Fremean to take on House Harkonnen and get revenge for everything they did.

However, the Atreides Chalamet plays in Dune: Part Two is far from the young and inexperienced man he was in the first film. Blinded by ambition, revenge, and his cult of personality, the Muad'Dib becomes something between the hero he was and the villain he tries not to become.

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Wonka (2023)

IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
In December 2023, after what seemed like years of anticipation, Paul King released his Wonka musical starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic chocolatier. Set years before the events of the previous adaptations of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, this charming and fantastical cinematic experience followed the whimsical, optimistic, and imaginative candy maker as he attempted to make a name for himself despite the best efforts of the bitterly jealous “Chocolate Cartel.”

If you’re looking for a vibrant and enchanting performance from Chalamet, then look no further, for this surprisingly successful box office hit has it and then some more. His version of Willy Wonka, with his dreams of opening his own chocolate and changing the world, is nothing short of magical.

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The French Dispatch (2021)

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

One of the best Wes Anderson movies, 2021’s The French Dispatch essentially plays like a magazine come to life. Centering on the final issue of a fictional publication after its founder and editor (played by Bill Murray) passes away, the movie is split into three short films about art, life, and culture, with small interstitials peppered in between.

Timothée Chalamet pops up in the second short film, “Revisions to a Manifesto,” a black-and-white exploration of a student protest, its de facto leader Zeffirelli (Chalamet), and a journalist named Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) sent in to cover the whole ordeal. Though we’re still trying to make sense of The French Dispatch ending and how this short plays into its overall message, this movie is full of incredible performances like the one given by Chalamet.

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Bones And All (2022) 

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

Five years after working with Luca Guadagnino on Call Me By Your Name, Timothée Chalamet teamed up with the Italian filmmaker once more for the 2022 romantic horror film, Bones and All. The movie follows Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Chalamet), two young lovers and cannibals who go on a cross-country trip to find their roots. Being pursued by the eccentric and terrifying Sully (Mark Rylance), the couple learn a great deal about their respective pasts and each other.

A movie that will leave you with a lot of feelings, Bones and All is another example of Chalamet’s incredible composure and chemistry with his co-stars on screen. This may be too much for the squeamish to handle, but this is worth a watch.

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Don’t Look Up (2021) 

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Adam McKay’s 2021 Netflix original film, Don’t Look Up is as funny as it is maddening and beautiful as it is terrifying with its story about two scientists (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) as they try to warn the world that an asteroid will soon collide with Earth and wipe out all of humanity. What should be a simple task turns into anything but thanks to an uninterested media, megalomaniacal billionaires, and an incapable government.

Though he’s not at the forefront of the movie, and is only introduced partway through its runtime, this satirical comedy still features one of Timothée Chalamet’s best performances with his portrayal of a young shoplifter named Yule. Without giving too much away, the character has a big moment in the final minutes of the Don’t Look Up ending.

Stream Don’t Look Up on Netflix.

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 adaptation of André Aciman’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Call Me By Your Name, spends a summer following a love affair shared by 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old graduate assistant working with Elio’s father. What starts off as a friendship quickly unfolds into something more, something that challenges convention and opens Elio’s young eyes to the world and his own heart.

Timothée Chalamet received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his commanding performance of the young and naive Elio, a portrayal that immediately made him one of the most promising actors in Hollywood and took his career to the next level. He hasn’t looked back since.

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Lady Bird (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Greta Gerwig’s 2017 drama Lady Bird centers on Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) as she dreams of escaping her childhood home in Sacramento, California, to move far away to a “city with culture” and attend some prestigious college. This puts her at odds with her loving yet overbearing mother, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf), who means well but doesn’t want to see her daughter leave.

Although he’s not the main focus of Lady Bird (that honor rightfully goes to Saoirse Ronan and her lights-out performance here), Chalamet makes it seem as if the Kyle Scheible character was not just written for him, but based on him. He’s so cool and confident, you can’t help but watch, even if he’s a massive jerk in this game-changing female-directed film.

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Little Women (2019)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet starred in another Greta Gerwig movie, this time the 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Told over the course of many years, the film explores Josephine March’s (Ronan) tight bond with her sisters and childhood best friend, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence (Chalamet), though she claims she needs no man to find happiness and fulfillment in life.

Some of the best scenes in Little Women are those shared by Jo and Laurie, especially the beautifully shot scene when Laurie proposes to his lifelong friend only for her to turn him down. As the scene concludes, Laurie says Jo will find someone to marry and be happy and all he’ll be able to do is watch.

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Interstellar (2014)

IMDb Rating: 8.7/10

One of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, Interstellar follows former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) as he's sent to the far reaches of space to explore what could give the citizens of a dying Earth a second shot at survival. When he embarks upon this decades-long journey into the unknown, Cooper leaves behind two young children — Murphy (Mackenzie Foy/Jessica Chastain) and Tom (Timothée Chalamet/Casey Affleck) — not knowing if he’ll see them ever again.

Timothée Chalamet, who appears in only his second film role, doesn’t get all that much screen time in Interstellar since the main focus is on Joseph and Murphy Cooper’s father-daughter relationship, but he makes the most of what little time he gets.

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Beautiful Boy (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Felix van Groeningen’s 2018 drama, Beautiful Boy, tells the story of a tumultuous father-son relationship shared by New York Times writer David Sheff (Steve Carell) and his son, Nicholas (Timothée Chalamet), as the former attempts to help the latter battle drug addiction. Based on two separate memoirs written by the pair, this heart-wrenching story of the dangers of addiction and the undying love a father has for his son will break your heart while also giving you hope.

Carell and Chalamet are both outstanding in Beautiful Boy and make the movie something that you will find yourself thinking about long after the credits roll. At times, it seems like these aren’t two actors on a film set but a father and son making sense of life in one of the best movies on Amazon.

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The King (2019)

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

David Michôd’s 2019 war epic, The King, which is based on William Shakespeare’s Henriad tells the story of King Henry V of England (Timothée Chalamet) as he goes from an emotionally distant and uninterested heir to the throne, to a king who's left to make sense of the world following the death of his brother and father.

Although there isn’t as much action as some would have preferred, The King remains a strikingly beautiful drama held together by brilliant acting and strong writing. In addition to the outstanding performance by Chalamet, The King also boasts some great turns by Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Lily-Rose Depp, Ben Mendelsohn, and Dean-Charles Chapman.

Stream The King on Netflix.

A Rainy Day In New York (2019)

IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

The 2019 Woody Allen romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York follows Gatsby Welles (Timothée Chalamet) and Ashleigh Enright (Elle Fanning) as they travel to the Big Apple so that Ashleigh can interview a famous movie director for their college newspaper. What starts as a romantic weekend getaway for the wide-eyed couple quickly turns into one big misadventure with each getting caught up in their own struggles apart from one another.

Both leads are phenomenal in A Rainy Day in New York, but Timothée Chalamet’s Gatsby Wells really steals the show with his ambition, boyish charm, and understanding of the ins, outs, and chaos of New York City. The supporting cast, which includes Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and Liev Schreiber ties both storylines together.

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With Timothée Chalamet’s continued ascent to the top of Hollywood, which includes a leading role in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, expect to see this list get longer and longer in the years to come.

It is hard to imagine a world in which Matt Damon never became an actor. For the better part of the past 25 years, the Academy Award winner has proven time and time again just why he’s not only one of the best actors of his time but also one of the most beloved, even when he’s playing despicable, good-for-nothing characters with psychotic and sociopathic tendencies. Perhaps it’s that balance (and that charm of his) that has made Damon one of the most successful names in Hollywood.

Picking a list of the 10 best Matt Damon movies is a monumental task, not because there’s a lack of choices but because of the abundance of notable dramas, comedies, action films, and thrillers that have featured one of Boston’s favorite sons. But, someone has to be up to task and so we’ve put together a rundown of Damon’s best movies and where you can find them, whether it be on a streaming service or a physical release (which is the only way you can watch a certain movie of his).

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the Academy Award-winning Gus Van Sant drama Good Will Hunting follows Will Hunting (Damon), a once-in-a-generation genius who walks the halls of M.I.T., not as a student or professor but as a janitor from the south side of Boston. When the troubled youth has a run-in with the law, Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) gives Will a way out of jail and puts him in contact with therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), a meeting that will not only change his life but everyone around him.

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The Martian (2015)

Ridley Scott’s Golden Globe-winning “comedy” The Martian, which is based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, follows astronaut/botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he struggles to survive after the other members of his space crew believe he died in a dust storm on the surface of Mars. Armed with the power of science, more potatoes than anyone would care to eat, some ketchup, and a playlist consisting of the top disco tracks, Watney tries to pull off the impossible: survive long enough for NASA (with the help of other space programs) to send a crew back to rescue him.

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Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Following the death of three out of the four Ryan brothers, who are all killed in action during World War II, the United States Army sends a group of soldiers to find and rescue the youngest of the pack: Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan follows Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his group of men as they go behind enemy lines to find and bring the young soldier home to his grieving mother before she loses all of her children in the brutal conflict. 

Despite being very early on his career (Good Will Hunting had not yet been released when production began), Matt Damon stands toe-to-toe with acting heavyweights like Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore in this brutal and realistic depiction of war.

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The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime tragedy The Departed (a remake of the Hong Kong thriller Internal Affairs) follows two Boston police officers who are opposites in just about every way imaginable. On one side there is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an honest cop who goes undercover in Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) criminal organization in attempt to bring it down from the inside. Then there is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), Costello’s mole in the Boston Police Department who has been funneling information to his mentor for years. 

Despite only sharing very little time together on screen, the lives of the two cops at the center of The Departed are connected in more ways than they could ever know.

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The Ocean’s Movies (2001 - 2007)

With exciting and clever scenarios, a large ensemble cast (that grows with each subsequent film), and an all-around fun vibe, the Ocean’s movies are three of the best heist films of the 21st Century. Whether Danny Ocean’s (George Clooney) gang of master thieves, conmen, and colorful characters are robbing a Las Vegas casino (Ocean’s Eleven), planning elaborate jobs in Europe (Ocean’s Twelve), or returning to the scene of the crime (Ocean’s Thirteen), it’s always an enjoyable time.

Matt Damon’s Linus Caldwell, a young pickpocket and son of an infamous con artist, is one of the youngest and greenest members of the central gang, but this doesn’t stop him from trying, time and time again, to show he has what it takes to be one of the leaders of the group.

Stream Ocean’s Eleven on HBO Max. Rent/Buy Ocean’s Eleven on Amazon. Buy Ocean’s Eleven on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Stream Ocean’s Twelve on HBO Max. Rent/Buy Ocean’s Twelve on Amazon. Buy Ocean’s Twelve on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Stream Ocean’s Thirteen on HBO Max. Rent/Buy Ocean’s Thirteen on Amazon. Buy Ocean’s Thirteen on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a man with an extraordinary set of skills (hand-to-hand combat, guns, driving, you name it,) but no memory, after being brought back from the brink of the death by the crew of a fishing boat in the middle of the sea. As Bourne attempts to piece together the events that led to him being in the middle of the ocean, he finds himself also battling a group of elite assassins sent in to make sure he doesn’t uncover his past, in Doug Liman's 2002 spy thriller The Bourne Identity.

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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Anthony Minghella’s 1999 psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley centers on Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a charming and handsome young man who is also a narcissistic pathological liar who will do anything to get want he wants. When asked by a wealthy businessman to bring his errant son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) home from the Italian coast, Ripley kicks off an elaborate scheme filled with envy, broken trust, brutal and senseless murder, and stolen identity by the time everything is said and done. A monster behind a handsome face, Mr. Ripley gives a whole new meaning to the term psychopath in this thrilling adaptation of Patrica Highsmith’s iconic novel.

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Buy The Talented Mr. Ripley on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

True Grit (2010)

In the aftermath of her father’s murder at the hand of Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her find the vicious outlaw and bring him to justice. The pair is soon joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a man who also has his own reasons for tracking down the wanted man. Together, the three unlikely friends embark on an epic journey in hopes of stomping out evil out in the Old West, in the Coen Brothers’ 2010 remake of the classic western True Grit.

Stream True Grit on Cinemax.
Rent/Buy True Grit on Amazon.
Buy True Grit on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Contagion (2011)

Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 triller Contagion is a terrifyingly accurate depiction of a pandemic that follows a diverse cast of characters as they try to make sense of the deadly virus that has the potential of wiping out the entire human race. One of the more prominent stories is that of Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon), a man who lost his wife and son to the mysterious virus, though he and his daughter seem to be immune to its effects. Much of the breakdown of society is shown through Mitch’s eyes, as he tries to make a better life for his daughter and survive not just the pandemic but the collapse of the natural order of the world around them.

Rent/Buy Contagion on Amazon.
Buy Contagion on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

John Grisham’s The Rainmaker (1997)

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1997 adaptation of John Grisham’s The Rainmaker centers on struggling attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) as he teams up with Deck Shifflet, a paralegal who means well but has a checkered past, to take on the Great Benefit insurance company that refuses to cover procedures for its clients that could potentially save their lives. If Baylor and Shifflet are to be successful in the case, they will have to outwit the massive corporation and their ice cold attorney, Leo. F Drummond (Jon Voight), in a heated legal argument.

Stream John Grisham’s The Rainmaker on Starz.
Rent/Buy John Grisham’s The Rainmaker on Amazon.
Buy John Grisham’s The Rainmaker on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Honorable Mentions

On top of all of Matt Damon’s great leading roles, the multi-talented actor has also made played some amazing supporting roles throughout his career, some that just have to be mentioned before we wrap this up. First, there is Damon’s surprise appearance as the crazed astronaut known as Mann in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which adds an extra dimension of drama to the 2014 sci-fi epic. 

And then there are all of Damon’s appearances in the various Kevin Smith movies that definitely deserve some recognition (Dogma would have been included in the main list if it were not for the movie being impossible to find without spending an arm and a leg). And, last but not least, is Damon’s cameo in Thor: Ragnarok, when he played Loki in the dramatization of the God of Mischief’s “sacrifice.”

These movies should be more than enough to give you a taste of what Matt Damon has to offer as an actor. And, who knows, maybe The Last Duel will be on this list before too long. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s list of all the 2021 movie premiere dates to find out where you’ll see Damon and your other favorite actors on the big screen.

The subgenre of space movies makes up an essential portion of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. The genre has always been the best at exploring the unknown, and what symbolizes that concept better than the mysteries that lie beyond the stars?

Keeping our list limited to classics that explore worlds beyond Earth, but from an Earthling’s perspective, we sifted through the best streaming services to subscribe to for the greatest movies set in space so we could report back our findings. Enjoy these stellar cinematic journeys!

Solaris (1972)

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Starring: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk

What it’s about: A psychologist experiences an unexpected and unexplainable encounter when investigating a death at a space station on a distant planet.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Tarkovsky (the highly imaginative mind behind some sci-fi movies rated high on Rotten Tomatoes) makes one of his most intense, thought-provoking, and cerebral dramas out of Solaris – a mesmerizing, mysterious, mind-bending thriller was later remade by Steven Soderbergh with George Clooney in the lead.

How to watch Solaris

• Stream Solaris Max
• Rent or buy Solaris on Amazon
• Buy Solaris on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Wandering Earth (2019)

Director: Frant Gwo

Starring: Wu Jing, Qu Chuxiao

What it’s about: In order to save the planet from the nearly-expired Sun, astronauts attempt to physically move it to a safer location in outer space.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Netflix’s Chinese-language adaptation of Cixin Liu’s novel, The Wandering Earth, is a unique end-of-the-world drama with stunning visuals and gloriously over-the-top action.

How to watch The Wandering Earth

• Stream The Wandering Earth on Netflix

Explorers (1985)

Director: Joe Dante

Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson

What it’s about: A 15-year-old enlists his two friends to help construct a spaceship out of blueprints that came to him in a dream.

Why it is one of the best space movies: One of the earliest and best Ethan Hawke movies, Explorers, brings the ultimate childhood space travel fantasy to life with an adventure the whole family will love.

How to watch Explorers

• Rent or buy Explorers on Amazon
• Buy Explorers on Blu-ray on Amazon

Serenity (2005)

Director: Joss Whedon

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres

What it’s about: The continuing adventures of Captain Mal Reynolds and his ragtag crew of outlaws evading interplanetary government detection centuries after Earth becomes uninhabitable.

Why it is one of the best space movies: After Firefly was prematurely canceled, fans were given some closure in the form of the feature-length spin-off, Serenity, which mostly ditches the original series’ unique Western themes but is still a thoroughly exciting action thrillride.

How to watch Serenity

• Rent or buy Serenity on Amazon
• Buy Serenity on Blu-ray on Amazon

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Director: Dean Parisot

Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver

What it’s about: The stars of a canceled, cult favorite sci-fi series are enlisted for the gig of their lives by a desperate alien species who believes their show is real

Why it is one of the best space movies: While essentially a clever and hilarious satire on geek culture, Galaxy Quest is still as exciting as any episode of Star Trek, Buck Rogers, or Battlestar Galactica could be and one of the best movies of the ‘90s as a result.

How to watch Galaxy Quest

• Stream Galaxy Quest on Pluto TV
• Rent or buy Galaxy Quest on Amazon
• Buy Galaxy Quest on Blu-ray on Amazon

RocketMan (1997)

Director: Stuart Gillard

Starring: Harland Williams, Jessica Lundy

What it’s about: A spacecraft designer lives out his life-long dream of becoming an astronaut, but his childish antics and bumbling nature cause trouble on the first expedition to Mars.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Not to be confused with an Elton John biopic from 2019, RocketMan is a funny, family-friendly Disney movie that deserves a sequel with an inspiring message about following your dreams.

How to watch RocketMan

• Rent or buy RocketMan (1997) on Amazon
• Buy RocketMan (1997) on DVD Amazon

Apollo 13 (1995)

Director: Ron Howard

Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton

What it’s about: In April 1970, a technical malfunction interrupts a mission to the moon, forcing three astronauts and those at Houston to race against time and safely bring them home.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Apollo 13 is a breathtaking, Academy Award-winning retelling of a shocking true event that remains the ultimate cautionary tale of space travel and one of Tom Hanks’ best movies.

How to watch Apollo 13

• Stream Apollo 13 on Netflix
• Rent or buy Apollo 13 on Amazon
• Buy Apollo 13 on Blu-ray on Amazon

First Man (2018)

Director: Damien Chazelle

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy

What it’s about: In the late 1960s, Neil Armstrong struggles with safety hazards and his own emotional issues as he prepares for a history-making trip to the Moon.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Gosling gives one of his best performances as the titular First Man in this revealing biopic with Oscar-winning visual effects that place you right in the front seat of the Space Race.

How to watch First Man

• Rent or buy First Man on Amazon
• Buy First Man on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Right Stuff (1983)

Director: Philip Kaufman

Starring: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn

What it’s about: The origins of the United States space program as seen through the eyes of the seven experienced pilots chosen to be the first astronauts.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Inspired by Tom Wolfe’s award-winning non-fiction book, The Right Stuff (one of the most acclaimed box office bombs of the ‘80s) is a story about staring the impossible in the face and having what it takes to achieve a goal, whatever the cost.

How to watch The Right Stuff

• Rent or buy The Right Stuff on Amazon
• Buy The Right Stuff on Blu-ray on Amazon

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood

What it’s about: An astronaut crew investigates a mysterious discovery buried underneath the Lunar surface, which evolves into a fierce battle for supremacy between man and machine.

Why it is one of the best space movies: One of Stanley Kubricks’ best movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey (which he co-wrote with original novel author Arthur C. Clarke) is a groundbreaking spectacle with timeless, Academy Award-winning special effects, thought-provoking themes, and (courtesy of the iconic AI HAL-9000) technophobic caution.

How to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey

• Stream 2001: A Space Odyssey on Max
• Rent or buy 2001: A Space Odyssey on Amazon
• Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey on Blu-ray on Amazon

Gravity (2013)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

What it’s about: An engineer and a veteran astronaut must engage in an unforgiving fight for survival on the outskirts of Earth’s gravitational field.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Cuaron won his first Academy Award for directing the thoroughly intense Gravity, which also completely and deservedly swept 2014’s technical categories for its unbelievably vivid recreation of outer space in all its beauty and cold brutality.

How to watch Gravity

• Rent or buy Gravity on Amazon
• Buy Gravity on Blu-ray on Amazon

Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain

What it’s about: A NASA pilot-turned-farmer is forced to leave his daughter behind and join the search for a new home as Earth runs dangerously low on resources.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Unsurprisingly, one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, Interstellar, won a Best Visual Effects Oscar, but the heartbreaking father-daughter story is truly why this modern, pre-apocalyptic sci-fi classic is destined to remain timeless.

How to watch Interstellar

• Stream Interstellar on Paramount+
• Stream Interstellar on Netflix
• Rent or buy Interstellar on Amazon
• Buy Interstellar on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Martian (2015)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain

What it’s about: When an astronaut is accidentally left stranded on the Red Planet, he must “science the shit out of” his situation to survive as NASA struggles to figure out how to bring him home.

Why it is one of the best space movies: For all of its gorgeous imagery, thrilling suspense, and braininess, what really sells this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel, The Martian, is Damon’s engaging charisma and the script’s tasteful humor amid otherwise grim and distressing circumstances.

How to watch The Martian

• Stream The Martian on Max
• Rent or buy The Martian on Amazon
• Buy The Martian on Blu-ray on Amazon

Titan A.E. (2000)

Director: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman

Starring: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore

What it’s about: A young survivor of Earth’s destruction several years earlier becomes the final hope for humanity after learning he holds the key to finding a long-lost, coveted ship.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Years before The Martian or Interstellar, Matt Damon got to be the space traveler doing some saving, instead of being saved, in Titan A.E. – an inventive, visually unique, and thrilling animated adventure the whole family will love.

How to watch Titan A.E.

• Rent or buy Titan A.E. on Amazon
• Buy Titan A.E. on DVD on Amazon

Contact (1997)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey

What it’s about: An ambitious astronomer discovers irrefutable evidence of extraterrestrial life, leading to the construction of a device that may redefine space travel.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Based on the novel by famed astrophysicist Carl Sagan, Contact is a transfixing, highly imaginative, and emotionally impactive drama and one of Robert Zemeckis’ best movies.

How to watch Contact

• Rent or buy Contact on Amazon
• Buy Contact on Blu-ray on Amazon

Ad Astra (2019)

Director: James Gray

Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones

What it’s about: The son of a long-missing astronaut is given the chance to finally find him when NASA suspects he is the cause of a strange threat to Earth.

Why it is one of the best space movies: From its intense introduction to the thought-provoking ending of Ad Astra (which translates from Latin to “to the stars”), the film boasts stunning visuals and an extremely plausible depiction of commercial space travel that, boldly, does not shy away from the concept’s potential dangers.

How to watch Ad Astra

• Rent or buy Ad Astra on Amazon
• Buy Ad Astra on Blu-ray on Amazon

Sunshine (2007)

Director: Danny Boyle

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh

What it’s about: When the Sun begins to lose its spark, an international crew of astronauts is sent to revive it with a nuclear blast.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Almost like Armageddon with a bigger brain, writer Alex Garland’s Sunshine is a real nail-biter of a concept elevated by a thoroughly inventive storyline and an engrossing visual scope.

How to watch Sunshine

• Rent or buy Sunshine on Amazon
• Buy Sunshine on Blu-ray on Amazon

Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

What it’s about: A man nearing the end of his three-year mission retrieving resources from the lunar surface makes a startling discovery that changes the outlook of his career and his entire life.

Why it is one of the best space movies: Sam Rockwell gives one of the most memorable sad astronaut performances in Moon – a criminally underrated thriller that brilliantly uses outer space as a backdrop for a gripping tale of existential dread.

How to watch Moon

• Rent or buy Moon on Amazon
• Buy Moon on Blu-ray on Amazon

Alien (1979)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver

What it’s about: A commercial spaceship crew discovers an extraterrestrial life form that puts everyone on board at risk of a brutal fate.

Why it is one of the best space movies: The first installment of the ongoing Alien movies franchise is a brilliant cosmic epic with the pulse-pounding tension of a slasher movie, famous for introducing one of the most badass female characters in sci-fi history: Ellen Ripley.

How to watch Alien

• Stream Alien on Hulu
• Rent or buy Alien on Amazon
• Buy Alien on Blu-ray on Amazon

WALL-E (2008)

Director: Andrew Stanton

Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight

What it’s about: An adorable robot left to clean up an abandoned Earth meets a mysterious, advanced model searching for life on the uninhabitable planet.

Why it is one of the best space movies: The beautifully animated and thought-provoking Pixar movie classic WALL-E is a good palate cleanser from all the doom and gloom in most other space movies, despite touching on some frighteningly plausible themes.

How to watch WALL-E

• Stream WALL-E on Disney+
• Rent or buy WALL-E on Amazon
• Buy WALL-E on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Star Wars movies and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, for instance, make space travel look fun, until you see these films and begin to reconsider that thought. At least we can say that space movies give us a rush that most Earthbound adventures cannot hold a candle to.

In a Hollywood atmosphere where franchises and adaptations of existing intellectual properties reign supreme, Christopher Nolan remains one of the few directors who can draw in huge crowds on his name alone. And yet, that doesn’t mean his movies are free from being critiqued. In fact, Nolan recently acknowledged how some of his fellow filmmakers have told him how they had trouble hearing the dialogue in some of his movies, including Interstellar.

While other moviegoers might share this particular opinion, Christopher Nolan is surprised this is even an issue in the first place. As the director explained to author Tom Shone in the book The Nolan Variations (via Indiewire) about Interstellar’s sound mix:

Clearly Christopher Nolan likes to be a little more experimental with his sound work, saying how there’s a “wonderful feeling of scale” by playing around with this aspect of the filmmaking process. With Interstellar specifically, Nolan and his team “tapped into the idea of the sub-channel, where you can just get a lot of vibration,” resulting in a “wonderful feeling of physicality.” Nolan specifically highlighted composer Hans Zimmer’s score using an organ at the “absolutely lowest note,” which would make one’s chest drop.

However, not everyone is not into Christopher Nolan being so radical with the sound work on Interstellar and some of his other movies. Nolan also said the following:

Opinions, especially ones concerning movies, are subjective. So maybe you like the unorthodox approaches Christopher Nolan takes with sound mixing, or maybe you wish he’d adopt more traditional methods; maybe you even want him to make a literally quiet movie. In any case, for now, it doesn’t sound like Nolan plans on changing his sound mixing ways, so if you fall into the Nolan-movies-are-too-loud camp, assuming you see his next movie in theaters, maybe bring a pair of earplugs.

As far as how Interstellar performed overall when it was released in November 2014, the movie was met with a fair amount of positive reception, ranking at 72% among professional critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and earning an 86% audience score. Commercially speaking, Interstellar did quite well for itself, pulling in over $693 million worldwide. The movie starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain (among others) followed a group of astronauts who ventured to through a wormhole near Saturn to find a new home for humanity following Earth depleting nearly all of its natural resources.

Christopher Nolan’s latest movie, Tenet, is wrapping up its theatrical run and will be available on home media starting December 15. Keep track of the movies set to arrive next year with our 2021 release schedule.

Making movies may seem like a glamorous endeavor, but it’s not always as easy as it may seem. Actors are frequently called upon to push their boundaries in order to make the scenes they’re acting out as believable as possible. That can cause some discomfort, even for the most seasoned actors -- and it’s exactly that reason that Anne Hathaway was relieved when Matt Damon spoke up about an uncomfortable situation on the set of Interstellar.

To fans, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi odyssey is known for its complex plot. For the actors who worked on the 2014 film though, the abiding memories seem to be that of the unique working conditions on set. Anne Hathaway recently admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that of all the movies she’s made over the years, Interstellar stands out in her memory -- and maybe not for the best reason:

Obviously, the cast still had to continue on with shooting. Still, at least they were able to commiserate a bit about how uncomfortable they were.

This anecdote is interesting for a few different reasons. Besides being a good reminder that making movies isn’t always glamorous, it’s also a bit telling that she felt pressure not to break because she was a woman. It sounds like it was a huge relief that it was Matt Damon who broke first and took a bit of pressure off the rest of the cast.

This isn’t the first time Anne Hathaway has spilled about the unique challenges of filming Interstellar. A few years back, she showed Graham Norton how the cast had to mime like they were floating in space, illustrating once again that sometimes movie magic has more to do with just committing to the moment than it does with reliance on special effects.

The fact that the Interstellar cast had to push the boundaries of their imagination and their comfort level makes the end result especially impressive. Still, its legacy remains more firmly rooted in the way fans still debate its more controversial plot points, as opposed to how convincingly the actors portrayed space travelers.

For two decades, Christopher Nolan has carved out an impressive niche in Hollywood, garnering a loyal fanbase that’s willing to pretty much see anything he makes. Whenever he releases a movie, it becomes a huge cinematic event. While some of his earlier work, like Memento, Insomnia, and The Prestige leaned toward slower, quieter dramas, his latest work since Inception has involved loud soundtracks, fast-paced narratives, and tense storytelling. I think it’s high time he switched back to the former.

A “quiet” drama, of course, could take on many forms for the director. It could mean going back to basics, telling a simple yet profound story, and moving away from high-concept ideas like, you know, time inversion and entropy, and the high-stakes, adrenaline rush pace.

With Tenet, Christopher Nolan has doubled down on this trend, ratcheting up the action, the pace, and the sound. And, don’t get me wrong, I liked Tenet, but now that he’s reached a fever pitch in this style of storytelling, it feels like a good time to shift gears and do something totally different. Here’s 8 reasons why.

He’s Starting To Pigeonhole Himself

When he first broke onto the scene, Christopher Nolan was a fresh, visionary filmmaker with a keen ability to direct thoughtful, exciting new movies. However, since Inception, he’s been veering into a certain style of moviemaking and has been repeating many of the same tropes, like mind-bending concepts of time, fast-paced narratives and loud sound design.

On the one hand, I understand many of these hallmarks are his stock and trade. He’s earned his fanbase by working toward his strengths and he’s very good at what he does. But with Tenet, he might just be leaning too hard on these strengths and is in serious danger of parodying and pigeonholing himself.

That would be a sad waste of talent. Christopher Nolan is a versatile director. He’s made quieter pictures like The Prestige next to big, loud, action-packed movies like The Dark Knight. I'm fairly positive he can swap back and forth between two different styles of filmmaking. Now, more than ever, would be a great time to do it.

It Would Be An Unexpected Thing To Do

When a director sticks to certain genres and themes for a while, it’s expected that they’ll stay there. If news broke tomorrow that Christopher Nolan was making a new thriller about some element of space-time, it’s doubtful anyone would bat an eye. It's more likely they would yawn.

If Christopher Nolan wants to avoid having his audience check out, he needs to shake things up and do the unexpected. I can’t think of anything more realistically unexpected than taking on a low-budget, quiet drama (except maybe doing a comedy with Will Ferrell).

The fear, of course, is that if a filmmaker strays too far from their brand, it might turn off the built-in audience. It’s a legitimate concern, but I think Christopher Nolan has earned enough license to do pretty much whatever he wants right now (though that could wane if he does the same old thing). With that said, I think there’s a good chance his audience would be eager to see a quieter Christopher Nolan film again.

His Quiet Movies Are Some Of His Best

Like many Christopher Nolan fans, my love for his movies usually focused on the action-packed stuff, like The Dark Knight and Inception. But,over the years, I’ve almost come to appreciate his quiet films, like The Prestige, Insomnia and more.

These movies take their time to develop the characters, the plot and the mystery. They have their moments of tension, sure, but the tension doesn’t take center stage. They’re emotional, thoughtful and feel human and intimate; narrative pieces that Christopher Nolan has been abandoning more often lately for thrills, effects and camera work.

Christopher Nolan made Insomnia and The Prestige when his career was still growing. Now that he has twenty years of filmmaking under his belt, imagine what he could do with a slow, quiet drama today. I think with the right screenwriter, it would have the potential to be something special.

There’s A Precedent For Directors To Turn To Smaller Projects

Some of the best directors can tell all kinds of stories. They don’t allow one genre or technique to pigeonhole them. They’re able to go from directing a big, action-packed blockbuster to quickly turning to something slow and quiet.

Steven Spielberg, for instance, created an entire filmography around jumping back and forth between big blockbusters and smaller dramas. In the '80s, he went from directing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to directing A Color Purple. In the '90s, he simultaneously directed Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, two radically different movies.

Of course, not every director can do this; Michael Bay tried shifting gears with Pearl Harbor and that didn’t turn out so well. But Christopher Nolan isn’t Michael Bay. He’s proven he can make the shift from spectacle to subdued. So while it might feel somewhat unexpected to suddenly turn to a drama, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary in the grand scheme of things.

People Are Starting To Hate How Loud His Movies Are

One of the unique elements of Christopher Nolan’s latest movies is the sound design. Not only does he refuse to use much ADR, he loves to crank up his score and sound. Christopher Nolan's devotion to the theater experience, by and large, drives him to gear the sound to that end. This can produce surprising (and sometimes frustrating) results, making you feel immersed in the story and occasionally concerned you might be going deaf.

While his use of sound doesn’t bother me (though I’ll admit that it’s growing tiresome), many others are really starting to hate it. People don’t like the overbearing sound design and the fact that they can’t understand what the characters are saying.

So not only should he create a tonally quiet drama, he should also create a literally quiet drama. Imagine, for instance, if Christopher Nolan made a movie like A Quiet Place that hampers down on sound entirely. People would certainly be taken aback by it, but it might win back those fans that refuse to subject themselves to more eardrum abuse.

It Would Give Him A Chance To Focus On Characters And Actor Performances

With a quiet drama, Christopher Nolan wouldn’t be able to fall back on his typical filmmaker toolkit. He’d have to fundamentally rethink how he’d want to tell the story. Without using fast-paced storytelling techniques as a crutch, he’d need to turn his attention to character development and actor performances to churn out a compelling drama. No more hiding behind a thrilling theater experience; the characters and story would have to do the heavy lifting.

Notably, this is one of his biggest weaknesses as a storyteller. Some of the recent movies that he's written himself lack solid characters, with Dunkirk and Tenet being prime examples. We know barely anything about the characters in those movies. His focus seems more on the technical aspects of filmmaking rather than the story.

That doesn’t mean Christopher Nolan has never produced a drama with greater attention to character. Insomnia and The Prestige both do a fantastic job following flawed, nuanced characters, and have particularly strong performances from actors like Robin Williams, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.

But it’s important to note that those films weren’t originally written by Christopher Nolan (Insomnia was written by Hilary Seitz and The Prestige was adapted from a novel by Christopher Priest). If he did another small picture, it might make sense to have another screenwriter tackle the script or team up with one that’s especially good at writing characters and drama.

His Status As A Power Director Could Give Dramas A Boost

Over the past decade, superhero movies have flooded the theaters and become some of the highest-grossing movies ever. Christopher Nolan had a part to play in this radical shift at the cinema. His grounded Batman trilogy totally redefined what superhero movies could be, paving the way for those types of cinematic tales to have a greater prominence at theaters.

As a result, dramas have taken a bit of a back seat to action and adventure films. Even within the last decade, the number of people going to see dramas has declined, while action and adventure movies have boomed.

I realize there’s some hubris here. I'm not saying Christopher Nolan is a wizard that can cure all ills. Still, historically, his movies have consistently been huge blockbusters; he’s one of the rare directors that draws an audience on name recognition. With that kind of status, there’s a good chance he could give greater attention to dramas and maybe give them a renewed boost at the theater.

It Might Get Him An Oscar

Christopher Nolan fans have long wanted the director to win an Academy Award. Though he’s been nominated five times, and some of his films have won awards for things like cinematography, he’s never snagged an Oscar himself.

It’s no secret that the Academy loves quiet, character dramas. If Christopher Nolan leaned in on this and proved he could provide a fresh take on this kind of story, it might turn some heads and put him back on the Academy’s radar. Nolan might have a real shot at finally winning an Academy Award.

There's no question Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker. He’s experimented with various genres and high-concept ideas, and found ways to make the theater experience incredible without using heavy CGI or 3D special effects. That’s quite a feat. Now that he’s done that, it feels like now is the time to shake things up and go after a new challenge that stretches him as a filmmaker. It’s time for him to make a quiet drama. Let us know if you agree in the comments below.

Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker that uses certain hallmarks in each of his films. We've already discussed his tendency to reuse ideas, theories, and even actors in his various productions, but one aspect of Nolan's work that is often overshadowed the way he uses extremely loud and violent action sequences to disrupt a normally calm or joyful scene. He's done this as far back as Batman Begins and even uses the trick in the opening scene of his latest offering Tenet.

Now, I'm not exactly sure why Christopher Nolan likes to return to this method time and time again (I'm not complaining because it works), but I would like to guess that he does it to rattle his audience and take them on a journey that is one of his masterful films. So, come with me as we take another journey into some of the most jarring scenes to take place in a Christopher Nolan movie. And who knows, maybe we'll learn something about why they're there in the first place. But heads up, there are some minor spoilers about the beginning of Tenet at the end of this piece, so you have been warned.

Batman Begins - The League Of Shadows Invades Bruce Wayne's Birthday Party

One thing that Christopher Nolan did in each of his three Batman movies is introduce (or reintroduce) the main villain during scenes where you would least expect it. This is especially true with Bruce Wayne's birthday party near the end of Batman Begins when Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) reveals himself to be real Ra's al Ghul. Throughout the first two-thirds of the movie, everyone (Batman and the audience) is under the impression that the leader of the League of Shadows is dead and gone, but this pivotal scene proves that not only is the group's leader alive, he's been pulling the strings all along.

The scene ends in an extremely violent manner with Bruce Wayne beaten down by the League of Shadows and Wayne Manor in rubble, which helps guide the audience into understanding what is really at stake and that the destruction of Gotham City is a reality and not some far-fetched scheme by the city's crime lords and psychotic doctors.

The Prestige - Julia Drowns On Stage

Christopher Nolan wouldn't waste any time inserting an extremely violent and impactful scene in his next film, 2006's The Prestige. The movie, which details the friendship turned bitter rivalry between Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), starts off with what appears to be a normal magic show with the two central characters playing the shills to John Cutter's (Michael Caine) water tank trick. Everything seems normal when Angier's wife, Julia McCullough (Piper Perabo) goes into the covered tank, but the routine trick quickly goes awry.

Before the audience is even settled into their seats, Christopher Nolan throws one of the most violent and shocking scenes in the entire movie and strikes a nerve as Robert Angier stands by helplessly as his wife dies in front of him. The magic trick gone wrong sets the tone for things to come later on and the rivalry that consumers both of the film's leads couldn't have benefited from it more.

The Dark Knight - The Joker Takes Over Harvey Dent's Fundraiser

Not to be outdone by himself, Christopher Nolan went back to his old bag of tricks in The Dark Knight in 2008 with the scene where The Joker (Heath Ledger) and his goons take over the Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) fundraising event at Bruce Wayne's Penthouse. The audience has a feeling that something is going to happen before Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and every party guest not named Bruce Wayne, but the gang's introduction is just as explosive and frightening.

At this point in the movie only the poor sucker who dressed up like Batman and Gambol (Michael Jai White) had felt the true strength of The Joker's punch, but in this scene, the upper elite of Gotham City were put face-to-face with someone who goes against everything they, and the rest of society, represent. And with the firing of a single shotgun blast, the world is introduced to The Joker and his intentions.

Inception - Disrupting Mr. Saito's Dinner

Okay, this next one is a little different because, well, it takes place in a dream within a dream in the opening minutes of Christopher Nolan's 2010 sci-fi head-scratcher Inception. After the movie's confusing opening of Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) being brought into an elderly Mr. Saito's (Ken Watanabe) residence, the scene switches over to a conversation the two are having at what appears to an earlier time during a larger party. The first hint that something is up is seen when the building begins to shake and Cobb and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) give each other an apprehensive look.

Everything is brought into full swing when the world begins caving in on itself and the once ornate Japanese palatial estate is brought to ruin. And then things get even crazier when Mal (Marion Cotillard), Cobb's deceased wife and the manifestation of his guilt, appears and tries to take over the scene. If Christopher Nolan was trying to confuse and disorient the audience here, I think it was a success.

The Dark Knight Rises - Bane Blows Up Gotham During The Rogues Football Game

Say what you will about The Dark Knight Rises, but the scene when Bane (Tom Hardy) destroys the field (and a large chunk of Gotham City) during the Gotham Rogues football game is and forever will be one of the most intense and shocking scenes in any Batman movie (even if it was featured heavily in all of the trailers). And what an introduction at that!

Leading up to the scene, no one besides Batman, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), and a few others knew or believed in Bane, but after this, everyone in the city of Gotham and around the world knew what Gothamnites were up against. 

Not only is the field taken out (and the poor Mayor of Gotham), but all but one of the bridges, tunnels, and other means of escaping the locked down island are cut off, leaving the residents trapped with a madman and a nuclear device. And while the story gets muddied in the second half of The Dark Knight Rises, the football game will always be a reminder of how Christopher Nolan knows how to ruin a perfectly good day with a lot of style.

Interstellar - Dust Storm At The Baseball Game

Christopher Nolan did something similar, but to a lesser extent, in 2014's Interstellar when he disrupted a baseball game with a massive dust storm. And while it's not as explosive, or really all action-packed, but it does accomplish two things — first, it disrupts the normal flow of a perfectly fine weekend afternoon, and second, it pushes Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter Murphy Cooper (Mackenzie Foy) back home where the truth behind Murph's "ghost" is planted in their brains.

Now that we have that little breather out of the way, let's get to what we've been waiting for — That insane opening sequence in Tenet. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to hold off on the rest of this article as there are minor spoilers.

Tenet - The Opening Scene At A Kiev Opera House

Christopher Nolan didn't waste any time getting the ball rolling in Tenet. Like with The Prestige, Nolan's 2020 spy thriller starts with a large crowd finding their seats, only this time it's in a Kiev opera house. Just before the band can tune their instruments and sync up with one another, a group of masked assailants burst in with guns drawn, sending us in the audience down a loud, explosive, and extremely confusing journey. With frantic music, screams, and concussive shots from semi-automatic rifles and explosive charges, it's hard to make sense of what is going on, and I think that's what Nolan is trying to do.

If we know what's happening and what's coming down the road, we will be able to see the small clues he left behind (don't worry, still not really spoiling anything major). Instead, we're distracted trying to figure out who's the hero, what they are trying to prevent, and who's behind the attack. Sometimes, a filmmaker needs to treat his audience like a group of hostages a part of the action, and Nolan does just that.

What did you think about the opening of Tenet, the film's confusing final act, or any other action-packed scenes from Christopher Nolan's collection of movies? Make sure to sound off in the comments below.

There have been some great space travel movies throughout the history of cinema, with everything from the 1902 french silent film Le Voyage Dans la Lun (A Trip to the Moon) to Stanley Kubrick's 1969 masterful 2001: A Space Odyssey coming to mind. As the years have gone by there seems to be more and more narratives centered around the idea of space travel with beautifully shot blockbuster masterpieces like the 2014 Christopher Nolan epic Interstellar, and low-budget sci-fi horror thrillers like the 2013 found footage hit Eurpoa Report, and more.

Between 2010 and 2019, audiences around the world were treated to some of the greatest offerings in the history of the genre, so many that you might have forgotten one or two. To remind you of some, I've put together a list of 11 great space travels movies to come out in the past 10 years for you to explore. Buckle up and don't forget your dramamine because this is going to be a wild ride…

Interstellar (2014)

Audiences are still debating the divisive ending of Christopher Nolan's 2014 space/time travel/father and daughter drama, but despite the confusing final act of the nearly three-hour blockbuster, Interstellar remains one of the most inventive and enjoyable movies to come out in the past 10 years, no matter the genre. Not only does it feature one of the best Matthew McConaughey performances and a great score from Hans Zimmer, much of the film wasn't shot on a green screen and offers some pretty revolutionary ideas concerning space travel, relativity, and most of all, humanity's quest to find answers to all of life's questions. Add in some impressive shots of black holes, warm holes, and holes left in the hearts of several of the characters, and you have yourself an adventure worth revisiting six years later. At the very least just go back and watch the insanely beautiful trailer.

Ad Astra (2019)

There were great space travel movies scattered throughout the 2010s like galaxies in the vast universe, and one of the brightest of those was James Gray's melancholic story of a broken man hunting his long-lost father in the depths of space: Ad Astra. Starring Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, the film does an amazing job of turning what seems like an everyday job for its central character into a great odyssey from which we don't know if he'll return. And if he does return, how will the journey affect him? By the time Tommy Lee Jones' Clifford McBride is seen in the flesh, his son has experienced much more than he ever thought he would, and he still has more lessons to learn before it concludes.

First Man (2018)

Damien Chazelle's retelling of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon could have taken a very conventional route similar to something like Apollo 13, but thankfully his 2018 film First Man was anything but conventional. Instead of beaming with patriotism like so many have done before him, the director of La La Land and Whiplash showed a side of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) that few had ever seen before. By including the death of Armstrong's young daughter in the early goings of the film, the director was able to add depth, emotion, and a different kind of pride to a movie that thumbed its nose at the normal space travel feature. It also avoided all of those over-the-top shots of rockets shooting off into space and instead focused on the Gosling's astronaut and what he was feeling at the time of the launch.

The Martian (2015)

Ridley Scott's epic story of the power of engineering and the human spirit might not be a comedy, but that doesn't mean The Martian isn't an amazing movie deserving of all the credit it has received since its 2015 release. Everything from Matt Damon's performance as stranded astronaut Mark Watney to Jessica Chastain's Melissa Lewis and the rest of Watney's crew and scientists back on Earth who come up with amazing ways of risking life, resources, and tons and tons of cash to get him home is enough to earn it a spot on this list, but that's not all. It has been five years since it first hit theaters, but its shots of space, the martian surface, and labs and facilities on our planet only add to the grand scale of this surprisingly refreshing space travel film.

Gravity (2013)

Unlike the first four movies on this list, Alfonso Cuarón's 2013 space thriller Gravity doesn't so much as deal with astronauts traveling to a far-off destination as much as it focuses on the journey home. Clocking in at 91 minutes (each as action-packed or tense as the last), the perilous journey of Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) surviving the destruction of her ride back home and the death of her entire crew, is something that really stands the test of time. It's only made better with George Clooney's Matt Kowalksi, who helps guide Stone along the way as she finds different methods of getting back to the safety of Earth. The film took home seven Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards, including best director, and it deserved each and every one of them.

Lucy In The Sky (2019)

Loosely based on the real-life story of former astronaut Lisa Nowak, the 2019 space drama Lucy in the Sky follows Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman), an astronaut so impacted by her first trip to space that she no longer feels a connection with her husband or family back home. What follows is a woman's obsession with getting back to space, no matter what it takes or will cost her. As the movie goes on, Lucy becomes obsessed with two of her fellow astronauts and that's where things take a turn. It failed to gain any traction at the box office and was panned by critics when it was initially released, but it still offers an in-depth look at the psyche of someone deeply affected by space travel.

Life (2017)

In addition to all the grand and critically acclaimed space travel movies releases in the 2010s, there was also a great deal of horror and hard sci-fi thrillers to come out. One of the beset examples of that is the terrifying alien flick Life which boasted an incredible cast that included Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Rebecca Ferguson as members of a crew aboard the International Space Station who receive a soil sample from the Martian surface that is believed to contain life. Once the sample is brought aboard the ship, the madness begins to unfold, slowly at first, before reaching a fever pitch as an alien life form takes out the scientists one by one as they try to prevent it from getting to Earth.

High Life (2018)

Robert Pattinson is preparing for the release of one of his biggest features yet in Tenet, and still filming what could prove to be a career-defining role in 2021's The Batman, but the former Twilight star isn't a newcomer when it comes to sci-fi thrillers and moody space movies. For example, take a look at Claire Denis' 2018 sci-fi drama High Life in which Pattinson plays Monte, one of several prisoners with death sentences sent to the depths of space to find a black hole where they are to extract a new form of energy. In addition to dealing with dark matter surrounding the infinite abyss that is the black hole, the film also deals with the birth of children through artificial insemination, finding one's place in the universe, and coming to terms with one's past.

The Wandering Earth (2019)

You might remember The Wandering Earth not because you saw the 2019 Chinese sci-fi epic but because of the headlines inspired by the fact that it brought in $700 million at the box office, with less than $6 million of that coming domestically. Despite not too many people seeing it during its brief run in the United States, The Wandering Earth reached a new audience on Netflix, where people got to see the ridiculousness of the movie's plot. Set in 2061, the story centers around a civilization on Earth who feels its more viable to simply move Earth to another star when the Sun turns into a red giant. This unconventional approach to the genre is pretty revolutionary and offers a breath of fresh air (unlike for the inhabitants of the planet in transit) to the premise of a space travel feature.

Europa Report (2013)

Found footage films were all the rage in the early years of the 2010s and it was only a matter of time before something like Europa Report hit theaters and streaming services around the world. This 2013 sci-fi horror film splices together footage from the fictional Europa One mission as it sets off to Jupiter's moon of the same name after it's discovered to potentially harbor life. Even after the crew loses contact with Earth, they push forward with their mission as they see how far they are willing to go in order to learn if life does exist outside the comfort of our home planet.

Hidden Figures (2016)

And then there is the 2016 biographical drama Hidden Figures, which technically doesn't deal with the main characters going and traveling through space, but its portrayal of the female mathematicians who were instrumental in helping American astronauts leave Earth's surface in the early 1960s. Based on a true story, the Academy Award-nominated picture takes an extensive look at the ups and downs of the African American women who fought racial injustices at NASA while the space agency was fighting the Soviets in the heat of the Space Race. And plus, the performances from Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe make Hidden Figures worth it alone.

This isn't even beginning to scratch the surface of all the great space travel movies that came out between 2010 and 2019, so let me know your favorites that might have slipped through the cracks.

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While there is still much we do not really know, or can really comprehend so far, about Tenet, one thing that is clear is how the plot seems to involve the reversal of time. Fittingly, yet unfortunately so, time really does seems to be going in reverse for Christopher Nolan’s latest mind bender.

Once again, the highly anticipated sci-fi spectacle has been delayed in response to COVID-19, but this time, Tenet’s release date is as much a mystery as most of its ambitious writer and director’s filmography and will remain so until further notice. However, that does not give heartbroken fans any reason to put all that time to waste. In fact, there are plenty of films of a similar theme, from Christopher Nolan and other filmmakers, that are available to watch on your favorite streaming services or through digital rental while you wait.

Of course, with a concept so unique and, as cast member Robert Pattinson put it, “unreal,” as Tenet promises, how could a movie that can appropriately fill its indefinite void already exist? I have 12 in mind you can stream or rent right now without any altering a second in the flow of time.

Inception (Amazon Rental)

Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) leads a team of highly skilled thieves who specialize in extracting ideas from within their targets' dreams, but face the greatest challenge of their career when a former victim hires them to perform the opposite: the seemingly impossible task of implanting an idea into the mind their employer's business rival.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: The plot of Tenet, and several other entries on this list alone, shed light on Christopher Nolan's fascination with the manipulation of time, but the Oscar-winning Inception sees him introduce the concept of the manipulation of the human mind in a more literal, unique, and visually striking way that is almost unprecedented to film.

Rent Inception on Amazon here.

Arrival (Amazon Rental)

A linguistics expert (Amy Adams) and a physicist (Jeremy Renner) are enlisted by an Army colonel (Forest Whitaker) to figure out how to communicate with a newly discovered race of extra-terrestrials in order to understand the reason for their earthly visit.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: That in itself is a tricky thing to answer because Arrival, a most sophisticated alien "invasion" film from director Denis Villeneuve, is the kind of film that benefits from knowing as little as possible, but how Amy Adams' heroine comes to learn the Heptapods' intentions also allows her to see the world, and her own life, in a way that defies human limitation.

Rent Arrival on Amazon here.

Looper (Amazon Rental)

A young mafia hitman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose targets are sent back from the future finds himself out of a job and in a great deal of trouble when he fails to take out his latest victim: his older self (Bruce Willis).

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Like Christopher Nolan, Rian Johnson is a filmmaker who revels in complex storytelling and, like much of Nolan's work, Johnson's 2012 masterpiece Looper cleverly introduces new concepts that alter your perspective of time, while keeping you entranced by its brilliant, noir-inspired execution.

Rent Looper on Amazon here.

Frequency (MAX GO)

A hard-nosed New York cop (Jim Caviezel) is able to speak to his late father (Dennis Quaid) over HAM radio by some unexplainable phenomena that connects them across 30 years, a swelling reunion event which proves to have grave consequences.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Christopher Nolan has assured audiences that Tenet is not a time travel film and neither is 1999's Frequency, but it does involve a pair of do-gooders who take advantage of their ability to manipulate time in order to prevent tragedy, but unlike Tenet, it also happens to be a heartwarming father and son tale.

Stream Frequency on MAX GO here.

Rent Frequency on Amazon here.

Interstellar (Amazon)

To save a dying Earth, a former NASA pilot (Matthew McConaughey) is forced to leave his daughter behind by leading a team of explorers on an outer space expedition in search of a new planet for the human race to call home.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Amid its breathtaking, Kubrick-esque visuals and pre-apocalyptic themes, Interstellar is sort of like Christopher Nolan's astronautical take on Frequency, with the heart of story focusing on McConaughey and daughter (Jessica Chastain), separated by many years thanks to a wormhole, which is where the Tenet comparisons come in.

Rent Interstellar on Amazon here.

The Endless (Netflix)

After receiving a mysterious video tape, two adult brothers (Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson) return to the cult they escaped years earlier, which soon evolves into an escape from a worse fate than they could have ever expected.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Here we transition from a pair of parent-child stories to the sibling relationship at the core of The Endless, which is another film I am not at liberty to go into specifics as to how it relates to Tenet, but do feel comfortable describing it as a unique, Lovecraftian nightmare that reminds you how short life can be, convincing you to be thankful for that.

Stream The Endlesss On Neftlix here.

Rent The Endless On Amazon here.

Insomnia (HBO Max)

A Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) engages in a harrowing cat and mouse game with a clever murderer (Robin Williams) in the Alaskan town of Nightmute at a time when the sun never sets.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: This is actually one of Christopher Nolan's more grounded thrillers that does not delve into high-concept science fiction however, in this American update of the Swedish 1997 thriller Insomnia, Al Pacino's Will Dormer suffers from a skewed perception of time and reality, like John David Washington's character must feel in Tenet, due to a string of sleepless nights during Alaska's Midnight Sun.

Stream Insomnia on HBO Max here.

Rent Insomnia on Amazon here.

Donnie Darko (IMDb TV, Tubi)

In the late 1980s, a troubled teen (Jake Gyllenhaal), his family, and others from his seemingly idyllic town begin to suffer from increasingly strange and traumatic circumstances, which he may be the key to stopping.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Christopher Nolan was actually an early supporter of this twisted, sci-fi take on the high school genre from writer and director Richard Kelly and probably admires it most for when the title character of Donnie Darko responds to the apocalyptic warnings of a creepy-ass rabbit with time travel as a potential solution.

Stream Donnie Darko on IMDb TV here or on Tubi here.

Rent Donnie Darko on Amazon here.

Deja Vu (MAX GO)

After joining a top secret program that uses an experimental method of surveillance to provide in-depth observation of past events, a New Orleans ATF agent (Denzel Washington) decides to take this technology to the next step in hopes of preventing a devastating terrorist attack.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: When comparing Deja Vu to what we know so far about Tenet, it seem to me that when fans of this twisty sci-fi thriller from director Tony Scott finally Christopher Nolan's latest, they may experience some slight deja vu themselves, and not just because it stars Denzel's son.

Stream Deja Vu on MAX GO here.

Rent Deja Vu on Amazon here.

Memento (Tubi, IMDb TV)

A grieving insurance investigator (Guy Pierce) tries to find his wife's killer, despite a debilitating disorder that prevents him from retaining any memory of what took place just before.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Deja vu is certainly not something that the protagonist of Christopher Nolan's American debut has the luxury of in Memento, a brilliant film noir that cleverly puts the audience in Pierce's mindset by presenting the events in reverse, a method that, as previously established, is what Tenet is all about.

Stream Memento on Tubi here or on IMDb TV here.

Rent Memento on Amazon here.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Starz)

A man suffering from a crushing break-up (Jim Carrey) discovers that his ex-lover (Academy Award-nominee Kate Winslet) has undergone a procedure to erase her memory of him and decides to the same with his memory of her.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: This is yet another film that uses reverse sequential order to tell its main story, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is, instead, about a man trying to forget his girlfriend, in this dreamy, hypnotic, and heartbreaking masterpiece that is, ironically, hard to forget.

Stream Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Starz here.

Rent Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Amazon here.

Mr. Nobody (Amazon)

The last mortal in a futuristic world of immortals (Jared Leto) recounts his life story to a journalist, who is unable to decipher which of the three, concurrent tales reflects his subject's true arc.

Why it is good to watch while Tenet is delayed: Jaco Van Dormael’s Mr. Nobody is an under-appreciated, multi-layered analysis of the lasting power of consequence that not only plays around with the manipulation of time, but also deals with where we come from when we are born, where we go when we die, and the concept is existing in multiple realities at one time, amounting to one of the most dazzling cinematic trips in recent memory.

Rent Mr. Nobody on Amazon here.

What do you think? Do these films quench your thirst for Tenet or do they only make your hungrier for more Nolanesque time manipulation? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional updates on the long-awaited, fantastic espionage thriller, as well as even more recommendations of what you should look for to rent or stream, here on CinemaBlend.

Christopher Nolan is one of the 21st century's most inspiring, groundbreaking and innovative filmmakers. Every movie he’s directed has been a critical success, a box office success or both. Usually, it’s both. Starting with Following in 1999, he’s been putting out hits for twenty years, and in that time, I’ve been able to pick out some trends along the way.

Most directors reuse techniques and trademarks they’re comfortable with. However, sometimes, a director reuses something so much it becomes predictable, bland and distracts from the overall work. Here are seven things Christopher Nolan likes to reuse in his movies.

Nonlinear Storytelling

By now, nonlinear storytelling is one of Christopher Nolan’s core trademarks. This technique tells a story by breaking up the timeline, rather than telling the story sequentially along a timeline. It’s by no means a new technique and has been used for a long time in a variety of media, but nevertheless, Christopher Nolan likes to use it... a lot. He started using nonlinear storytelling in Following, his first feature film about a writer that follows people for material and inspiration. However, it’s in Memento that he took the technique to new, mind-bending extremes. This movie, and its use of nonlinear storytelling, is arguably what established him as a visionary filmmaker.

Rather than call it a day and put nonlinear storytelling away, Christopher Nolan leaned into the storytelling formula more. From Batman Begins to Dunkirk, nonlinear storytelling is used in one way, shape or form. Of his movies, Inception is the closest he comes to returning to the confusing, cerebral extremes of Memento.

While his consistent use of this technique has widely played to his strengths as a storyteller, recently some movie critics have called him out for using it too much, specifically with his latest movie, Dunkirk. One critic wrote of Dunkirk:

It’s hard to say if Christopher Nolan will use nonlinear storytelling in Tenet. Still, from the looks of the trailer and talk of “inversion” and time travel, I suspect he will.

Michael Caine

Since playing the role of Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Begins, Sir Michael Caine has appeared in every Christopher Nolan movie. He’s become something of a lucky charm for Nolan. That’s not to say he puts him in large roles. Oftentimes Caine will appear only for a few small scenes. In Dunkirk, Michael Caine only came on for a sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, where his voice is heard over Tom Hardy’s radio. Christopher Nolan even admitted at the time that Caine had to be in the movie in some form.

In Tenet, Michael Caine got more than a voice-over cameo. According to Caine, he did one day’s work for one scene with John David Washington, which is likely the same scene we see in the trailer. Honestly, there’s little reason Christopher Nolan shouldn’t keep reusing Caine in his movies. He’s an extraordinary, two-time Academy Award winning actor, after all. At the same time, unless he plans to use him in a large, meaningful role, perhaps he’s become more of a distraction than anything else?

Trains

Alright, hear me out on this one. No, Christopher Nolan doesn't use trains in every movie, but I think his use of them is more significant than it looks. The first example of this was in Batman Begins. If you recall, Thomas Wayne builds a train in the city as means of cheap transportation. Ra’s Al Ghul later tries to use this train against Gotham by pumping Scarecrow’s poisonous gas into the city. Of course, Batman allows the crashing train to kill Ra’s Al Ghul instead.

Near the beginning of The Prestige, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) rides a train to Colorado Springs to visit Nikola Tesla, hopeful that the destination will solve some of his problems. He wants Tesla to build him a machine for his next magic trick. But it’s really in Inception where trains become an important motif. While Cob and Mal are in Limbo, they lay their heads down on the train tracks while Cob says, “You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope the train will take you, but you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Now, tell me why?”

The train kills them in the dream and brings them back to reality. But Mal can’t accept that it actually is reality and jumps out of a window. Later, while Cob and his crew are burrowing into the recesses of Robert Fischer’s mind, the same train comes down a city road, smashing through cars. What Cob says about the train is more important than the train itself. The train is a symbol of linear time, going from one point to another. Most people see this as an assurance that they know the train will take them from point A to point B, but from what Cob says, there is no real assurance of this.

Christopher Nolan uses the train to signify what we hope for in the future along a timeline. They’re a vehicle for where we want to go and what we want to do. For Thomas Wayne, that meant helping the poor. For Ra’s Al Ghul, that meant destroying Gotham and starting over. For Bruce Wayne, well, that meant destroying the train entirely and killing Ra’s Al Ghul in the process. Christopher Nolan seems to conclude we don’t really know what will happen on the train ride, and that it doesn’t matter in the end anyway.

All of this brings us to Tenet. I couldn’t help but notice the train scene in the Tenet trailer, which I find humorously suspect since the movie deals with the reverse flow of time. Will these trains play a large role in the story? There’s no real way of knowing until we see the movie, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

Time Relativity

Similar to reusing nonlinear storytelling as a technique, Christopher Nolan loves exploring the concept of time, specifically in Memento, Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk. In Memento, Leonard has no real concept of time because of his memory loss. Without the ability to make memories, he’s stuck in a loop, constantly reliving the same tragedy over and over again. Inception is a sort of kindred spirit to this idea, except it’s not about memory this time, but dreams and reality. Like Joseph-Gordon Levitt’s character says,”Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in the dream.” This long duration of time, however, also warps the character’s sense of reality, confusing them from what is real and what is a dream.

Interstellar plays with time relativity even more, using some real science theory to back it up, no less. However, in contrast to Inception, for Matthew McConaughey’s character Cooper, time becomes a precious commodity. One hour on the first planet he visits equals seven years back on Earth. He watches emotionally as his kids become adults while he stays the same.

Watch the first trailer for Dunkirk, and you’ll hear time ticking away. With this movie, it’s less about time dilation and more about immediacy. Time is closing in on our heroes as they fight for survival, each hero at land, sea and air experiencing time in different ways.

With Tenet, Christopher Nolan is back to his old ways of twisting and manipulating time to confuse the audience, not to mention the actors themselves. But, this time around, the story is about the reverse flow of time.

Paradoxes

I think it’s safe to say most audiences hate paradoxes. Typically, we want things to logically make sense and to resolve in an understandable way. If something in a movie doesn’t resolve itself neatly, the usual complaint is that there’s a “plot hole.” But a paradox, by definition, can’t be resolved, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Inception and Interstellar are the two most obvious examples of using paradoxes. In Inception, Christopher Nolan even gives the audience a blatant heads up when Arthur and Ariadne walk on the penrose stairs, aka. the infinite staircase. He’s practically telling everyone, “Guys, the ending of this movie is going to mess with your head.”

But it’s Interstellar where the time loop paradox comes on hot and heavy. If you’ll recall, the messages Cooper tries to give his daughter, Murph, are coming from the bookshelves. Murph uses this information from the future to save the world and eventually reunite with her father out in space. It’s a prime example of the causal loop paradox. If you didn’t catch it, Tenet handed us a paradox at the end of the trailer when John David Washington’s character says, “This reversing the flow of time, doesn’t us being here now, mean it never happened?” You better believe Tenet’s paradoxes are going to give people headaches.

Epistemology

Epistemology means the study of knowledge. It typically asks the questions, “What do we know? How do we know?” These questions play a central role in many of Christopher Nolan's movies, starting with, you guessed it, Memento. And that only makes sense since the subject matter of memory loss lends itself to the topic. Memento asks the question, “How do we know our memories are true?” With Leonard’s impaired memory, questions naturally arise about how he can know something is true. Almost every character questions him about the reliability of his memories and what he can really know for sure. By the end, we learn that Leonard’s present truth is lies he wrote down on his Polaroids.

The Prestige asks the question, “How do we know what we see is true?” In this movie, two magicians, played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, bend and twist the truth in front of an audience for entertainment. People want to be deceived for fun. Christopher Nolan reveals this with the line by Cutter, played by Michael Caine, “Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.”

But next to Memento, the Christopher Nolan movie that plays even heavier with these themes is Inception, which asks the question, “How do we know the real world from the dream world?” In the story, to help determine the dream world from the real world, Cob and his dream thieves use totems. At one point in the story, Cob and Mal go so deep in the dream world that they can no longer tell the difference until Cob brings them back out by planting an idea in Mal’s mind with inception. But, while in the real world, she still thinks she’s in a dream.

These threads of knowledge and truth stay fairly persistent in his work. And Christopher Nolan’s usual answer is that people don’t really want the truth; they want their truth, and who are you to tell them otherwise? Along with the paradox I mentioned before, Tenet is already laying the groundwork for more philosophical questions, like “How do we know something actually happened at all?”

Christopher Nolan reusing all of this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most directors reuse the stuff that made them successful. Sometimes these tried-and-true techniques should be reused. Tenet, though, already feels a little too familiar just after watching the trailer, like he’s getting repackaging old concepts. The danger for Nolan here is reusing so much that it becomes a faint echo rather than a powerful noise; it becomes eye roll-inducing rather than a gleaming inspiration. As a fan of Christopher Nolan, I’d rather his movies be the latter.

Of course, this isn't a full list. There's probably stuff I didn't mention. What are things you think Christopher Nolan reuses in his movies? Let us know in the comments!

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Of the recent films that aim to imagine what future we may be heading toward, it seems that Ad Astra is one of the most accurate and, in some ways, the most optimistic. That being said, to say that the film itself is optimistic in its content is a whole different discussion entirely. In the somber interplanetary adventure from co-writer and director James Gray, Academy Award-winner Brad Pitt plays Astronaut Roy McBride, who is tasked with a top secret mission to search the deepest reaches of outer space for his long lost father (Tommy Lee Jones). His expedition takes the audience on a tour of a futuristic society that does not feel far out of reach (including commercial space travel), but it's also an often horrifying cautionary tale that might even keep Elon Musk up at night.

Ad Astra is far from being the first film that might discourage children from pursuing their dreams of walking on the Moon (especially out of fear of an ambush by space pirates), but it is arguably one of the best of its subgenre and possesses some fascinating themes and ideas. If you're a fan of that kind of stuff, the good news is that many are available to stream or rent on many of your favorite platforms – including these twelve titles:

2001: A Space Odyssey (HBO Max)

Name just about any futuristic space travel adventure made in the last 50 years (Ad Astra most definitely included) and you can easily see how it was inspired by this highly influential sci-fi classic from one of the most highly influential filmmakers in history. Winner of the 1969 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Stanley Kubrick's viscerally stunning adaptation of the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke is an epic battle of wits between man and machine in the midst of an expedition to find the origins of mysterious artifact found on the Moon.

Stream 2001: A Space Odyssey on HBO Max here

Rent 2001: A Space Odyssey on Amazon here

First Man (Amazon Rental)

Just a year after the Moon served as the starting point of the adventure in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, in reality Earth's lunar satellite was a long sought-after destination that mankind finally reached when Neil Armstrong stepped onto its surface. You will feel like a front seat passenger of that journey in Damien Chazelle's First Man – an engrossing, in-depth retelling of the historic Moon landing through the eyes of Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), who is revealed to be a more complicated and socially distant instant individual than most people may believe. (one could point out that describes either Brad Pitt or Tommy Lee Jones' characters in Ad Astra too).

Rent First Man on Amazon here

Apollo 13 (Amazon Rental)

As previously mentioned, Ad Astra does serve as an effective lesson in the dangers of leaving Earth, but Ron Howard's pulse-pounding, Academy Award-winning 1995 thriller is the ultimate cautionary space travel tale because it's based on a terrifying true story. The source of the iconic quote "Houston, we have a problem," Apollo 13 stars Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon as a trio of astronauts who, along with their earthbound colleagues at NASA, must devise a plan to safely bring the titular spacecraft home after it suffers internal damage mid-mission.

Rent Apollo 13 on Amazon here.

Space Cowboys (HBO Max)

One could almost consider 2000's Space Cowboys to be a piece of alternative history imagining what could have happened if the men involved in the Apollo 13 disaster actually missed out on visiting space until they hit their golden years. Such is the case for four retired air force pilots (played by director Clint Eastwood, James Garner, and Ad Astra stars Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones) tasked with putting a failing satellite back into orbit. It's a fun, unearthly action film about second chances that does indeed feature the N*SYNC tune of the same name in its soundtrack.

Stream Space Cowboys on HBO Max here

Rent Space Cowboys on Amazon here

The Martian (Amazon)

Yet another fairly recent film that makes a space explorer's life look like a freaking nightmare is The Martian, which is probably the most lighthearted title to fall under that category (enough so that this highly entertaining futuristic thriller based on Andy Weir's novel and directed by Ridley Scott won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Picture in the Musical or Comedy category). Matt Damon also won a Globe for his charismatic performance as an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet, which very loosely parallels Brad Pitt's performance in Ad Astra (like if Roy McBride were a personable human being with a sly sense of humor... which he is not).