Christopher Nolan‘s period drama Oppenheimer was arguably the best film of last year. 2024, however, was not a monumental one for the filmmaker, barring the historic re-release of his 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar on its 10th anniversary. Nolan has now spilled the beans to Variety on what his favourite film of this year was. (Also Read – Sir Christopher Nolan and Dame Emma Thomas: King Charles honours filmmaker couple, says he liked Oppenheimer)
Nolan’s pick
Nolan selected Ridely Scott’s period action epic Gladiator II as his pick of the year. In a long note to Variety, Nolan stated, “Scott knows we’re not there for insights into Roman culture; we’re there to see our own dark desires at a comfortable remove. But he’s far too experienced a director to get caught making parallels with our time. He lets the world of “Gladiator II” speak for itself, once again showing us who we are simply by inviting us to enjoy the crazy inflationary ride.”
“Like the best long-awaited sequels, “Gladiator II” must be a remake and sequel in one, and it’s testament to Scott’s brilliance that he manages to balance the individual pathos of the original with the expansionist demands of the sequel’s central theme, bringing a lifetime of experience in controlling tone. Scott raises the game with the staging of his action — his incredible, hyper-observant, multi-camera mise-en-scène (so different to the original) masterfully wrestles the action into clear and jaw-dropping sequence after sequence. The effect is not just to entertain, but to drive us towards awareness of the movie’s themes. Few filmmakers have ever worked so invisibly on multiple levels,” Nolan added.
Not Dune: Part Two
Nolan had earlier hailed another sequel by another auteur – Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two, which he called a “miraculous job of adaptation.” Taking the second half and making an incredible conclusion to the story,” said Nolan, adding, “What a remarkable piece of work.”
Nolan added, “If, to me, Dune was like Star Wars, then Dune 2 is The Empire Strikes Back, which is my favourite Star Wars film. I think it’s just a great expansion of all that was introduced in the first one.” What I was really struck by is the sense of immersion in that world,” he continued.
Nolan shared, “It’s a film that has so many unique images, so many things you’ve never seen before in this movie, time after time, and I was so struck by the detail of everything.”
Nolan is currently developing his next, which stars Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, and Zendaya.
