Christopher Nolan returns to cinemas this weekend with his anticipated epic The Odyssey, following the Oscar-winning success of Oppenheimer.
Movie fans are eager to see how the new film ranks among his celebrated works, from The Dark Knight trilogy to Interstellar and Inception.
One film rarely cited among favourites is his 2020 time-bending action thriller Tenet, yet it stands as perhaps his most underrated effort and a stronger work than the beloved 2010 science-fiction film Inception.
Inception emerged after The Dark Knight delivered a billion-dollar return, granting Nolan unrestricted creative freedom for his next project.
The film blends grounded action with character drama, built around the concept of entering dreams to implant ideas, and earned iconic status through inventive visuals and a sweeping score.
However, the world-building imposes rigid rules that multiply as the story deepens, constraining a premise rooted in limitless dreams.
That structural rigidity can dull the experience and leave the film feeling calculated rather than immersive.
Tenet takes the opposite approach, abandoning the need to explain its mechanics and embracing spectacle over exposition.
Released only after cinemas reopened during the pandemic, the film received a mixed critical response compared with Inception's stronger ratings.
A CIA officer joins a secret organisation tracing objects that move backwards through time to prevent a global catastrophe.
On initial viewing, the film can seem bewildering, but repeated watches reward those who stop analysing and absorb the visuals.
The film signals its intent early: a scientist advises the protagonist to stop trying to understand time inversion and simply feel it.
Its globe-trotting espionage evokes a stylish thriller, using time inversion as a fantastical hook rather than dream infiltration.
Where Nolan often uses time to probe emotion, here he pursues playful spectacle, asking how striking a reversed fight sequence might look.
The plot resists close logical scrutiny, but the originality of its imagery remains unmatched in his filmography.
Set pieces generate awe through the possibilities of inverted time in a way Inception never fully exploits within its own premise.
From reversed hand-to-hand combat to a highway pursuit and a climactic assault on a Soviet-era city, Tenet delivers Nolan's finest action work.
The film favours abandon and bombast over emotional depth, offering well-dressed stars opposing a theatrical villain amid stunning visual craft.
Viewers who struggled with Tenet on release may find renewed appreciation by revisiting it without demanding coherence.
The film's own advice remains the best guide: do not try to understand it, simply feel it.
