It is no secret that Christopher Nolan is one of the best, if not the best, filmmakers in the industry today. While many have tried their hand at the art, they have been unsuccessful at doing what Christopher Nolan does. The director has redefined the boundaries of storytelling and continues to push them with every film he makes.
Now, the director is coming out with Oppenheimer, one of the most highly anticipated films in a long while. Christopher Nolan will be continuing his streak of creating complex, intellectual films that he believes his audience is capable enough to follow. Therefore, it came as a surprise when it was revealed that he is a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise.
Christopher Nolan Enjoys the Fast and Furious Films
The team of Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon – joined The Hollywood Reporter to talk about their upcoming film which the world is looking forward to. During their conversation, Blunt, who plays Katherine Oppenheimer, revealed that Nolan loves watching any kind of film, regardless of the genre.
“He watches every single movie, of every type of genre. And you never hear him sh*t-talk other people’s movies. He knows how hard it is to direct a great movie.”
This includes the extremely popular Fast and Furious franchise. Back in 2020, Nolan himself told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about his love for the movie, citing Rob Cohen’s The Fast and the Furious as his favorite of all. However, he did add that he has a soft spot for Tokyo Drift.
“I’m sort of original recipe, the Rob Cohen original. But I’ve got a very soft spot for Tokyo Drift actually. And Justin Lin’s iterations, as they got crazier and bigger and crazier and bigger they became something else, but something else kinda fun.”
While many might not appreciate the sequels getting “crazier and bigger”, Nolan is all for the motion. He believes the audience wants sequels to be crazier than their predecessors, something the Fast and Furious franchise has mastered.
“The fun thing about those [Fast and Furious] movies is even as they’ve gotten bigger and bigger, as sequels have to do – everyone always complains that sequels get bigger, but we are the people making sequels get bigger. We do want them bigger. You don’t want them smaller.”
So there you have it. Nolan loves watching the adrenaline-filled franchise that has been on since 2001. Perhaps it is a bit of a guilty pleasure?
Fans React to Christopher Nolan Liking the F&F Franchise
What films Nolan likes to watch is completely up to him, however, fans of the filmmaker cannot seem to grasp the idea that someone like Nolan would be a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise. Why?
Well, Nolan’s films and the F&F franchise reside on the opposite ends of the cinematic spectrum. On one hand, the Inception director makes films that are intellectual and complex enough to challenge the minds of the viewers. On the other hand, Fast and Furious films rely on adrenaline-filled action to keep the audience captivated.
Here’s what Twitter has to say about Nolan being an F&F fan:
He watches them so he knows what not to do for his movies.
— Lucci (@L_O_K_E) July 14, 2023
Everyone has guilty pleasures. It’s okay to enjoy bad films.
— Light (@light47) July 14, 2023
Dwayne Johnson Insta story boutta go crazy
— SpongeBob Sports (@SpongeManSports) July 14, 2023
Sorry Emily but I don’t believe you. I refuse to believe you
— Fred Glynn (@Fred__Glynn) July 14, 2023
I feel like Nolan gets some value out of even a film like Fast and Furious. As much as people talk shit about the movie, there are some technical accomplishments it’s made that make it the popular action franchise it is.
— Joseph Kolber (@JosephKolber) July 14, 2023
Well, it is not necessary that Nolan has to only like the kind of films he makes. He can have his own preferences. Although, we do wonder what his Netflix watchlist looks like!
Nolan’s Oppenheimer releases in theatres on July 21, 2023. You can stream most of the Fast and Furious films on Peacock Premium and the rest is available to rent/buy on Prime Video.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter; Collider
