It feels like the time when Christopher Nolan was not a source of geek contention is further into the past than it probably is in actuality. Even the months before The Dark Knight Rises were belligerent as geeks engaged in a suddenly more vocal debate between those who deemed the gritty realism of the Dark Knight Trilogy to be either appropriate for the source material or detrimental to the superhero genre.
Following the divisive response to The Dark Knight Rises, that at the very least was underwhelming compared to the films predecessor, Christopher Nolan became an increasingly contentious figure. Supporting Nolan, even while admitting any shortcomings, meant one was a delusional and biased fanboy. Conversely, criticizing Nolan was met with vile and even violent reactions. Such was and arguably still is the atmosphere around the internet whenever Nolan's name is brought up.
I do not feel a need to defend or explain myself when it comes to my adoration of Christopher Nolan, but to set the record straight: I absolutely adore The Dark Knight, I love Inception in spite of my criticisms towards the first act of the film, and I find The Dark Knight Rises to be highly entertaining despite unfortunately being Nolan's weakest film. (albeit for reasons no worse than most common blockbusters *goughTheAvengerscough*).
Whatever kind of Nolan fan that makes me, even I was beginning to criticize the filmmaker and found myself yearning for the enthusiasm I once had for him to return. While Man of Steel was a box office success, it was hardly the juggernaut Warner Bros. had been hyping it up to be to say nothing of the mixed-at-best critical reception. Assigning blame between Snyder, Nolan and Goyer for the underwhelming response towards the film seems to remain a unresolved issue among nerds (I personally feel all three individuals were the wrong choice considering the source material). For some time I have been waiting for a new Christopher Nolan film to reinvigorate my support for the director. If the teaser for the 2014 film titled Interstellar is to be believed, I may just get my wish granted.
