Christopher Nolan's student film showed what a cinematic genius he would become

Christopher Nolan's student film has been branded a 'masterpiece', proving he was 'a risk-taker from the get-go'.

The three-minute psychological thriller was written, directed and shot by Nolan in 1997 during his time at uni.

Doodlebug tells the tale of a man trying to kill a bug-like creature which is in his flat, growing more anxious and paranoid as he fails to catch it.

The film was shot on 16mm film and while it was branded as an 'unremarkable student film' by The Independent writer Christopher Hooton, fans of Nolan's more recent work see it as a strong indicator of his future success to come.

The short film has a whole host of reviews from fans of the director on Rotten Tomatoes.

One comment reads: "One of Christopher Nolan's earliest film projects, Doodlebug isn't as smart and as well-thought-out as the man's future endeavours (it was clear he was inexperienced at this time and was still a student; from what I've heard, his first movie 'Following' is very much a glorified student film) but it's use of black-and-white, ending that provides metaphors that make me happy that YouTube comments exist and use of mundane, yet still decent-for-its-tiny-budget make it a nostalgic look at Nolan's humble beginnings...and likely to give fans of his work further appreciation for how far he's come since then."

Another user rates the short film nine out of 10, arguing it proves Nolan 'is a risk-taker from the get-go'.

"With a Lynchian atmosphere, Nolan created an ambitious short film that relies on visual metaphors to represent a familiar, yet important, moral message. The editing in general, and the sound editing in particular, is very exquisite, and intensified the moody and dark atmosphere that matches what the short film indicates very well," they state.

You can catch the 'nine out of 10' short film here:

A third user reflected on the film as a 'bizarre little experiment' but 'worth a watch, if only to witness Nolan's extremely humble beginnings'.

They add: "[It's] a far cry from his recent films, and while it's as cheap as you can imagine, and there's not much you can do within the span of three minutes, it does have some hints of cleverness, primarily in how the camera moves to illustration the fright and frustration experienced by our nameless lead character."

However, a Google reviewer resolved: "Wow. Just wow. This thrilling short by the legendary director Christopher Nolan is a masterpiece that just stuns you within the limited three minute duration! I felt as if was watching something bigger in terms of scale, and was left stunned by the time it ended.

"For a 1997 indie production, it deftly manages to package action, suspense, CGI and a pretty good twist by the time the end credits flash. Overall, an impressive piece by the director who is revered for similarly mind-bending as well as entertaining feature-length blockbusters."