Written by: Kevin Berge
If you thought Inception was weird, you haven't seen anything yet. (Image Courtesy of: theverge.com)
Quick Take: Tenet has the deep imagination of Christopher Nolan's best work. Bold, fresh, and cinematic, this is an experience worth watching on a big screen, but it lacks strong human characters to capture its feigned deep emotions.
***This review will not contain spoilers beyond the basic set-up of Tenet. If you wish to go in completely blind, you will not want to read past this point, but those looking for more information to know if it is worth seeing can read ahead without risk.***
Few men fall more deeply into the rabbit hole of possibility quite like Christopher Nolan. From Inception to Interstellar, he has been raising the game for years on that front, showcasing how much an idea can define an entire film-going experience.
Tenet is the latest high-concept science fiction adventure from Nolan, and it is impressively complex on the surface. This film follows the idea of time inversion where the characters face the threat of what can be done by reversing the flow of time.
If you enjoyed the other high-concept experiences Nolan had provided over the years, this should be no different. It is a wild ride that forces the viewer to pay attention. Those who do will find a story at its core that was more complex to map than it is to understand.
The mileage will vary for many on Tenet. It is not a character story, but that's fairly common for these types of films. The Protagonist (John David Washington) does not get a name. His main ally Neil (Robert Pattinson) is an underdeveloped character.
Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) has the most human role in the story, but she also seems more like a plot hindrance than a true person. Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), the main villain, is a simplistic villain whose motivations could have been written for a basic animated TV show.
Despite all this, Tenet works. It works because its ideas are so sound. It is an engaging ride driven by the mind of the director and screenwriter. This is middle-of-the-pack Nolan, but that is still an entertaining time from start to finish.
Few men fall more deeply into the rabbit hole of possibility quite like Christopher Nolan. From Inception to Interstellar, he has been raising the game for years on that front, showcasing how much an idea can define an entire film-going experience.
Tenet is the latest high-concept science fiction adventure from Nolan, and it is impressively complex on the surface. This film follows the idea of time inversion where the characters face the threat of what can be done by reversing the flow of time.
If you enjoyed the other high-concept experiences Nolan had provided over the years, this should be no different. It is a wild ride that forces the viewer to pay attention. Those who do will find a story at its core that was more complex to map than it is to understand.
The mileage will vary for many on Tenet. It is not a character story, but that's fairly common for these types of films. The Protagonist (John David Washington) does not get a name. His main ally Neil (Robert Pattinson) is an underdeveloped character.
Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) has the most human role in the story, but she also seems more like a plot hindrance than a true person. Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), the main villain, is a simplistic villain whose motivations could have been written for a basic animated TV show.
Despite all this, Tenet works. It works because its ideas are so sound. It is an engaging ride driven by the mind of the director and screenwriter. This is middle-of-the-pack Nolan, but that is still an entertaining time from start to finish.
Robert Pattinson has been on quite a venture to get to his next blockbuster premiere. Even COVID-19 could not stop him. (Image Courtesy of: nytimes.com)
Where Tenet works best is as it truly begins its final act. After building solid foundations, the movie dives into the concepts of its story fully. Many will call this film complicated and confusing, but that mainly comes from not listening.
It does not help that this film's sound mixing is not great. The music is overbearing, leading to many points where it is difficult to piece together the dialogue. This only aids the sense that what is being said matters less than what is being done.
The cast do well in their roles. Washington (BlacKkKlansmen) continues to show he's an absolute leading man. Pattinson (Good Time) is fantastically charismatic and fun as the mysterious side character of the story. The rest of the cast bring what they can to limited roles and keep the action moving.
The movie truly shines through its action though. This is a big budget spy film, and it makes the most of its budget and scenery. As the story ramps up, so do the stunts needed to get by. Tenet is a great movie to watch on a big screen, though most will be fine just seeing it on a small one.
Exploring what Tenet is doing and trying to say will occupy my mind for a long time. I find myself eternally amused by stories like this, concepts with this much heft. There are layers left to be explored at the core of this film.
Luckily, Tenet only explains enough to get by. It explains a lot, but it would be impossible to follow otherwise. The eternally fascinating promise with the movie is that no one is quite seeing things from the right perspective.
I wish the characters were stronger. I wish the sound mixing was tighter. In the end though, it was still an enjoyable ride with some ideas that I can honestly say no one else has pulled off in cinema. This is the type of story that was only possible in novel form until the current era, especially on this scale.
It does not help that this film's sound mixing is not great. The music is overbearing, leading to many points where it is difficult to piece together the dialogue. This only aids the sense that what is being said matters less than what is being done.
The cast do well in their roles. Washington (BlacKkKlansmen) continues to show he's an absolute leading man. Pattinson (Good Time) is fantastically charismatic and fun as the mysterious side character of the story. The rest of the cast bring what they can to limited roles and keep the action moving.
The movie truly shines through its action though. This is a big budget spy film, and it makes the most of its budget and scenery. As the story ramps up, so do the stunts needed to get by. Tenet is a great movie to watch on a big screen, though most will be fine just seeing it on a small one.
Exploring what Tenet is doing and trying to say will occupy my mind for a long time. I find myself eternally amused by stories like this, concepts with this much heft. There are layers left to be explored at the core of this film.
Luckily, Tenet only explains enough to get by. It explains a lot, but it would be impossible to follow otherwise. The eternally fascinating promise with the movie is that no one is quite seeing things from the right perspective.
I wish the characters were stronger. I wish the sound mixing was tighter. In the end though, it was still an enjoyable ride with some ideas that I can honestly say no one else has pulled off in cinema. This is the type of story that was only possible in novel form until the current era, especially on this scale.
