I am happy to report that I was able to finally see a movie in theaters on the big screen. AMC had opened up their theaters up to 25% and I went to go see Tenet with my dad.
When I saw Joker last year in theaters, I saw the first teaser they released for this movie. When I got home, I immediately searched for it on youtube, and tried to get as much information as I could about the movie. Tenet became my most anticipated film of 2020, despite all that’s happened and the fact that I’ve already seen many films this year before this one.
I’m terrible and explaining things, so I will just give you the plot synopsis courtesy of IMDB: “Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.”
In regards to the story, it seems similar to Inception. It kind of is when you look at how Nolan manipulates time and reality. But what seems more apparent to me is, Nolan’s take on the spy genre. I heard some where that Nolan is a fan of the bond movies, and maybe wanted to make one. I believe Tenet, is that movie. The film feels very high class in the way the characters look, how they talk to each other, and the rich scenery. There is a very clean and clear look to the film, which I enjoyed, and the cinematography is top notch. So if in fact I am right, in that Tenet is Nolan’s bond movie, than he succeeded very well.
The cast is comprised of John David Washington, Robert Pattison, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, and others. It’s a very good looking ensemble, and they all do great job. Washington and Pattison have good chemistry, Debicki is a nice addition. Branagh specifically was very entertaining as Andrei, even though the character he plays is someone we’ve seen a thousand times in other movies. I truly believe that he reveled his role.
Tenet is a terrific action spectacle, and that’s probably the best thing about it. Nolan helms each action sequence with an impressive level of precision and creativity. That, combined with the sound design, elevates the intensity of the film. The execution of the score was done pretty well, and threw you right in with the characters. However, not everyone will like that part of it. In fact a lot of people are taking issue, with how overpowering, and at times overbearing, it is. I will admit, sometimes it is a bit much, and causes you to be a little disoriented. But it did not bother me that much.
While the cast did well in their respective roles, I didn’t have a emotionally involved with these characters. This, in most recent years, has become a recurring problem for Nolan. On the one hand, he has a serious talent for making films of massive scale, both physically and narratively, but he suffers when it comes to characterization and being attached to those characters.
But amongst the most little flaws, the biggest one in my eyes with Tenet is, the direction. It is a very confusing movie. There are twists and turns, which are effective. But most of the time when you see characters conversing about time travel and paradox’s, it leaves you scratching your head. Sadly, I don’t think this is a strength, to the film’s behalf. You might even surrender to how perplexing it is, and just sit back and watch the chaos.
In conclusion, Tenet does deliver on many fronts, and will leave fan’s mostly satisfied with his style. But it is far from his best work, and lack’s emotional resonance. I still recommend it though.
Cedric Cinema 