That’s right, folks. Not only do we have a new movie to review, but a theatrical release at that! Christopher Nolan’s Tenet marks the first big release to hit theaters in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And yes, that does bring with it some complicated issues and questions. Namely, “Should theaters be open?” and “Is it safe to go if they’re open in your state?”
I’m not going to get too deep in the weeds on this one. What I will say is this. I lucked out and found a showtime that had about 10 people in a theater with a capacity of around 100. I changed my tickets a few times until I found a showtime that I felt comfortable with. This review of Tenet is just that, a review of a movie. Everyone needs to make their own decisions on what they’re comfortable doing. If going to a movie theater sketches you out, wait. Tenet isn’t going anywhere.
“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.”
This line is spoken somewhat early on in Tenet by Clémence Poésy’s scientist character, Laura, to John David Washington’s Protagonist (yes, that’s the only name he’s given). Some have taken that as mirroring Christopher Nolan’s message to the audience. I would disagree on the “don’t try to understand” side of things. But “feel it?” Yeah, Tenet is absolutely an experience for you to feel. And in that lies its greatest strengths.
Washington’s Protagonist finds himself in a race against time (in more ways that one) to prevent untold death and destruction from being unleashed upon the world. Behind the nefarious plot is Russian Arms dealer Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh). Working with the Protagonist are his partner Neil (Robert Pattinson) and Sator’s abused and neglected wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki).
(If that feels lite for a plot synopsis, that’s intentional. Better to go into it as much in the dark as possible, so I’ll give the bare minimum in that department.)
Time travel? None for me, thanks
The movie makes a great effort to ensure the audience knows Tenet is not a time travel movie, at least not in the way you might be used to. But instead it deals in time inversion. I won’t bore you with an attempted explanation other than, things happen, other things happen in reverse, you’re maybe not quite certain what you just saw but you know it was awesome.
And that, at least to a degree, defines the movie. Tenet features some of the most awe-inspiring set pieces – full of truly exceptional practical effects – you’re likely to have seen. Nolan fully demonstrates his great gifts as an action director with some of the most innovative fight scenes ever put to screen. The way they’re cut and edited together, with characters concurrently moving forward and in reverse, nothing short of incredible. And the acting is top notch up and down the line. This is all interwoven with a complicated, at times convoluted, plot that some will feel like they’re constantly playing catch-up on.
The main points of the story should be easy enough to follow. But it’s the intricacies of exactly what’s happening, and especially how it’s happening, that may leave viewers scratching their heads. If you’re looking for areas to dock Tenet a few points, this is likely to be one of them.
But if you allow yourself to become immersed in the technical aspects, the visuals, the score (already an all-time great, by the fantastic Ludwig Göransson), really feel it like Laura instructed, that’s how to get the most out of the Tenet experience. That’s not to say, though, that Tenet‘s shortcomings are completely forgiven. Even though Tenet isn’t a time travel movie in the traditional sense, it still falls victim to several of the same problems that plague almost every time travel movie, book, TV show that you can think of. Nolan does a decent job trying to address some of them, but with how high-concept the rest of Tenet is, that area certainly left something to be desired.
Character motivation? Never heard of it
While there are no faults to be found with the acting performances, the characters themselves may not be to everyone’s liking. Both the Protagonist and Neil have little else, if anything, propelling them forward other than “This is the job.” The Protagonist’s relationship with Kat adds a little something there, but not much. And Branagh’s Sator is motivated by a stereotypical “Bad guy wants to do bad things because he’s a bad guy.”
And that won’t work for some people, which is somewhat understandable. But why can’t it work? The Protagonist is a former CIA agent who wants, even needs, to save the world. That’s Neil’s job as well. Why can’t that be enough? If Tenet was a smaller scale movie with smaller stakes (think something like Man on Fire), then sure, stronger emotional connections to the characters would be warranted. But here, they’re trying to save the world, because if they don’t, no one else will. Seems like a worthy motivation to me. Sator is a bit different, however. As enjoyable as Branagh is in the role, something more original would have been a welcome addition.
It’s Debicki’s Kat, then, who serves as Tenet’s heart and soul. She provides nearly all the emotional weight. And she knocks it out of the park, turning in the film’s best performance. Unfortunately, her character isn’t much more than a tired damsel in distress trope. One of the biggest and most often cited criticisms Nolan receives is his lack of good, strong female characters. It’s too bad to say that’s on full display again. Debicki salvages the role as well as can be expected. Given the lack of character depth she had to work with, it makes her performance all the more impressive.
Sound
I’ve seen too many critics and fans criticizing the sound mixing, so I have to defend it here. Nolan’s films have become known for booming scores and eardrum-blasting sound. And Tenet is no different. But while many are complaining about not being able to hear huge chunks of the dialogue, I did not have that problem. There were maybe a couple lines where I couldn’t hear exactly what was said. But it was nothing worth complaining about. I don’t know what would cause one showing to be so much better or worse than another. You may need to pay a little more attention to the dialogue than you would in most movies, but it’s nothing worth worrying about.
Bottom line
Tenet is Christopher Nolan at his most Christopher Nolan-y. Whether that’s a good thing or not is left up the viewer.
Score: 90/100
