Tenet

Details: Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattison, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Release Date: September 3, 2020

Pros: After months of postponing and procrastinating, I finally got around to watching Tenet. The brand new Christopher Nolan movie has come out to mixed reviews but I can confidently say that Tenet is a modern masterpiece. Let's first start off with the most controversial aspect of the movie, the plot. I believe the reason why most viewers don't like the film is because of the complexity and layers of the plot. When casual viewers go to watch a movie, they do so as an escape from reality. They want to have an adventure with the protagonist for an hour and a half to two hours and then go back to their lives. Tenet provides a viewing experience that forces its audience to dig deep and truly think about the plot. Just something "as simple" as the mission the Protagonist is on is something the audience doesn't truly know until the final half an hour. Because of this, audiences get annoyed that they can't understand the film. For me, Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors so I've become accustomed to the way he constructs his plots. This allowed me to go in prepared to give my undivided attention to the film. As the movie progressed, I began to understand the plot, the motivations of each character, and how everything would be woven together. By the end of the film, I felt like I had grasped the majority of what the film was about and what the point of the movie was which allowed me to enjoy everything I had just experienced. Nolan has somehow managed to create a plot with so many moving pieces and layers without a single plot hole. Even after 24 hours of letting the movie sink in, I still cannot bring up one plot hole or discrepancy the plot arose. The concept of time inversion is one that was explained pretty well in the movie but the applications of it is where the beauty lies. The different scenarios time inversion is applied to makes the movie fascinating and very very complicated. Additionally, the pacing of the film is brilliant. Although the movie is almost 3 hours long, there was never a moment where I felt bored or a moment that felt too rushed. From the beginning Opera scene till the final closing shot, I felt myself on the edge of my seat. Even expository scenes were done in a fresh way that helped the audience understand more about the film without boring them. This was helped largely by the cinematography. The establishing shots, overhead shots, and even the set pieces were given to the audience in a way that immersed them into the world that Nolan had created. The Protagonist, who we follow throughout the movie, was encapsulated perfectly by John David Washington. The action was shot and executed very well. Each punch thrown felt powerful and exciting. The highway scene alone is one that will be studied by film students for decades. Even the screenplay (also done by Christopher Nolan) is filled with quips and witty lines that provoked a couple of laughs from me here and there.

Cons: While most of what I have to say about the movie is positive, there are some things that still bothered me. For one, the sound mixing could definitely use some work. While the score, composed by Ludwig Goransson, was masterfully done, it sometimes swells so loud that it covers up important dialogue. To add to this while the acting was very well done, something that Christopher Nolan has had trouble with in the past is creating characters that the audience connects with. Sometimes, when a movie is as grand and complex as this one, the director forgets the small things that play an important role in a movie. A pivotal plotline shown throughout the film is a relationship between a mother and a son that is put in jeopardy. The intention is to create empathy for the mother but as an audience member, I felt no real attachment towards either of them. The main character of the film doesn't even have a name. We only know him as The Protagonist so there's no way for us to establish any bond or attachment.

Star Rating: 9/10

Final Thoughts: While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Tenet is a complex and thought-provoking addition to Christopher Nolan's line up. With amazing action sequences, an innovative plot, and beautiful cinematography, Tenet proves that originality can still be found in movies.