Tenet (2020)

If there's anything that can be said about filmmaker Christopher Nolan's career, it's that his convoluted storytelling definitely requires more than one viewing to understand it. His knack for manipulating time and physics in his movies can be fun on paper but explaining it in his classic exposition dumps can threaten the tension of the conflict, depending on the situation. One of Nolan's best in that effort is still Inception for being a fun balancing act. This brings us to the auteurs latest project, Tenet, which he wrote and directed. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it went through a number of delays and was the first Hollywood blockbuster to be released in available theaters, which resulted in a $100 million loss for the Warner Brothers. I had waited until the film was available to rent at a cheap price on digital (Amazon $6 rental) and after watching it, I was left a bit underwhelmed and perplexed with the experience the filmmakers screenplay provided.

What's it about? The story follows a CIA operative who ends up getting involved with a mission to stop a plan to end the world using complex physics future technology. There is a nice amount of intrigue with the science involved in terms of the action where objects can end up moving backwards in time (such as a bullet going back into a gun). Having the subtitles on is a HUGE must in order to understand the logic of what's going on, which is manageable in the first 60-90 minutes (on my end at least). The central character serves as an earpiece for the audience to listen through as he's learning the information for the first time as they are. The action sequences themselves are well done in regards to the practical filmmaking as well as rewinding acts of destruction in a battle field. 

Unfortunately, everything else outside of that struggles to make an engaging thrilling experience. With the exception of one person, the primary characters are uninteresting to have much engagement in with the lead (who's referred to as Protagonist) being a blank individual lacking much motivation. While the third act has a cool sequence for its climax, the last minute exposition of new terminology within the final 30 minutes along with an explanation of their plan piles on too much to get the gist of why things were going down that way. Having subtitles on won't be enough to keep up with the buckets of new logic entering the fray and the lack of investment in these people as well as the stakes doesn't land excitement that Inception nailed well on that area. The hand to hand combat parts aren't as well choreographed as the big spectacle parts since this director is weak in that department (as seen in the Dark Knight trilogy). By the end, there is a reveal that adds a bit more context but it's difficult to say if rewatching it knowing that info will be worth it.

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. John does a competent performance with his protagonist role but he struggles with elevating the material that doesn't have anything to invest in. Robert fares better than him with his sparks of a personality that work between his natural charisma and supportive aid. Honorable mentions go to Kenneth Branagh for chewing the scenery as a villain. 

 

Overall Consensus: Tenet delivers on the practical strengths of Christopher Nolan with impressive spectacle sequences, solid performances, and interesting premise, but falters with overstuffed explanations and uninteresting characters. ⭑⭑⭑1/4 Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes PG-13

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Christopher Nolan. You want to challenge yourself with complex expositions regarding movie physics. You like seeing practical stunts and set pieces. You want to see how it compares to the directors filmography.

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Christopher Nolan. You dislike watching anything with complex expositions regarding movie physics that are difficult to keep up with. You want to have tense relatable stakes with the conflict and characters to care about.