Christopher Nolan’s action-thriller Tenet was one of the few big tent pole films during an odd and disjointed year due to COVID-19. It did decently at the box office once it was finally released following several reschedules due to the pandemic.
Given Nolan’s fan base, there was plenty of anticipation for Tenet which he wrote over a five-year period. Apparently, it had been an idea he’d ruminated over for two decades.
Shot on a combination of 70 mm film and IMAX, it certainly looks gorgeous and as for reviews they were largely positive. Many critics tended to agree it was a masterpiece of filmmaking, but more than one noted that was handicapped by a confusing time-travelling-manipulating plot. Others noted instances of mumbling dialogue drowned out by the soundtrack. See below for some review snippets.
JUDGEMENT
“Tenet is Bond without the baggage. Filmed in Italy, Estonia, India, Norway, the UK and the US, it’s a globetrotting espionage extravaganza that does everything 007 does but without having to lean into the heritage, or indeed the clichés. Just as with Indiana Jones, for which George Lucas persuaded Bond fan Steven Spielberg they could create their own hero instead of piggybacking on someone else’s, Nolan has made his own Bond film here, borrowing everything he likes about it, binning everything he doesn’t, then Nolaning it all up (ie: mucking about with the fabric of time).” Alex Godfrey, Empire Online
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“The problem comes when the action stops and the film starts explaining how it all works, giving the audience clunky lines of exposition through cold and detached readings — as if the actors were nothing but soulless animatronics at a theme park. It doesn’t help that a big part of the dialogue is mumbled and drowned by the metallic sound design and loud score, or that key exposition scenes are shot with a rotating camera that disorients the viewer. It’s as if Nolan was so preoccupied with showing you that he did his homework for the “time inversion” (Nobel Prize-theoretical physicist Kip Thorne is a consultant on the film) that he forgets to show why you should care about the rest.” Rafael Motamayor, Collider
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“As entertainment, Tenet certainly works on a glandular level. Whether the movie makes some kind of sense or whether the time stuff is simply the gimmick Nolan needs to set up his action tableaux, I couldn’t say, not until I’ve seen the movie about four more times. Nolan’s latest gargantuan effort to blow your mind may duly blow your mind, or it may simply bruise it, but at least it’s a whole lot of movie, and to that I say bravo.” Kyle Smith, National Review
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“The frame is simple enough. But contained within its James Bondian plot is an endless series of unanswered questions. After the movie debuted in Europe, some commenters said it makes more sense after rewatching it. But that’s a cop-out. Just about everything in life is better the second time. We shouldn’t have to drop another $15 to appreciate the nuances. With too many long stretches that beg the question, ‘What on earth is going on?’ your first experience with Tenet won’t leave you satisfied.” Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
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“Once you accept the notion of inversion, Tenet plays out like a fairly straightforward spy thriller, making this (and I’m shocked to be able to say this) one of Nolan’s most accessible build-a-better-mousetrap brain teases. Our protagonist (John David Washington), only dubbed The Protagonist, is a CIA agent roped into a mission to investigate bullets that have been manipulated by a devious Russian arms dealer, Sator (Kenneth Branagh). The protagonist has different opportunities to obtain important information or details from Sator. But the manipulation of time means that Nolan often has his characters moving forward or backward, sometimes through sections of the film we’ve already seen.” Sean O’Connell, Cinema Blend
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“If Tenet can be a hard movie to engage with emotionally or even comprehend narratively, that doesn’t take away from its craftsmanship on a technical level. It’s an impressive film simply to experience, bombarding the viewer with bombastic sound design and gorgeous widescreen cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema. The movie never sags in terms of technical elements and even performance. Everyone is committed to Nolan’s runaway speed. Van Hoytema’s work is vibrant, Jennifer Lame’s editing is tight, and the performances are all good to great. In particular, Pattinson really shines in a playful register that he’s not often allowed to use.” Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com
For a video review see what Chris Stuckmann has to say about Tenet.