Cindy Prascik's Review of Tenet

My dear reader(s), after a six-month (!) absence, yesterday I made my way back to my local cinema. If you were wondering what got me out the door when I really wasn't quite ready, the answer is (as it always was going to be) Christopher Nolan. On the docket: Tenet.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing the trailers haven't already revealed.

Regular reader(s) will be well aware that I worship at the Altar of Nolan. That's not to say Tenet was guaranteed a glowing review — on the contrary, I find high expectations generally are not my friend — but Christopher Nolan has never let me down and Tenet definitely keeps his streak alive.

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.” ~ The Tenth Doctor

You've probably seen the Internet meme about someone's brain being like a hundred browser tabs open at once. This is very much how I imagine it is being Christopher Nolan. I'm not going to pretend for a minute that I understand everything about Tenet — especially not after a single viewing — but instead I'm going to tell you why I loved it, and I think and hope you will too.

Tenet bends time and space to tell a multi-layered and expertly-crafted story. It is massive, thrilling, and even funny at times. The movie features nail-biting action that rivals some of the best I've seen (look for the firetruck sequence) and a moment that is so Airplane!-ey that I can't decide whether or not it was deliberate. The score and sound effects are huge and loud, perfectly complimenting the enormous visual scope of the film. Tenet has a cast to die for, led by John David Washington. Washington (like his father) is an actor that grabs your attention and doesn't let go; I never wanted him to be off-screen. It's no secret that I am a huge Robert Pattinson fan (despite, rather than because of, Twilight), and Tenet gives him an opportunity to shine. Favorites and familiar faces flesh out the supporting cast. Tenet is better for having Michael Caine (of course), Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clemency Poesy, and Himesh Patel, even though some of them don't turn up for more than a cup of coffee. The movie runs a massive two and a half hours, but to me it felt like seconds. If you're looking for an epic excuse to get back out and see something on the big screen, Tenet is just what the doctor ordered.

Tenet clocks in at 150 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references, and brief, strong language."

I'm not here to promise that Tenet will make perfect sense after one or even ten screenings (hell, I'm still not sure I understand everything about Inception!), but I'm here to say it's magnificent regardless. I can't wait to see it again. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Tenet gets all nine.

Fangirl points: Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour, together again!

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: TENET

A secret agent embarks on a dangerous, time-bending mission to prevent the start of World War III.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language

Runtime: 2 h 30 min

Review:

Christopher Nolan’s latest, Tenet, will leave audiences everywhere talking or thinking about well after the film finishes.  Technically, it’s a marvelous piece of grand scale filmmaking with enough thrills to keep nearly everyone on the edge of their seat.  It’s everything Nolan has been perfecting over the last decade or so of his career.  This puzzle box of a story though is overtly and aggressively complex and convoluted, almost to the point of exhaustion.  If you can keep up, the story is multi faceted but simplistic at the same time.  If you’ve had any sort of experience with Star Trek or any other sort of time travel story logic, the techobabble spouted out will feel routine but it’s probably best to not over think it too much otherwise you’ll end up with a splitting headache.  Needless to say, I’m sure there will be people dissecting character timeline after obsessively rewatching the film.  As for the characters that live in this cinematic maze, they are thinly written but it’s not huge issue since the actors and actresses deliver performances that make it easier to gloss over the story’s shortcomings.  The best characters moments in the film occur when John David Washington and Robert Pattinson share screen time mainly the two share strong and naturalistic chemistry together.  Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh do what they can with seriously broad characters that don’t have much in the way of depth.  Those critics who complain about Nolan’s emotional distance probably won’t be silenced here since the film keeps Kurbrick like distance from all the characters.  Tenet has flaws but those movie lovers that want massive cinematic scopes and action will find plenty to whet their appetites. 


B+