Almost two years since it was announced, and a year since the first trailer was released, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was one of the movies that I was looking forward to the most this year, a sentiment that was considerably heightened due to it’s many delays owing to the pandemic.
Well, I finally had the opportunity to watch Tenet, and for the most part, it lived up to the hype.
Yes, for the most part.
Trying as little to spoil the film, Tenet centers around a secret agent as he engages with the effects of the reversed entropy of time (known in the film as ‘inversion’) to combat a disastrous and incoming Cold War.
Operating as what James Bond film with Christopher Nolan at the helm might look like, Tenet is certainly one of the director’s most ambitious films, right from the first frame. It is also, however, his most self-indulgent, and represents a retread of what has come before.
Playing to his strengths, Tenet comprises of what Christopher Nolan has come to be known for. Dense plotting, dialogues heavily laden with exposition, experimental narrative structures, and of course, the manipulation and warping of time. These elements are now paired with incomprehensible conversations regarding temporal inversion, paradoxes and thermodynamics.
Whilst I was able to get a grasp on films such as Inception and Interstellar, Tenet is far more confusing (needlessly to a point) and hard to follow, which took me out of the viewing experience at times, instead piecing together and making sense of the nuances of the film.
To add to the woes, the director dials up the confusion in the final act of the film, leaving viewers completely puzzled and with more questions, than answers.
The script is eager to move from set piece and action sequence to another, resulting in a highly rushed pace, and leaves quite a lot of world building to be desired. This can prove to be underwhelming to audiences expecting a script on par with the likes of the director’s previous works such as Memento, Inception and Dunkirk.
To say that Tenet is not without it’s strengths would be a lie. The film contains some of the most innovative and well choreographed action sequences, kicking off with a hook of an opening segment (in the vein of a classic James Bond film), the film is replete with inverted fight scenes and car chases, and is only outdone by a sequence involving a plane crash. One is left marveling at the practical nature of the execution.
John David Washington as the lead Protagonist, delivers, albeit gradually easing into the role as the film progresses, complimenting the character with a natural athletic grace. Robert Pattinson, on the other hand, effortlessly steals nearly every scene in which he is present, making him the film’s breakout character. The pairing and chemistry of the characters of Washington and Pattinson is another highlight of the film.
Elizabeth Debicki, though underutilized at times, possesses the strongest character arc within the film. One wishes, however, that Dimple Kapadia and Kenneth Branagh were provided with more material, apart from exposition and evil monologues and motivations, respectively.
Composer Ludwig Goransson replaces usual Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer and ushers in a fresh touch and perspective to usual Nolan film scores, crafting an innovative, thrilling, emotional and highly enjoyable score. The music by Goransson is further heightened through his collaboration with Travis Scott on the original song “The Plan“, which lures the viewer into a hypnotic state complimented by Scott’s highly cinematic lyrics and vocals, as it plays over the credits.
Hoyte van Hoytema, the Director of Photography continues to make his work stand out from the rest of Nolan’s offerings, serving up sweeping and rich shots in the process.
Tenet, though with it’s drawbacks, still stands as the perfect film to mark one’s return to the cinema, satiates viewers’ demand for new content, and is a great reminder of the magic and wonder of the movie viewing experience.
Texts of A Pop Culture Buff 