TENET is the latest Christopher Nolan film that can easily be seen as an advanced beginning. Clearly, this in itself sounds insane but it works. Especially because the scenery is beyond spectacular and the effects – much more realistic than VFX – produce intense action.
And yes, the plot is a heck of a mindf*ck that will have many looking for a "Tenet explained"-post or video before trying to watch it. Don't, Please!
If you want the Tenet movie explained before actually watching the movie, then you’re a damn fool. Any fan of Christopher Nolan should know, that you’ll only ruin it by being spoiled before watching. And if you don’t care for his previous movies Inception and Interstellar, then don’t expect to like this one.
The only explaining of Tenet you’ll get here is that you should think of this movie as Inception in an upgraded version. We’re no longer working inside someone’s dreams but in the real world. Things aren’t as you know them to be, and you will have to relearn your understanding of basic physics.
Also, there are definitely elements of the world and logic you know from Terminator movies (including Terminator: Dark Fate) since we’re dealing with time travel. In very different ways than James Cameron’s Terminator, but still. With this in mind, you should be closer to understanding Tenet.
Just watch the movie and let the story wash over you just as it does the protagonist. He is as lost as the audience for much of the movie, but you will get on board.
If you watch it in a movie theater without interruptions, anyway. This is not the kind of movie you “half watch” while also being on your phone.
Tenet does definitely differ from other Nolan movies by being an actual spy thriller with lots of sci-fi elements. We’re dealing with preventing World War 3 and an actual apocalypse (of sorts), which means both the CIA, MI6 and various characters from the criminal underworld work together. In their own weird way, that is!
This results in amazingly vibrant and dynamic scenes with very different characters. Even though the main protagonist (this is what he’s called throughout Tenet) is portrayed by John David Washington, some of the other characters really made this movie for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I think John David Washington (son of Denzel and awesome in BlacKkKlansman) was great in Tenet and worked perfectly as the protagonist. He just wasn’t the most charismatic character.
However, the characters “Neil”, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, and “Kat”, played by the amazing Elizabeth Debicki (The Cloverfield Paradox, Widows) definitely were! These two characters created the beating heart of Tenet in their own unique ways.
Also, I have to mention that Robert Pattinson should win over everyone after this movie. Having seen him deliver the most amazing performances in movies such as The Lighthouse (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), and now in Tenet, I am so ready to see him as the next Batman.
As per usual, Christopher Nolan himself wrote and directed this movie. Horror fans should be happy that the editing was done by the amazing Jennifer Lame, who also edited Hereditary (2018) since Nolan’s usual editor wasn’t available. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema is back with Nolan – he also did Interstellar and Dunkirk.
When it came to the score, Nolan also had to be without Hans Zimmer who is working on Dune (2020). However, Zimmer was quick to recommend Ludwig Göransson, who did the score for Black Panther (and won an Oscar for it). The result is a trippy and absolute perfect score for Tenet. You’ll see… and hear!
To me, Tenet is very much in line with Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Interstellar. Watching them as a “warm-up” to enter yet another of Nolan’s worlds is definitely a good idea. Just to get your brain a bit more limber and accepting of the sci-fi craziness.
Bottom line; If you like the stories that come from the weird and amazing mind of Christopher Nolan, then go watch Tenet as soon as you can. Watch it in a movie theater if at all possible, to get the full experience, and do not read up on any spoilers or “explained” articles beforehand. You can do that afterward if you want!
Tenet is released in theaters worldwide from August 26, 2020. It will be out in the US from September 3, 2020.
