Critical consensus has been posted on Rotten Tomatoes.
A visually dazzling puzzle for film lovers to unlock, Tenet serves up all the cerebral spectacle audiences expect from a Christopher Nolan production.
Damn, that's an insanely well-written and surprisingly enthusiastic consensus; whoever wrote it deserves a raise lol
I remember being fine with Dunkirk's consensus until someone here pointed out that it was too neutral and undersold its extreme critical acclaim, which made me go "Huh, they did, didn't they?"
So with TENET's reviews being worse than Dunkirk, I was dreading the consensus being harsh, but wow, that's seriously an extremely alluring, well-written consensus.
A casual moviegoer who reads that consensus will 100% book a ticket for the next showing lol
Now, the problem is that if the score drops, then RT 100% will change the consensus to be less effusive, as they have done in the past.
Yeah this infatuation with consensus is odd. I doubt even Nolan feels this way.
Why do you guys think his movies age better? Probably because he makes it so that one viewing isn’t sufficient to take in all intricacies of the plot and themes.
In the absence of Nolan’s longtime musical collaborator Hans Zimmer – reportedly too busy as he has been composing the score for next year’s release of Dune – composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther) has taken his place and provided an oddly but appropriately Zimmeresque score.
“Tenet” operates on a physiological level, in the stomach-pit rumbles of Ludwig Goransson’s score, and the dilated-pupil responses to Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, which delivers the same magnificence whether observing a narratively superfluous catamaran race, or the nap and weave of Jeffrey Kurland’s immaculately creaseless costumes.
However, he’s hobbled throughout Tenet by some other common missteps: a dark, droning score (by Ludwig Göransson, subbing in for Hans Zimmer) that likely sounds great in isolation but otherwise steps on the occasional moments of levity; and muffled sound design that obscures nearly half of the spoken dialogue, which doesn’t help our comprehension either.
Ludwig Göransson (stepping into the shoes of Nolan’s usual collaborator, Han Zimmer) creates a score built of low, anxious vibrations that pulsate through even the most incidental of scenes.
The soundscapes are as blasting as ever, with Ludwig Göransson’s droning soundscapes providing a different take on the Nolan “Brahhhmmmm” we’ve come to expect from collaborations with Hans Zimmer and others.
The thrills come from the set pieces and Ludwig Göransson's innovative score (which also messes about with time, naturally), and not from any concern about the characters' fates.
The blams come thick and fast. Tenet, in fact, might be Christopher Nolan’s blammiest film yet. BLAM! A terrifying thing just happened. BLAM! A shocking moment of revelation. BLAM! Here’s a speedboat. (There really is a massive blam accompanying an otherwise ordinary shot of two people on a speedboat.) It’s not even Hans Zimmer this time — here the great Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, The Mandalorian) is on scoring duties, making it all his own (you will nod your head intensely) but without ever scrimping on the blams. Because if a Christopher Nolan film doesn’t sound like the end of the world, then something’s wrong. And this one really is about the end of the world.
The first sound we hear in the film, after all, is that of an orchestra tuning up, before composer Ludwig Göransson — more than ably filling in for Nolan standby Hans Zimmer — thunders in with his own thrilling percussive clatter.
In 70mm IMAX it’s an overwhelming assault on the senses, one bolstered by Ludwig Göransson’s propulsive, rib-cage-rattling score, which itself plays with time in compelling ways.
"Tenet, a revolution ? No. A blockbuster, often spectacular, but wordier and more classical than expected : Tenet is very Nolanesque." - Premiere
"Has a lot of James Bond elements and also reminded us of Memento. There will be thousands of theories on the movie." - Inrockuptibles
Both reviews highlight the fact that the movie also has a political subtext, saying that it depicts societies where every real struggle is hidden to most people and where everything is conspiracy / plot from corporations or governments. Also both loved the OST.
"Tenet is a great Nolan movie. Maybe it won't save cinemas, but it will possibly save 2020." - Konbini
Last edited by morlock84 on August 21st, 2020, 2:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
In the absence of Nolan’s longtime musical collaborator Hans Zimmer – reportedly too busy as he has been composing the score for next year’s release of Dune – composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther) has taken his place and provided an oddly but appropriately Zimmeresque score.
“Tenet” operates on a physiological level, in the stomach-pit rumbles of Ludwig Goransson’s score, and the dilated-pupil responses to Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, which delivers the same magnificence whether observing a narratively superfluous catamaran race, or the nap and weave of Jeffrey Kurland’s immaculately creaseless costumes.
However, he’s hobbled throughout Tenet by some other common missteps: a dark, droning score (by Ludwig Göransson, subbing in for Hans Zimmer) that likely sounds great in isolation but otherwise steps on the occasional moments of levity; and muffled sound design that obscures nearly half of the spoken dialogue, which doesn’t help our comprehension either.
Ludwig Göransson (stepping into the shoes of Nolan’s usual collaborator, Han Zimmer) creates a score built of low, anxious vibrations that pulsate through even the most incidental of scenes.
The soundscapes are as blasting as ever, with Ludwig Göransson’s droning soundscapes providing a different take on the Nolan “Brahhhmmmm” we’ve come to expect from collaborations with Hans Zimmer and others.
The thrills come from the set pieces and Ludwig Göransson's innovative score (which also messes about with time, naturally), and not from any concern about the characters' fates.
The blams come thick and fast. Tenet, in fact, might be Christopher Nolan’s blammiest film yet. BLAM! A terrifying thing just happened. BLAM! A shocking moment of revelation. BLAM! Here’s a speedboat. (There really is a massive blam accompanying an otherwise ordinary shot of two people on a speedboat.) It’s not even Hans Zimmer this time — here the great Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, The Mandalorian) is on scoring duties, making it all his own (you will nod your head intensely) but without ever scrimping on the blams. Because if a Christopher Nolan film doesn’t sound like the end of the world, then something’s wrong. And this one really is about the end of the world.
The first sound we hear in the film, after all, is that of an orchestra tuning up, before composer Ludwig Göransson — more than ably filling in for Nolan standby Hans Zimmer — thunders in with his own thrilling percussive clatter.
In 70mm IMAX it’s an overwhelming assault on the senses, one bolstered by Ludwig Göransson’s propulsive, rib-cage-rattling score, which itself plays with time in compelling ways.
Thank you!! I am SO excited to hear it!! I saw the prologue in IMAX and the scene where they’re running up the stairs shook my entire theater, I’m very happy to hear there’s a lot more of that!!!!
More and more positive reviews now, I can’t wait to see this! Bring on Wed in IMAX.
Love this forum, get a few who go into meltdown mode when the film is over 80% and being called a masterpiece by main critics. Imagine the meltdowns on the DC movie forum where they average about 10%
In the absence of Nolan’s longtime musical collaborator Hans Zimmer – reportedly too busy as he has been composing the score for next year’s release of Dune – composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther) has taken his place and provided an oddly but appropriately Zimmeresque score.
“Tenet” operates on a physiological level, in the stomach-pit rumbles of Ludwig Goransson’s score, and the dilated-pupil responses to Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, which delivers the same magnificence whether observing a narratively superfluous catamaran race, or the nap and weave of Jeffrey Kurland’s immaculately creaseless costumes.
However, he’s hobbled throughout Tenet by some other common missteps: a dark, droning score (by Ludwig Göransson, subbing in for Hans Zimmer) that likely sounds great in isolation but otherwise steps on the occasional moments of levity; and muffled sound design that obscures nearly half of the spoken dialogue, which doesn’t help our comprehension either.
Ludwig Göransson (stepping into the shoes of Nolan’s usual collaborator, Han Zimmer) creates a score built of low, anxious vibrations that pulsate through even the most incidental of scenes.
The soundscapes are as blasting as ever, with Ludwig Göransson’s droning soundscapes providing a different take on the Nolan “Brahhhmmmm” we’ve come to expect from collaborations with Hans Zimmer and others.
The thrills come from the set pieces and Ludwig Göransson's innovative score (which also messes about with time, naturally), and not from any concern about the characters' fates.
The blams come thick and fast. Tenet, in fact, might be Christopher Nolan’s blammiest film yet. BLAM! A terrifying thing just happened. BLAM! A shocking moment of revelation. BLAM! Here’s a speedboat. (There really is a massive blam accompanying an otherwise ordinary shot of two people on a speedboat.) It’s not even Hans Zimmer this time — here the great Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, The Mandalorian) is on scoring duties, making it all his own (you will nod your head intensely) but without ever scrimping on the blams. Because if a Christopher Nolan film doesn’t sound like the end of the world, then something’s wrong. And this one really is about the end of the world.
The first sound we hear in the film, after all, is that of an orchestra tuning up, before composer Ludwig Göransson — more than ably filling in for Nolan standby Hans Zimmer — thunders in with his own thrilling percussive clatter.
In 70mm IMAX it’s an overwhelming assault on the senses, one bolstered by Ludwig Göransson’s propulsive, rib-cage-rattling score, which itself plays with time in compelling ways.