Tenet User Reviews/Reactions [Possible SPOILERS]

Christopher Nolan's time inverting spy film that follows a protagonist fighting for the survival of the entire world.
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KEM wrote:
April 1st, 2021, 2:24 am
Bale Fan wrote:
April 1st, 2021, 1:09 am
tenet is my fav nolan movie after tdk. it’s been such a loooong time since i ever felt this enraptured by his movie. i think the movies in between are fine but they didn’t leave a lasting impact as much as tenet did on me.
Same, my ranking is TDK, TENET, Inception
It is definitely top-tier Nolan, but I don't think there has been enough time, and TDK, Inception, Prestige, Dunkirk, Memento were all life-changing movies for me. I'm not sure Tenet has gotten there for me yet, but it is a truly monumental work, I like everything about it.

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I rewatched it today for the first time in at least a year, or maybe 18 months, I don't know... and it was a surprisingly fresh and exciting experience. It has issues, but much less than I remembered.

I think the worst Tenet can be is at moments when the dialogue becomes corny on an emotional level, but, to be honest, that's it... all I had to see past are two or three scenes that felt a bit too contrived and full of one type of exposition - one offender is towards the end when they are on that cargo ship, detailing Sator's illness and his endgame. The other one is when the Protagonist meets up with Priya for the last time and they explain what the algorythm is.

But I can only commend Nolan for everything else, especially the action, the amibitions of the film and the development of the main characters. I think it's so rare to see characters and action heroes of this simple, straightforward caliber these days, lacking any complex background. Nolan's (anti-)heroes are these troubled, frustrated men with dark pasts, but here is JDW, a straight-up American action hero. I think the Protagonist is seriously overlooked as one of the most serious and fitting action heroes in recent blockbuster cinema. It is literally his actions that speak of his character almost all the time.

The same goes for Neil, and obviously we Nolan Fans have talked about this a lot, but the chemistry between these two leads is stunning. And Aaron-Taylor Johnson's extremely charismatic character is also an underrated addition. The way these male characters are introduced and handled are simply amazing.

I also don't have any problem with Branagh as this over-the-top James Bond villain. In its core, this is a very retro action movie reminiscent of the action-adventure movies of Hollywood from three decades ago or even more.

The only character that I'm not entirely sure what to make of is Kat, played by Debicki. She is not entirely your typical damsel in distress. She is, obviously, portrayed as the victim of serious domestic abuse, which, I think, makes her character and her situation work better. And I'm very happy that the chemistry between her and the Protagonist is more than just becoming love interests for each other. I don't think that actually happens in the film, which is more than welcome. But, still, she doesn't become that strong emotional foundation for the film, at least in my eyes, and I'm not sure what the reason is. Part of it must be the fact that some of her lines are pretty clunky, and her impulsive actions against Sator don't always work for me. But she also has some pretty good moments in the film, and Debicki is great.

But, for me, it ends up being JDW's and Pattinson's movie. But that part of the film is really perfect for me.

Oh, and the music is fucking amazing. And most of my friends were highly critical of the action sequences, but I couldn't disagree more. You can see the physical limitations of moving around hundreds of extras backwards and forwards, and you can see where the concept just "gives away reality", where the speeds we are seeing on screen don't correspond to the tempo of the scenes our characters are supposed to be in. But I don't care because, to me, the film has an iconic visual style.

Furthermore, the way the film delves deeper and deeper into this INSANE concept is so well-structured. We might be critical of some of Nolan's dialogues - and rightfully so - but the way he structures the story in terms of set pieces, pacing, etc. is masterful here. The main concept of inversion is introduced so slowly, and you forget about it after a while, then you see one great set piece (Boeing and inverted fist-fight), then the concept goes away again, then comes back with full force in the reverse car chase (which is the END of the firetruck scene, but the BEGINNING of the most insane part of the film), then it suddenly becomes this surreal thing with the blue-red room, and there's that incomprehensible conversation between the Prot and inverted Sator, then we see how it goes down on the other side, then the Prot gets inverted, then the airport scene, and then the finale... I mean, it is nuts, but it still manages to be no more than a 90s action blockbuster. That is why I appreaciate this film very much, it takes a deep dive in its sci-fi concept, but it doesn't make it a philosophical dive (such as the new Matrix film), but rather a very physical dive. I think this is what the now cliché "Don't try to understand it" line is referring to.

It doesn't want to become Matrix. It gives you this concept and shows you what consequences this has on the actions of our characters, and on the physical reality around them. Obviously, Sator has a big villian speech at the end, but it is what it is: a villain speech, and I have no problem with it.

So, yeah... Tenet works as much in IMAX as it does on my TV, and I think it has merits that many moviegoers failed to see. I mean, I don't blame anyone for not liking Tenet, but I think I totally get what Nolan wanted to do with it - and I think he managed to achieve just that.

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I do think some of the action is a little slow or uneventful. Getting up to Singh's penthouse just to have a nice little sit-down chat made the bungie-rappelling thing a little "whatever," and the trucks in place were going like 20 MPH on the freeway in what should've been an obvious setup for the vehicle with the algo piece in it. The ending action was weird because nobody was hitting anybody with bullets and you barely saw any enemies. A lot of this is hidden in IMAX because of the scope of the picture and sound, but at home this is all very blatant.

His extras always suck. We know about the Dunkirk dude, and then there are terrible offenders in the opera house crowd as well when they're supposed to get knocked out or just lie still.

Nolan is weird with his action, as he's often one-and-done with his takes. I partially blame the IMAX format for that because there is only so much they can film, and it can get very costly to re-set up a shot again.

That being said, this movie is on HBO all the time and I pop it on there. I really love everything in the beginning leading up to meeting Sator, and then I love everything from Tallinn to Oslo. The Stalsk-12 stuff is cool when in battle, but the intercut Vietnam stuff is ehh and the underground stuff doesn't work for me.

Great and fun movie with some novelty ideas, but I hope Nolan keeps working out his kinks as a big-budget director.

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Christopher Nolan's authorial style in filmmaking is incredibly strong. He appears as a master of time, and this new film remains mind-boggling. During the viewing process, it may seem easy to understand, but when that last line from the protagonist comes out, the story immediately becomes thought-provoking.

"Tenet" is akin to the pilot episode of a luxurious TV series, where the storylines traverse through time, reminiscent of Netflix's hit show "Dark." It shares the same time paradoxes and intricate timelines, and the complexity of the story arises from these temporal elements and character identities.

After watching the movie, you realize that this is just the beginning of the Tenet universe. Nolan employs the style of James Bond films, with actors explaining scientific principles while carrying his trademark British humor. These dialogues serve as the narrative logic for crucial scenes, but for the audience, they often appear as a mysterious sensation. The plot unfolds rapidly, and there's little time for the main characters to contemplate, leaving the digestion of the content for after the movie concludes.

Nolan's films are intriguing because of how mind-bending they are, providing an opportunity for countless netizens to showcase their knowledge and intellect superiority while interpreting the film. :thumbup:

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