Tenet User Reviews/Reactions [Possible SPOILERS]

MagnarTheGreat

Posts: 3336

Joined: April 2011

Tenet (2020)

It has become apparent post-Interstellar with Dunkirk and Tenet that director Christopher Nolan has become a bit too infatuated with the gimmicky story mechanics rather than story itself and characters the audience can really care about. I give the movie a pass, there's some good action sequences and a bizarre one near the end. John David Washington as "The Protagonist" was kind of cool doing his thing but the characters are pretty superficial. Unfortunately his character doesn't have the depth of even someone like Leonardo DiCaprio's character Cobb in Inception or Matthew McConaughey as Cooper in Interstellar, he's more like an old James Bond with the action scenes of a Daniel Craig one. I bought and watched this on 4k blu-ray with the subtitles on too so it's not like I missed something. The film score is great if also overpowering. I don't rate Tenet among Nolan's best works.

My rating system: best

good

middling

bad

horrible

Nicolaslabra

Posts: 1028

Joined: November 2018

Just seen it for the first time, im baffled, stunned, and surprised, partly because i feel like i understood it pretty well for the first watch, i could grasp the mechanics of inversion and the whys and hows of where the characters where, and while i dont yet love the film, i have enormous respect for it, the more i watch it, the more i will fall in love with it, i`ve seen things that i have never seen before, its truly an impressive concatenation of images on the limit, im thankful that this movie got made, we take Nolan for granted, we shouldnt, i get the criticism of the film, but most of it misses the point completely, i will elaborate on my opinion upon further rewatches.

DHOPW42

Posts: 3402

Joined: January 2009

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I just rewatched Tenet at home for the first time since seeing it in cinema back in September (four times, if I'm correct...).

First of all, I have to say that this must be one of the best looking home release for any film in my memory, the IMAX shots are stunning and crisp beyond belief. I don't know how else to say this, but the whole film just looks brutally good.

Beyond the looks, the film lost none of its appeal to me, and as the dust has settled, I can now look at it from a much clearer point of view than last year, mainly because I don't have those enormous, impossible expectations. And to me this film just works from start to finish, with a few hiccups here and there. I think I said this before, but now I'm convinced that this is one of Nolan's clearest and cleanest blockbusters. I mean, it's hard to describe, but I just feel that all these characters are quite simple, easy to grasp, have one clear motivation, and this drives the film forward so well.

I think Nolan succeeded in creating his own James Bond in the form of the Protagonist, who is just as charming, but way more human than 007. He's fun, he's a bit smug, and he's ready to die for the good cause. And I think most of these traits are conveyed to the viewer by the Protagonist's actions, rather than whatever he or others are saying. And while being this super-agent, the Protagonist remains vulnerable, compassionate, but focused on his objectives. I think it's a great character, one of Nolan's few "real good guys".

What I like about the film is that a whole gigantic universe is implied by what we're seeing in Tenet, and none of it is said explicitly. Except, maybe, for Sator's big "villain speech" at the end, but even that is quite mysterious, and we can only imagine what is really going on in this world. And then we have the ending, where we see the Protagonist reemerge as "his true form", arriving from the future, I presume, which is also an amazingly interesting tease of an entire world we're not seeing here. This is one of the reasons I think a Tenet sequel might actually work; there's just so much to explore here.

The cinematography, especially in the action scenes, is so spectacular. One of Nolan's - and his DOPs' - great talent is to make any scene feel much larger than life. The Tallinn car chase feels just as enormous to me as any scene in Interstellar on one of the exo-planets. The limitations of Nolan's insistence of shooting everything in camera are obvious in a number of scenes, mostly in the final battle in the abandoned city. You see the extras walking real slowly backwards, just as you see the cars driving real slow in Tallinn. I read some people dissing the plane crash scene on these terms, saying that it's just so slow and anti-climactic, but to me this is part of the charm of this film.

Might be a lame comparison, but it's the same as loving old video games where many things look and play obsolete now, but you are still in love with it, because the limitations and even the bugs and glitches are part of the experience. And I feel the same with Tenet - I don't mind any of the moments in the film where the trick becomes obvious. I just don't care. My adoration for them to insist on doing these action scenes the way they do is much, much more dominant.

And this is another point people seem to accept now: it's easy to say that this is a Nolan film, and that's it. It has become the norm for Nolan to do these kinds of films, but when I really think about it, it becomes such a wonder that someone would make an action film such as Tenet. It's a truly unique blockbuster with ingenious action set pieces and ideas, with one of the most exciting scores for any blockbuster in recent years, all shot in camera, on film. When the Protagonist says "Posterity." after giving the cell phone to Kat, and the track Posterity hits, and then they transition to those helicopter shots over the mountains - it has become one of my favorite sequences in any Nolan film. And that moment encapsulates the sheer scale, fun and unique character of this summer blockbuster. (And once again: it looks fucking amazing on my 4K TV.)

eescorpius

Posts: 131

Joined: November 2014

Just managed to get my account back after a while.

Like always, I enjoyed a Nolan movie, but it would definitely rank last in my list of all-time Nolan movies. I don't have any typical complaints like the sound or the confusing timeline. My problem mainly lies with the fact that I don't connect with the Protagonist. The fact that he doesn't even have a name might mean that the audience is suppose to stay emotionally detached, but I have been emotionally invested in every one of Nolan's main characters other than the Protagonist. Maybe I just didn't care for JDW acting or maybe I just find him uncharismatic. Instead, I cared for Neil a lot more, to the point I almost wish that the movie was based on him instead of the Protagonist.

Challenger007

Posts: 34

Joined: November 2020

DHOPW42 wrote: ↑
February 17th, 2021, 1:00 pm
I just rewatched Tenet at home for the first time since seeing it in cinema back in September (four times, if I'm correct...).

First of all, I have to say that this must be one of the best looking home release for any film in my memory, the IMAX shots are stunning and crisp beyond belief. I don't know how else to say this, but the whole film just looks brutally good.

Beyond the looks, the film lost none of its appeal to me, and as the dust has settled, I can now look at it from a much clearer point of view than last year, mainly because I don't have those enormous, impossible expectations. And to me this film just works from start to finish, with a few hiccups here and there. I think I said this before, but now I'm convinced that this is one of Nolan's clearest and cleanest blockbusters. I mean, it's hard to describe, but I just feel that all these characters are quite simple, easy to grasp, have one clear motivation, and this drives the film forward so well.

I think Nolan succeeded in creating his own James Bond in the form of the Protagonist, who is just as charming, but way more human than 007. He's fun, he's a bit smug, and he's ready to die for the good cause. And I think most of these traits are conveyed to the viewer by the Protagonist's actions, rather than whatever he or others are saying. And while being this super-agent, the Protagonist remains vulnerable, compassionate, but focused on his objectives. I think it's a great character, one of Nolan's few "real good guys".

What I like about the film is that a whole gigantic universe is implied by what we're seeing in Tenet, and none of it is said explicitly. Except, maybe, for Sator's big "villain speech" at the end, but even that is quite mysterious, and we can only imagine what is really going on in this world. And then we have the ending, where we see the Protagonist reemerge as "his true form", arriving from the future, I presume, which is also an amazingly interesting tease of an entire world we're not seeing here. This is one of the reasons I think a Tenet sequel might actually work; there's just so much to explore here.

The cinematography, especially in the action scenes, is so spectacular. One of Nolan's - and his DOPs' - great talent is to make any scene feel much larger than life. The Tallinn car chase feels just as enormous to me as any scene in Interstellar on one of the exo-planets. The limitations of Nolan's insistence of shooting everything in camera are obvious in a number of scenes, mostly in the final battle in the abandoned city. You see the extras walking real slowly backwards, just as you see the cars driving real slow in Tallinn. I read some people dissing the plane crash scene on these terms, saying that it's just so slow and anti-climactic, but to me this is part of the charm of this film.

Might be a lame comparison, but it's the same as loving old video games where many things look and play obsolete now, but you are still in love with it, because the limitations and even the bugs and glitches are part of the experience. And I feel the same with Tenet - I don't mind any of the moments in the film where the trick becomes obvious. I just don't care. My adoration for them to insist on doing these action scenes the way they do is much, much more dominant.

And this is another point people seem to accept now: it's easy to say that this is a Nolan film, and that's it. It has become the norm for Nolan to do these kinds of films, but when I really think about it, it becomes such a wonder that someone would make an action film such as Tenet. It's a truly unique blockbuster with ingenious action set pieces and ideas, with one of the most exciting scores for any blockbuster in recent years, all shot in camera, on film. When the Protagonist says "Posterity." after giving the cell phone to Kat, and the track Posterity hits, and then they transition to those helicopter shots over the mountains - it has become one of my favorite sequences in any Nolan film. And that moment encapsulates the sheer scale, fun and unique character of this summer blockbuster. (And once again: it looks fucking amazing on my 4K TV.)

You described your impressions of the film wonderfully. You can't say more precisely. On my own behalf, I want to add that Tenet is one of the best films that I have watched recently. Although I am not a fan of action films, this film was shot in a very unusual way. Such a plot could only be invented by a person with a very non-standard thinking.

Nicolaslabra

Posts: 1028

Joined: November 2018

ok`ive seen it 3 times by now, im ready to elaborate a bit more on why i disagree with the criticisms of the film, mostly. I`ll use music as an example, its a very old and more mature medium than film, wich is only about 100 years old, Chris has mentioned this, in a couple of interviews he states that he firmly believes that we`ve just scratched the surface of what is possible with film and i cannot agree more, but theres a catch, being a recent artistic medium, experimentation is still very much frowned upon, unlike music where the specialized press can recognize experimentation for what it is and what it means to go into that path, Kid A for example, an incredible album and an instant classic threading new ground in the sonic landscapes it brought to life, it sacrifices catchy melodies and inmediate lyrics in favour of frantic rythms, harmony and texture, when you go all out in one of those aspects, you can be forgiven for cutting down the complexity in another, in part because creating a piece thats experimental in every single way would result in something profoundly unlistenable, so if i havent lost you with this clunky analogy im making heres my point, Nolan`s approach with his latest 2 films has been one of minimalism in characterization, but heavy experimentation in narrative, a compromise wich seems to bother film critics because, they tend to be very academic when it comes to their profession, its like a photography student when they see a photo and label it bad or unpolished because it doesnt comply with the rule of thirds, or some of my classmates at film school when they saw a shot that didnt have 3 point lighting and said it wasnt right, or that it wasnt cinematic, in the same vein a film isnt bad because its characterization is minimalistic, or its narrative simple, but this overly academic approach is limiting and lacks nuance, Tenet will be remembered way more fondly in the years to come, like the rest of his films, i think Chris is in a way, daring more filmmakers to be bold, to step on his shoulders and go even crazier than him, thats why he makes mainstream films in the way that he does them.

Sky007

Posts: 2061

Joined: April 2013

you nailed it, dude. I wouldn't be surprised if Tenet ages better than Inception. hope he keeps pushing those boundaries too. and when he does eventually go back to something smaller, it'll be fascinating to see how much he can push when he's not adhering to mainstream genre conventions--not that they're bad, just forces a certain set of expectations from a wide audience.

Nicolaslabra

Posts: 1028

Joined: November 2018

Sky007 wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2021, 2:46 pm
you nailed it, dude. I wouldn't be surprised if Tenet ages better than Inception. hope he keeps pushing those boundaries too. and when he does eventually go back to something smaller, it'll be fascinating to see how much he can push when he's not adhering to mainstream genre conventions--not that they're bad, just forces a certain set of expectations from a wide audience.

im under the impression that if he ever goes back to smaller films, they`ll be at the cutting edge of filmmaking narrative.

Vader182

Posts: 20188

Joined: June 2010

Location: The White City

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Nicolaslabra wrote: ↑
March 25th, 2021, 6:46 pm
ok`ive seen it 3 times by now, im ready to elaborate a bit more on why i disagree with the criticisms of the film, mostly. I`ll use music as an example, its a very old and more mature medium than film, wich is only about 100 years old, Chris has mentioned this, in a couple of interviews he states that he firmly believes that we`ve just scratched the surface of what is possible with film and i cannot agree more, but theres a catch, being a recent artistic medium, experimentation is still very much frowned upon, unlike music where the specialized press can recognize experimentation for what it is and what it means to go into that path, Kid A for example, an incredible album and an instant classic threading new ground in the sonic landscapes it brought to life, it sacrifices catchy melodies and inmediate lyrics in favour of frantic rythms, harmony and texture, when you go all out in one of those aspects, you can be forgiven for cutting down the complexity in another, in part because creating a piece thats experimental in every single way would result in something profoundly unlistenable, so if i havent lost you with this clunky analogy im making heres my point, Nolan`s approach with his latest 2 films has been one of minimalism in characterization, but heavy experimentation in narrative, a compromise wich seems to bother film critics because, they tend to be very academic when it comes to their profession, its like a photography student when they see a photo and label it bad or unpolished because it doesnt comply with the rule of thirds, or some of my classmates at film school when they saw a shot that didnt have 3 point lighting and said it wasnt right, or that it wasnt cinematic, in the same vein a film isnt bad because its characterization is minimalistic, or its narrative simple, but this overly academic approach is limiting and lacks nuance, Tenet will be remembered way more fondly in the years to come, like the rest of his films, i think Chris is in a way, daring more filmmakers to be bold, to step on his shoulders and go even crazier than him, thats why he makes mainstream films in the way that he does them.

Which experimentations with narrative do you think make Tenet unique?

Tenet is great, but I ask because it mostly seems like an attempt to marry experiential storytelling (Dunkirk/Gravity/Fury Road) with complex labyrinthian plotting (Memento, Inception, Le Carre)

Why this perhaps doesn't work for some is because in Dunkirk the stakes are clear and relatable. We instantly empathize with the "minimalist" characters because we're also afraid of fire, or drowning, or things swooping in outside our field of vision, unseen enemies, etc. In Tenet, it's harder to instantly empathize with a minimalist character when the stakes and context is a lot more complex when we don't know what his actions represent within that context.

I'm not sure that alone qualifies it as experimental in a way that would conflict with audiences who love movies like plenty of more experimental movies, so I'm curious what angle you're coming from.

-Vader

Last edited by Vader182 on March 27th, 2021, 2:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

LelekPL

Posts: 3346

Joined: January 2015

Location: Poland

Contact:

I didn't relate to characters in Dunkirk whatsoever. It's just not a good approach to take in storytelling in general. You can say "it's experimental" , "it's bla bla bla" and all these artsy fartsy excuses people tend to make for "acclaimed" directors when they make a bad film but if it leaves the audience cold, it just doesn't work... for those people, obviously. I guess the majority still likes those two films based on the numbers (I even like Tenet but rather despite its characters' blandness rather than because of it).