Tenet: .ti deyojne ,yllaer ,yllaer I

For the first time in months I took a trip to the cinema and I didn’t realise quite how much I’d missed it. The experience of watching a film on the big screen is unrivalled and not being able to for so long was a big miss. There are also some certain filmmakers who make films that you need to see on the big screen. Christopher Nolan is one of these filmmakers and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to see ‘Tenet’ (2020) on the big screen pass me by. I knew the film was getting mixed reviews before I saw it but I went in with an open mind and I have to say I land on the side of having really enjoyed the film. Trying to describe the plot accurately and without spoilers is almost impossible so all I will say is the film follows a Protagonist (John David Washington) as he attempts to prevent the possibility of the end of the world.

Nolan is a director who is always attempting to push the boat out in terms of technological advancements in film and ‘Tenet’ is no different. In these terms the film is a resounding success. The effects of the film look incredible and there is a fantastic scale and spectacle to it all which I couldn’t help but get sucked into. The action scenes were all superbly shot and were all exciting. Whether these be close quarters combat scenes, car chases, or large-scale military assaults, all the action scenes completely hooked me, especially the final scene which had me on the edge of my seat. Performance wise everyone does a great job with a few stand out performances. John David Washington is great as the Protagonist. He performs all the action well and has a charm about him while also being able to be serious when he needs to be. Robert Pattinson also puts in a great performance and sells himself well as a secret agent type character. Also, a shout out needs to be had for Kenneth Branagh who I think puts in the most engaging performance in the film. He is calculated and intimidating while also giving off a sense of madness and brutality. One aspect of the film that didn’t impress me to much was in the sound mixing. Nolan films usually have brilliant sound mixing, with ‘Dunkirk’ (2017) being a great example of this. And while this film has great sound design, the mixing is often not so great. Firstly, I don’t think the score is all that. It just feels like your typical Zimmer/Nolan score and didn’t do all that much for me, especially as it often made the dialogue a little hard to understand. I didn’t think it was as big an issue as other people have found it, but it is an issue none the less.

Most of the people who are critical of the film are mostly critical about the narrative and how the film is structured, and I can see where they are coming from. The film is very exposition heavy almost right until the very end and there isn’t a huge amount of character depth (although the argument that there is almost none is something I don’t necessarily agree with). But for the most part I really bought into the narrative. I was a little confused at times because of the complexity of what the film is trying to do narratively, but I was never lost. I was also aware of where characters were and why they were there at that time. And most of all I was completely intrigued with where the film was going. I bought into it and was invested with the story and where it was going. This meant that when the several twists, turns, and revelations happened they had the desired effect on me. There were several moments in the film where something was revealed in the narrative that had me excited almost in a ‘Oh my god’ kind of way. I know a lot of people are suggesting this a film you need to see more than once to fully understand and are annoyed about that. Again, I get what they mean, but I also don’t really agree. While it is a film that you my need to watch more than once to fully understand the more nuanced side of the narrative, I don’t necessarily think that the narrative on the whole is that hard to understand. Saying that I would like to see the film again to see if some of the more confusing aspects of the narrative do become clearer after further viewing.

‘Tenet’ is a film that has really split the audience and although I fall on the side of having really, really, enjoyed it I also understand the complaints that people have about it. The issues of excessive exposition and poor sound mixing are ones that I do agree with, although the former of those issues is one that doesn’t bother me all too much. Overall, I bought into the narrative and concept of the film and had a great time with it. It is filled with great performances and superb action set pieces that really use the concept to their benefit. I would definitely recommend it, mostly because I feel like it is a film that is prime for discussion and I would love to chat to people about it, although if you do see it I implore you to watch it on the big screen because so much of what I really enjoyed about the film will be lost on a small screen. As the first film I have seen since returning to the cinema there is very little I could complain about.