The Problem With Tenet

 Hey guys!

So Tenet finally released in India this weekend, and I had a chance to catch it at the theatre. Not in Imax though (that luxury hasn't been made available here yet, unfortunately). Now, before watching Tenet, I went on a Christopher Nolan binge for a week. That is, I watched some of his most popular movies in order to ready myself for Tenet. I had heard it was Nolan's most ambitious picture yet, so I wanted to be ready for it. The films I watched were (in order): Inception, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Dunkirk, Interstellar, and The Prestige. Out of these, Inception and The Dark Knight were on Blu-Ray, Interstellar was in a theatre during a re-run, and all the others were through streaming. So how was Tenet? Did it live up to expectations? Should I make my way to the theatre to watch this picture? 

Consider this a conventional review for Christopher Nolan's Tenet. 

The plot of the film is as follows: John David Washington's The Protagonist is captured by Russians during a CIA operation, following which he is met by an organization. Armed with one word, "Tenet", and a hand gesture, he must embark on a dangerous mission that will determine the fate of the world. Along with that, there are a host of allies that will help him including Neil (Robert Pattinson), Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), and Priya (Dimple Kapadia). 

Now, I need to state this right off the bat, I absolutely loved this film. I enjoyed the entire runtime through it. From the opening scene to the very end, I was hooked and on the edge of my seat in anticipation. As with all Nolan films, it explores the concept of time in a way that no other film has before. It is a brilliantly entertaining use of the concept, one that is novel not only to Nolan but also to the genre of sci-fi as a whole. The action scenes are spectacles to behold. They are some of the most intense, and thrilling to watch. Nolan uses his concepts to enhance the action scene and provides the audience with what can only be described as a spectacle. The score is quite brilliant too. However, this time instead of Nolan's usual go-to guy Hans Zimmer, we get Ludwig Goransson. He is just as good as Zimmer and is one of the shining stars to look forward to in future cinema. 

To sum it up: this film is definitely worth your time. It will entertain you, wow you, amaze you, and by the end, completely blow your mind as you still express amazement over the events of the film, leaving you desperate for a second watch. It is best experienced in a cinema, and I realize that times aren't certain right now, but this is a film made for the cinema (even better if you can experience it in IMAX), but if you can go I highly encourage you to go. It is a very good time.

Now that the praises are out of the way, I must get to my problem with the film. It may be considered minor, or even unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but it is something I couldn't let go of and I feel strongly that I must put it out here. 

Now, I mentioned earlier that I watched a bunch on Nolan's films in the week leading up to Tenet, I noticed that there was something common in them. Despite being gramd sci-fi adventures that bend the rules of the genre and stretch limitations of the human imagination, they were all personal and deeply human stories at their core. All of them dealt with themes of love, loss, obsession, and grief; and they do so without compromising the overall needs of the science fiction elements of the story (the only exception to this may be Batman Begins, but as a whole, that film feels like an amateur effort). Tenet, lacks that.

Tenet switches out the human elements of the story for a save-the-world plot. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the spy genre and love the save-the-world plot, I just expect something more when I watch Nolan film. In The Prestige, even if Angier or Borden don't best the other the impacts wouldn't impact the fate of the world; in Inception, if Cobb can't plant the idea in Fischer's head, the fate of the world will not be impacted. Interstellar is a bit different, but the save the world dynamic is flipped because the people on Earth didn't feel that there was any hope to save it; Cooper was disillusioned in this and the mission was sent to repopulate other planets, not save the Earth. All three of the Dark Knight films are about the city of Gotham. In Tenet, if The Protagonist fails in his mission, it would mean the literal end of the world.

What doesn't help the film is the fact that, the organization of Tenet is deeply impersonal. All the members don't know anything about their fellow teammates. This depersonalization goes so far that John David Washington's character doesn't even have a name. Thankfully, this does not come off as a pretentious gimmick, because it is very easy to get this confused (think Layer Cake). This, in my opinion, rather than adding to it, detracts from the overall film. 

I think this could be chalked up to the fact that Nolan has written the entirety of this film; in all his other works I mentioned, he shares a writing credit with his brother Johnathan Nolan. 

Maybe this is just my problem, or is trivial in the grander scheme of the film, but I just felt it is right to point this out. Regardless, it is massively entertaining, visually stunning and jaw droppingly excellent. It is one that will have you talking even days after the credits start rolling. It is a proper cinema experience.

Leave a comment on what were your thoughts of the film. Is my problem valid? Follow @blogofbooksandmovies and @bobamfacts on Instagram for more!