{Don’t worry, this review is completely spoiler-free.}
It’s been a long 6 months since the last “Uncut” review. In the 172 days (yes, I counted) since I was last in a movie theater, the world has changed dramatically. If you’re anything like me, films are a necessary escape – sometimes they are a means to explore grand themes, to better understand ourselves, or to simply not worry about that days’ monotony.
Which is why I would argue (politics aside, because who cares what I think on that front) that theaters are all the more important in today’s climate. As I paced back and forth in my room during the seemingly never-ending quarantine, I watched every movie on my “Most Anticipated” list drop off the calendar – No Time to Die from April to November. Candyman from June to October. A Quiet Place Part II from March to who knows when. New Mutants from… just kidding, no one wants to see that.
But through it all, Tenet was my biggest hope, my shining light at the end of the tunnel. Christopher Nolan, today’s biggest proponent of the theater-going experience, relentlessly advocated for his 11th feature film to open the doors of movie theaters across the globe with its release. Consequently, already gargantuan expectations for Tenet ballooned from “Christopher Nolan spy movie” to “The Savior of Cinema As We Know It”.
So, there I sat, in Boise Idaho of all places, with 172 days’ worth of quarantine-fueled anticipation making it nearly impossible to sit still in the IMAX theater. Was it Christopher Nolan’s best film? Was it the “Savior of Cinema”? Was it worth potentially contracting the coronavirus from the large bearded Idaho man sitting behind me?
The answer to those questions, unfortunately, is no – but this is still a damn good movie, with action scenes so mind-boggling it’ll have you driving home in complete silence, wondering if Christopher Nolan is secretly a wizard.
Tenet is Nolan at his most Nolan-y, as the film is almost entirely made up of consecutive scenes of nonstop scientific exposition, which then sets up an ensuing car chase, fight scene, etc. Even if I was an alien with ten hands, I would not be able count out the number of scenes with two people walking around, doing nothing but describing the plot. Entire characters exist only to deliver scientific reasoning to John David Washington’s protagonist. These characters in past Nolan films, such as Tom Hardy’s Eames in Inception, were given enough scenes and catchy dialogue that it was harder to notice how little we actually knew about them, but Nolan has packed so much expository information and science into Tenet‘s runtime that these cardboard cutout people stand out as incredibly one-dimensional.
As one such cardboard character instructs the protagonist to “feel, rather than think”, the best way to enjoy Tenet is to give into the ludicrously complicated action spectacle on display; however, this is frustratingly hard when one-third of the film feels like a Physics lecture being rapped by Eminem. As someone who prides himself on understanding Inception, Interstellar, and Memento, I genuinely struggled to keep up with Tenet from scene to scene.
Another unfortunate aspect of Tenet‘s screenplay is John David Washington’s aforementioned protagonist, who literally says “I’m the protagonist” at least four times in the film. What else do we know about him, you ask? Um… he’s a spy… who wants to save the world… and he looks like a young Denzel Washington?
Washington deserves credit for packing as much charisma and excitement into his poorly written character as possible – but above all, he deserves credit as a believable action star. At one point a running back signed by the St. Louis Rams, Washington’s physical gifts are on full display as he performs his own stunts, lending crucial intensity to all his action scenes.
Meanwhile, his co-star Robert Pattinson further proves his legitimacy as a non-Twilight leading man, while Elizabeth Debicki provides the most emotional heft of the film (she was great in last year’s Widows as well). Kenneth Branagh, however, is the true scene-stealer, as arguably the best non-Joker villain in any Christopher Nolan film. Flipping from maniacal screaming to intense silence in a split second, his genuinely scary performance made me fear for the safety of everyone else on screen.
While Tenet‘s negatives can be largely summed up by an over-reliance on thinly-developed characters and science-heavy exposition, its positives delve into spoiler territory, which I obviously won’t get into at all. Anyone who has seen a Christopher Nolan film knows that he is the master of spectacle, and Tenet is no different. I flat-out don’t know how he shot some of the events on screen, and he deserves all the credit in the world for his devotion to in-camera physical effects. And while I have largely criticized Tenet‘s screenplay, it does reward the audience for paying attention, with small details leading to rewarding twists and reveals in the end.
While it may sound like I’ve been harping on negatives in this review, that’s only because I’ve come to expect so much from Nolan. Give me a flawed-but-spectacular film that takes chances over a “better” executed, more traditional film any day of the week.
Simply put, when Tenet was on the screen, all my real-world worries faded to the background. Isn’t that something we could all use these days?
The Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Martin Donovan, Clemence Poesy, Himesh Patel
The Elevator Pitch: .sdrawkcab siht gnidaer boj ecin ,oslA .ti evol ll’uoy dna ,no gniog si lleh eht tahw wonk t’now uoY
The Score: 9/10
{A side note – my theater only allowed booked seats in every other row, with at least two seats between your group and the next group. I personally felt much more safe in the theater than I have at other gatherings that are more widely open across the country. If you feel comfortable with it, buying a ticket at your local theater could help bring movies back sooner. Either way, stay safe out there!}
Uncut Movie Reviews 