A nameless CIA agent is recruited into a secret organization with the task to stop World War III. Instead of nuclear warfare though, time itself will be responsible for the end of days, which the agent must need to find out who, how and why this is happening. That's all I can really say for the story of the movie. If I try to offer more details, I might end up spoiling major details. The best way to describe this movie is a sci-fi spy thriller. The story isn't too hard to follow, but repeat viewings might be needed in order to figure out some hidden details. I personally liked the story and the amazing twists and turns the film took me during the journey. I rarely felt bored during the two and a half hour runtime as there's absolutely no filler at all to muddle the pacing. Practically every scene is both crucial and engaging to the movie. The tone takes itself extremely serious, given the film's stakes and Nolan's previous works. You're not going to get witty one-liners or funny situations, despite what some critics thought. What you see is truly what you get.
John David Washington is very good as the nameless protagonist. While the character himself doesn't really have a defined personality, Washington manages to ooze plenty of charisma through his performance that it almost feels like he has that charm from his father, Denzel Washington. The protagonist isn't meant to fully connect with the audience by design either, much like the cast in Nolan's previous film, "Dunkirk" Robert Pattinson plays Neil, a young man the protagonist recruits for help during this crucial mission and whom seems to know much more than the protagonist is lead on to. Pattinson helps bring a youthful energy to the film and does have some good scenes where it's just him and the protagonist talking to each other. Elizabeth Debicki plays Kat, the wife to an abusive manipulating man who has control over her, which the protagonist offers to aid and promise her to get revenge. Debicki does a simply great job in her performance playing a broken yet fury-filled women who wants to break from her toxic relationship. Last to worth bringing up is the antagonist, Andrei Sator, played by Kenneth Branagh. Andrei is the husband of Kat and who is the one responsible in attempting to start WWIII through some complicated motivations I won't explain in the review. Branagh almost steals the show with this over-the-top, Bond-esque villain that's both unpleasant and also likeable in some strange way. There are some side characters such as Micheal Caine's Micheal Crosby, a British agent who helps to point the protagonist in the right direction, Dimple Kapadia as Priya, an Indian arms dealer who helps the protagonist yet chooses to keep details hidden from him, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ives, a military commander who leads an army in a final battle to save both time and the world. The side characters are minimal to an extent, but they all serve a purpose in the narrative and do feel every bit crucial up until the very end of the film. The cast is simply excellent to say the least with some stand-out performances from Washington and Branagh, despite not every character feeling very developed personality-wise.
Christopher Nolan is well-recognized to be one of the greatest modern filmmakers. His only real issue is that he sets high bars for any of his new films to overcome given his extensive and critically-acclaimed filmography. Although some might disagree with me, "Tenet" manages to overcome the bar Nolan set out and offers one of the grandest productions to date. From the multiple locations scattered throughout the film, to the rules established in the film, to even the unexpected circumstances our characters get into, this is a large-scale production that Nolan is known for. The film has some excellent lighting, consisting of both natural sunlight and interior sets, giving the film that espionage feel to it. The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema is amazing to say the least. Lots of beautiful wide shots, polished handheld movement, and some nice one shots, some of which are complemented by Jennifer Lame's perfect editing. I don't talk too much about editing in my reviews, but man, Lame's editing is simply crucial to Nolan's vision of broken time and it's simply remarkable. It's so easy to just reverse a video to make it go backwards, but the direction and editing of these scenes are just wonderful. The score by Ludwig Goransson is ecstatic to listen to. The main theme itself is both epic and chaotic, not only matching the film as a whole, but the theme itself is cleverly altered in scenes such as being played backwards in one of the film's most well-edited sequences. As for the visual effects, well, there's barely no CGI used in the film as Nolan loves to keep things authentic and on camera. While there are good instances in the film for example, the best example is by far that Nolan himself bought a Boeing 747 for a standout action scene as he claimed it was cheaper compared to using miniatures or CGI. That's the dedication Nolan goes for in his films. Speaking of the action, it's just marvellous to watch. From the on-camera stunts and effects to the scale of the scenes themselves, it's all great to watch. The real show stopper is that close-quarters combat during the middle of the film. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. Whether or not you got into the story or characters, at the very least, you will find Nolan's filmmaking flawless as ever.
"Tenet" manages to score high on Nolan's filmography and might be my second favourite film of his behind "Inception". While the story might be hard to follow at times and the characters themselves, mainly the protagonist, could have been expanded upon, everything else is very much on Nolan's quality assurance. From the engaging narrative with plenty of twists and turns to feel creative enough, the serious tone keeping the film and its world grounded, the characters all feel important in the unwinding narrative as a whole, the actors all do great jobs performing, excellent lighting that matches the film's genre, Hoytema's excellent cinematography, Lame's perfect and important editing, Goransson's spectacular score and composing, the riveting action sequences, the emphasis on on-camera stunts and effects, and above all, Nolan's extravagant directing and production. It's easy to see how Nolan hoped that this film would help save the film/theatre industry and it's not because he has a big ego, it's just because "Tenet" is a cinematic event that has to be seen on the big screen.
Verdict: 9/10. Amongst the greatest of Nolan's work. If you only had to watch one movie in theatres this September, let it be "Tenet". It's completely worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment