Meme Doc P.H.D
Tenet Review
“Don’t try to understand it, feel it”.
The same words that have been uttered throughout trailers and part of the marketing, and since Nolan + WB announced this movie, I’ve been more than obsessed—three years after his last release, Dunkirk (2017), which I saw with a friend while having a fever (still sat through it anyways). It’s also the first time in 7 months since I’ve seen a film in theatres with the last three being in February (Parasite’s 2nd viewing, Birds of Prey and Sonic the Hedgehog).
But to make a review for Tenet, is simply incomprehensible. I had to make it brief on my Instagram story, and I’ll try my best to make it in what I’ve seen without spoilers—the premise involves time and an agent with the secret organization known as Tenet as they try to prevent/stop World War 3 from happening. Bear with me in this long review if you will:
The cast: John David Washington plays the main character, which isn’t really much of a spoilery detail, he’s a nameless CIA agent except he’s being called the Protagonist. That’s just it, which keeps the mystery going. JDW has the talent and appeal of a leading star, and his action beats proves he’s more than being Denzel’s son, has the merits and traits of a leading man in a Nolan film. Robert Pattinson plays Neil, second fiddle and the other lead. With his great hairstyle throughout the movie, he’s got a charismatic wit, a snarky sense of humour using his natural accent—as he returns to the main screen after being in indie and smaller films like Cosmopolis (2012) and Good Time (2017), which I throughly enjoyed and loved his character which he should really have a movie of his own. Both Rob and John have a friendship chemistry, which builds up their bromance of sorts, entrusting each other to do the right things and what’s needed to save the world.
Then there’s Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), an art auctioneer (and the tallest in the cast followed by Robert Pattinson), who is a damsel in distress yet a strong, independent woman. One would assume Kat is Nolan’s archetype of a woman set up to be a potential dead wife or mother given from the trailers, but more than that. She’s at the centrepoint who is the tritagonist—caring for her son Max and trying to stay away from her estranged husband, a Russian oligarch who abuses her and sees Kat as nothing worth. But Debicki isn’t the one giving off a strong performance, as the Russian antagonist, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who’s quite stoic and menacing with a somewhat tryingly convincing Russian accent, not the first time he’s done it as he played an evil-doer in his previously in his self directed Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). With his second collaboration with Nolan (both worked on Dunkirk), Branagh’s character might be the most complex villain yet, with such motives that is beyond my thought. Others in the cast show highlights and moments in supporting roles, such as Himesh Patel as Mahir the fixer, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s nuanced military commander Ives, Dimple Kapadia’s Priya, the mysterious arms dealer. Lesser supporting roles who still play to a degree include Clémence Posey’s scientist character, Laura who we’re introduced early in the film, Michael Caine’s cameo (just like Dunkirk), Martin Donovan’s short screentime as the Protagonist’s CIA boss and Fiona Dourif as a military leader just like Ives.
Cinematography/music: It’s hard to encompass what I’m putting in here in a 2.5 hour long movie, from the luscious cinematography of recurring Nolan collaborator Hoyte Van Hoytema, capturing small details and big ones too, cuts, scenes and jumps are pretty fast. I can see why the budget here is big for such action set pieces from Nolan’s craft; including the insane stunt of reverse car crash flips, crashing a plane into an airport as Neil describes as “a little dramatic”. If we took in Mission Impossible and James Bond by account, then Nolan has taken this to a next level for a science fiction action spy thriller film. For the first time, Hans Zimmer doesn’t compose for this film as he would do for Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune (you’ll get a preview of that before the movie starts + before the trailer drops on the 10th). Instead, it’s Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson, who you might be familiar from his works with Childish Gambino, soundtracks for the Mandalorian and Venom. The beats are insanely great, as I’ve spent a good chunk of three days listening to the Tenet soundtrack while studying in the days leading up to the release. As the film ends, you’ll notice Travis Scott’s the Plan play in the background.
Everything else, themes etc: World War 3 implies the end of the world, and people have to do something to stop it. In twists and turns, Nolan’s love for mathematics, complicated terms, dialogue, it’s what makes it great and confusing, beginning to end is crazy and big. I’ve heard reviewers complaining about the loud sounds over muffled dialogue, but I’m sure I could understand everything somehow, there are scenes where I didn’t in what characters were trying to convey but not the context.
The verdict: 10/10. Bond, spy film on acid, really but with gravitas. Bigger than Inception also in terms of globetrotting and travelling across places that Interstellar might be a simpler opposite version if it’s in space. So much going on. Like most Nolan films, this isn’t linear or non linear, it’s a mix of both—inverted, forwards and backwards. He manages to stack a diverse cast of young and old, with new and returning faces that work well with one another in the play of conflict and dynamics and having important and minor roles. And it might be impossible to understand things, you’ll need to rewatch it again to grasp story points and potential plot holes and mysteries. I promise you’ll be leaving the theatre asking so much as I’m trying to find analysis and breakdowns and wondering if this should be a movie on its own deserving a prequel or a sequel as well.
Alright, I guess that’s a post for today, September is looking great so far (hopefully). A majestic European and Indian experience. If it’s crazier than X-Men: Days of Future Past or any other time travel related film, then I’ll recommend Primer (2004).
Tenet Review
“Don’t try to understand it, feel it”.
The same words that have been uttered throughout trailers and part of the marketing, and since Nolan + WB announced this movie, I’ve been more than obsessed—three years after his last release, Dunkirk (2017), which I saw with a friend while having a fever (still sat through it anyways). It’s also the first time in 7 months since I’ve seen a film in theatres with the last three being in February (Parasite’s 2nd viewing, Birds of Prey and Sonic the Hedgehog).
But to make a review for Tenet, is simply incomprehensible. I had to make it brief on my Instagram story, and I’ll try my best to make it in what I’ve seen without spoilers—the premise involves time and an agent with the secret organization known as Tenet as they try to prevent/stop World War 3 from happening. Bear with me in this long review if you will:
The cast: John David Washington plays the main character, which isn’t really much of a spoilery detail, he’s a nameless CIA agent except he’s being called the Protagonist. That’s just it, which keeps the mystery going. JDW has the talent and appeal of a leading star, and his action beats proves he’s more than being Denzel’s son, has the merits and traits of a leading man in a Nolan film. Robert Pattinson plays Neil, second fiddle and the other lead. With his great hairstyle throughout the movie, he’s got a charismatic wit, a snarky sense of humour using his natural accent—as he returns to the main screen after being in indie and smaller films like Cosmopolis (2012) and Good Time (2017), which I throughly enjoyed and loved his character which he should really have a movie of his own. Both Rob and John have a friendship chemistry, which builds up their bromance of sorts, entrusting each other to do the right things and what’s needed to save the world.
Then there’s Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), an art auctioneer (and the tallest in the cast followed by Robert Pattinson), who is a damsel in distress yet a strong, independent woman. One would assume Kat is Nolan’s archetype of a woman set up to be a potential dead wife or mother given from the trailers, but more than that. She’s at the centrepoint who is the tritagonist—caring for her son Max and trying to stay away from her estranged husband, a Russian oligarch who abuses her and sees Kat as nothing worth. But Debicki isn’t the one giving off a strong performance, as the Russian antagonist, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who’s quite stoic and menacing with a somewhat tryingly convincing Russian accent, not the first time he’s done it as he played an evil-doer in his previously in his self directed Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). With his second collaboration with Nolan (both worked on Dunkirk), Branagh’s character might be the most complex villain yet, with such motives that is beyond my thought. Others in the cast show highlights and moments in supporting roles, such as Himesh Patel as Mahir the fixer, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s nuanced military commander Ives, Dimple Kapadia’s Priya, the mysterious arms dealer. Lesser supporting roles who still play to a degree include Clémence Posey’s scientist character, Laura who we’re introduced early in the film, Michael Caine’s cameo (just like Dunkirk), Martin Donovan’s short screentime as the Protagonist’s CIA boss and Fiona Dourif as a military leader just like Ives.
Cinematography/music: It’s hard to encompass what I’m putting in here in a 2.5 hour long movie, from the luscious cinematography of recurring Nolan collaborator Hoyte Van Hoytema, capturing small details and big ones too, cuts, scenes and jumps are pretty fast. I can see why the budget here is big for such action set pieces from Nolan’s craft; including the insane stunt of reverse car crash flips, crashing a plane into an airport as Neil describes as “a little dramatic”. If we took in Mission Impossible and James Bond by account, then Nolan has taken this to a next level for a science fiction action spy thriller film. For the first time, Hans Zimmer doesn’t compose for this film as he would do for Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune (you’ll get a preview of that before the movie starts + before the trailer drops on the 10th). Instead, it’s Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson, who you might be familiar from his works with Childish Gambino, soundtracks for the Mandalorian and Venom. The beats are insanely great, as I’ve spent a good chunk of three days listening to the Tenet soundtrack while studying in the days leading up to the release. As the film ends, you’ll notice Travis Scott’s the Plan play in the background.
Everything else, themes etc: World War 3 implies the end of the world, and people have to do something to stop it. In twists and turns, Nolan’s love for mathematics, complicated terms, dialogue, it’s what makes it great and confusing, beginning to end is crazy and big. I’ve heard reviewers complaining about the loud sounds over muffled dialogue, but I’m sure I could understand everything somehow, there are scenes where I didn’t in what characters were trying to convey but not the context.
The verdict: 10/10. Bond, spy film on acid, really but with gravitas. Bigger than Inception also in terms of globetrotting and travelling across places that Interstellar might be a simpler opposite version if it’s in space. So much going on. Like most Nolan films, this isn’t linear or non linear, it’s a mix of both—inverted, forwards and backwards. He manages to stack a diverse cast of young and old, with new and returning faces that work well with one another in the play of conflict and dynamics and having important and minor roles. And it might be impossible to understand things, you’ll need to rewatch it again to grasp story points and potential plot holes and mysteries. I promise you’ll be leaving the theatre asking so much as I’m trying to find analysis and breakdowns and wondering if this should be a movie on its own deserving a prequel or a sequel as well.
Alright, I guess that’s a post for today, September is looking great so far (hopefully). A majestic European and Indian experience. If it’s crazier than X-Men: Days of Future Past or any other time travel related film, then I’ll recommend Primer (2004).