"Tenet" Film Review

"Tenet" Film Review

Rating: 5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    "Tenet" is another excellent time-twisting film from the great Christopher Nolan. Dealing with time travel and events that haven't happened yet, this film is quite confusing if you don't hang onto every word spoken in the movie. We watch in awe throughout as we sit and marvel at these large scale events that take place, which coincides with the fantastic dialogue, mind-blowing story, and the beautiful cinematography.

    John David Washington plays a character that was simply given the name of "The Protagonist". We know nothing of this character, but we are thrust into this world from the first minute, which is a terrorist attack during an opera. After refusing to give up his teammates and swallowing a suicide pill, he passes the test given by the American Government, which enlists him in the "Tenet" program. From there, he collaborates with fellow agent Neil (Robert Pattinson) as they try to bring down a criminal mastermind (Kenneth Branagh) and save his wife (Elizabeth Debicki). 

    Washington and Pattinson are the stars of this film. They have great chemistry, and bring a lot of fun to the movie. We know close to nothing about these characters, but from their charisma and appearance on the screen, we instantly root for their characters. Branagh and Debicki are also incredible together, and then it's even better when Washington joins them halfway through the movie. 

    Nolan is very good at keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat, anticipating what is going to happen next. Even when the viewer thinks they know what is going to happen next, Nolan twists it around into another one of his great time-bending adventures. He takes elements from his previous films "Inception" and "Interstellar", and combines them into this film. 

    One of the great things about this movie is the cinematography mixed with the stunts. All of the stunts are real, with almost no CGI used. That is incredible to think about as most of the shots had to be on the first try, such as the plane crash sequence. The camera work is amazing as it captures everything in the scene. You aren't missing out on anything as it is all carefully planned to make the viewer experience the entire film. 

    This is perhaps one of Nolan's most divisive films, with many people loving it and many others hating it. People complain that this film is too confusing and hard to follow, which I will counter by telling them to give it another chance. Every time you watch this movie, you will see and learn new things you never noticed before, which helps the movie make a lot more sense. This is another great film by Nolan, and hopefully it receives the recognition and praise it truly deserves.