Tenet (2020) Review

 

Tenet (2020)

This has been my most anticipated movie of the year and let me just say, it did not disappoint one bit.
Tenet follows The Protagonist and Neil as they embark on a top-secret, time bending adventure to stop the eventual start of World War 3.

While somewhat convoluted at times, this has been the movie Nolan has been building towards since Memento, just in a much grander scale. He is telling a story backwards, but also telling it in real time, with things still moving backwards due to the future of technology pushing back on the present. It’s an extremely interesting concept that is so interconnected that your jaw will literally drop at the realization of certain bits in this movie. It does use clunky spoken exposition that is usually drowned out with the high-decibel, pulsing music and various events happening at once, which will 100% confuse you but you’ll catch on.

This film is boasted by amazing performances by John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, who work so well together, even of the context of us the viewers not knowing them or their history (or future?). Other notable faces who did great with in their respective and usually lesser roles were Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Debicki, Himesh Patel, and of course, the evil Kenneth Branagh, who plays Andrei so menacingly and truly one step ahead in this cat and mouse game the entire movie. He is truly the ideal antagonist to The Protagonist.

I’ve gone this far and it’s been near impossible not to mention the phenomenal special effects that this movie has, somehow blending real time, with reversed time, but having them intersect and backtrack throughout the movie is just done so well. The negative entropy of the objects, people, cars, etc. looks so well done and this is one of the few instances that, while confusing as always, I felt like time travel was done very right and used so well. Especially come the third act where everything comes back around amazingly, but also sadly at the end.

Simply a fantastic movie that definitely needs repeat viewings for maximum understanding, but what you do understand is thrilling, mind-bending, sad, and all around awesome. Did not disappoint.

10/10