Away from all the lockdown blues, I recently got a chance to catch Christopher Nolan’s newly released movie TENET. There are no spoilers ahead. Even though if there are few, trust me, you anyway won’t get it!
Plot: Doesn’t matter, you will anyway have to read an explainer at the end!!
To begin with, it is very important to highlight that Nolan considers his audience to be extremely knowledgeable and wants them to focus on each and every frame. There are fleeting moments which have no significance at the beginning but in the end those are the ones which leave a large impression. Tenet is no different. It is highly convoluted, multiple time-lines are running and an average mind like me cannot actually keep track of the same.
Tenet and its vocabulary…
Tenet comes with its own set of jargons which are not so explicitly defined in the movie. These include inversion, reverse entropy, posterity, double pincer movement, grandfather’s paradox, etc. The list goes on and I sometimes wonder if Nolan could actually release a manual, describing these jargons, before releasing the movie so I can be more engaged… Or may be it is explicitly designed this way to keep the audience in awe?
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Tenet lacks the Nolan emotional touch…
But Tenet isn’t Inception or Interstellar. There were more emotions involved in his previous flicks. Tenet, with all its glamorous science, misses out on the human touch. Be it John David Washington, as the well-dressed protagonist or Robert Pattisson, as Neil, these characters lack a significant back-story which I presume was never the focus of the film as well, but then how do you make us vouch for them?
While I vouched for Matthew Mcconaughey, in Interstellar, to return back to his daughter and find a new planet, TENET fails to give me a reason to cheer the same way for John David Washington.
The same goes out for Elizabeth Debicki as Kat, the sad wife of Andrei Sator played by Kenneth Branagh, another character which has only insignificant fleeting moments from the past mentioned. While the villain, Andrei Sator does have a badass image but he looks tired and vulnerable which is starkly different from other Nolan movies. While Heath Ledger’s Joker can never be replicated but Tenet’s villain doesn’t come close to even Bane from the Dark Knight Rises.
TENET still has its own ‘wow’ moments…
Tenet shines in gripping the audience, as the protagonist and antagonist keep switching between the past and the present. There is an amazing moment during a painting heist in the second half when what happened in the present is actually bizarre but gets cleared only when the protagonist goes in the past. This for me was the stand-out moment and special mention to Robert Pattisson, whose character actually changes shape and transforms into someone really sensible towards the second half.
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John David Washington (here on JDW), I haven’t seen any of his previous flicks but he is swift yet so casual in his role. He learns, he adapts, he fights and he fails too. The important characteristics of showing that the hero is himself vulnerable actually enhances the story-telling. JDW will certainly impress the audience going forward. If nothing else, Tenet is definitely going to be a competitor for best costume design in Oscars.
Oh, there is also a bit of Mumbai in the beginning of the film. We see the cramped streets, high-rise buildings and our own Dimple Kapadia in a pivotal role. Surprisingly, she has a very British accent, which is refreshing and she carries herself strongly as she walks and talks with JDW.
Final Words…
But the last 30 minutes of the movie is equally confusing as that of Interstellar or Inception. I had to spend 20 minutes to understand what actually happens. There are three events which take place at three different locations at same time which are in fact co-related. This scene-by-scene guide has an explainer on the movie which will be really important once you experience this mind-boggling espionage thriller.
Do not blink your eyes as you might miss out on something really important. Tenet’s editing is too crisp to leave a breathing space. Enjoy JDW’s charm and try to find out what the word TENET actually means!!
Did you get a chance to catch TENET? How was your experience? Do mention in the comments!
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