TENET REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

A lot of films, unfortunately, have had their release dates delayed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Other films have been released through video on demand, which allows viewers to watch it at home without it having a theatrical release. It's been disappointing seeing all of these films be delayed. At the beginning of this year, I was most excited for the newest James Bond film, No Time To Die, and the sequel to A Quiet Place. Both were due to come out earlier this year, unfortunately, cinemas across the UK were forced to close at the end of March leading to the films having their release date pushed back, with No Time to Die due to be released in November this year and A Quiet Place Part II pushed back to next year. Another film I was excited for was Christopher Nolan's Tenet. This was because the premise sounded interesting and Nolan is one of my favourite directors. Tenet was supposed to be released in July, unfortunately, it was soon postponed indefinitely by the distribution company, Warner Bros, in June. When this announcement was made, I was devastated as I was really hoping to see it. However, at the end of July, things began to look up as cinemas reopened with new safety measures, such as the availability of hand sanitisers throughout the cinema and social distancing guidelines, put in place. I returned to the cinema and watched new films such as Proxima, Unhinged and Babyteeth. With cinemas reopened, Warner Bros. announced that Tenet would be released this year on August 26th. I couldn't be happier about this decision as I honestly didn't think that it would get released this year. With its release date approaching, I watched Tenet's trailer and my excitement increased. Following a mostly positive reception from critics, my expectations were high, however, is Tenet a film worth returning to the cinema for?

Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a secret agent, known only as the Protagonist (John David Washington) journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

In answer to my earlier question, yes, I think that Tenet is definitely a film worth returning to the cinema for. It features many of the things viewers have come to expect from Nolan's films, including exhilarating action sequences, strong performances delivered by its talented ensemble cast and a story that is either going to confuse you or excite you. While I understand that there's a lot of anxiety surrounding people over whether or not they should go to the cinema, especially because of the current pandemic, I think that, if you really want to go, you should. I've visited my local cinema frequently since they've reopened and I've been really impressed with the new health and safety measures they've put in. In my opinion, I think that cinemas are cleaner now than they were prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 because members of staff are cleaning it more often whereas last year, they only tidied the screens and they didn't clean them as regularly as they do now. What I'm trying to say is, if you want to watch Tenet at the cinema, then go, however, if you are too anxious about visiting the cinema, then don't feel bad about staying at home. Now, back to my review of Tenet.

I think that, the main reason why I enjoyed Tenet so much is because I'm a fan of Nolan's previous films, including Inception, The Dark Knight and Dunkirk. Because Tenet's narrative is complex, like Inception and Memento, a lot of it is going to be lost on the average viewer looking for a typical action film. That's also why I liked it so much as there are too many action films that are lazily made and focus more on special effects rather than character and story. Because Nolan focuses more on creating thought provoking and compelling films rather than telling unoriginal, predictable stories, that's why I think he's one of the greatest filmmakers working today. His passion for film is shown clearly in every feature he makes and that couldn't be more true of Tenet. Nolan took more than five years to write the screenplay after deliberating about Tenet's central ideas for over a decade. He made a conscious effort to abstain from any influence of the spy genre other than his own memory. While Tenet is often confusing at times, that doesn't prevent it from further establishing Nolan as one of the most creative and best visionary filmmakers working today.

One aspect Tenet excels in is its exhilarating action sequences which is where the film is at its most exciting. I've always been impressed with Nolan and his use of practical effects instead of relying on computer generated imagery. While CGI isn't necessarily a bad thing, practical effects are more impressive. As evident in the trailer, one of the highlights shows a plane crashing into a building. While other filmmakers would have, understandably, played it safe and used a model plane, Nolan used a real plane for the sequence. To create this sequence, the production team purchased and then crashed a real 747 into a hangar. The stunt was all practical with no CGI. Nolan had originally planned to use miniatures and set-piece builds, however, while scouting for locations in Victorville, California, the team discovered a massive array of old planes and it became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size and perform the sequence for real on camera. It's because of the exciting action sequences why Tenet is worth seeing on the big screen. 

Prior to viewing Tenet, I was worried I would find Tenet confusing. The first time I watched Inception, Interstellar and Memento, I will admit to being confused, however, following several re-watches, I thoroughly understand them now. I think that is, most likely, to be the case with Tenet. During my viewing, I was asking a few questions in my head, however, by the end, I understood the complex narrative. Now I know what happens, I think I'll enjoy Tenet more on my next watch.

Tenet's plot is simple as it follows a secret agent that is trying to prevent World War III, however, Nolan's execution is not. What is most interesting about Tenet is that not everyone who sees it will have the same opinion of it. It's definitely the most divisive film as some, like me, will love what Nolan has created and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into making an exciting and unique action film, however, there will be others who will leave the cinemas asking more questions and wondering what they've just watched. A lot of action films, that are predictable, fail to leave any lasting impression and will have been forgotten about by the time the viewer has left the cinema. That's not the case with Tenet as it's a film people will be talking about for years to come. It's been a decade since the release of Inception and people are still discussing its ambiguous ending. Chances are, most people aren't going to understand what's just happened in Tenet but that doesn't necessarily means it's a bad film, it's just a film that would benefit from repeated viewings, however, it's a struggle when people are unsure about visiting the cinema even once. 

A lot of Nolan's films, including Inception, The Dark Knight and Dunkirk are known for featuring an A-list cast of famous actors, however, while they've all delivered strong performances, I felt that Nolan's cast was getting a bit repetitive with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine frequently appearing in his films. The cast consists of some of the most talented actors working today. Denzel Washington is a famous name within Hollywood, however, his son, John David, has successfully made a name for himself. Following his effective performance in Spike Lee's Oscar winning film, BlacKkKlansman, which targeted issues of racism, Washington continues to impress. He is everything a protagonist should be: smart, brave and likable. Unsurprisingly, because there are a lot of action sequences, there are a lot of fight scenes, however, instead of relying on stunt doubles, Washington performed them himself. While I understand why actors would use stunt doubles for their own safety, the action sequences and fight scenes were all the more impressive knowing it was actually Washington performing the stunts and not a professional and adds to Tenet's authenticity. Since appearing in the infamous Twilight franchise, Pattinson has appeared in many films to establish himself as a more serious actor and I think that he has mostly succeeded. In Tenet, he portrays Neil who is the Protagonist's handler. His performance here has made me even more excited for his take on the titular caped crusader in Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is due to be released at the end of next year. Elizabeth Debicki has delivered small but memorable supporting roles in films such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Widows, however, as Kat, she delivers one of her most impressive performances yet. Another actor I was impressed by was Kenneth Branagh who is known for portraying likable and charming characters, however, as Russian oligarch, Andrei Sator, he plays against type and is the antagonist to Washington's protagonist. Solid supporting roles are delivered by Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Himesh Patel and Dimple Kapadia.

Tenet marks the first film since The Prestige, which was released in 2006, not to be scored by Hans Zimmer, who composed the score for his dream project, Dune. He was replaced by newcomer Ludwig Göransson who recently won an Academy Award for his score for Black Panther. His score for Tenet is effective and adds to the dramatic tension that feature within the film. 

With Tenet, Christopher Nolan has created another exciting new film that is entirely worth visiting the cinema for. 

8/10