As one of the greatest filmmakers in the game today, Christopher Nolan has proven time and time again that he can do it all. After starting his career out with a few low-budget yet highly-rewarding independent films, the critically-acclaimed director took on The Dark Knight franchise and even delivered what many consider to be the greatest superhero movie of all time. Since then, he’s given us award-winning films with massive budgets that have each amassed hundreds of millions of dollars at the worldwide box office. Despite all of the accolades, it’s Christopher Nolan’s lowest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes that I consider my favorite. With a pedestrian 70% critic score, Tenet might not have earned the adoration of critics, or even Peloton instructors for that matter, but it’s a movie that I always find myself going back to.
Following the success of Dunkirk in 2017, Christopher Nolan decided to continue his well-documented fascination with the passage of time. Outside of The Dark Knight franchise, time has been a core theme throughout his entire filmography. From the fragmented and distorted storytelling of Memento to exploring the heartbreaking consequences of space travel in Interstellar, Christopher Nolan has made no effort in hiding the fact that time is always on his mind; and Tenet is no exception. The slick and kinetic sci-fi thriller never takes its foot off of the gas pedal as it drives forward and backward throughout its occasionally convoluted story. But there is never a dull moment in the 150-minute movie that still manages to feel like it ends in the blink of an eye.
Having the Time of Your Life
Tenet follows a protagonist quite simply known only as the “Protagonist” (John David Washington), a CIA operative who is recruited by a mysterious organization called Tenet to help prevent a world-ending catastrophe. Yeah, we’ve all seen a million movies before with exactly the same concept, sounds like nothing new. However, viewers are quickly introduced to the concept of inversion, where certain objects and people are able to move backward through time instead of forward. This creates a world of chaos and confusion as the Protagonist attempts to wrap his mind around it, acting as an audience surrogate.
He is soon joined by his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) as they track Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), a Russian oligarch who has access to inverted weapons and technology sent from the future. To make matters worse, Sator is willing to use these weapons to negatively effect time in a way that threatens all of humanity. The Protagonist navigates through a web of espionage, time manipulation, and high-stakes action sequences, which also includes a mind-bending fight scene with his own inverted self. All of this leads up to an explosive and heart-pounding conclusion that attempts to tie everything together. Like Inception, Tenet relies on visually impressive set pieces in order to make the sprawling and garbled plot more palatable.
It’s honestly fairly difficult to further explain the plot without going into a 10,000 word essay on the principles of physics and the plausibility of time manipulation. It’s also one of the primary reasons as to why it’s Christopher Nolan’s lowest-rated movie. The plot is just a lot to soak in during your first viewing. On top of that, the sound mixing also leaves a lot to be desired, making subtitles a requirement for most viewers (a recurring complaint for Nolan).
With all that said, Tenet is still one of my favorite movies from the last five years. Not only does it look great, but the inventive action sequences are fun to watch and add to the viewing experience. Christopher Nolan and company took a film that could have very easily been very straightforward and instead took a chance on something creative. I’m always a sucker for movies that at least attempt something different.
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The Tenets of Building Compelling Characters
You can have the best action sequences in the world, but a movie can fall flat if there aren’t any stakes at play. Which is why one of my favorite aspects of Tenet are the trio of characters who all have something very crucial at stake in the film. Washington might not have a tear-jerking monologue that explains his character’s motivations, but he plays the Protagonist with such a deft hand. He delivers a nuanced approach to a character who is committed to the cause. Similarly, Pattinson is equally as cool in his portrayal of Neil. There aren’t any forced interactions that attempt to build him up as somebody that he isn’t. And like the Protagonist, Neil is willing to see their mission through to the end, no matter the cost.
On the flip side, Branagh’s performance isn’t what anybody would consider to be award worthy, yet there is something so chaotic about his delivery that it just works for me. He is ruthless, cold, and incomprehensible at times, which is the perfect foil for a film’s dual-heroes as they calculate their every move with precision. Tenet is far from Christopher Nolan’s best movie, but it’s my favorite of his because of how fun it is. It might be his lowest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, but some filmmakers can go their entire careers without directing a single movie with a 70% critic score or higher. I’m looking at you Michael Bay.
You can rent Tenet on platforms such as Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
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