Tenet Review by Alex Ledebuhr
It’s been too long since we’ve last spoken, erm, I mean written. I’ve missed you dearly and, presumptuous as it may sound, I think you’ve missed me too. That’s not to say my writing is that incredibly important to your lives, but I’m sure it is fair to say for most of you it has been terribly long since you’ve seen the inside of a movie theater. That is a complete tragedy. The Covid-19 pandemic has taken so much from us in 2020. Not to say movies rank above the loss of human life, because they pale in comparison, but I know for me movies were a perfect escape from everyday life. That outlet has been taken from us, and that hurts. But alas, we must trudge forward, one day at a time, and figure out our place in this new normal.
Before I begin my review, I think it’s important to catch you, my trusted readers, up on my life. My last review was in February of this year. I was going to school full time and I got a little overwhelmed with my workload as it was my last semester and then Covid struck. I attended remotely throughout the rest of the semester. Looking back I should have used that time to write more reviews, I was just severely disheartened that theaters weren’t open. I felt lost. Well, I was definitely found after I graduated from school (in May) and proposed to my girlfriend of almost three years (in June). We had a joyous, lovely, and contained zoom wedding with a small number of in-person guests (in October… 10-10-2020 to be exact… aren’t you jealous of that date). We have since moved into a new home together and are so excited to start/continue our lives together. Needless to say, we just cleared out our office and plugged in the old Mac-aroni ™ and I have been dying to tell you all about Tenet, so in the words of Heath Ledger’s Joker, “Here we… go.”
Christopher Nolan is by far one of the most unique directors of this generation, let alone all-time. The only argument against him from a movie-goer I have heard is that his movies are “confusing.” The only argument against him from film makers is in regards to his sound mix, which I will address later. While I don’t fully disagree with either of those sentiments, I think the man is truly a genius when it comes to film, in regard to his complex plots, narrative structures, and yes, his sound design. He knows the rules, and better yet, he knows how to break them… in absolutely glorious fashion. While Tenet is both confusing and “noisy” (more on that later), it’s a groundbreaking film, with some of the most captivating concepts, stunts, and cinematography I have ever seen. In addition, the composition by Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Creed) and the acting performances were pretty phenomenal as well.
Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s take on the spy genre, of which he is a self-professed super-fan. It’s description on iMDb is as follows: “Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.” Wow. That’s a mouthful. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I won’t really go too much more in depth aside from answering the most frequently asked question in regards to Tenet, “it’s not time travel. Inversion.” That being said, the plot is… hard to handle. It absolutely takes multiple viewings in order to understand the very complex plot (I dared not write this review before seeing it 4 times, thrice in theaters and once at home… shhhhhh). It’s like Inception on crack. However, I noticed upon each viewing, like Inception, the film just kept getting better for me.
First off, I’d like to break down the cinematography and stunts. While I can’t talk about the cinematography without mentioning the Director of Photography, Hoyte Van Hoytema (Interstellar, Dunkirk), I could not talk about the stunts without mentioning John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman, Ballers). This film literally wouldn’t have been able to be made without JDW, who had to film complex fight choreography and stunts, both forwards and backwards. The sheer athleticism it took was absolutely astounding, but then again Washington did play professional football for several years, so I guess he was cut out for the role. Back to the cinematography, which I will be amazed if Hoytema isn’t nominated for an Oscar for his incredible work. In order to make the film, which is easily his most ambitious collaboration with Nolan, he had to literally make adjustments to the IMAX camera so that he could shoot both forwards and backwards. That’s right, there are multiple scenes throughout the film which were shot both forwards and backwards. The scenes in question are truly fascinating and worth the price of admission/blu-ray alone, but the film also has stunning cinematography throughout allowing it to stand on its’ own two legs, time-inversion gimmicks aside.
The amount of collaboration on the direction of the film had to be very precise in order to pull of the various inversion effects, and one of the most important collaborations was with the films’ editor, Jennifer Lame (Marriage Story, Hereditary). Nolan has always been a huge fan of non-linear storytelling, but Tenet provided the additional challenge of forward and inverted fight scenes, which would be a challenge for any editor. In addition, she replaced Nolan’s longtime editor, Lee Smith, who was busy editing the Oscar-winning film, 1917. Lame, who has also worked on several Oscar-winning films, proves to be a multi-talented editor, as she has edited dramas (often with director Noah Baumbach), horror, and now with Tenet, an action/thriller/espionage film. Her editing was essential for keeping the characters grounded emotionally, especially Kat, played by Elizabeth Debicki (Widows, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2).
Speaking of Kat, I should mention the other major players in the film, which are the aforementioned Protagonist (which is the only name we are given in the film for the character), played by John David Washington, Neil, played by Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse, Good Time), and the villainous Sator, played by Kenneth Branagh (Dunkirk, Murder on the Orient Express). All of these actors did an incredible job of keeping the story moving forward (and backward *slaps knee*) through it’s fairly complex portrayal of time manipulation. All four really hold the film together and give memorable performances in a film which constantly one-ups itself technically. It’s hard to say much more without giving anything away, so I will pull myself to another topic, the score.
Ludwig Göransson has already won an Oscar for his incredible score in Black Panther (Rest in Power Chadwick), and I don’t know what his competition is this year, but he very well could get nominated for his work on Tenet. What makes this even more incredible is that he had to conduct his many musicians virtually due to social distancing protocols. What makes his soundtrack so cool, and I must emphasize, it is very cool (I’m listening to it right now on repeat), is how in sync with the plot it is. It, along with the plot, utilizes the concept of time-inversion throughout the film, which gives it tons of replayability, both forwards and backwards. The themes for the Protagonist, Neil, Kat, & Sator are all thoroughly unique and blended together subtly which makes for an exciting ride, both visually and sonically. Its’ booming synths and electric guitars keep the heart (and its’ strings) pumping throughout the entire film.
Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to address the sound design of the film, as it is what I went to school for. On my first viewing I was so utterly overwhelmed by everything I was seeing, I figured the sound design would be overshadowed by the visual aspect of the film. Two minutes into the film I was proven wrong during the epic opening introduction at the Kiev Opera House. I don’t think I have ever heard gunshots presented the way I heard in that moment. It’s a true shame that most won’t get a chance to see it on the big screen, because the sound design really has the ability to stop your aforementioned heart from pumping, especially in Dolby. While I understand the complaints of some regarding the inaudible dialogue, upon multiple viewings it’s clear that most of the information we are losing to bombastic gunshots and inverse explosions are simply exposition that is being explained visually anyways. To be certain I was able to watch the film with subtitles during my latest viewing, thus confirming my theory that not much is lost in translation. Again, I think Christopher Nolan is a genius and creative in most aspects of the craft of filmmaking, especially sound design.
Well, I’ve written as much as I dare to on Tenet (for now), but I do urge you to check it out in a theater if you have the opportunity and feel safe enough to do so. Christopher Nolan movies, and in this case Tenet especially, deserve/need to be seen on the big screen. It’s an audio-visual experience like no other, and while I haven’t seen it in IMAX (and sadly probably won’t get the opportunity), I personally think that Dolby is the best way to see any movie. It’s fantastic to be back in the writer’s chair and in the spirit of Tenet’s inversion I plan to write reviews on each of Christopher Nolan’s films, working backwards of course, so expect a review for his thrilling war-epic Dunkirk next, in which I will break down a little thing called Shepard tones.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language
Runtime: 150 Minutes
Produced by: Warner Bros. & Syncopy
