I'm a massive Christopher Nolan fanboy.... Memento, The Dark Knight and Inception are 3 of my favourite movies of all time.
Tenet however will not make it on to that list. At times its pace is far too rushed, giving you no chance to digest the plot ideas thrown at you mid explosion, at other times its frustratingly slow, for instance focussing too intently on the dynamic of the married couple instead of explaining what the hell is going on in the world ending scenario.
Even as the movie finishes you are left to fend for yourself and make up your own idea of what's gone on.. but not in a satisfying way like inception's brave and ambiguous spinning top finale.
I feel like there was a truly great film in there somewhere, it has all the ingredients but it got lost along the way in the jarringly loud explosions and score, too sparse screenplay, paper thin characters and convenient/ confusing plot devices.
There is a lot of talk that the only way to appreciate this movie's intricacies is to watch it at least twice, this was partially true with memento too but the difference with that film was it was still understandable and incredibly rewarding on its first watch, in my view Tenet just isn't, I see it as a flaw if a story can't be thoroughly enjoyed on any level without repeat viewings or by trawling the internet afterwards for fan theories and explanation threads. I love a film that makes you think but it has to give you something intelligible back and it's themes should at least be consistent.
Such a shame as I was really looking forward to watching it and was pretty convinced I'd absolutely love it. Instead it's a 7/10 for me for the admirable original concept, cinematography, acting and the (failed) mental workout. Could've been so much better though and doesn't come close to hitting the giddy heights of inception.
Tenet however will not make it on to that list. At times its pace is far too rushed, giving you no chance to digest the plot ideas thrown at you mid explosion, at other times its frustratingly slow, for instance focussing too intently on the dynamic of the married couple instead of explaining what the hell is going on in the world ending scenario.
Even as the movie finishes you are left to fend for yourself and make up your own idea of what's gone on.. but not in a satisfying way like inception's brave and ambiguous spinning top finale.
I feel like there was a truly great film in there somewhere, it has all the ingredients but it got lost along the way in the jarringly loud explosions and score, too sparse screenplay, paper thin characters and convenient/ confusing plot devices.
There is a lot of talk that the only way to appreciate this movie's intricacies is to watch it at least twice, this was partially true with memento too but the difference with that film was it was still understandable and incredibly rewarding on its first watch, in my view Tenet just isn't, I see it as a flaw if a story can't be thoroughly enjoyed on any level without repeat viewings or by trawling the internet afterwards for fan theories and explanation threads. I love a film that makes you think but it has to give you something intelligible back and it's themes should at least be consistent.
Such a shame as I was really looking forward to watching it and was pretty convinced I'd absolutely love it. Instead it's a 7/10 for me for the admirable original concept, cinematography, acting and the (failed) mental workout. Could've been so much better though and doesn't come close to hitting the giddy heights of inception.