Tenet: convoluted, but exciting nonetheless

Tenet was – undoubtedly – one of the most anticipated releases of this year. Despite COVID-19, which brought the world to a halt in March, Tenet’s release remained steadfast in the face of huge cancellations. Personally, I was particularly excited for it. I am a huge fan of Inception, and Tenet seemed, from early trailers, to be somewhat similar; shrouded in mystery, but promising of a good time.

It certainly delivered on both of those assumptions. I really don’t think I could tell you the plot. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what happened in those two and a half hours. What I do know is that I enjoyed the film regardless, despite a few vices. One of those said vices is the fact that sometimes, I couldn’t hear what the characters were saying. This mostly occurred during scenes in which characters were wearing masks; the opening scene and a later sequence involving the defusing of a bomb were particularly difficult to hear. Their voices were muffled anyway, given the fact that they were wearing masks, but coupled with the sounds of explosions and gunfire, it was nigh on impossible to comprehend the dialogue.

Now, there is, of course, the chance that this was somewhat deliberate. The film is confusing enough on its own, but when you combine that with inaudible dialogue, it becomes a miasma of mystery. That might encourage you to return to the cinema and watch it again, maybe once more, maybe a few times. That cycle, of course, results in more views and more money. I’m not entirely sure what you really gain from audience’s lack of comprehension of your film, however. You’d think it would be a filmmaker’s prerogative to give audiences the best possible chance at understanding what is going on, and giving clear, audible dialogue is surely a component of that. Either way, with regard to Tenet, a lot of the dialogue is difficult to hear. I wouldn’t say that negatively impacted the film much, but it’s always nice to be able to hear the dialogue that someone spent a lot of time writing and perfecting, and that is likely relevant to the scene in some way.

Beyond the sometimes-inaudible dialogue, I don’t have any other gripes or negative opinions of the film. As a whole, I really enjoyed the film. The action scenes were particularly good, especially one fight that takes place in a storage facility packed with priceless art, and an exciting car chase that we get to experience twice. Said car chase was probably my favourite scene of the film; it was thrilling and utterly engaging while also being very well shot and put together. John David Washington’s performance as ‘the Protagonist’ is stellar; he brings a charm and depth to the role that is subtle but profound in its effect. The rest of the cast also gave great performances; Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Neil really contributes to his recent rejuvenation. The chemistry between himself and Washington is electric, and their shared scenes are some of the best in the film. Elizabeth Debicki is similarly excellent – and so tall – and her presence on screen as Kat is commanding. My only slight gripe would be that Kenneth Branagh didn’t feel entirely convincing as the villain – to me, anyway. That is just a personal opinion, though. His chemistry with Debicki was particularly strong, however, and their scenes together were the perfect expression of the toxic, charged relationship between their characters.

I really take my hat off to whoever had the challenge of editing the film. It cannot have been easy. I doubt it is ever particularly easy to edit a film, but it must have been absolute torture with one like this. I’m trying not to give too much away here, but once you’re aware of the plot and the film’s chronology, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. It is extremely well edited; scenes are seamless and engaging, and the film does honestly fly by. Going into the film, I was slightly concerned that I wouldn’t be able to understand it and would end up bored as consequence. While I didn’t understand most of what was happening, I definitely wasn’t bored and enjoyed the film regardless! I said similar of Le Mans ‘66, and in both cases it iis credit to the editors that the films do not feel their length.

The film is stunning; the cinematography, as is true of any Nolan film, is beautiful. Similarly, the score is excellent and blends perfectly with the scenes it is paired with, allowing for the film to flow. The storyline is impressive; despite the fact that I didn’t totally understand it, it is definitely a feat to even conceive of. The film is littered with small references – both visual and otherwise – and twists that I personally found thrilling. The title itself is a palindrome, which speaks to the nature of the film’s plot. While the dialogue was perhaps a little bit unnecessarily dramatic and borderline cheesy at times, I feel like that is quite typical of Nolan, and doesn’t detract from the film in the slightest.

I know this review is quite a bit shorter than what I would usually post. I’ve been spoiled during lockdown; I’ve been able to watch films at home and take notes throughout. I tried to take as many mental notes as I could, but to be honest my memory is not the best! Either way, I wanted to get something down about Tenet because, as I said earlier, it was a highly anticipated release, both for myself and the rest of the world. Ultimately, I found it highly enjoyable, and will probably try and see it again. If I spot anything else on another viewing, I’ll be sure to make another post! In the meantime, if you haven't seen Tenet yet, I’d recommend trying to catch it! If you can look past your potential lack of total comprehension, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, even if just for the action scenes. If you have seen it, what did you think? Let me know!