Tenet
★Directed by Christopher Nolan
★Written by Christopher Nolan
The review:
I managed to see Tenet in the year 2020, even though for many months that wasn’t a sure thing,* and I can say it’s a quality Christopher Nolan film.** Both John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki were great additions to the usually-white-and-male Nolan players, and I had fun with swarmy and evil Kenneth Branagh. While I couldn’t tell you precisely what happened, it was a fun ride while I was in it.***
The verdict: Good
Cost: $1.80 (we were all ready to pay $19.99 for VOD, but I had a look at Redbox while buying New Year’s Eve supplies and lo, it was there.)
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*Things we contemplated: driving to Salem to watch in a theater there; driving to Washington to watch in a theater there (which turned out not to be feasible because Washington switched their level of open); paying the big bucks to rent out an entire theater (which AMC was doing in the fall).
**I mean, he’s a known quantity by now, so you are either in (I love barely holding on to what the heck is happening!) or out (Jesus, man, just make things a bit more clear!) and I’m in.
***And my head did hurt from concentrating.
Questions:
- Can you sum up the plot for an interested party?
- What do you think of films that don’t have a name for their main character?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
The production team purchased and then crashed a real 747 airplane into a hangar. The stunt was all practical effects, with no visual effects or CGI. Director Christopher 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.
Other reviews of Tenet:
- Hanna B, Film Threat
- Emily Zemler, Observer
Love your review, I couldn’t have put it better myself! I was so lucky to be able to see this on the big screen last year, it was a much needed pick-me-up.
As for your first question, I tried to sum up the plot to my husband when I got home after watching it, and all I managed was to give him a headache!
Ha! This reminds me of my favorite things about Fast and Furious movies. That’s when I come home and tell my partner the plot (and then!) while he looks amused and disgruntled that the franchise has managed to go so long on such nonsensical plots. At least Nolan puts a lot of thought into his complex movies.
I enjoy your recaps more than I could the actual movies.
This year, you get a recap of F9 for your birthday!