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Can someone explain if the TP meets Neil in his future and they have “adventures “ together...then you could assume this would all take place 15-20year from the events in the movie?? Then Neil inverts backwards for 15-20 years (in a crate???) wouldn’t he be like in his 40’s??
Perhaps this implies that Neil is going through his time loop trying to figure out a way to get out alive. Each time he goes through, he learns more and gets further along (think Edge of Tomorrow) passing information to the version of himself going back through an inverter in the future, maybe passed through the Protagonist himself. The movie was just witnessing one of these loops.
@@Someothername2134 I’ve found its easiest to understand if you visualize the timeline with an “Oslo” event at one end (“past” - temporal backstop) and a “Tallinn” event at the other (“future” - goal net). Like temporal backstops. You win by getting the ball behind the opponent’s backstop.
Isn’t there a Neil paradox where the stalsk-12 raid and the opera op at opening happened on the same day, as Michael Kaine says, so one Neil has to go unlock the door and get shot and another Neil has to go save the protagonist at the opera and start the events over again and thus he is stuck in a time loop back to that moment? And like he says if anyone even knew would they ever care? He even alludes to having to make sure the outcome stays the outcome by going back in the past. He also mentioned Sator and how he converges his past and future self by using the turnstiles. It could have happened to Neil by going back to in time from wherever he is from to help the protagonist in the past. Idk something to consider because by going back in time he cancels his future so there must be some loop
@@kieslar0835 Right before the Protagonist de-verts for the Stalsk mission, he and Kat wonder aloud at where Neil has gone - think this is a reference to Neil going on the opera house mission. I think it’s most likely that the opera house Neil is the one who saves the Protagonist from the train yard takes him via train to the Magne Viking. The train-yard instance of the protagonist is sedated so he doesn’t learn of Neil, Tenet, the Magne Viking, or his past self while he’s being conveyed to the area of the windmills. No one is canceling out the past. The machine works a lot like a phase conjugate mirror. The whole movie is basically a visual display of time-reversed propagation applies to people, and more specifically to reference frames. In one way, think of the turnstiles like a mirror array - you appear in all of them at once when you step into the right spot.
The fact that people have to come up with wild theories to actually make sense of the plot and to coverup otherwise plot holes makes me question his respect for the audience.
@@timnergaard3831 except it isnt exposition for 1 hour of the film ........ he makes niche films with very distinct sensibilities with the budget of mainstream blockbusters......except tdk trilogy none of his films have mainstream sensibilities or structure ....he overestimates the audience in thinking mainstream will go along with his very distinct niche sensibilities ...
I didn't fully understand Neil's character after the first viewing, now several watches later, his story is heartbreaking. Also I loved Robert Pattinson's acting, phenomenal job.
Really hope this Pattinson guy never has to star in any wierd vampire movies at some point in the past. He's a phenomenal actor and something like that could ruin his career.
Blown away first watch, then watched 5 more times, there's always something new I hadn't seen before. Will be watching many more times, my fav Chris Nolan movie!
@@nehh_aksat i mean it pretty self explanatory if you watched the video there is multiple neils in the film all doing different tasks but it always ends in death for neil and he know this but still does it because if he doesn't open that door or save the protag the world will end
Is Christopher Nolans respect for the audience why we feel it so deeply when Neil's fate is revealed? He doesn't have an audience experience the same tragedy as losing a loveable character. He builds a story out of a theory that when fully understood, allows the audience to fill a history unknown to them about Neil's life and the tease of which at the very end is so beautifully put, that for Neil it's the end of their friendship, but the beginning for the Protagonist. Genius.
Even after Neil dies in the tunnel, there is still a version of Neil existing in the universe - the very first one who travelled from the future, assigned by the protagonist.
@@f8talfury Yes, and this younger version lives in a limited space of time and in a limited scenario of fate. In fact, this young version has one ending.
Neil saved the protagonist at least 3 times. Once at the start with the inverted bullet, then in the middle when he insisted the protagonist to not unwittingly shoot his reverted self and a third time at the end with the gate.
Another time he saves the Protagonist and his earlier self is when they get stuck at the door when TP breaks his lock pick tools off in the lock. In the later scene you see Neil around the corner walking away, but really that is an inverted Neil and he is moving forward from his perspective while TP and Earlier-Neil walk backwards into the locked room. He reverts very shortly and his first order of business is to unlock that door on his way to the Ambulance to get picked up by newly reverted TP
i realize that during the film, if you see yourself going back in it means you made it back. this means that upon neil’s journey way back into the past, he did not see himself coming back through. this means he knew he was going to die many years in the future and has known about his final conclusion the whole time
I'm not sure that's accurate. Watching yourself enter or exit the machine through the proving window, that's you from right now. Not you from the past or future.
The whole thing about seeing yourself exit before you enter the turnstile is to know whether you survive the inversion process, it's unrelated to any events that might occur after inversion.
@@gnack420 I don't think that's entirely accurate. You are seeing the very events that will transpire "after" (or should I say "before"?) you invert yourself. Logically deducing your survival by seeing yourself on the other side of the glass, regardless of what you're doing, is merely a convenient benefit. It's not fair to say you're witnessing THE future, because time is going to flip, but you're certainly witnessing YOUR immediate future, because once you go through the turnstile, you are destined to reenact what you just saw, but in the opposite direction.
Neil sees himself on the other side during the battle. The inverted Neil is going down some stairs, and he sees himself going up the stairs on the other side. As others pointed out, you are not seeing some faraway future, you are seeing yourself maybe 20 seconds later.
I'd imagine a scene where "final" Neil is putting on his helmet for the last time, and he notices a bullet lodged in the back of it. He smiles, knowing that at some point it's going to pass through his head in reverse and travel back into a gun.
@@laithinator3000 But if the bullet is inside inside the back of the helmet just like the other bullets were in the wall at the beginning, it would make sense
I think that theory about consciousness could also apply to the protagonist, he dies and then wakes up to do it all again. There’s something in Protagonist’s eyes during the opera - feels like he’s experiencing déjà vu. On a similar note, Neil is definitely the guy stood behind him as they’re bringing in the gas canisters.
@@heavyspoilers Because it’s a film. I think it’s fun to think about it scientifically as you seem to be, but it’s worth remembering it’s been made by Christopher Nolan, the man who is obsessed with filmmaking. There’s a reason why reversing time feels like you’re going backwards through the editing timeline. They exist forever in a loop because they’re trapped in the narrative of a film.
Yeah like the movie is a loop in itself at the point tha all the theories doesent even matter cause it always leads to the same end over and over again. (Well perhaps that in one reality the protagonist decides to dont take the pill,history would be totally diferent) but. the point you expose here i think this movie is very similiar to *THE EDGE OF TOMORROW* where shit happens over and over again,it would be cool to se TENET in neil's point of view Its like a caleidoscope of realities but at the end the hole movie is a big palindrom just as his name.
@@heavyspoilers negative. As I understood there are 2 versions of everybody, however some of them living in the loop, but 1 sator in the loop and another is dead. This movie is issue of faith. Sator is not believing in future and he is dying In the end Protagonist recruits opera protagonist to hide elements. However I also had thoughts that tablet of cyanid could be true, and he is really dying but if its true how he is moving forward to recruit Niel, which is Max and so on? Only one version should be in future. I still can’t understand
@@GriFFonRec4 By far the best Batman franchise. I think the Rob Batinson will be good too. As much as we enjoyed some of the dc movies since the, let's be honest it should have been far better.
If you go to the scene where Neil breaks away from his squad and about to enter the turnstile at Stalz12, you can see his inversion running away on the far right.
Yes I saw it. But he saw a version of him (Neil) that was moving foward, the inverted Neil saw it in reverse because when you're inverted you see the people that are moving foward like they are moving in reverse motion, they shown us examples of it in the battle how blue and red team saw the movements of the contrary team.
The first time watching, I was so lost at this point that I didn't even notice Neil dead on the floor. I had the bad case of head hurty. The Second watch a few days later things started to make more sense and I began to understand and enjoy the story.
I'm sure Christopher had no idea what is going on in this movie. He just did a story board, reversed as many things as possible with connecting dots while maintaining strict logical coherency, and then just shot scenes.... He's theorizing on TH-cam along with us😭😭😭😭😭
I think he doesn't know and it's probably an accident from his perspective, if he know he would've tried something else than putting his face between the bullet. and if it's something spontaneous I doubt the scene would make any sense from his perspective, think about it how can he see the dude's intention and get in the way if they are going backwards from his point of view, he's probably just passing through when he unlocks the door and gets inverted shot in the head.
@@Gyork_ I don’t agree with what you said. Pls note that he had already knew he was going to die so there was no reason for him to change the events. He kept saying what’s happened happened. That’s why it’s a sad story.
@@weixin9270 true to that...and he also said to the protagonist to let him go....its much more sadder🥲 we as the audience watching from protagonist pov...already know his fate
Man! You are going SUPER deep into theory in these explanation videos. Every time I think I have my head wrapped around every little detail in the movie after my ten plus rewatches of the movie and all the many theory videos I’ve watched on TH-cam, you come out with another video and I feel like I’m starting all over from scratch! Am I inverted?! Am I caught in a time loop???? AM I NEIL???????? I think I’m having a panic attack pls send help 😩🆘😰
After watching this video and many other videos explaining what is actually happening in this movie I can safely say that ................. I still don't know what the hell is going on in the movie.
Great video! The door scene had remained confusing to me despite the rest of the movie being clarified through multiple re-watches (and this channel). I have been absolutely loving the 4k UHD edition of the film and can’t wait to rewatch neil’s (kinda) final scene with an added sense of understanding.
Thank you very much for all of your Tenet videos. It’s very helpful. It’s funny that I came to your channel thinking “this movie is a little confusing.” And then I watch all of your fantastic videos and I realize “oh, it’s actually 100 times more confusing than you even realized.”
I’m on round 4 of watching Tenet. The subtitles and being able to dialogue with others during the movie to pause and play has helped slowly uncover Nolan’s incredible thinking. Heavy Spoilers has been a huge help! (It feels like I’m studying for a test...).
I really enjoy films that present the idea of time travel - or anything sci-fi - in a logical way, without creating a paradox or using plot convenience. Great video!
I just wish people appreciated TENET more We are not ready to admit that we are not smart enough to understand this film I admit that I understood only a maximum of 70% of the film on the first viewing
right?! ... but then we get into the "egg or chicken" paradox. Which event started it all? Neil realizing the events and parts he has to play in order for the Protagonist to become the Protagonist? Or the Protagonist recruiting Neil? But as the movie explains, "That's not the question we should be asking"
That is definitely one of the biggest plot holes in the movie. I think at some point objects that are pushing against the natural entropy eventually disappear. Kind of like how you cannot exist forever inverted because eventually you'd run out of air and with no way to revert back to regular time you'd just die, I feel like objects have a similar fate, but maybe they just disappear or something. I also think the turnstiles might also have significant effect on inverted objects existence. Like before the protagonist went through the turnstile to head back to the free port he didn't have an injury, and there's almost no way an injury would manifest itself UNLESS he went through the turnstile. Basically I think objects start to disappear, even unnaturally, BEFORE turnstiles exists. Maybe objects stay inverted until the turnstile that is related to it is unbuilt and after that they disappear/revert to how they originally were or something (thinking the building at 5 minutes at Stalsk 12).
the bullet was in the walls and he puts himself in between the coming bullet and the gun................that means when he shot neil the bullet passes through his head and stuck in the wall or somewhere else
@@alokjha13 isn’t that the opposite? Neil had already shot him before he could stop the Protagonist. At that precise moment, all Neil had to do was to catch the bulletin to make sure the soldier was dead.
@@weixin9270 no its not............coz if that has happened.....it means there was always a hole in the moving body of that person who was stoping protagonist.......... but as u can see his body was perfect until the reverse bullet passes through his body...............sorry for lame english
I think there were just two Neils and the Niel we see in the end is the present Niel that didn’t take the bullet. So technically speaking there were two Niels in the present timeline: the inverted Niel who took the bullet and the Niel who we saw in the end and left the Protagonist. Remember the following scene in the airport where there two versions of Niel and the Protagonists and they mention numerous times that they cannot see/kill their inverted/forward selves or else they both die. So basically Niel isn’t caught in a time loop but instead he is going forward in time to his time for when there will be another mission while telling him that our friendship in the present is over but still blossoming through however means they meet afterwards. It’s confusing and I’m pretty sure I’m wrong but feel free to correct me in certain parts!
Kind of a hot take, but this might be Nolans greatest movie ever 'Ive never seen a movie that i enjoy more and more each time. It's crazy how interesting this film is. So much to pick apart.
Eh, it’s a lukewarm and ultimately forgettable action flick. Not much more to understand than that. It’s clever, of course, but cleverness has never been and never will be the metric by which effective cinema is measured. Similar to humor, if it needs to be explained, it’s already failed. Still excited for whatever Nolan cooks up next.
Let's just admire Niel for a moment. He was lying there on the floor for a few minutes knowing he is surely going to die but also knowing that he just saved The Protagonist and the world. A true hero.
Nolan movies are like this whether you talk about Tenet or Inception. No one actually knows the true ending and ends in confusion and then we as fans starts to make fan theories.
1/2 I love your video! You really brought some clearance into this maze with all your videos on TeneT. But I put some additional thought into how Neil actually got to the entrance and eventually entered it. I am not sure whether it really works out the way you explained it as Neil got some special kind of time pressure. I am sorry but this text has to be a bit longer because this whole final battle is quiet complex. Before I start off I have to state some assumptions I made that are not specifically made in the movie but are quiet implicated. These will be important for my problems I initially had getting things together and finally lead to my own theory. But feel free of course to correct me if you think I made a mistake. Assumptions: 1. Sator has to believe he won and that the Tenet agents didn’t take the algorithm. 2. Tenet must not conquer (!) Stalsk in order for 1. to work out. 3. In order for 2. to work out Stalsk has to be under the control of Sator BEFORE and AFTER the operation of Tenet. As a younger Sator is around the time when both the events at the opera and in Stalsk take place (parallel to his older self which is about to die), 1., 2. and 3. are crucial because otherwise a younger Sator would think something went wrong and adapt his temporal pincer movement. 1. is kind of obvious which just leads to the fact that Tenet must not prevent the explosion in Stalsk to happen in the first place. 2. and 3. follow that same idea - it’s just part of the bigger picture. If Stalsk wouldn’t be under Sator’s control after the battle he knew something went wrong and there also probably wouldn’t be any soldiers preparing for the battle. We must not forget that by the time the operation is over when the protagonist is talking to Neil, there are probably inverted mercenaries of Sator down by the turnstile preparing for the battle just like the blue team. What does this have to do with Neil getting into the cave? We’ll get to this now. Principally all of this only means that Neil or any other Tenet agents cannot use the turnstile BEFORE and AFTER the operation because it’s under Sator’s control. That’s the same thing like with the turnstile that’s used in the highway chase scene. They can’t go back in time there because it wasn’t under their control back then yet. We have to take a deeper look into when some crucial moments in the Stalks battle take place to see what’s possible and what is not. I'd like to explain this with time some stamps (they got nothing to do with the video - TH-cam uses those links automatically) because it makes things way easier to talk about. Let's not make it too complicated (I know red clock is actually a countdown) and just pretend there is just one clock starting at 0:00 with the red team starting their mission (blue team being exfiltrated) and lasting 10 minutes until 10:00 when the explosion goes off and the blue team starts their mission (red team being exfiltrated). So halfway through the battle at around 5:00 both teams are at the entrance to the cave which will be blasted a few seconds later when the Protagonist and Ives enter. So they both leave the cave through the hole in the roof seconds before the explosion goes off. When Ives finally enters the room, Neil runs out of the cave and closes the door from the red splinter cell’s perspective. This should be at around 9:30 or something. I haven’t looked into when some things happen tooo deep but a rough idea should be enough here. You stated that when Neil goes back into the battle, he is either part of the red or blue team and the blue team reopens the tunnel. Let's discuss both possibilities. And in the end I’d like to add a 3rd possibility with which he might not need any additional help at all but can do it on his own. But first of all let's clear again that in order for this whole operation to work neither the enemy must notice that there is someone else entering the tunnel because they could adapt their own temporal pincer movement to this. They have think they won. They have to think no one took the algorithm. Also Neil (and his team) must not be seen by the other Tenet agents including himself (his younger self) and the Protagonist and Ives in order for his younger self to run off to invert himself to get the car to pull out his mates out of the cave in the first place. Now let's assume it's the regular blue team reopening the tunnel: From Neil's perspective the latest moment he has to enter is at 9:00 or if we follow what I wrote first maybe even at 9:30 because he is moving backwards through time. From his perspective the explosion goes off and moments later he enters the tunnel. He actually let’s himself inside while the protagonist and Ives already took down the enemy and are about to leave the cave. This is impossible for the blue team to make because they need 4 to 5 minutes to get to the entrance at about 6:00 or 5:00 from the perspective of the blue team. At around 9:00 the regular blue team is still running down the hill (red team running up). So it can't be the regular blue team helping him there. For the same reason Neil can’t be part of the regular blue team because he would be simply too slow. When the explosion goes off the blue team is in fact still about to land. Neil would have to be at least close to the entrance already. Also Neil and the rest of the blue team would have been briefed before the operation that they had to reopen the entrance. That's obviously not the case as he has to improvise when he sees that the entrance is trapped. His reaction isn’t plausible if he knew about this before. Neither the red or blue team are aware that the entrance will blow up in the first place. The 2nd possibility with Neil being part of the red team undercover would actually work out in a way but just isn’t plausible for me because he would have to wear a red patch which he clearly isn’t when he dies. So in this scenario he would go in with the red team and his splinter unit. His splinter unit would run along with the rest of the red team to the entrance while he would stay close to the turnstile. He would then see two versions of his younger self run in and out of the turnstile at around 4:00 before the entrance is blasted. While the red team would run up the hill to the exfiltration point, his splinter unit would stay and reopen the tunnel. Neil would have to wait another 5 minutes until 9:45 or something like that and then he would have to run like hell to get into the cave until 9:00. This already confronts us with the problem that at 9:45 there would be way more enemy soldiers close to the turnstile he couldn’t possibly surpass. His first time being able to invert himself there is only possible because it’s in the middle of the battle when the enemies are distracted by both the red and blue team. But secondly I don’t see a reason for him to change his patch after he inverted himself because he doesn’t have to stay undercover after this point. Furthermore it would even be smart to keep the red patch because if the enemy noticed these patches the enemy in the cave would just think it was a usual soldier going forward through time who died there. The blue patch is actually a hint… Continuation in the first comment.
2/2 MY THEORY Like that I come to the conclusion that Neil has to invert himself on that Tenet ship again and actually start off before the blue team does because he needs more time. He has to be in position when the battle begins. Maybe he gets there pretty close with another car or just sneak in from the side while the incoming red and blue team distract the enemy. In a way the battle is two dimensional fighting to the left and right if you have a look on that operation map. Maybe there is a chance to sneak in from the side. So he waits and when the moment is right he starts his operation. We know that he is good in sneaking from the opera scene and as well his first move in Stalsk getting into the turnstile and getting the car. My idea is that he actually used a NON inverted explosive to get in while he is inverted. In general an explosive is effective and fast as he doesn't have time to completely clear the entrance by hand. Let me explain: In the beginning of the movie we see the protagonist use an inverted gun which catches the bullet. When an inverted person uses a normal weapon it works the same way from his perspective. It's just the other way around. It doesn't matter what kind of explosive it is but maybe let's just pick a rocket launcher to compare it to a gun. He must not use an INVERTED explosive because this inverted explosion would affect the past. Does this make sense? :D I believe like that the tunnel wouldn’t be really closed in the first place because one could already see the effects of the inverted explosion right after the initial trap exploded there. So only when Neil enters the tunnel and uses his explosive the tunnel would finally be blocked. But that would conflict with law 1 because the enemy soldier would realise that something went wrong and Sator would adapt the temporal pincer movement. So from his perspective Neil is running to the entrance (at 9:30 or something like that) with an EMPTY (!) rocket launcher and there is already a (tiny) hole in the entrance to get in. So he enters, turns around and then points the launcher into the direction of the entrance, he pulls the trigger of the launcher and he catches the rocket from the debris that was there before (at around 9:15). Like that he will reclose the entrance again like nothing happened. At 9:00 he will be in the cave itself. Let me make this clearer from the perspective of someone who is NOT inverted and is watching from the outside. This will help a lot understanding this. This observer would see (if he gets close enough) from minute 5:00 to 9:15 that there is just a closed entrance. But suddenly at 9:15 there would be an explosion from the inside reopening the entrance. Then there would an inverted person (Neil) getting out of the entrance running backwards (!) with an empty rocket launcher (which he just used) and run away. Neither the enemies nor the red and blue team will notice any of this. For the red team this will happen when they are already 4 minutes further to the exfiltration point up the hill. So this will happen way later for them. Only 45 seconds later at 10:00 the huge explosion in the cave will take place covering up Neil's hide and seek operation and there will be no chance to notice any of this has happened. For team blue there would be a visible hole from 10:00 to 9:15 in reverse but they only get there at 6:00 or something like that. Because at 9:15 any evidence will vanish just like for Neil himself: In the moment he pulls the trigger the entrance will just be like before. For the same reason of Sator adapting the temporal pincer movement Neil actually has to die. Because otherwise he would run out of the cave along with the enemy. While that enemy runs into the cave, there would be Neil running backwards along with him inside. Funny situation if you think about it. So in that same way the enemy would make a call to Sator claiming that there is another enemy in the cave who would adapt the temporal pincer movement again. Just like that trap was a result of Sator knowing what would happen I believe. He knew that two Tenet agents would enter and believed that by trapping them inside he won. Like that everything happened as it always happened. I am not sure my theory is right but I like the idea because like that Neil would save the protagonist in the beginning of the movie with an inverted gun while he isn’t inverted himself. In the end it would be the other way around him being inverted and using a normal weapon. That’s some beautiful movie composition there. By the way: Native German speaker here if you find any spelling or grammatical mistakes :D Greets from Hamburg!
@@ErikSt92 wow, love your theory I read it completely, it makes sense to me, Neil is my favorite character of Tenet he's intriguingly awesome (for me), the MVP of the movie. I know he had to die, he knew he had to die, but it breaks my heart 😭😪💔.. English is not my native tongue either, but I think your English it's perfect because I understood everything you wrote👍😉
This movie is one giant contradiction. Once the characters see the actions of their future versions they are no longer destined to commit those same actions. They wouldn't even be capable of perfectly replicating those same actions if they wanted to as depicted by the film & required by it's logic.
It's fate, seeing the events automatically locks their future actions into the physical movements and sequences that match what their past self saw, essentially fulfilling the prophecy or fate that they witnessed and experienced in their past, don't try to make sense of it just feel it bro its a movie based on abstract theory.
the thing is, if they didn’t do the actions that their future versions did, they wouldn’t have existed. If they did something different, the world would have ended, they wouldn’t have prevented the artifact from detonating.
the hate comes from people who can't wrap their minds around it. Hate is something everyone is capable of and requires ZERO effort to pull off - unlike understanding this film, which does require some thinking.
@@ReelJV Exactly. I don't expect everyone to love it, or even like it, but I see so many hateful comments from people. It's not my favorite Nolan film, but I thought it was amazing and very original.
I did not enjoy this movie and I find it quite arrogant on Nolan's part to think that most people would be so interested in it to watch it multiple times only for it to make sense.
@@simonlachance6956 Pfft. It was cool the first time I watched it and gets better with each viewing - guess Nolan is trying to make more cerebral films - lucky me, those are my favorite! :D
@@ReelJV You know what is better than a "cerebral to be cerebral" movie? A cerebral and enjoyable movie. What I am trying to say is if the audience needs to rewatch the movie 3 times and watch 5 breakdown videos to understand your film you failed as a director.
My shitty fan theory: everyone in black tactical gear at the Opera Siege except the CIA team is just Neil and the Protagonist at different points in their journey. No friends at dusk indeed.
Loving your videos. This movie was so much more than what we saw and I love you unpacking those ideas. I think we will see more of a tenet universe soon.
That's really not that mind blowing of a concept. I mean it makes sense since he's inverted. He locks it in his time, it unlocks in the protagonist's time
THANK YOU! I have the hardest time trying to explain such concepts to my friends and associates! And I appreciate what to look for the next time we view this film. YOU ROCK!
I gotta say I appreciate these videos cuz they make me go back and rewatch the movie. Some unsolicited advice: you should absolutely do a video with a couple physicist to break down some of this with you.
Thank god I found this video and this channel! Saved me a lot of confusion, and also made me more confused. Will be watching more of your channel tonight!
I don't think Neil actually knew how he was gonna die! I mean from his POV, the bullet which Sator's guy shoots, is actually inverted. So yeah you are right that he has to go there and lock it (so that it unlocks in the protagonist's POV) but I think the moment he locks it, he actually couldn't have anticipated an inverted bullet and he dies due to that! So yeah Neil knows that he wouldn't make it but not how he is going to die.
Sator uses the turn stile to go back in time and watch what happened, he knows what questions to ask since it already happened. He has a device to reverse his words (which puts them in the correct order since he is already going backwards).... I think 😂
He is alive or how he is going to open the door after being shot. He opened door after gets shot in regular scene # he also runs straight not inverted He learnt to do that in future Also he is behind the door then why don't man from inside shoot him He changed the shooters gun with inverted then shoot himself then some one replace shooter's gun with that gun which reversed the bullet back in gun then he stops opening and holding door and goes in tunnel from explosion (he runs straight) after explosion gun replacer help him get outside # In start protagonist gets bullet back in gun without knowing how to do it and even he didn't fired that rounds It can happens in last that shooter didn't shoot it just gets it back without knowing
How could inverted niel survive having a forward bullet in his head? Because sator's man shoot forward on an inverted niel so the bullet should be in his head when he got there..im confused, this movie inverting my brain
@@000snow000 yes he didnt survive after sator's man catched the bullet in his head (inverted niel's perspective). Before he was shot, i wonder how he lived having the bullet in his head all the time.
HUGE thank you for explaining this. I recently watched Tenet and had some questions. I'm still going to go back and watch this again! It was so intriguing and curiosity invoking and that score was fantastic.
Real good, man. Idk about about your 3D illustration, because in the movie he was shot in the head - in the face, but in your illustration, it was in the back of his head because he was "locking the door". I think he did have to lock the door, but the illustration didn't do that specific aspect justice I don't think. Your videos are super helpful in understanding this movie better!
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I'M EARLY
YES
FINALLY
Thanks for checking out the video
Looool I don’t even know what that means 😂😂😂
Please do a watch along for Tenet with running commentary, maybe I can finally understand this film
Can someone explain if the TP meets Neil in his future and they have “adventures “ together...then you could assume this would all take place 15-20year from the events in the movie??
Then Neil inverts backwards for 15-20 years (in a crate???) wouldn’t he be like in his 40’s??
Memento: In-class work
Inception: Homework
Interstellar: Study Guide
Tenet: Finals
🤣🤣🤣
Next movie: Real-life job
You’re missing The Prestige
Prestige- doubts solving class
Following: First day of kindergarten
It’s impossible to spoil this movie to anyone 😂😂
Lol... so true.
Hear Hear. I couldn’t agree more with you.
i couldn't even spoil it to myself
Lol
Yep, makes as much sense as Interstellar.
When you have to watch the explanation three times to understand a movie you watched six times
😂😂😂
Literally me
Same. Bless these explanations. I feel myself going mad sometimes!
And still don't get it
Truee
“It’s not time that’s the problem, it’s getting out alive.” Haunting quote, one of the first lines Neil tells the Protagonist.
Perhaps this implies that Neil is going through his time loop trying to figure out a way to get out alive. Each time he goes through, he learns more and gets further along (think Edge of Tomorrow) passing information to the version of himself going back through an inverter in the future, maybe passed through the Protagonist himself. The movie was just witnessing one of these loops.
@@Someothername2134 I’ve found its easiest to understand if you visualize the timeline with an “Oslo” event at one end (“past” - temporal backstop) and a “Tallinn” event at the other (“future” - goal net). Like temporal backstops. You win by getting the ball behind the opponent’s backstop.
Isn’t there a Neil paradox where the stalsk-12 raid and the opera op at opening happened on the same day, as Michael Kaine says, so one Neil has to go unlock the door and get shot and another Neil has to go save the protagonist at the opera and start the events over again and thus he is stuck in a time loop back to that moment? And like he says if anyone even knew would they ever care? He even alludes to having to make sure the outcome stays the outcome by going back in the past. He also mentioned Sator and how he converges his past and future self by using the turnstiles. It could have happened to Neil by going back to in time from wherever he is from to help the protagonist in the past. Idk something to consider because by going back in time he cancels his future so there must be some loop
@@kieslar0835 Right before the Protagonist de-verts for the Stalsk mission, he and Kat wonder aloud at where Neil has gone - think this is a reference to Neil going on the opera house mission. I think it’s most likely that the opera house Neil is the one who saves the Protagonist from the train yard takes him via train to the Magne Viking. The train-yard instance of the protagonist is sedated so he doesn’t learn of Neil, Tenet, the Magne Viking, or his past self while he’s being conveyed to the area of the windmills.
No one is canceling out the past. The machine works a lot like a phase conjugate mirror. The whole movie is basically a visual display of time-reversed propagation applies to people, and more specifically to reference frames. In one way, think of the turnstiles like a mirror array - you appear in all of them at once when you step into the right spot.
"Would take a child hostage, a woman?"
...
People say Chris Nolan is a genius, I can comfortably say that he’s a director whose respect for the audience is genuine
He overestimates the audience a bit too much ....
@@digontozahid It's like he expects us to be Einstein or something.
The fact that people have to come up with wild theories to actually make sense of the plot and to coverup otherwise plot holes makes me question his respect for the audience.
The fact that 1 hour of the movie is just exposition makes me think he doesn't think the audience can think for themselves.
@@timnergaard3831 except it isnt exposition for 1 hour of the film ........ he makes niche films with very distinct sensibilities with the budget of mainstream blockbusters......except tdk trilogy none of his films have mainstream sensibilities or structure ....he overestimates the audience in thinking mainstream will go along with his very distinct niche sensibilities ...
I didn't fully understand Neil's character after the first viewing, now several watches later, his story is heartbreaking. Also I loved Robert Pattinson's acting, phenomenal job.
Yeah, he's terrific 👏
Really hope this Pattinson guy never has to star in any wierd vampire movies at some point in the past. He's a phenomenal actor and something like that could ruin his career.
@@Gabrocol he's busy playing Batman now don't worry.
If yoy liked him in this you should watch The King with Tomothy Chalamet
@@Gabrocol you SAVAGE 🤣🤣🤣🤣
- I prefer soda water
- No you don't
Perfectly done.
How dare you make me cry in 2022
I have now watched Tenet 5 times now and it gets better every time. Anyone else agree
Definitely, didn’t think it was all that good first watch but every viewing just makes it better and better
Blown away first watch, then watched 5 more times, there's always something new I hadn't seen before. Will be watching many more times, my fav Chris Nolan movie!
Try 13 times 😎
Def agree, Nolan leaves us wanting more!
I’ve watched it 7 times and it’s still my favorite movie ever
The idea that neil is in a constant loop of life and death makes it even more sad
This was the comment I was looking for. Key word constant loop of life. Thank you. 💔
Aren't we all?
@@tantolorundavid4315 loop of life and death :)
What? Can you please explain?
@@nehh_aksat i mean it pretty self explanatory if you watched the video there is multiple neils in the film all doing different tasks but it always ends in death for neil and he know this but still does it because if he doesn't open that door or save the protag the world will end
The concept of consciousness in TENET was really fascinating when I watched it tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to watching it yesterday.
I'm watching it this morning
Is Christopher Nolans respect for the audience why we feel it so deeply when Neil's fate is revealed? He doesn't have an audience experience the same tragedy as losing a loveable character. He builds a story out of a theory that when fully understood, allows the audience to fill a history unknown to them about Neil's life and the tease of which at the very end is so beautifully put, that for Neil it's the end of their friendship, but the beginning for the Protagonist. Genius.
Even after Neil dies in the tunnel, there is still a version of Neil existing in the universe - the very first one who travelled from the future, assigned by the protagonist.
But for him this is the past. In fact, he dies young
@@user-gm1no2lm4j yes it would be a younger Neil.
@@f8talfury Yes, and this younger version lives in a limited space of time and in a limited scenario of fate. In fact, this young version has one ending.
@@user-gm1no2lm4j exactly neils fate is set in stone he will die closing that door
Neil saved the protagonist at least 3 times. Once at the start with the inverted bullet, then in the middle when he insisted the protagonist to not unwittingly shoot his reverted self and a third time at the end with the gate.
Another time he saves the Protagonist and his earlier self is when they get stuck at the door when TP breaks his lock pick tools off in the lock. In the later scene you see Neil around the corner walking away, but really that is an inverted Neil and he is moving forward from his perspective while TP and Earlier-Neil walk backwards into the locked room. He reverts very shortly and his first order of business is to unlock that door on his way to the Ambulance to get picked up by newly reverted TP
i realize that during the film, if you see yourself going back in it means you made it back. this means that upon neil’s journey way back into the past, he did not see himself coming back through. this means he knew he was going to die many years in the future and has known about his final conclusion the whole time
I'm not sure that's accurate. Watching yourself enter or exit the machine through the proving window, that's you from right now. Not you from the past or future.
The whole thing about seeing yourself exit before you enter the turnstile is to know whether you survive the inversion process, it's unrelated to any events that might occur after inversion.
@@gnack420 I don't think that's entirely accurate. You are seeing the very events that will transpire "after" (or should I say "before"?) you invert yourself. Logically deducing your survival by seeing yourself on the other side of the glass, regardless of what you're doing, is merely a convenient benefit.
It's not fair to say you're witnessing THE future, because time is going to flip, but you're certainly witnessing YOUR immediate future, because once you go through the turnstile, you are destined to reenact what you just saw, but in the opposite direction.
Neil sees himself on the other side during the battle. The inverted Neil is going down some stairs, and he sees himself going up the stairs on the other side.
As others pointed out, you are not seeing some faraway future, you are seeing yourself maybe 20 seconds later.
I'd imagine a scene where "final" Neil is putting on his helmet for the last time, and he notices a bullet lodged in the back of it. He smiles, knowing that at some point it's going to pass through his head in reverse and travel back into a gun.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 u didn't understand anything, did u?
@@Mermaider definitely didn't understand your comment. Please feel free to critique or challenge my take on where the bullet went / came from.
@@huaweiting8275 if the bullet’s in the helmet his brain is already mashed
@@laithinator3000 But if the bullet is inside inside the back of the helmet just like the other bullets were in the wall at the beginning, it would make sense
Neil wouldn't be able to do this. He would be dead, finally.
I think that theory about consciousness could also apply to the protagonist, he dies and then wakes up to do it all again. There’s something in Protagonist’s eyes during the opera - feels like he’s experiencing déjà vu. On a similar note, Neil is definitely the guy stood behind him as they’re bringing in the gas canisters.
Yeah really good point, also means Sator lives forever too
@@heavyspoilers Because it’s a film. I think it’s fun to think about it scientifically as you seem to be, but it’s worth remembering it’s been made by Christopher Nolan, the man who is obsessed with filmmaking. There’s a reason why reversing time feels like you’re going backwards through the editing timeline. They exist forever in a loop because they’re trapped in the narrative of a film.
Yeah like the movie is a loop in itself at the point tha all the theories doesent even matter cause it always leads to the same end over and over again.
(Well perhaps that in one reality the protagonist decides to dont take the pill,history would be totally diferent) but.
the point you expose here i think this movie is very similiar to *THE EDGE OF TOMORROW* where shit happens over and over again,it would be cool to se TENET in neil's point of view
Its like a caleidoscope of realities but at the end the hole movie is a big palindrom just as his name.
@@heavyspoilers negative. As I understood there are 2 versions of everybody, however some of them living in the loop, but 1 sator in the loop and another is dead.
This movie is issue of faith.
Sator is not believing in future and he is dying
In the end Protagonist recruits opera protagonist to hide elements.
However I also had thoughts that tablet of cyanid could be true, and he is really dying but if its true how he is moving forward to recruit Niel, which is Max and so on? Only one version should be in future. I still can’t understand
@@heavyspoilers or maybe something mixed in my head. I have to check it out. Sorry)
Nolan us such an intricate story teller. Had to watch a Michael Bay film just to stop thinking so much.
Best insult ever 🤣
Wangyu Vangaurd - burn!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 great comment.
Had Nolan ever directed a Marvel movie we would be scratching our heads and applauding simultaneously.
Implausible since C.Nolan is a movie director, not a director of theme parks
@@utuber1789 Fun ride either way
He made the best version of Batman in my opinion. DC but still. Actually had you questioning if Joker was even really a bad guy.
@@GriFFonRec4 By far the best Batman franchise. I think the Rob Batinson will be good too. As much as we enjoyed some of the dc movies since the, let's be honest it should have been far better.
@@BunderChowed I gotta say, I'm scratching my head at your last comment. All I got was that you agree with me about Dark Knight.
Neil in Tenet & Angier in The Prestige: Men who voluntarily die over and over using fancy future technology.
The Prestige is the most underrated movie of Nolan.
@@MB-uv7zy I couldn’t agree with you more!
Video game characters in other words
I didn't make that connection! Thanks!
I've came to the conclusion that Niel is just Heavy Spoilers in disguise. He knows too much! 🤣🤔
Haha, my dads actually called Neil so maybe I am my own father
No way dude
But he doesn't know that he will die on that battle :(
If you go to the scene where Neil breaks away from his squad and about to enter the turnstile at Stalz12, you can see his inversion running away on the far right.
Yes I saw it. But he saw a version of him (Neil) that was moving foward, the inverted Neil saw it in reverse because when you're inverted you see the people that are moving foward like they are moving in reverse motion, they shown us examples of it in the battle how blue and red team saw the movements of the contrary team.
Whare link please with time
@@sarangparmar9785 time in Tenet 2:09:22
@@cprw10 meaning that Neil survived and the Neil that died was already there dead. And that Neil goes back to become dead Neil
How amazing would it be if we got directors cut with 15 to 20 minutes of Neils perspective
The first time watching, I was so lost at this point that I didn't even notice Neil dead on the floor. I had the bad case of head hurty. The Second watch a few days later things started to make more sense and I began to understand and enjoy the story.
I'm sure Christopher had no idea what is going on in this movie. He just did a story board, reversed as many things as possible with connecting dots while maintaining strict logical coherency, and then just shot scenes.... He's theorizing on TH-cam along with us😭😭😭😭😭
The fact that Neil knows it was him that dies after unlocking the door, and willing goes back to do it makes it that much more sad ;'(
I think he doesn't know and it's probably an accident from his perspective, if he know he would've tried something else than putting his face between the bullet. and if it's something spontaneous I doubt the scene would make any sense from his perspective, think about it how can he see the dude's intention and get in the way if they are going backwards from his point of view, he's probably just passing through when he unlocks the door and gets inverted shot in the head.
@@Gyork_ I don’t agree with what you said. Pls note that he had already knew he was going to die so there was no reason for him to change the events. He kept saying what’s happened happened. That’s why it’s a sad story.
@@weixin9270 true to that...and he also said to the protagonist to let him go....its much more sadder🥲 we as the audience watching from protagonist pov...already know his fate
@@Gyork_ He straight up askes Ives if anyone else could've lockpicked that door, and realizes it was/will be in fact himself
Man! You are going SUPER deep into theory in these explanation videos. Every time I think I have my head wrapped around every little detail in the movie after my ten plus rewatches of the movie and all the many theory videos I’ve watched on TH-cam, you come out with another video and I feel like I’m starting all over from scratch! Am I inverted?! Am I caught in a time loop???? AM I NEIL???????? I think I’m having a panic attack pls send help 😩🆘😰
“On the second watch anyways” nothing more true has ever been said.
"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
Video camera: Am I a joke to you?
I’m really happy that there are a lot of people out there who love this movie. It’s great to see people pondering it and breaking it down.
And remember, you’re not changing anything, because whatever happen happened.
I think the idea of him dying sounds better than him being stuck in an infinite time loop...
his death is infinitely looped...
After watching this video and many other videos explaining what is actually happening in this movie I can safely say that ................. I still don't know what the hell is going on in the movie.
I'd try to watch that film first
I watched the film, watched this video. And I'm just as confused. The shit was still brilliant
Great video! The door scene had remained confusing to me despite the rest of the movie being clarified through multiple re-watches (and this channel). I have been absolutely loving the 4k UHD edition of the film and can’t wait to rewatch neil’s (kinda) final scene with an added sense of understanding.
I really loved this movie it was pretty good...Rob Paterson is a amazing actor
Thank you very much for all of your Tenet videos. It’s very helpful. It’s funny that I came to your channel thinking “this movie is a little confusing.” And then I watch all of your fantastic videos and I realize “oh, it’s actually 100 times more confusing than you even realized.”
Thanks for making this video I was honestly confused on how Neil unlocked the door
I’m on round 4 of watching Tenet. The subtitles and being able to dialogue with others during the movie to pause and play has helped slowly uncover Nolan’s incredible thinking. Heavy Spoilers has been a huge help! (It feels like I’m studying for a test...).
Heavens, that Schrodinger's Cat illustration will haunt me to the rest of my days.
me: trying to understand
reverse me: ti teg tnod llits i
☝🏼🤣🤣
I really enjoy films that present the idea of time travel - or anything sci-fi - in a logical way, without creating a paradox or using plot convenience. Great video!
there are infinite paradoxes in this movie tho
Every video I get either smarter or more confused. Nonetheless I watch the movie again everytime you post a video.
Haha it’s what Nolan wants deep down, thanks for checking this one out
@@heavyspoilers well he's flipping winning 😂 at this rate within the next 6 months I will know the movie forwards and backwards. 😉
@@YouMightEnJoiThis I saw what you did there . 😉
This movie is a masterpiece
“See you at the beginning my friend”
In one sentence: Neil saved the protagonist to prevent the grandfather paradox?
I just wish people appreciated TENET more
We are not ready to admit that we are not smart enough to understand this film
I admit that I understood only a maximum of 70% of the film on the first viewing
Ohhh mr smarty pants here understands 70%. I don't understand shit still jajaja
@@jiangalang4 ???
I think the story wasn't told well visually. The plot makes sense and whatnot, but the visuals didn't cobvey it well.
@@PermanentHigh I think that the visuals conveyed the story flawlessly
@@indian_coaster_enthusiast Not even close. The opera scene, the ending battle are terrible
That actually helped a lot. I was pretty confused on the “how” of Neils activities around that locked bar door.
the more i think about the movie it really seems like Neil is the actual protagonist, tbh. he's like the Gohan of the show
right?! ... but then we get into the "egg or chicken" paradox. Which event started it all? Neil realizing the events and parts he has to play in order for the Protagonist to become the Protagonist? Or the Protagonist recruiting Neil? But as the movie explains, "That's not the question we should be asking"
When we see inverted bullets inside an object like in the opera scene just before Neil catches it how long was the bullet there before that
we need a movie of neil's dead body assembling itself from dust down in the hole in the ground, and none of sator's people noticing this
That is definitely one of the biggest plot holes in the movie. I think at some point objects that are pushing against the natural entropy eventually disappear. Kind of like how you cannot exist forever inverted because eventually you'd run out of air and with no way to revert back to regular time you'd just die, I feel like objects have a similar fate, but maybe they just disappear or something. I also think the turnstiles might also have significant effect on inverted objects existence. Like before the protagonist went through the turnstile to head back to the free port he didn't have an injury, and there's almost no way an injury would manifest itself UNLESS he went through the turnstile.
Basically I think objects start to disappear, even unnaturally, BEFORE turnstiles exists. Maybe objects stay inverted until the turnstile that is related to it is unbuilt and after that they disappear/revert to how they originally were or something (thinking the building at 5 minutes at Stalsk 12).
the bullet was in the walls and he puts himself in between the coming bullet and the gun................that means when he shot neil the bullet passes through his head and stuck in the wall or somewhere else
@@alokjha13 isn’t that the opposite? Neil
had already shot him before he could stop the Protagonist. At that precise moment, all Neil had to do was to catch the bulletin to make sure the soldier was dead.
@@weixin9270 no its not............coz if that has happened.....it means there was always a hole in the moving body of that person who was stoping protagonist.......... but as u can see his body was perfect until the reverse bullet passes through his body...............sorry for lame english
I think there were just two Neils and the Niel we see in the end is the present Niel that didn’t take the bullet. So technically speaking there were two Niels in the present timeline: the inverted Niel who took the bullet and the Niel who we saw in the end and left the Protagonist. Remember the following scene in the airport where there two versions of Niel and the Protagonists and they mention numerous times that they cannot see/kill their inverted/forward selves or else they both die. So basically Niel isn’t caught in a time loop but instead he is going forward in time to his time for when there will be another mission while telling him that our friendship in the present is over but still blossoming through however means they meet afterwards. It’s confusing and I’m pretty sure I’m wrong but feel free to correct me in certain parts!
Really confusing movie ,but a movie with an amazing concept. Christopher Nolan is really a genius.
I wish he could've conveyed the same concept without the super complex timeline!
Tenet was a movie that absolutly blew my mind and has the ability to give me nose bleeds
🤣🤣🤣
@Derek Brown you make my nose bleed
Please keep making videos on Tenet! I love this movie so much and appreciate how my brain was reduced to mashed potatoes trying to understand it lol.
Loving these breakdowns, we definitely need a part 2 about Neil's life
This movie literally hurt my brain trying to understand what and how everything happened when I watched this the first time
This movie gets better as you watch it and you make it better every video you make zing content !!! One of a kind!!
The movie that keeps on giving
Love the Tenet content! Thanks for your service!
I have rewatched this movie so many times, and any videos that go into this movies world is always great!
Kind of a hot take, but this might be Nolans greatest movie ever 'Ive never seen a movie that i enjoy more and more each time. It's crazy how interesting this film is. So much to pick apart.
I can´t belive some people understand what is happening. I´m totally lost!
It make it two of us
@@martial8574 three actually
Eh, it’s a lukewarm and ultimately forgettable action flick. Not much more to understand than that. It’s clever, of course, but cleverness has never been and never will be the metric by which effective cinema is measured. Similar to humor, if it needs to be explained, it’s already failed. Still excited for whatever Nolan cooks up next.
I don’t think even Nolan understands this shit
@@asyetundetermined Indeed. As a novel it is kind of good but surely not as a film.
I can't believe I watched 100 of these tenet videos without realizing this was Definition's channel. Absolute battle rap legend mate. Keep killing it!
Let's just admire Niel for a moment. He was lying there on the floor for a few minutes knowing he is surely going to die but also knowing that he just saved The Protagonist and the world. A true hero.
nah he was dead at that point he was inverted
Neil is ALIVE. in His ApT. Like Usual. His other inverted self is on the copter. Great vid u are correct..
He is not alive. All versions of neil are going to walk the same way. At the end its one neil ending
Nolan movies are like this whether you talk about Tenet or Inception. No one actually knows the true ending and ends in confusion and then we as fans starts to make fan theories.
inception was 10x easier to understand this fuckall of a concept of time inversion imo. Love both of them anyway.
1/2
I love your video! You really brought some clearance into this maze with all your videos on TeneT. But I put some additional thought into how Neil actually got to the entrance and eventually entered it. I am not sure whether it really works out the way you explained it as Neil got some special kind of time pressure.
I am sorry but this text has to be a bit longer because this whole final battle is quiet complex. Before I start off I have to state some assumptions I made that are not specifically made in the movie but are quiet implicated. These will be important for my problems I initially had getting things together and finally lead to my own theory. But feel free of course to correct me if you think I made a mistake.
Assumptions:
1. Sator has to believe he won and that the Tenet agents didn’t take the algorithm.
2. Tenet must not conquer (!) Stalsk in order for 1. to work out.
3. In order for 2. to work out Stalsk has to be under the control of Sator BEFORE and AFTER the operation of Tenet.
As a younger Sator is around the time when both the events at the opera and in Stalsk take place (parallel to his older self which is about to die), 1., 2. and 3. are crucial because otherwise a younger Sator would think something went wrong and adapt his temporal pincer movement. 1. is kind of obvious which just leads to the fact that Tenet must not prevent the explosion in Stalsk to happen in the first place. 2. and 3. follow that same idea - it’s just part of the bigger picture. If Stalsk wouldn’t be under Sator’s control after the battle he knew something went wrong and there also probably wouldn’t be any soldiers preparing for the battle. We must not forget that by the time the operation is over when the protagonist is talking to Neil, there are probably inverted mercenaries of Sator down by the turnstile preparing for the battle just like the blue team.
What does this have to do with Neil getting into the cave? We’ll get to this now. Principally all of this only means that Neil or any other Tenet agents cannot use the turnstile BEFORE and AFTER the operation because it’s under Sator’s control. That’s the same thing like with the turnstile that’s used in the highway chase scene. They can’t go back in time there because it wasn’t under their control back then yet.
We have to take a deeper look into when some crucial moments in the Stalks battle take place to see what’s possible and what is not. I'd like to explain this with time some stamps (they got nothing to do with the video - TH-cam uses those links automatically) because it makes things way easier to talk about. Let's not make it too complicated (I know red clock is actually a countdown) and just pretend there is just one clock starting at 0:00 with the red team starting their mission (blue team being exfiltrated) and lasting 10 minutes until 10:00 when the explosion goes off and the blue team starts their mission (red team being exfiltrated). So halfway through the battle at around 5:00 both teams are at the entrance to the cave which will be blasted a few seconds later when the Protagonist and Ives enter. So they both leave the cave through the hole in the roof seconds before the explosion goes off. When Ives finally enters the room, Neil runs out of the cave and closes the door from the red splinter cell’s perspective. This should be at around 9:30 or something. I haven’t looked into when some things happen tooo deep but a rough idea should be enough here.
You stated that when Neil goes back into the battle, he is either part of the red or blue team and the blue team reopens the tunnel. Let's discuss both possibilities. And in the end I’d like to add a 3rd possibility with which he might not need any additional help at all but can do it on his own. But first of all let's clear again that in order for this whole operation to work neither the enemy must notice that there is someone else entering the tunnel because they could adapt their own temporal pincer movement to this. They have think they won. They have to think no one took the algorithm. Also Neil (and his team) must not be seen by the other Tenet agents including himself (his younger self) and the Protagonist and Ives in order for his younger self to run off to invert himself to get the car to pull out his mates out of the cave in the first place.
Now let's assume it's the regular blue team reopening the tunnel: From Neil's perspective the latest moment he has to enter is at 9:00 or if we follow what I wrote first maybe even at 9:30 because he is moving backwards through time. From his perspective the explosion goes off and moments later he enters the tunnel. He actually let’s himself inside while the protagonist and Ives already took down the enemy and are about to leave the cave. This is impossible for the blue team to make because they need 4 to 5 minutes to get to the entrance at about 6:00 or 5:00 from the perspective of the blue team. At around 9:00 the regular blue team is still running down the hill (red team running up). So it can't be the regular blue team helping him there. For the same reason Neil can’t be part of the regular blue team because he would be simply too slow. When the explosion goes off the blue team is in fact still about to land. Neil would have to be at least close to the entrance already. Also Neil and the rest of the blue team would have been briefed before the operation that they had to reopen the entrance. That's obviously not the case as he has to improvise when he sees that the entrance is trapped. His reaction isn’t plausible if he knew about this before. Neither the red or blue team are aware that the entrance will blow up in the first place.
The 2nd possibility with Neil being part of the red team undercover would actually work out in a way but just isn’t plausible for me because he would have to wear a red patch which he clearly isn’t when he dies. So in this scenario he would go in with the red team and his splinter unit. His splinter unit would run along with the rest of the red team to the entrance while he would stay close to the turnstile. He would then see two versions of his younger self run in and out of the turnstile at around 4:00 before the entrance is blasted. While the red team would run up the hill to the exfiltration point, his splinter unit would stay and reopen the tunnel. Neil would have to wait another 5 minutes until 9:45 or something like that and then he would have to run like hell to get into the cave until 9:00. This already confronts us with the problem that at 9:45 there would be way more enemy soldiers close to the turnstile he couldn’t possibly surpass. His first time being able to invert himself there is only possible because it’s in the middle of the battle when the enemies are distracted by both the red and blue team. But secondly I don’t see a reason for him to change his patch after he inverted himself because he doesn’t have to stay undercover after this point. Furthermore it would even be smart to keep the red patch because if the enemy noticed these patches the enemy in the cave would just think it was a usual soldier going forward through time who died there. The blue patch is actually a hint…
Continuation in the first comment.
2/2
MY THEORY
Like that I come to the conclusion that Neil has to invert himself on that Tenet ship again and actually start off before the blue team does because he needs more time. He has to be in position when the battle begins. Maybe he gets there pretty close with another car or just sneak in from the side while the incoming red and blue team distract the enemy. In a way the battle is two dimensional fighting to the left and right if you have a look on that operation map. Maybe there is a chance to sneak in from the side. So he waits and when the moment is right he starts his operation. We know that he is good in sneaking from the opera scene and as well his first move in Stalsk getting into the turnstile and getting the car.
My idea is that he actually used a NON inverted explosive to get in while he is inverted. In general an explosive is effective and fast as he doesn't have time to completely clear the entrance by hand. Let me explain: In the beginning of the movie we see the protagonist use an inverted gun which catches the bullet. When an inverted person uses a normal weapon it works the same way from his perspective. It's just the other way around. It doesn't matter what kind of explosive it is but maybe let's just pick a rocket launcher to compare it to a gun. He must not use an INVERTED explosive because this inverted explosion would affect the past. Does this make sense? :D I believe like that the tunnel wouldn’t be really closed in the first place because one could already see the effects of the inverted explosion right after the initial trap exploded there. So only when Neil enters the tunnel and uses his explosive the tunnel would finally be blocked. But that would conflict with law 1 because the enemy soldier would realise that something went wrong and Sator would adapt the temporal pincer movement.
So from his perspective Neil is running to the entrance (at 9:30 or something like that) with an EMPTY (!) rocket launcher and there is already a (tiny) hole in the entrance to get in. So he enters, turns around and then points the launcher into the direction of the entrance, he pulls the trigger of the launcher and he catches the rocket from the debris that was there before (at around 9:15). Like that he will reclose the entrance again like nothing happened. At 9:00 he will be in the cave itself.
Let me make this clearer from the perspective of someone who is NOT inverted and is watching from the outside. This will help a lot understanding this. This observer would see (if he gets close enough) from minute 5:00 to 9:15 that there is just a closed entrance. But suddenly at 9:15 there would be an explosion from the inside reopening the entrance. Then there would an inverted person (Neil) getting out of the entrance running backwards (!) with an empty rocket launcher (which he just used) and run away.
Neither the enemies nor the red and blue team will notice any of this. For the red team this will happen when they are already 4 minutes further to the exfiltration point up the hill. So this will happen way later for them. Only 45 seconds later at 10:00 the huge explosion in the cave will take place covering up Neil's hide and seek operation and there will be no chance to notice any of this has happened. For team blue there would be a visible hole from 10:00 to 9:15 in reverse but they only get there at 6:00 or something like that. Because at 9:15 any evidence will vanish just like for Neil himself: In the moment he pulls the trigger the entrance will just be like before.
For the same reason of Sator adapting the temporal pincer movement Neil actually has to die. Because otherwise he would run out of the cave along with the enemy. While that enemy runs into the cave, there would be Neil running backwards along with him inside. Funny situation if you think about it. So in that same way the enemy would make a call to Sator claiming that there is another enemy in the cave who would adapt the temporal pincer movement again. Just like that trap was a result of Sator knowing what would happen I believe. He knew that two Tenet agents would enter and believed that by trapping them inside he won. Like that everything happened as it always happened.
I am not sure my theory is right but I like the idea because like that Neil would save the protagonist in the beginning of the movie with an inverted gun while he isn’t inverted himself. In the end it would be the other way around him being inverted and using a normal weapon. That’s some beautiful movie composition there.
By the way: Native German speaker here if you find any spelling or grammatical mistakes :D Greets from Hamburg!
@@ErikSt92 wow, love your theory I read it completely, it makes sense to me, Neil is my favorite character of Tenet he's intriguingly awesome (for me), the MVP of the movie. I know he had to die, he knew he had to die, but it breaks my heart 😭😪💔.. English is not my native tongue either, but I think your English it's perfect because I understood everything you wrote👍😉
@@cprw10 Thanks a lot Kida. Both for liking the theory and the compliments for my English.
This take was reviewed and validated by mambakid.
@@ErikSt92 You're welcome 🤗.. I know it's so special to watch the movie having that in mind..
Hey Man, You have Enlightened Tenet Timeline with multiple videos. Now I can sleep peacefully in my Future self. Love from India 😍😍😍
Thank you, have a great 2021
This was even more confusing. I must be dumb
This movie is one giant contradiction.
Once the characters see the actions of their future versions they are no longer destined to commit those same actions. They wouldn't even be capable of perfectly replicating those same actions if they wanted to as depicted by the film & required by it's logic.
It's fate, seeing the events automatically locks their future actions into the physical movements and sequences that match what their past self saw, essentially fulfilling the prophecy or fate that they witnessed and experienced in their past, don't try to make sense of it just feel it bro its a movie based on abstract theory.
@@TheEffectofMaverick No, once you see your future actions you're no longer locked into it. It's basic logic.
@@nebulous6660 yes, there will be new time loops coming constantly up to the day of discovering the time capsule at Stalsk 12
@@ronim1447 The point is that there can be no time loops at all.
the thing is, if they didn’t do the actions that their future versions did, they wouldn’t have existed. If they did something different, the world would have ended, they wouldn’t have prevented the artifact from detonating.
I really enjoy how you break Neil's timeline down. Seeing it in reverse really clarifies his actions for me. Thank you.
This movie is amazing, watched it 3 times already timelines with the help of these videos are helping my weak mind catch certain things. Keep it up
Trust me man you weren't the only one scratching their head LOL!
I really don't get the hate for this film. There is so much going on that every time I watch it, I get more out of it. Nolan is a genius.
the hate comes from people who can't wrap their minds around it. Hate is something everyone is capable of and requires ZERO effort to pull off - unlike understanding this film, which does require some thinking.
@@ReelJV Exactly. I don't expect everyone to love it, or even like it, but I see so many hateful comments from people. It's not my favorite Nolan film, but I thought it was amazing and very original.
I did not enjoy this movie and I find it quite arrogant on Nolan's part to think that most people would be so interested in it to watch it multiple times only for it to make sense.
@@simonlachance6956 Pfft. It was cool the first time I watched it and gets better with each viewing - guess Nolan is trying to make more cerebral films - lucky me, those are my favorite! :D
@@ReelJV You know what is better than a "cerebral to be cerebral" movie? A cerebral and enjoyable movie. What I am trying to say is if the audience needs to rewatch the movie 3 times and watch 5 breakdown videos to understand your film you failed as a director.
My shitty fan theory: everyone in black tactical gear at the Opera Siege except the CIA team is just Neil and the Protagonist at different points in their journey. No friends at dusk indeed.
That wouldn't make any sense
Umm...NO
Loving your videos. This movie was so much more than what we saw and I love you unpacking those ideas. I think we will see more of a tenet universe soon.
This definitely helps... I feel like this all makes sense in my head but I can’t find myself being able to explain it myself! Thanks for this
At 3:41 my mind is blown and i have tears coming down my eyes. Neil never opened the door he locked it!
That's really not that mind blowing of a concept. I mean it makes sense since he's inverted. He locks it in his time, it unlocks in the protagonist's time
Loved this movie, everything makes sense to me except Neil's death scene, need to watch this a few more times
THANK YOU! I have the hardest time trying to explain such concepts to my friends and associates! And I appreciate what to look for the next time we view this film. YOU ROCK!
Thanks for being the only channel to expand on this epic movie upon repeat(ed....) viewing.
I’m loving this 3D rendering. Nolan should have hired you for the behind the scenes explanations. P.S. Neil is Max to all the haters.
Yeah that really helped 😆 lol
I need a poster timeline to watch this a sixth time. Knowing full well that next upload will make my poster useless 🤪
I gotta say I appreciate these videos cuz they make me go back and rewatch the movie.
Some unsolicited advice: you should absolutely do a video with a couple physicist to break down some of this with you.
Thank god I found this video and this channel! Saved me a lot of confusion, and also made me more confused. Will be watching more of your channel tonight!
I don't think Neil actually knew how he was gonna die! I mean from his POV, the bullet which Sator's guy shoots, is actually inverted. So yeah you are right that he has to go there and lock it (so that it unlocks in the protagonist's POV) but I think the moment he locks it, he actually couldn't have anticipated an inverted bullet and he dies due to that! So yeah Neil knows that he wouldn't make it but not how he is going to die.
Here I thought I understood what I happened at the end and now I’m second guessing myself 😂
That's some serious time line break downing, infinite Neil, infinite Heavy spoilers 👍 another great vid.
Thanks
This video breakdown just earned another subscriber. Wow 🤯
AHHH what version of Neil was at the opera?! I'm on view 15 and still have questions.
The one at the start that saved The Protagonist
Nolan: Yes
Me: wait chris does that mean that....
Watched Tenet multiple times trying to find more details - it's been beneficial for sure. These videos help a lot explaining things to my friends.
I’ve had to watch this film 3 times to (almost) get it, and I honestly love it. One of Nolan’s best
Could you do a video on the interrogation scene „after“ the car chase because I don’t really get how the half reversed conversation works?
Sator uses the turn stile to go back in time and watch what happened, he knows what questions to ask since it already happened. He has a device to reverse his words (which puts them in the correct order since he is already going backwards).... I think 😂
That’s a good pick. It takes an absolute genius to pull off what Sator did there.
He is alive or how he is going to open the door after being shot.
He opened door after gets shot in regular scene # he also runs straight not inverted
He learnt to do that in future
Also he is behind the door then why don't man from inside shoot him
He changed the shooters gun with inverted then shoot himself then some one replace shooter's gun with that gun which reversed the bullet back in gun then he stops opening and holding door and goes in tunnel from explosion (he runs straight) after explosion gun replacer help him get outside
# In start protagonist gets bullet back in gun without knowing how to do it and even he didn't fired that rounds
It can happens in last that shooter didn't shoot it just gets it back without knowing
Another solid video brother. I love this movie so much. And the 4k blu ray is amazing.
If the camera showed more scope it would be easier to follow and understand scene with inversion
How could inverted niel survive having a forward bullet in his head? Because sator's man shoot forward on an inverted niel so the bullet should be in his head when he got there..im confused, this movie inverting my brain
EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS
He doesn't. He's a dead body on the ground.
@@000snow000 yes he didnt survive after sator's man catched the bullet in his head (inverted niel's perspective). Before he was shot, i wonder how he lived having the bullet in his head all the time.
That...was complex. Will have to crack open a old physics textbook. Maybe even calculus ...Damn that is still a good movie!!
"Complex", I'm fine with; I thought you were gonna say "Nuts".
@@JacobRavenglass That would be more accurate...
HUGE thank you for explaining this. I recently watched Tenet and had some questions. I'm still going to go back and watch this again! It was so intriguing and curiosity invoking and that score was fantastic.
Real good, man. Idk about about your 3D illustration, because in the movie he was shot in the head - in the face, but in your illustration, it was in the back of his head because he was "locking the door". I think he did have to lock the door, but the illustration didn't do that specific aspect justice I don't think. Your videos are super helpful in understanding this movie better!
Wasn’t me who did it Webly made the anime, guessing it takes a lot of time so can’t be mad at them
*Quantum field is a extensive theme, we can be hours and hours discussing this type of things*