I think a lot of people (including myself) love Nolan for the headiness of his movies. He puts so much more detail into his plots and the mechanics of his worlds. There has been so little good sci fi aside from Nolan's work. I realize many of you like the more contemplative films like Ad Astra, but a lot of dudes like me want to see more "sci" in our sci fi.
I think Ad Astras is even more pretentious than anything Nolan has ever done (including Interstellar). If you want to talk about good sci-fi, there isn't a ton, but I can think of The Martian, Moon, Passengers, Ex Machina, LX 2048, Ready Player One, Blade Runner 2049, Looper, Arrival. And Nolan is a great director, his movies are flawlessly shot, they are enjoyable to watch. But he doesn't know or care about human beings really talk or what are like. And he is no Kubrick either. So I agree with her that his best movie is without a doubt Dunkirk, and most of the rest can be entertaining but I can't take them seriously. At best they are ridiculous, at worst they are terribly pretentious.
Your reviews are awesome, and I think you're one of the most intelligent critics I've seen on TH-cam so far. Excellent work! So impressed, in fact, that I subscribed.
03:42 What you say about pieces of a puzzle and a Rubik's cube - that's it. The key to it all is the ancient SATOR Square, involving permutations of the words spelled out upon it, and the concepts inherent in them individually and blended.
Fortunately I saw Tenet in a theater where the bass wasn’t very loud, so I understood 90% of the dialogue. Thoroughly enjoyed the story, flaws and all, and thought the characters were interesting, even though they weren’t that fleshed out
New listener. Came across this looking for Tenet reviews. Very insightful review with good balance of history and interpretation. New favorite review sight. Keep up the great work!
i thought his inception was about being brave enough to deal with a trauma (his wife) before it fucks up your future (the main mission)... and i didnt see a point to Tenet
@@mabusestestamentthere most definitely was a point to Tenet, it just so happens to be the villain's motives that happen to be the key to understanding it
I love Tenet and Inception for the mear fact that they boggle the mind and are entertaining. Yes I had to watch a youtube video explaining time inversion and a dream within a dream ,that's part of the post Nolan movie experience and Yes some people will leave the movie unsatisfied because they didn't get closure.
Watched The movie twice and to be fair, the plot explains itself pretty clearly on the second viewing. Also, it's interesting to see how Pattison's chacarter acts throught the film, when you know the ending. And obviuosly things like trying to re-arrange their backward movement forward in your head won't be easy even after the 50-th viewing. It's a shame some people didn't hear the dialogue, watched it with subtitles. Great mind training, loved it.
I've been waiting for your (review) about this self-indulgent, pretentious mess of a movie. You have echoed exactly how my thoughts were when I reviewed it on Instagram 4 months ago. You've expressed exactly how I felt. This is one movie I can never revisit or recommend because I just don't care about anything in it. Great review 😊
I think the way Nolan introduced emotional concepts to the characters doesnt go against the goal of making them "Non-characters". He's deconstructing his idea of what it means to tell a story, and I think that necessarily includes examples of emotionally compelling the audience, even though the characters are "skeletons" or embodiments of tropes. Also, I think you'll find on second viewing that the emotional concepts were sprinkled in since the beginning. Something about the dialogue or acting in the first scene (with the bombs in a theatre), really made me believe that these helmet-clad soldiers had their own lives and the protagonist had known & trained with these people for a few days at least. I also think the subversion of the protagonist is that (like you said, this is basically a third-act presented as the whole story) he's already self-actualized, and he's already ready to complete the hero's quest, so the narrative doesn't require much characterization for him except the /description/ of his current values and integrity-proving tests he gets.
great review, I may be the biggest Nolan fan out there and I still see this as potentially his most flawed film (from a writing standpoint). But I love it
The exposition was a lot to keep up with, but I didn’t see that as a bad thing. I think the main problem has to do with how convenient and complicated inversion works as a plot mechanic. The concept was either too complicated to understand in real time or too convenient to take seriously.
It's a great film and it's a film you gain so so much from multiple viewings . Seen it five times because love the story, cinematography etc and it just about makes total sense. Dunkirk was good in the way it was made with story line and time line etc was great. Only thing I didn't like especially having my grandfather there and seeing the historical pictures, Nolan's Dunkirk beach was far too clean and tidy and that amazed me ? Didn't he ever look at the carnage on that beach and constant smoke rising from bombed buildings ??. Anyway Tenet will grow on you the more you watch it. Robert Patterson was brilliant.
I genuinely love TENET, it's his most self aware movie, where DUNKIRK is full of restraint, this seems like going back on the other direction, it's a loud statement saying "I know exactly what my limits are, but this is still one of the best time travel movies ever."
Love your channel. As for TENET...It's a masterpiece, as was DUNKIRK. Both, are total polar opposites though. Dunkirk is everything stripped down to the moment...one moment ( even if 3 perspectives), and it doesn't require any real thought or analysis. TENET on the other hand requires more commitment and forces its viewers to go a bit deeper. It's not supposed to be digested in one sitting and because of that, it'll last and be a long-time classic. I'd prefer to have to watch a film a few times to appreciate it rather than just...be done with a film in one sitting. Sometimes, yes, I just need a one-night stand....other times, I'd like to explore the relationship further and dive deeper into more than just the surface, temporary satisfaction.
Muffled dialogue was too frustrating. I needed to hear the dialogue to understand the plot. In the end I couldn't even tell if it was a good film or not
NC REVIEW, FOR ME PERSONALLY IDC HOW FORCED IT IS IDC IF ITS EVEN TXT FILE WITH JUST THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE AS LONG AS IT IS AN INTERESTING PLOT FOR ME I WILL LIKE IT, AND I LIKED TENET'S PLOT
I'm growing to become a massive Christopher Nolan fan as he grows as a film maker. Even though I don't think he had a masterpiece until Dunkirk, you could tell with the way he handled superhero movies, and what he did with Inception, The Prestige, and Interstellar that he certainly has that "it" factor that separates himself from many other film makers these days. He's always trying something new, and he always reaches for the stars with every film he makes, and on a technical craftsmanship level, he is doing things better than most these days as well. So no matter what he does with a movie, even if it's flawed in certain ways, I have to see it because it's always interesting to just see what he is gonna do. Tenet challenged me upon first viewing. I thought he may have gone a little too far as I had a hard time wrapping my head around the mechanics of the inverted timelines. But it left me wanting more, wanting to revisit it, and the more I rewatch it and the mechanics get easier, I do find that it is a pretty awesome movie. I just look at it as a film that indulges in what we love about Bond movies, but puts a twist on it so that fans who have seen all the 25 Bond movies don't find it stale. It justifies the Bond-esque Spy thriller genre to still exist by continuing to push it forward, not just repeat it. And bottom line, it's a fun movie to watch. Despite the characters having no backstories or anything, I enjoyed the moment to moment viewing enough that I just bought it and didn't need a backstory to get me to invest in the characters. It's not as solid as Dunkirk, but that's a high bar to reach for me. I loved it, and there is no one out there who is making movies quite like this so I appreciate it on that level.
Your right about Kubrick he was accused of having detached characters but his craft of filmmaking so masterful that it made up for it. He also wrote better dialogue than Nolan Dr Strangelove springs to mind as one of his most clever screenplays with very quotable dialogue
@@65g4agreed that it depends on the story, and I feel like Tenet is one of those stories where it's appropriate. Inception is the one where I felt like he was aiming for more emotional weight yet *for me personally* that emotional weight fell a bit flat having been drwon out by the mechanics
I love the David Lynch comparison. For me, Nolan (especially his earlier works) fits stylistically in the same genre as three great Davids (Lynch, Cronenberg and Fincher), that genre being a loosely defined, but somehow distinctive psycho-noir. Granted, all aforementioned are not always working in that area exclusively, but combining classical stylistic influences with confusing, dream-like logic is definitely a joint characteristic for all four of them.
Absolutely agree with your thoughts on Nolan's writing style, too much exposition and problems with exploring in a far more complex the interesting themes his films attempt to explore. Nolan reminds me alot of Kubrick even at his most flawed film they still manage to be interesting than most films out there.
Don't let this VERY intriguing review distract you from the fact that Christopher Nolan announced The last of us: part ll as game of the year. Which I very much loved! 🎮😍 Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in hiding from a dangerous mob 😳😅
Just watched Tenet and your review was my first port of call... I'm a Nolan sceptic too but really enjoyed this one. It is revelling in mind boggling spectacle for its own stake and that's how its best enjoyed. Maybe?!
Really cool review!!! I agree and you provide so much to really think about. Thanks!! I usually really dislike when a rubicks cube of a film tries to tell you that 'you just don't get it man.' As if a difficult to understand movie = some kind of emotional intelligence or broader insight. When I think that puzzles are better off puzzles. I think that Mulholland Drive is the most like this. Which is why I found that Tenet didn't bother me as much for what you said. It is a puzzle, but like the hardest math equation on a high school math assignment, it isn't trying to tell you something profound about life. And like that math question, with Tenet you can put it down and live your life and come back to try to solve it... or not. It isn't trying to say that there is something more if you do figure it all out. I really found it interesting when you talk about the filmmaking process and how this movie comments on it. It seems obvious to me that Nolan (and/or the people around him) can really carefully plan out a movie's production, which is very often not in the same order as the movie's chronology. It is almost like they brought together the task of figuring out the production schedule and planning with the process of plotting and writing the movie itself.
I'm noticing quite a bizarre phenomenon that people who are very critical of Nolan are very enthusiastic about Tenet, whereas many diehard Nolan fans are disappointed by Tenet. It's definitely not a "standard" film. He is very stripped down. Personally, I REALLY liked Tenet. I like how it doesn't feel like other action films or even other Christopher Nolan films. I don't find the lack of character backstories in THIS film a hindrance at all. Is it a good idea for every film? Noz but hear I don't see it being a dealbreaker or a flaw. You have an interesting take, happy to hear it!
Yeah I mean if you think about it, if time inversion really was a thing and there was a tactical team responsible for thwarting certain threats of a shady character aiming to essentially use time inversion as a weapon...then even the people involved would be confused by a good bit of it. I'm a firm believer in the fact that that's why some of the dialogue being muffled isn't a big deal. Granted ofc they'd have to understand time inversion and what's going on to some extent in order to craft their missions against it - one sin could be that the characters understand it a bit too well *maybe* - but even in the real world any given mission is just a plan that may or may not be but so effective...a gamble to best of their understanding of the enemy. The missions in the film make sense to me. "Don't try to understand it just feel it" is simply the truth. I'm a David Lynch fan and his movies are far worse "culprits" of being cryptic yet deliberate...and I'm saying that with David Lynch being my favorite director. If you try to connect every single dot in search of zero holes at all then it's missing the entire point of the experience. I do agree that Lynch is more organic but some degree of letting go is a necessity all the same.
I found the story to be lacklustre, the first half was just slow for me, the visual effects were quite mind-boggling, and i admire Nolan alot for coming up with a totally original story here.
Great review, I agree with pretty much everything. I am a bit surprised that you didn't mention the line that made me laugh the most (not verbatim): - "Everything is going to end" - "Including my son". At this point I started picturing the kid alone in the universe going like "Ok, somehow I survived. Now what?" And regarding the sound mixig thing: I think (and this video kinda reinforced this theory in my head) that Nolan did this on porpouse as a statement. As in "I am putting in some corky dialogue, but in the end the thing that actually matters is the puzzle through The Protagonist's eyes". Now, if I had to do it, I probably would have stripped it of any dialogue and explaination altogether.
A version of this movie without any dialogue at all would've been interesting indeed. That said, I think people get a bit too caught up in feeling as though they need to hear every single word. Sometimes the entire reason dialogue is murky is because the dialogue/concepts would be just as murky if we were there
Tbh I would watch Tenet a million times over vs I’ve seen Dunkirk once or twice. Yes it’s a stronger film but I liked the shameless experimentation and indulgence of Tenet more 🤷
haven't seen the film but it's a real shame Nolan wasn't able to achieve a similar symbiosis between the mechanics and plot of the film as he did with Dunkirk, either ways really appreciate your take on every film you review, has helped me better appreciate movies be it the first or a repeat viewing :)
It's essentially Nolan's version of the 60s series the Man from U.N.C.LE. Personally I liked it a lot, it's not a film you take seriously. It's definitely cartoony, and I think Nolan wants it that way.
I dont follow. You dislike Nolan's movies you see as having high concepts but minimum character development, but you love Dunkirk which has no high concept but also minimum character development, arguably way less. Why does 1+0 equal less for you than than 0+0 or 0+(-1)? Or do you disagree with the premise?
While I believe that everyone has a right to their own opinions, I don't agree with this reviewer at all. I think that Tenet is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. While there are issues with reversing entropy also reversing time, Tenet really drove home a great story line coupled with a non-linear chronology. Also, I would say that the character of Neil has a very emotional ark, especially discovering how he accepted his own sacrifice to the success of the mission.
I have a feeling you give Nolan too much credit regarding self awareness, personally I get the impression that every sentence uttered in his movies is meant to be profound, I don't think the indulgence is intended to be humorous, at all
Me either lol. I think he has some humane messages he may want his characters to convey, but because they are all one dimensional talking props it comes across as pretentious and humorless.
Thanks for doing this one. I had been curious on your thoughts and potential rant, lol, on Tenet since I saw it in the theater months ago. Sound design was very problematic first time but my second trip to a different Cinema it was updated and solved though still low dialogue volume in the sound mix. Idk the streaming or bluray experience yet but regardless it's a rather polarizing film. Always enjoy listening to you as well as Mark Kermode lately. It's an interesting time in the universe of Cinema and storytelling. So thanks again.
I watched Tenet for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The death of Neil made me feel pretty sad - but I wanted to explore the deep reason for this, otherwise I don't think I could ever watch the film again. I was just about to watch this review video and leave my thoughts. But then I thought the past is the past and we can't change this - so I could see the point. But this wouldn't be as bad as though the past leading up to now determined your review due to the grandfather paradox.
Couldn't agree more apart from that the shamelessness of Nolan pissed me off. Especially the horrendous sound mixing not making it understandable. Just WHY?
@@NicolasWaldvogel You're right. But to me, it's a risk that pays off, so I feel inclined to defend it from bandwagons that, to me, are borne from misunderstanding.
@@anthonymartensen3164 as is your right to think so For me, it had nothing to do with understanding. I watched the film twice in the cinema, first time I almost hated it (although I like Nolans films, some I love) and a big part of that was not being able to hear a large chunk of the dialogue and therefore always leaping behind the plot trying to understand what was going on. The big stuff I still got on first viewing and thought, maybe my enjoyment would grow on second viewing when being able to focus more on the experience already having solved most of the puzzle. I did enjoy it slightly more although a lot of the flaws (like brought up in this review) became even more apparent. I think Nolan simply went too far and made a film, that had cool ideas and stunning practical execution but fell short with a very poor script and uninspired direction. And I think we can all agree that the sound mixing was terrible at times. What was he thinking?
"I am CHRIS M.F. NOLAN!!" ???? "Shameless" ? "Self Indulgent" ? Your review of Tenet is very enlightening! Thank You Very Much! I am glad to hear I was not the only one who laughed! I think I fell out of my seat near the end, when the British Col. says "We are here to make sure WE DO NOT disarm the bomb!" That Col. should have been played by John Clease! My thinking was Nolan had lost control of the film in ALL respects... I laughed HARD! It was a guilty pleasure! I still feel guilty about laughing at Nolans lack of control. But you are saying Nolan made this mess on purpose to throw it in our face? WOW! I think the acting talent was mis-used and abused in Tenet. I doubt the actors are proud of the work they did... Maybe Robert Pattinson, Michael Caine, or Kenneth Branagh @6:23 And yes YOU CAN'T HEAR THE DIOLOG, esp. Branagh??!?!?!! Nolan had a Shakespearian actor to work with and you could not under stand what Branagh said! masterpiecealzheimer'salzheimer's ward staff to watch Memento! EDIT: (What happened here to my text!). I was trying to say Memento should be shown to the staff of Alzheimers wards.... Dunkirk was a good film. Dunkirk was only GREAT considering the editing performance Nolan pulled off... I think Nolan worked hard on Dunkirk to show respect for the subject matter of WWII, and that is what the audience was looking for in a film titled "Dunkirk". I don't think they were in the seats for an "art film". Bertrand_Bonello? I will have to check him out! Happy New Year! IMHO
*downs a shot of whiskey* I hate this movie. I felt like this was all of Nolan's weaknesses brought to vivid life. I had no idea what was going on almost the entire time, certainly not helped because of that horribly pretentious dialogue you mentioned. I almost literally had no idea what anyone was saying! The only things I remember were Washington's one-liners, which were undoubtedly his own. I wanted someone to say something normal! "I have to pee." "I am hungry." "Shut the fuck up, Donny." Something! With that, this movie felt like a test I didn't study for--NAY! Far worse: it felt like a test in a subject I knew nothing about; I'm looking at this test and grasping onto familiar words and phrases and hoping to make cohesive sense out of it. I was telling my friend how I hated it and he asked, "What was it about?"...and I could not answer. I still don't know what this movie's plot was. And this is all coming from a Nolan fanboy! I love "Inception," "The Dark Knight," "Interstellar," "The Prestige" and I think "Dunkirk" is possibly one of the greatest films of all time (he was robbed of a Best Director Oscar); but here I took a pill that made me see the film the way Nolan Haters see films; I was tied to a chair with my eyes pried open a la Alex Delarge. "IT'S A SIN!" Soooooo yeah. I didn't like it.
Nolan certainly didn't see the Chris Rock Oscars monologue where he says that «if you want Tom Cruise and all you have is Colin Ferrell, wait! If you want Denzel and all you got is me, wait!» What I mean is the main actor is very forgetable. And so is the movie. And yes, Dunkirk is another thing all together, like Nolan taking a vacation from himself. Hope he does that again.
Never liked Nolan movies after the Dark Knight Rises. But I liked Dunkirk a little bit. It is his best movie in recent times. His movies are entertaining though. Good for movie fans.
Something so many people have missed when watching this is the fact of cinema Thing is you could actually watch the movie with only the soundtrack and no dialogue and it will still have the same effect, that’s not a weakness It’s basically a wouldn’t it be cool if movies, which thank god someone makes those, only difference this one is made my Nolan so it’s quite thought out I mean I still don’t undetdand what happened on the highway when the he gives Sator the Algorithm .. but none the less it still blows my mind watching it; maybe not blows but it certainly makes me go whaaaaaaat the fAaaaaa... Or when he fights himself the second time, I mean I knew it was him the first fight but still seeing it all come together and then him running in the turnstile and running back out on Niels side is just a whoa.. that’s why the end I think is so all over the place, honestly I don’t know what their shooting at but it doesn’t matter to be honest .. and it really shouldn’t, it can but it dosent need to Art doesn’t have to be cohesive, dosent need to have structure or prominent characters.. yes art pieces with all those can gain easy praise no doubt but it’s the bold pieces that really speak to people in a unique way I find Funny thing is I’m usually very critical about films but in this instance everyone else seems to be not enjoying it while I’m sitting there like an idiot with my jaw shoveling popcorn from the floor It’s like that throne room scene in last Jedi.. so many people hate it and found no enjoyment watching it, pointing out the stunts (which is bad honestly) but i wasn’t focused on that I was looking at the big picture, and it was fkn awesome The current socialsphere, is very critical and when one person says something is bad it slowly becomes a universal fact Like the prequels being bad, sure they aren’t the trilogy but ... doesn’t mean they’re bad ? Theyre wayyyy better than most movies that come out Atleast the prequels are fun and take you to places and show you things you’ve not seen in films Life is what you make it, so make it fun .. a movie is escapism .. so don’t take it so seriously because your missing the point then If you like a movie or it spoke to you .. watch it again, you’ll find more and more details... and then you can take it seriously because you’ve taken an interest in it
just watched the movie for the first time a few hours ago and man you're on point about the exposition being crazy obvious and boring, the movie is a really fun mess but I finally get where the polarization of this movie comes from, it's fun but far from seamless
I'm from Hungary, and most of Hollywood movies are used to open in Thursday. I've seen The Martian, Infinity War and Endgame before their American opening days. :-D
As always when you watch a (typical) Nolan film: If you don´t start questioning the mechanics and concepts but instead just tag along and let loose, it is quite a joyfull spectacle. If you start questioning how his worlds work it will fall apart pretty quickly and you will be aware of the flaws in story and dialogue. Some films work great for me like Tenet, Inception, the Prestige, even though I am aware of the flawed explanations. Some don´t work at all like Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises. The Dark Knight is always dancing on the edge and if the Joker wouldn´t be so flabbergasting, at least the second half would be a total miss for me.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017because overall it actually makes sense, and the mechanics make for such a wild ride that getting deep into knowing the protagonist better as a character is pretty irrelevant. The villain's motivations make for a fascinating concept, and his wife's motivations for hating him make for just enough emotional weight to help carry the film through its third act. That said, I would love to see a cartoon miniseries centered around Time Inversion
TL:DR: TENET's gimmick isn't the time mechanics, it's the action scenes, and this becomes very evident after a couple of watches. TENET is a movie that, on the first couple of watches and discussions with your friends is one of the most tiring and pretentious things you have ever seen. But the third watch did it for me. Watching TENET knowing already where the big pieces let you enjoy the little pieces you discover through the dialogue, but more than that, the true movie reveals itself, which is nothing more than a damn good action flick with some espionage here and there. There are no pretentious themes, the storyline seems actually pretty straightforward, you discover that everything, EVERYTHING on this movie is meant to justify the action scenes. Every piece of dialogue has a small or huge payoff during the most intense parts of the movie. It's not meant to tickle your brain with plot twists and characters, but to excite your 12-year-old self that goes "WOAAAAH" on the theater. It's so grandiose. It's definitely an experience.
And honestly I liked the gimmick in Tenet way more than Dunkirk. The time jumping in Dunkirk was completely frustrating and emotionally unsatisfying. Along with the intrusive music and sound effects
Inland Empire isn't David Lynch at his best, but it is David Lynch at his most. That's sort of how Tenet is. Oppenheimer isn't Christopher Nolan at his best, but it is Christopher Nolan at his most.
In my opinion, Christopher Nolan's "old ways," as you put it, were of an absolute "world class writer and director, at the top of his game." I haven't watched your previous Nolan reviews, but from from what you stated in your introduction in this video, it seems that you had some issues with certain Christopher Nolan's movies prior to the release of "Dunkirk" (correct me if that's wrong). If that is true, then all I can say is wow, that is crazy! In my opinion, Nolan had no chinks in his armour and had directed nothing remotely close to ever be considered a 'weak' movie, until perhaps 'Dunkirk' and now with 'Tenet,' both of which fell FAR below his previous pristine directorial winning streak, imo. 'The Prestige' to me, is a perfect movie, one of my all time favourites and undoubtedly one of Nolan's absolute best. 'Dunkirk' is at best a 'decent' movie. Better than most other directors are capable of delivering, yet rather underwhelming for Nolan himself, given the previous sky high standard, he had established with his previous filmography. I feel personally, that 'Tenet' also suffers with living up to the Nolan brand in comparison to his previous incredible classics. It's interesting that you briefly mentioned David Lynch (he is actually my favourite working director). Since, I also felt that even the master, David Lynch's last big project ('Twin Peaks: Season 3') also fell rather flat and WAY below his own previous impeccable standards in movies and TV. For me personally, Twin Peaks Season 3 was nowhere near as great as the original Twin Peaks TV show or movie (Fire Walk With Me).
Loved the film. It was mind blowing! tho his characters will just rattle off info u gotta keep up and pay attention. You can see the budget oozing out of the screen.
Tenet was such a disappointment. It turned out to be pretty much the only major film from 2020 that actually got released that I was looking forward to and my anticipation was sky high. I had to wait until the blu ray release to finally see it. It was a fantastically confused, jumbled up mess of a film that left me cold and disinterested nearly the entire way through. I initially thought I'd go back and watch a few more times to make more sense of it but a month later I have yet to find the motivation to watch it again.
1: The line “try not to understand, just feel it” was not said in the movie for the audience. I do not know why everybody is using this line like it was directed at us, the viewers. That line was primarily for the Protagonist so that when he experiences inverted time, he must not think of how to react to it because his instincts will automatically react to the inversion. I won’t spoiler the movie, This line finally clicks in his head during a specific moment in the movie and he smoothly goes through the motions during that one scene with ease because of his instincts based on cause and effect. 2: I must say, this movie is NOT in any way like Memento. Not even close. Tenet is doing something 100% different from Memento. Nobody in Memento is manipulating time for their advantage. In Tenet, time is being manipulated in a tactical way; hence, the Temporal Pincer Movement. 3: the “gimmick” that you call it has to be one of the coolest and most badass concepts in a movie. If people can just take the time to look into and learn the Temporal Pincer Movement and how it actually works throughout the movie and also learn how the turnstiles operate, it all makes sense, just takes effort because a lot of the answers to the films concepts are OFF SCREEN. It’s just how Nolan does it. I am not bashing your review, I respect it. There’s just certain things that I felt like I needed to say.
Watch the moment in the film when this line is said and watch what happens afterwards and what the Protagonist says in response. It is not for us. The inversion and the temporal pincer movement CAN be understood. Takes homework to understand 100%. It all works.
It sounds like the exposition is a deliberate misdirection. If he understands that the central 'tenet' is nonsense then his best chance of getting away with it by distracting us with pseudo explanations.
When it comes to not connecting to Nolan, For me, to this day, I struggle with The Prestige.It seemed like it was structured like a magic trick, and because of that it felt gimmicky to me.
@@IDKOKIDK Hey, I already explained why I feel the way I feel. I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone else for simply being able to not pick apart things that I think are gratuitous when it comes to simply being able to "experience" a movie.
Yeah I'm not going to watch it again, it reminded me of the original bladerunner with its confusing narrative but it's not bladerunner. Even though there were moments of characterisation especially with the Robert Pattinson character. It's not enough for me to love it.
Late to the party. I think Nolan gave Pattinson way too much time to Pattinson's over acting. The lead was good, but did not have the presence in my opinion to carry the film. Good actor but...
I think this movie was Nolan reacting to Criticism over not including “diverse actors and story” to his movies. Dunkirk was criticized over its lack of diversity. The mob went after him for this sort of thing. So he said to the studios, ok, here is what you want, identity politics over story and authenticity, so I’ll give you a film featuring diverse and not make true sense, because the noise of the world drowns out the dialogue people should be having with each other. Kind of like a F you to Hollywood. Where the characters have no names, just an insertion of a POC protagonist, which is the modern trend. Just a theory but I think others may have similar conclusions.
man i couldn't force myself to watch it the whole way 30 minutes in and i was like how come this movie feels all over the place for (hey look at my awesome camera work) movie felt bland and empty.
@@anthonymartensen3164 Someone who has interesting ideas and concepts but always gets in his own way of communicating them with awful writing and directing and is too self-indulgent to notice.
Tenet is NEVER trying to be coherent, at least in a first viewing. The only way to view it at first is as a collage of Nolan making his version of a Bond movie. If you do not care for his style of filmmaking, this will piss you the hell off because it is everything he is criticized for times 1000. The reason I love Tenet after seeing it a half dozen more times is that it 1) makes a lot more sense on each rewatch and 2) is Nolan at his directorial peak as far as cinematography, set design, and the nonstop propelling narrative that is driven primarily by the score. That’s just Nolan’s style, he edits in a way that is constantly building towards moments and set pieces that are what he (and we) really cares about.
Other than the Batman trilogy, favorite Nolan film by far is Interstellar, a masterpiece. Inception: hate ambiguous, unclear endings, Tenet was a confusing mess. Dunkirk didn't work for me, either.
I don't know why Nolan has lost me over the years. I did not enjoy this movie at all. Nolan seems to be up his own ass. I just don't like pretentious people. Then again the last film he did that I absolutely loved was Inception. Good review
I didn’t care for Kenneth Branagh’s performance in Tenet. It felt like I was watching his version of Hercule Poirot again. Also, the sailing scene just seemed out of place.
You and Nolan just don't click. "Tenet" is a film I would've judged much harsher if I were still a professional critic. I saw the dumb shit dangling at key moments, tempting me to nitpick. Here's what saved it for me: a few weeks prior, Warner Bros. re-released "Inception", which I hadn't seen on the big screen. I realized that if you're just at home with it in a DVD player, the selling point is the Nolan mechanics and gimmicks. But in a theater, what stands out are the close-ups. Nolan's work is CINEMA in the sense of its big-screen brushstrokes; it's the way Leo DiCaprio or Ellen Page or Cillian Murphy sell a belief in human fear and pain from living within a mechanism. (Because aren't we all?) The stacked cast of all the Nolan films (with the exception of "Dunkirk", and even then there's big names) is no accident. They can communicate emotions on a more operatic scale because in Nolan's hands, they can get away with it. I thereby disagree with you that the characters are mere chess pieces. Kenneth Branagh is scary on a big screen, even with the fucking dumb Russian accent. Robert Pattinson is deeply heartfelt on a big screen, even though his motivations have to be so goddam secret. They sold it, and for me it worked.
No its not because Inception centres around one person Dom and his demons haunting him (Mal) and it is essentially a heist movie, but the goal is Tenet is bigger than all of them, its about saving the world
@@tatenda2706 ya know, the very thing I thought was missing from Inception is that the stakes weren't high enough. They basically wanted to this guy to relinquish control of his business, but I didn't particularly care about the ramifications of that control. I wanted there to be a stronger moral dilemma regarding when it is and isn't okay to go fooling around in someone's mind for the sake of a greater good. Tbc tho I really enjoyed Inception for its puzzle. I think I loved the puzzle of Tenet much more 1) because the stakes of saving existence itself, and 2) it's a sleeker film. In my eyes, neither film resonated emotionally due to the calculated nature of the mechanics being such a strong focus, but the difference is that Inception was actually trying to present an emotional core in the form of Cobb wanting to connect with his family. The puzzle is far more interesting. At least Tenet is being upfront about the fact that it's an action-based puzzle...and I disagree with people that say it's incoherent. It makes sense to me overall, and the degree to which it doesn't I take no issue with just going along for the ride...there's plenty of movies with their share of holes that people adore. Tenet is quite tight in its execution as far as I'm concerned.
I found the same issue with Tenet... I couldn't connect with a single character... which wasn't the issue with inception ... a similar type of big scifi ..a lot at stake ... movie
It's a turkey, let's be honest. All of his worst excesses and flaws perfectly squeezed into one movie. A lot of people saying they think it will get better with repeat viewings as time goes on. I think the opposite will happen. This is what happens when you give artists carte blanche, they inevitably disappear up their own backside.
@@anthonymartensen3164 Pulp Fiction was made by a disciplined, restrained version of Tarantino. Post Jackie Brown his films have become bloated and hit and miss. Just as Hollywood has given him big budgets.
@@adrianjames5970 No restraints. No budget concerns, access to actors, storytelling restrictions etc. He can basically do whatever he wants because his films always smash the box office. But if you're at a point where usually highly demanding major studios are allowing you to make several films where audiences can't even hear the dialogue (and this is a deliberate choice) then I think it's fair to say you live a charmed life as an artist and things have gone too far. Which brings us to Tenet. An absurdly convoluted plot, audio that is either piercingly loud or barely audible, average acting, dialogue that is almost all exposition. If Nolan had any authority to answer to then you wouldn't end up with a film this poor. It's like no one is holding him to any standards. He is clearly gifted but even the most talented people need some form of moderation and discipline. If an unproven director pitches Tenet then it doesn't get made IMO.
@@adrianjames5970 Because his films are bloated, self indulgent and less focussed than the ones from his 90s heyday. They're still good though. OUATIH was good but I'm in no rush to re watch it.
Although you've made interesting points that hold a lot of substance, I will always admire filmmakers that are not afraid to showcase their attributes head on, whether you love it or hate it. Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker that I can appreciate (he isn't my favorite) for developing stories that are large in scale, but are laced with intriguing concepts and withhold a deeper meaning, while at the same token, the pretentiousness does tend to be in the forefront in most of Nolan's work, and to good majority of movie viewers, that can be an issue. TENET will for sure be a movie that we may watch later and appreciate more, but as of now, it's both hot & cold..if that makes sense. I always enjoy your reviews! This was a great one.
The movie was bad. It felt like they began filming the movie before the script was finished. Then Nolan got bored halfway through the making of the film, and didn't bother to finish the script.
i've noticed you don't review a lot of old generic classis. why not it's a wonderful life. there is a canadian christmas movie called a christmas story and also black christmas. don't need to necessarily review christmas movies, just something to get the ball rolling with old classics.
Classics are my forte actually. But I feel like many of them have been talked about to death. Don't know how much more I could really add to the conversation. But I'd like to do more since that's my comfort zone
If you track Nolan's box office returns, as film goers get wise to him over time (pun intended), his aura diminishes. Tenet was such a garbled narrative mess it almost suggests he has a self destructive element to his personality? It doesn't work as an action film or as a work of art. He is someone that refuses to play to his own strengths. Could it be that he shouldn't work on his own scripts and instead partner with a more visionary writer that uses Nolan to bring incredible ideas to life while still keeping an eye on creating a plausible and gripping story. At this stage Nolan has crossed into the yawn zone.
Respect your opinion but this is a terrible review: no mention of the insane Opera scene in the prologue (one of the best opening prologue ever), no analysis of the inverted fight scenes which were very creative no CGI whatsoever and also the truck heist scene. (Granted no spoilers but can still hover around the subject). Furthermore, no mention of the great chemistry Robert Pattison and John David Washington had on screen which was brilliant and great stunts too. Then you talked about the movie lacking emotion but actually the protagonist shows emotion through his actions alone not words, you see him try to save people at the opera scene and him trying to save Kat but spies are also supposed to be cold blooded. Moreover, not once did you talk about Ludwig Gorransson's score which is one of the best original scores I've ever heard and should definitely be nominated for an Oscar. You spent more time in this movie review comparing Nolan talking about flaws in his previous movies than actually analysing this movie alone when this movie is very different from all of his films, this is the most ambitious movie he'sever done I'm glad we have few directors who actually have the guts to make blockbuster like this. Lastly, you spoke about Nolan not being aware of the "flaws" in the movie but if you did research you would realise he thought about this idea for 20 years and has writing it on and off for over a decade, he is aware of what he is doing. The protagonist not having a name he stated was actually influenced by Sergio Leone man with no name. This movie is a masterpiece in my humble opinion and will be appreciated in years to come, so ahead of its time.
I watched the film for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It has taken me until now to fully appreciate the film - I don't think I could get past how I felt about the death of Neil at the end and understanding why it made me feel the way I did before I could watch the film again (very few films have that effect on me). I agree with you. Either she (the person who made the review video you were replying to) doesn't get the film, or is reviewing it prematurely (for the algorithm) - most likely - , or she is actually philosophically biased against certain presentations of the discussion of the concept of time - which would be plausable given how insane the internet is. I won't bore you with my thoughts and feelings about it. But if you're interested I do have a take - but it is nothing that someone couldn't understand themselves with a bit of reading of philosophy (like existentialism) and some understanding of physics (like the double slit experiment - particularly the delayed choice quantum erasure version - the heisenberg uncertainty principle, quantum entanglement and einstein's general relativity concerning time dilation and the principle of the second law of thermodynamics and the arrow of time and things like 'the block universe' vs 'open universe' etc)... ...Though totally my comment from this present determined your comment to this video from 4 months ago - not because you inherently have no free will, but because I used the algorithm to rob you of your free will. btw - if you reply with 'wut?' to this comment then I'll have the protagonist come by to take you out. Cheers.
Sounds like you came here to hear what you wanted to be told. And yet there's more insight about both the film and nolan in this review than anything any nolan fan ever conjured up.
@@marcogianesello6083 really how so? Imagine talking about insight when for example she didn't even discuss the score which is one of best scores we've ever heard by Ludwig which should've won an Oscar and she didn't analyse the visual effects at all where were groundbreaking, furthermore one of the best prologue I've ever seen, Absolutely nothing to do with being a Nolan or not but any review which doesn't acknowledge these things has no credibility. And she spent more talking about Nolan's previous than the movie itself, was this a Tenet review or a video about Nolan? She didn't stick to the subject poor review that's my opinion, hope this helps
@@tatenda2706 dude, if this score and that opening scene were the best you've ever seen I guess that's your problem for having seen very little, so don't make it a problem for the reviewers if they didn't tell what you wanted to hear, chances are they focus on a commrntary that actually matters because hopefully if they're worth their salt they have more interesting things to say than what you're complaining about. Oh my, the opening scene had a lot of people in costumes running around and shooting each other with a beat in the background, jeez how interesting, definitely necessary to talking about it in order to give the film a comprehensive look, despite it doing pretty much nothing narratively. You're just complaining that the review is negative, and using the fact that it didn't focus on menial stuff because you wanted to be told how good that stuff is, and in the meantime you complain about how the review actually took a look at Tenet in the context of an autheur's evolution in terms of philosophy and aesthetics and confronted it poignantly with nolan's sensibilities explaining what it was going for in a more accurate way than you could've ever come up with, and where it works and how it fails. That's a review, citing a bunch of shit and saying "this is cool, this is good, this is not good" is barely qualifiable as a review, it's a bullet list of talking points with zero substance. Visual effects? Yeah they worked and looked cool, end of the relevant discussion related to special effects. This review is simply an actually interesting one with something to say, if you want a list of self serving bullet points that amount to nothing you already wrote it out, it' not anyone's problem if you want reviews to read it back to you and nothing else
@@marcogianesello6083 Where did I say it's the best score and prologue waa the best that I've ever seen? I said "one of the best I've ever seen" and I've seen a lot movies that score was brilliant + very original and the prologue at the opera was absolutely brilliant. The fact that you downplayed that opera scene to just a bunch of people with guns is mind boggling, it's so much more than that. Yeah well in my opinion is that it's a terrible "movie review" a movie review, it is supposed to talk about the movie as in what the author actually thought about it, the reason I picked out those scenes were because they were instrumental to the actual movie plot i.e. the opera scene and the battlefield scene at the end, this lady never actually in depth to talk about how it was one of the biggest movie sets in history, how the stunt people had to practice in real to fight backwards, no mention of that whatsoever. Just because I liked the movie doesn't mean that I have an issue with someone saying negative stuff I just have a problem with someone who's very biased she sounds like she already went into the movie being someone who dislikes Nolan's movies so she already had confirmation bias especially when she said "his movies are flashy and pretentious". That is not objective at all thats so subjective no wonder she spent more time talking his previous work and him in general than the actual movie. She might as well have titled the video "a review of Nolan's work". This has nothing to do with me complaining a out what I wanted to hear so it wasn't a Tenet movie was it really? More of like a discussion of his movie catalogue and philosophy
I think a lot of people (including myself) love Nolan for the headiness of his movies. He puts so much more detail into his plots and the mechanics of his worlds. There has been so little good sci fi aside from Nolan's work. I realize many of you like the more contemplative films like Ad Astra, but a lot of dudes like me want to see more "sci" in our sci fi.
I think Ad Astras is even more pretentious than anything Nolan has ever done (including Interstellar). If you want to talk about good sci-fi, there isn't a ton, but I can think of The Martian, Moon, Passengers, Ex Machina, LX 2048, Ready Player One, Blade Runner 2049, Looper, Arrival. And Nolan is a great director, his movies are flawlessly shot, they are enjoyable to watch. But he doesn't know or care about human beings really talk or what are like. And he is no Kubrick either. So I agree with her that his best movie is without a doubt Dunkirk, and most of the rest can be entertaining but I can't take them seriously. At best they are ridiculous, at worst they are terribly pretentious.
"Filmmaking is not about the tiny details. It's about the big picture" - Christopher Nolan probably
That was taking from the movie Ed Wood
@@almubarak89458 Yes thats correct
What does this mean?
@@anthonymartensen3164 watch an ed wood film and you’ll know
@Anthony Martensen
It means that Christopher Nolan is the Ed Wood of our times.
Your reviews are awesome, and I think you're one of the most intelligent critics I've seen on TH-cam so far. Excellent work! So impressed, in fact, that I subscribed.
She has a scorching intellect, doesn't she?
She's excellent
I found the film a mess but a intriguing mess which I'm going to view again, its bonkers stuff but still interesting enough to get engaged with.
03:42 What you say about pieces of a puzzle and a Rubik's cube - that's it. The key to it all is the ancient SATOR Square, involving permutations of the words spelled out upon it, and the concepts inherent in them individually and blended.
Fortunately I saw Tenet in a theater where the bass wasn’t very loud, so I understood 90% of the dialogue. Thoroughly enjoyed the story, flaws and all, and thought the characters were interesting, even though they weren’t that fleshed out
A lot more positive than I thought you were going to be toward this movie. I agree, it's bombastic and ridiculous but I enjoyed it
Hi,
I’ve performed a funny stand-up comedy about tenet and nolan and how nolan f**cks with time😂
I hope you enjoy it,
New listener. Came across this looking for Tenet reviews. Very insightful review with good balance of history and interpretation.
New favorite review sight. Keep up the great work!
Her other Nolan movie reviews are great, too/
i thought his inception was about being brave enough to deal with a trauma (his wife) before it fucks up your future (the main mission)... and i didnt see a point to Tenet
Both movies don't really know how to make an interesting point.
@@mabusestestamentthere most definitely was a point to Tenet, it just so happens to be the villain's motives that happen to be the key to understanding it
I love Tenet and Inception for the mear fact that they boggle the mind and are entertaining.
Yes I had to watch a youtube video explaining time inversion and a dream within a dream ,that's part of the post Nolan movie experience and Yes some people will leave the movie unsatisfied because they didn't get closure.
Watched The movie twice and to be fair, the plot explains itself pretty clearly on the second viewing. Also, it's interesting to see how Pattison's chacarter acts throught the film, when you know the ending. And obviuosly things like trying to re-arrange their backward movement forward in your head won't be easy even after the 50-th viewing. It's a shame some people didn't hear the dialogue, watched it with subtitles. Great mind training, loved it.
I've been waiting for your (review) about this self-indulgent, pretentious mess of a movie. You have echoed exactly how my thoughts were when I reviewed it on Instagram 4 months ago. You've expressed exactly how I felt. This is one movie I can never revisit or recommend because I just don't care about anything in it. Great review 😊
Ahh so happy you are reviewing this! Was looking forward to your thoughts!
I think the way Nolan introduced emotional concepts to the characters doesnt go against the goal of making them "Non-characters". He's deconstructing his idea of what it means to tell a story, and I think that necessarily includes examples of emotionally compelling the audience, even though the characters are "skeletons" or embodiments of tropes. Also, I think you'll find on second viewing that the emotional concepts were sprinkled in since the beginning. Something about the dialogue or acting in the first scene (with the bombs in a theatre), really made me believe that these helmet-clad soldiers had their own lives and the protagonist had known & trained with these people for a few days at least. I also think the subversion of the protagonist is that (like you said, this is basically a third-act presented as the whole story) he's already self-actualized, and he's already ready to complete the hero's quest, so the narrative doesn't require much characterization for him except the /description/ of his current values and integrity-proving tests he gets.
great review, I may be the biggest Nolan fan out there and I still see this as potentially his most flawed film (from a writing standpoint). But I love it
@Jones Heywire full of exposition, makes it feel "clunky"
The exposition was a lot to keep up with, but I didn’t see that as a bad thing. I think the main problem has to do with how convenient and complicated inversion works as a plot mechanic. The concept was either too complicated to understand in real time or too convenient to take seriously.
It's a great film and it's a film you gain so so much from multiple viewings .
Seen it five times because love the story, cinematography etc and it just about makes total sense.
Dunkirk was good in the way it was made with story line and time line etc was great.
Only thing I didn't like especially having my grandfather there and seeing the historical pictures, Nolan's Dunkirk beach was far too clean and tidy and that amazed me ? Didn't he ever look at the carnage on that beach and constant smoke rising from bombed buildings ??.
Anyway Tenet will grow on you the more you watch it.
Robert Patterson was brilliant.
I genuinely love TENET, it's his most self aware movie, where DUNKIRK is full of restraint, this seems like going back on the other direction, it's a loud statement saying "I know exactly what my limits are, but this is still one of the best time travel movies ever."
It’s a somewhat boring convoluted time travel time travel movie. Sorry to say, I love Nolan.. I found this a painful movie to watch to completion.
@@birlove1471I'm proud to say that I disagree.
@@chrisjfox8715 Fair enough, I wish I could have said the same.
'Tenet' was okay, pretty cool movie. ☺
Love your channel. As for TENET...It's a masterpiece, as was DUNKIRK. Both, are total polar opposites though. Dunkirk is everything stripped down to the moment...one moment ( even if 3 perspectives), and it doesn't require any real thought or analysis. TENET on the other hand requires more commitment and forces its viewers to go a bit deeper. It's not supposed to be digested in one sitting and because of that, it'll last and be a long-time classic. I'd prefer to have to watch a film a few times to appreciate it rather than just...be done with a film in one sitting. Sometimes, yes, I just need a one-night stand....other times, I'd like to explore the relationship further and dive deeper into more than just the surface, temporary satisfaction.
Muffled dialogue was too frustrating. I needed to hear the dialogue to understand the plot. In the end I couldn't even tell if it was a good film or not
NC REVIEW, FOR ME PERSONALLY IDC HOW FORCED IT IS IDC IF ITS EVEN TXT FILE WITH JUST THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE AS LONG AS IT IS AN INTERESTING PLOT FOR ME I WILL LIKE IT, AND I LIKED TENET'S PLOT
I'm growing to become a massive Christopher Nolan fan as he grows as a film maker. Even though I don't think he had a masterpiece until Dunkirk, you could tell with the way he handled superhero movies, and what he did with Inception, The Prestige, and Interstellar that he certainly has that "it" factor that separates himself from many other film makers these days. He's always trying something new, and he always reaches for the stars with every film he makes, and on a technical craftsmanship level, he is doing things better than most these days as well. So no matter what he does with a movie, even if it's flawed in certain ways, I have to see it because it's always interesting to just see what he is gonna do.
Tenet challenged me upon first viewing. I thought he may have gone a little too far as I had a hard time wrapping my head around the mechanics of the inverted timelines. But it left me wanting more, wanting to revisit it, and the more I rewatch it and the mechanics get easier, I do find that it is a pretty awesome movie. I just look at it as a film that indulges in what we love about Bond movies, but puts a twist on it so that fans who have seen all the 25 Bond movies don't find it stale. It justifies the Bond-esque Spy thriller genre to still exist by continuing to push it forward, not just repeat it. And bottom line, it's a fun movie to watch. Despite the characters having no backstories or anything, I enjoyed the moment to moment viewing enough that I just bought it and didn't need a backstory to get me to invest in the characters. It's not as solid as Dunkirk, but that's a high bar to reach for me. I loved it, and there is no one out there who is making movies quite like this so I appreciate it on that level.
Your right about Kubrick he was accused of having detached characters but his craft of filmmaking so masterful that it made up for it. He also wrote better dialogue than Nolan Dr Strangelove springs to mind as one of his most clever screenplays with very quotable dialogue
Also... what's wrong with detached characters?
@@mabusestestament sometimes theres nothing wrong with detached characters it depends on the story
Exactly
@@65g4agreed that it depends on the story, and I feel like Tenet is one of those stories where it's appropriate. Inception is the one where I felt like he was aiming for more emotional weight yet *for me personally* that emotional weight fell a bit flat having been drwon out by the mechanics
I love the David Lynch comparison. For me, Nolan (especially his earlier works) fits stylistically in the same genre as three great Davids (Lynch, Cronenberg and Fincher), that genre being a loosely defined, but somehow distinctive psycho-noir. Granted, all aforementioned are not always working in that area exclusively, but combining classical stylistic influences with confusing, dream-like logic is definitely a joint characteristic for all four of them.
Absolutely agree with your thoughts on Nolan's writing style, too much exposition and problems with exploring in a far more complex the interesting themes his films attempt to explore. Nolan reminds me alot of Kubrick even at his most flawed film they still manage to be interesting than most films out there.
Don't let this VERY intriguing review distract you from the fact that Christopher Nolan announced The last of us: part ll as game of the year. Which I very much loved!
🎮😍
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in hiding from a dangerous mob 😳😅
Last of us deserves GOTY😍
I’ve performed a funny stand-up comedy about tenet and nolan and how nolan f**cks with time😂
I hope you enjoy it,
Just watched Tenet and your review was my first port of call... I'm a Nolan sceptic too but really enjoyed this one. It is revelling in mind boggling spectacle for its own stake and that's how its best enjoyed. Maybe?!
How many times have you seen it? I must admit the second time, my opinion changed dramatically
the cinematography was amazing
Really cool review!!! I agree and you provide so much to really think about. Thanks!!
I usually really dislike when a rubicks cube of a film tries to tell you that 'you just don't get it man.' As if a difficult to understand movie = some kind of emotional intelligence or broader insight. When I think that puzzles are better off puzzles. I think that Mulholland Drive is the most like this. Which is why I found that Tenet didn't bother me as much for what you said. It is a puzzle, but like the hardest math equation on a high school math assignment, it isn't trying to tell you something profound about life. And like that math question, with Tenet you can put it down and live your life and come back to try to solve it... or not. It isn't trying to say that there is something more if you do figure it all out.
I really found it interesting when you talk about the filmmaking process and how this movie comments on it. It seems obvious to me that Nolan (and/or the people around him) can really carefully plan out a movie's production, which is very often not in the same order as the movie's chronology. It is almost like they brought together the task of figuring out the production schedule and planning with the process of plotting and writing the movie itself.
I'm noticing quite a bizarre phenomenon that people who are very critical of Nolan are very enthusiastic about Tenet, whereas many diehard Nolan fans are disappointed by Tenet. It's definitely not a "standard" film. He is very stripped down. Personally, I REALLY liked Tenet. I like how it doesn't feel like other action films or even other Christopher Nolan films. I don't find the lack of character backstories in THIS film a hindrance at all. Is it a good idea for every film? Noz but hear I don't see it being a dealbreaker or a flaw. You have an interesting take, happy to hear it!
This movie explains stuff and then illustrates what was just said with action.
5:47 It’s because Time cannot be understood. We can only feel it.
It makes perfect sense.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-nolan-vol-ii/id827905050?i=1000501794026
Yes! Thank you
Yeah I mean if you think about it, if time inversion really was a thing and there was a tactical team responsible for thwarting certain threats of a shady character aiming to essentially use time inversion as a weapon...then even the people involved would be confused by a good bit of it. I'm a firm believer in the fact that that's why some of the dialogue being muffled isn't a big deal.
Granted ofc they'd have to understand time inversion and what's going on to some extent in order to craft their missions against it - one sin could be that the characters understand it a bit too well *maybe* - but even in the real world any given mission is just a plan that may or may not be but so effective...a gamble to best of their understanding of the enemy. The missions in the film make sense to me.
"Don't try to understand it just feel it" is simply the truth. I'm a David Lynch fan and his movies are far worse "culprits" of being cryptic yet deliberate...and I'm saying that with David Lynch being my favorite director. If you try to connect every single dot in search of zero holes at all then it's missing the entire point of the experience. I do agree that Lynch is more organic but some degree of letting go is a necessity all the same.
The real protagonist of this film was the time inversion. That was wild.
3:21
lolll that eyeroll
I feel like Tenet will get better on multiple viewings i look forward to seeing it again
Hi,
I’ve performed a funny stand-up comedy about tenet and nolan and how nolan f**cks with time😂
I hope you enjoy it,
@@mattmdd1648 ok cool
@@65g4 thanks for watching buddy,♥️ would you mind subscribing me for support? Thanks
I hugely regret not seeing it in 70mm. Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers, period. He's a legit contemporary artist IMO.
check out film called Primer (2004). does what Nolan was trying to do, albeit on a much smaller scale, much better
I found the story to be lacklustre, the first half was just slow for me, the visual effects were quite mind-boggling, and i admire Nolan alot for coming up with a totally original story here.
Loved your review!!
hey have you seen all of nolans films
Great review, I agree with pretty much everything. I am a bit surprised that you didn't mention the line that made me laugh the most (not verbatim):
- "Everything is going to end"
- "Including my son".
At this point I started picturing the kid alone in the universe going like "Ok, somehow I survived. Now what?"
And regarding the sound mixig thing: I think (and this video kinda reinforced this theory in my head) that Nolan did this on porpouse as a statement. As in "I am putting in some corky dialogue, but in the end the thing that actually matters is the puzzle through The Protagonist's eyes". Now, if I had to do it, I probably would have stripped it of any dialogue and explaination altogether.
A version of this movie without any dialogue at all would've been interesting indeed. That said, I think people get a bit too caught up in feeling as though they need to hear every single word. Sometimes the entire reason dialogue is murky is because the dialogue/concepts would be just as murky if we were there
Tbh I would watch Tenet a million times over vs I’ve seen Dunkirk once or twice. Yes it’s a stronger film but I liked the shameless experimentation and indulgence of Tenet more 🤷
haven't seen the film but it's a real shame Nolan wasn't able to achieve a similar symbiosis between the mechanics and plot of the film as he did with Dunkirk, either ways really appreciate your take on every film you review, has helped me better appreciate movies be it the first or a repeat viewing :)
It's essentially Nolan's version of the 60s series the Man from U.N.C.LE. Personally I liked it a lot, it's not a film you take seriously. It's definitely cartoony, and I think Nolan wants it that way.
I remember your reviews of 'Dunkirk' and 'Memento'. You understand Nolan better than Nolan does.
hahahahah she does indeed
I dont follow. You dislike Nolan's movies you see as having high concepts but minimum character development, but you love Dunkirk which has no high concept but also minimum character development, arguably way less. Why does 1+0 equal less for you than than 0+0 or 0+(-1)? Or do you disagree with the premise?
While I believe that everyone has a right to their own opinions, I don't agree with this reviewer at all. I think that Tenet is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. While there are issues with reversing entropy also reversing time, Tenet really drove home a great story line coupled with a non-linear chronology. Also, I would say that the character of Neil has a very emotional ark, especially discovering how he accepted his own sacrifice to the success of the mission.
I have a feeling you give Nolan too much credit regarding self awareness, personally I get the impression that every sentence uttered in his movies is meant to be profound, I don't think the indulgence is intended to be humorous, at all
Me either lol. I think he has some humane messages he may want his characters to convey, but because they are all one dimensional talking props it comes across as pretentious and humorless.
Thanks for doing this one. I had been curious on your thoughts and potential rant, lol, on Tenet since I saw it in the theater months ago. Sound design was very problematic first time but my second trip to a different Cinema it was updated and solved though still low dialogue volume in the sound mix. Idk the streaming or bluray experience yet but regardless it's a rather polarizing film. Always enjoy listening to you as well as Mark Kermode lately. It's an interesting time in the universe of Cinema and storytelling. So thanks again.
Very polarizing for a Nolan film
I watched Tenet for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The death of Neil made me feel pretty sad - but I wanted to explore the deep reason for this, otherwise I don't think I could ever watch the film again. I was just about to watch this review video and leave my thoughts. But then I thought the past is the past and we can't change this - so I could see the point. But this wouldn't be as bad as though the past leading up to now determined your review due to the grandfather paradox.
i Loved this movie. I watched it the next night again and was thoroughly entertained each time.
Excellent review.You are a very good speaker.
Couldn't agree more apart from that the shamelessness of Nolan pissed me off. Especially the horrendous sound mixing not making it understandable. Just WHY?
It's called making a bold creative decision
@@anthonymartensen3164 bold doesn't necessarily mean good ;)
@@NicolasWaldvogel You're right. But to me, it's a risk that pays off, so I feel inclined to defend it from bandwagons that, to me, are borne from misunderstanding.
@@anthonymartensen3164 as is your right to think so
For me, it had nothing to do with understanding. I watched the film twice in the cinema, first time I almost hated it (although I like Nolans films, some I love) and a big part of that was not being able to hear a large chunk of the dialogue and therefore always leaping behind the plot trying to understand what was going on. The big stuff I still got on first viewing and thought, maybe my enjoyment would grow on second viewing when being able to focus more on the experience already having solved most of the puzzle. I did enjoy it slightly more although a lot of the flaws (like brought up in this review) became even more apparent. I think Nolan simply went too far and made a film, that had cool ideas and stunning practical execution but fell short with a very poor script and uninspired direction. And I think we can all agree that the sound mixing was terrible at times. What was he thinking?
@@NicolasWaldvogel "poor script and uninspired direction" I'm sorry, I just don't agree with that whatsoever
"I am CHRIS M.F. NOLAN!!" ???? "Shameless" ? "Self Indulgent" ? Your review of Tenet is very enlightening! Thank You Very Much!
I am glad to hear I was not the only one who laughed! I think I fell out of my seat near the end, when the British Col. says "We are here to make sure WE DO NOT disarm the bomb!" That Col. should have been played by John Clease!
My thinking was Nolan had lost control of the film in ALL respects... I laughed HARD! It was a guilty pleasure! I still feel guilty about laughing at Nolans lack of control. But you are saying Nolan made this mess on purpose to throw it in our face? WOW!
I think the acting talent was mis-used and abused in Tenet. I doubt the actors are proud of the work they did... Maybe Robert Pattinson, Michael Caine, or Kenneth Branagh
@6:23 And yes YOU CAN'T HEAR THE DIOLOG, esp. Branagh??!?!?!! Nolan had a Shakespearian actor to work with and you could not under stand what Branagh said!
masterpiecealzheimer'salzheimer's ward staff to watch Memento!
EDIT: (What happened here to my text!). I was trying to say Memento should be shown to the staff of Alzheimers wards....
Dunkirk was a good film. Dunkirk was only GREAT considering the editing performance Nolan pulled off... I think Nolan worked hard on Dunkirk to show respect for the subject matter of WWII, and that is what the audience was looking for in a film titled "Dunkirk". I don't think they were in the seats for an "art film".
Bertrand_Bonello? I will have to check him out!
Happy New Year!
IMHO
*downs a shot of whiskey* I hate this movie. I felt like this was all of Nolan's weaknesses brought to vivid life. I had no idea what was going on almost the entire time, certainly not helped because of that horribly pretentious dialogue you mentioned. I almost literally had no idea what anyone was saying! The only things I remember were Washington's one-liners, which were undoubtedly his own. I wanted someone to say something normal! "I have to pee." "I am hungry." "Shut the fuck up, Donny." Something! With that, this movie felt like a test I didn't study for--NAY! Far worse: it felt like a test in a subject I knew nothing about; I'm looking at this test and grasping onto familiar words and phrases and hoping to make cohesive sense out of it. I was telling my friend how I hated it and he asked, "What was it about?"...and I could not answer. I still don't know what this movie's plot was. And this is all coming from a Nolan fanboy! I love "Inception," "The Dark Knight," "Interstellar," "The Prestige" and I think "Dunkirk" is possibly one of the greatest films of all time (he was robbed of a Best Director Oscar); but here I took a pill that made me see the film the way Nolan Haters see films; I was tied to a chair with my eyes pried open a la Alex Delarge. "IT'S A SIN!" Soooooo yeah. I didn't like it.
Nolan certainly didn't see the Chris Rock Oscars monologue where he says that «if you want Tom Cruise and all you have is Colin Ferrell, wait! If you want Denzel and all you got is me, wait!» What I mean is the main actor is very forgetable. And so is the movie. And yes, Dunkirk is another thing all together, like Nolan taking a vacation from himself. Hope he does that again.
Ive actually heard many home theater enthusiasts complain about this films audio. Specifically the center channel dialog being almost inaudible.
Great review! Keep up the good work!!
Never liked Nolan movies after the Dark Knight Rises. But I liked Dunkirk a little bit. It is his best movie in recent times. His movies are entertaining though. Good for movie fans.
Something so many people have missed when watching this is the fact of cinema
Thing is you could actually watch the movie with only the soundtrack and no dialogue and it will still have the same effect, that’s not a weakness
It’s basically a wouldn’t it be cool if movies, which thank god someone makes those, only difference this one is made my Nolan so it’s quite thought out
I mean I still don’t undetdand what happened on the highway when the he gives Sator the Algorithm .. but none the less it still blows my mind watching it; maybe not blows but it certainly makes me go whaaaaaaat the fAaaaaa...
Or when he fights himself the second time, I mean I knew it was him the first fight but still seeing it all come together and then him running in the turnstile and running back out on Niels side is just a whoa.. that’s why the end I think is so all over the place, honestly I don’t know what their shooting at but it doesn’t matter to be honest .. and it really shouldn’t, it can but it dosent need to
Art doesn’t have to be cohesive, dosent need to have structure or prominent characters.. yes art pieces with all those can gain easy praise no doubt but it’s the bold pieces that really speak to people in a unique way I find
Funny thing is I’m usually very critical about films but in this instance everyone else seems to be not enjoying it while I’m sitting there like an idiot with my jaw shoveling popcorn from the floor
It’s like that throne room scene in last Jedi.. so many people hate it and found no enjoyment watching it, pointing out the stunts (which is bad honestly) but i wasn’t focused on that I was looking at the big picture, and it was fkn awesome
The current socialsphere, is very critical and when one person says something is bad it slowly becomes a universal fact
Like the prequels being bad, sure they aren’t the trilogy but ... doesn’t mean they’re bad ? Theyre wayyyy better than most movies that come out
Atleast the prequels are fun and take you to places and show you things you’ve not seen in films
Life is what you make it, so make it fun .. a movie is escapism .. so don’t take it so seriously because your missing the point then
If you like a movie or it spoke to you .. watch it again, you’ll find more and more details... and then you can take it seriously because you’ve taken an interest in it
just watched the movie for the first time a few hours ago and man you're on point about the exposition being crazy obvious and boring, the movie is a really fun mess but I finally get where the polarization of this movie comes from, it's fun but far from seamless
can't remember the last time europe got to see a hollywood movie before america, weird to see a review of this now
I'm from Hungary, and most of Hollywood movies are used to open in Thursday. I've seen The Martian, Infinity War and Endgame before their American opening days. :-D
As always when you watch a (typical) Nolan film:
If you don´t start questioning the mechanics and concepts but instead just tag along and let loose, it is quite a joyfull spectacle.
If you start questioning how his worlds work it will fall apart pretty quickly and you will be aware of the flaws in story and dialogue.
Some films work great for me like Tenet, Inception, the Prestige, even though I am aware of the flawed explanations. Some don´t work at all like Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises.
The Dark Knight is always dancing on the edge and if the Joker wouldn´t be so flabbergasting, at least the second half would be a total miss for me.
I don't know how you can say Tenet works.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017because overall it actually makes sense, and the mechanics make for such a wild ride that getting deep into knowing the protagonist better as a character is pretty irrelevant. The villain's motivations make for a fascinating concept, and his wife's motivations for hating him make for just enough emotional weight to help carry the film through its third act.
That said, I would love to see a cartoon miniseries centered around Time Inversion
TL:DR: TENET's gimmick isn't the time mechanics, it's the action scenes, and this becomes very evident after a couple of watches.
TENET is a movie that, on the first couple of watches and discussions with your friends is one of the most tiring and pretentious things you have ever seen. But the third watch did it for me. Watching TENET knowing already where the big pieces let you enjoy the little pieces you discover through the dialogue, but more than that, the true movie reveals itself, which is nothing more than a damn good action flick with some espionage here and there. There are no pretentious themes, the storyline seems actually pretty straightforward, you discover that everything, EVERYTHING on this movie is meant to justify the action scenes. Every piece of dialogue has a small or huge payoff during the most intense parts of the movie. It's not meant to tickle your brain with plot twists and characters, but to excite your 12-year-old self that goes "WOAAAAH" on the theater. It's so grandiose. It's definitely an experience.
And honestly I liked the gimmick in Tenet way more than Dunkirk. The time jumping in Dunkirk was completely frustrating and emotionally unsatisfying. Along with the intrusive music and sound effects
Let it sink in, girl! You gotta watch it more times to appreciate it.
always on point ! THX SIS !
Inland Empire isn't David Lynch at his best, but it is David Lynch at his most. That's sort of how Tenet is. Oppenheimer isn't Christopher Nolan at his best, but it is Christopher Nolan at his most.
In my opinion, Christopher Nolan's "old ways," as you put it, were of an absolute "world class writer and director, at the top of his game." I haven't watched your previous Nolan reviews, but from from what you stated in your introduction in this video, it seems that you had some issues with certain Christopher Nolan's movies prior to the release of "Dunkirk" (correct me if that's wrong).
If that is true, then all I can say is wow, that is crazy! In my opinion, Nolan had no chinks in his armour and had directed nothing remotely close to ever be considered a 'weak' movie, until perhaps 'Dunkirk' and now with 'Tenet,' both of which fell FAR below his previous pristine directorial winning streak, imo.
'The Prestige' to me, is a perfect movie, one of my all time favourites and undoubtedly one of Nolan's absolute best. 'Dunkirk' is at best a 'decent' movie. Better than most other directors are capable of delivering, yet rather underwhelming for Nolan himself, given the previous sky high standard, he had established with his previous filmography. I feel personally, that 'Tenet' also suffers with living up to the Nolan brand in comparison to his previous incredible classics.
It's interesting that you briefly mentioned David Lynch (he is actually my favourite working director). Since, I also felt that even the master, David Lynch's last big project ('Twin Peaks: Season 3') also fell rather flat and WAY below his own previous impeccable standards in movies and TV. For me personally, Twin Peaks Season 3 was nowhere near as great as the original Twin Peaks TV show or movie (Fire Walk With Me).
Loved the film. It was mind blowing! tho his characters will just rattle off info u gotta keep up and pay attention. You can see the budget oozing out of the screen.
Tenet was such a disappointment. It turned out to be pretty much the only major film from 2020 that actually got released that I was looking forward to and my anticipation was sky high. I had to wait until the blu ray release to finally see it. It was a fantastically confused, jumbled up mess of a film that left me cold and disinterested nearly the entire way through. I initially thought I'd go back and watch a few more times to make more sense of it but a month later I have yet to find the motivation to watch it again.
1: The line “try not to understand, just feel it” was not said in the movie for the audience. I do not know why everybody is using this line like it was directed at us, the viewers. That line was primarily for the Protagonist so that when he experiences inverted time, he must not think of how to react to it because his instincts will automatically react to the inversion. I won’t spoiler the movie, This line finally clicks in his head during a specific moment in the movie and he smoothly goes through the motions during that one scene with ease because of his instincts based on cause and effect.
2: I must say, this movie is NOT in any way like Memento. Not even close. Tenet is doing something 100% different from Memento. Nobody in Memento is manipulating time for their advantage. In Tenet, time is being manipulated in a tactical way; hence, the Temporal Pincer Movement.
3: the “gimmick” that you call it has to be one of the coolest and most badass concepts in a movie. If people can just take the time to look into and learn the Temporal Pincer Movement and how it actually works throughout the movie and also learn how the turnstiles operate, it all makes sense, just takes effort because a lot of the answers to the films concepts are OFF SCREEN. It’s just how Nolan does it.
I am not bashing your review, I respect it. There’s just certain things that I felt like I needed to say.
OF COURSE that line was directed at us, there is NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT!
Watch the moment in the film when this line is said and watch what happens afterwards and what the Protagonist says in response. It is not for us. The inversion and the temporal pincer movement CAN be understood. Takes homework to understand 100%. It all works.
Nope
It sounds like the exposition is a deliberate misdirection. If he understands that the central 'tenet' is nonsense then his best chance of getting away with it by distracting us with pseudo explanations.
Hi,
I’ve performed a funny stand-up comedy about tenet and nolan and how nolan f**cks with time😂
I hope you enjoy it,
When it comes to not connecting to Nolan, For me, to this day, I struggle with The Prestige.It seemed like it was structured like a magic trick, and because of that it felt gimmicky to me.
Oh man do i love watching you destroy a nolan film with fancy words, pure satisfaction 💯
Tenet is misunderstood in its time.
Go to room 237
@@anthonymartensen3164 yeah yeah, we're too low iq to understand. The terrible dialogue doesn't get better with a big brain
@@IDKOKIDK Hey, I already explained why I feel the way I feel. I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone else for simply being able to not pick apart things that I think are gratuitous when it comes to simply being able to "experience" a movie.
@@IDKOKIDK i admit that I'm closed minded and need to learn to be more accepting of other peoples views.
Yeah I'm not going to watch it again, it reminded me of the original bladerunner with its confusing narrative but it's not bladerunner. Even though there were moments of characterisation especially with the Robert Pattinson character. It's not enough for me to love it.
He wishes he could direct something as beautiful as Blade Runner. This looked like a Nike commercial at best.
Late to the party. I think Nolan gave Pattinson way too much time to Pattinson's over acting.
The lead was good, but did not have the presence in my opinion to carry the film. Good actor but...
I think this movie was Nolan reacting to Criticism over not including “diverse actors and story” to his movies. Dunkirk was criticized over its lack of diversity. The mob went after him for this sort of thing. So he said to the studios, ok, here is what you want, identity politics over story and authenticity, so I’ll give you a film featuring diverse and not make true sense, because the noise of the world drowns out the dialogue people should be having with each other. Kind of like a F you to Hollywood. Where the characters have no names, just an insertion of a POC protagonist, which is the modern trend. Just a theory but I think others may have similar conclusions.
man i couldn't force myself to watch it the whole way 30 minutes in and i was like how come this movie feels all over the place for (hey look at my awesome camera work) movie felt bland and empty.
I should have quit when you did. I more or less hate-watched the whole thing.
😂😂😂😂😂 exactly!!
I’ve performed a funny stand-up comedy about tenet and nolan and how nolan f**cks with time😂
I hope you enjoy it
Has Nolan become another Shyamalan?
In what way is he another Shyamalan?
@@anthonymartensen3164 Someone who has interesting ideas and concepts but always gets in his own way of communicating them with awful writing and directing and is too self-indulgent to notice.
@@thebestwingsfan i think Nolan is a wonderful craftsman as a director. It's all relative though.
Nope. Not even close as a) the Box Office numbers indicate and b) the consistent good-great reception of all his movies as far back as Memento.
That's a great analogy. You might be right. Makes watching even funnier now.
Great review!
Tenet is NEVER trying to be coherent, at least in a first viewing. The only way to view it at first is as a collage of Nolan making his version of a Bond movie. If you do not care for his style of filmmaking, this will piss you the hell off because it is everything he is criticized for times 1000.
The reason I love Tenet after seeing it a half dozen more times is that it 1) makes a lot more sense on each rewatch and 2) is Nolan at his directorial peak as far as cinematography, set design, and the nonstop propelling narrative that is driven primarily by the score. That’s just Nolan’s style, he edits in a way that is constantly building towards moments and set pieces that are what he (and we) really cares about.
Other than the Batman trilogy, favorite Nolan film by far is Interstellar, a masterpiece.
Inception: hate ambiguous, unclear endings, Tenet was a confusing mess. Dunkirk didn't work for me, either.
I don't know why Nolan has lost me over the years. I did not enjoy this movie at all. Nolan seems to be up his own ass. I just don't like pretentious people. Then again the last film he did that I absolutely loved was Inception. Good review
I didn’t care for Kenneth Branagh’s performance in Tenet. It felt like I was watching his version of Hercule Poirot again.
Also, the sailing scene just seemed out of place.
I thought KB's performance was the best part of the film. He's the only character that held any weight when he was on screen.
I kinda loved it. It was beautifully terrible.
@@deepfocuslens Branagh's performance is terrible? I mean, how?
@@anthonymartensen3164 It was campy, over-the-top nonsense. Theatrical and bordering on parody. I really enjoyed the humor of it.
@@deepfocuslens you think Branagh played it up specifically to be that way?
It took about 5 minutes for me to switch on the subtitles. Impossible to watch otherwise.
Beautiful movie stars reading Wikipedia entries lmao. I couldn’t agree more.
You and Nolan just don't click.
"Tenet" is a film I would've judged much harsher if I were still a professional critic. I saw the dumb shit dangling at key moments, tempting me to nitpick. Here's what saved it for me: a few weeks prior, Warner Bros. re-released "Inception", which I hadn't seen on the big screen. I realized that if you're just at home with it in a DVD player, the selling point is the Nolan mechanics and gimmicks. But in a theater, what stands out are the close-ups. Nolan's work is CINEMA in the sense of its big-screen brushstrokes; it's the way Leo DiCaprio or Ellen Page or Cillian Murphy sell a belief in human fear and pain from living within a mechanism. (Because aren't we all?) The stacked cast of all the Nolan films (with the exception of "Dunkirk", and even then there's big names) is no accident. They can communicate emotions on a more operatic scale because in Nolan's hands, they can get away with it. I thereby disagree with you that the characters are mere chess pieces.
Kenneth Branagh is scary on a big screen, even with the fucking dumb Russian accent. Robert Pattinson is deeply heartfelt on a big screen, even though his motivations have to be so goddam secret. They sold it, and for me it worked.
This film’s plot was exactly like Inception. Just replace dreams with inverted time.
No its not because Inception centres around one person Dom and his demons haunting him (Mal) and it is essentially a heist movie, but the goal is Tenet is bigger than all of them, its about saving the world
@@tatenda2706 ya know, the very thing I thought was missing from Inception is that the stakes weren't high enough. They basically wanted to this guy to relinquish control of his business, but I didn't particularly care about the ramifications of that control. I wanted there to be a stronger moral dilemma regarding when it is and isn't okay to go fooling around in someone's mind for the sake of a greater good. Tbc tho I really enjoyed Inception for its puzzle.
I think I loved the puzzle of Tenet much more 1) because the stakes of saving existence itself, and 2) it's a sleeker film.
In my eyes, neither film resonated emotionally due to the calculated nature of the mechanics being such a strong focus, but the difference is that Inception was actually trying to present an emotional core in the form of Cobb wanting to connect with his family. The puzzle is far more interesting. At least Tenet is being upfront about the fact that it's an action-based puzzle...and I disagree with people that say it's incoherent. It makes sense to me overall, and the degree to which it doesn't I take no issue with just going along for the ride...there's plenty of movies with their share of holes that people adore. Tenet is quite tight in its execution as far as I'm concerned.
Also, you didn’t work about the actors at all in the plot. Are they not important to you in a review of a film?
Nolan certainly didn’t seem to care about them either lol.
I found the same issue with Tenet... I couldn't connect with a single character... which wasn't the issue with inception ... a similar type of big scifi ..a lot at stake ... movie
I have spent more time watching videos explaining this movie than the movie runtime -- I still don't understand wtf was going on..
It's a turkey, let's be honest. All of his worst excesses and flaws perfectly squeezed into one movie. A lot of people saying they think it will get better with repeat viewings as time goes on. I think the opposite will happen.
This is what happens when you give artists carte blanche, they inevitably disappear up their own backside.
Yeah Pulp Fiction has no staying power at all.
@@anthonymartensen3164 Pulp Fiction was made by a disciplined, restrained version of Tarantino. Post Jackie Brown his films have become bloated and hit and miss. Just as Hollywood has given him big budgets.
@@adrianjames5970 No restraints. No budget concerns, access to actors, storytelling restrictions etc. He can basically do whatever he wants because his films always smash the box office. But if you're at a point where usually highly demanding major studios are allowing you to make several films where audiences can't even hear the dialogue (and this is a deliberate choice) then I think it's fair to say you live a charmed life as an artist and things have gone too far. Which brings us to Tenet. An absurdly convoluted plot, audio that is either piercingly loud or barely audible, average acting, dialogue that is almost all exposition. If Nolan had any authority to answer to then you wouldn't end up with a film this poor. It's like no one is holding him to any standards. He is clearly gifted but even the most talented people need some form of moderation and discipline. If an unproven director pitches Tenet then it doesn't get made IMO.
@@adrianjames5970 Yes.
@@adrianjames5970 Because his films are bloated, self indulgent and less focussed than the ones from his 90s heyday. They're still good though.
OUATIH was good but I'm in no rush to re watch it.
Although you've made interesting points that hold a lot of substance, I will always admire filmmakers that are not afraid to showcase their attributes head on, whether you love it or hate it.
Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker that I can appreciate (he isn't my favorite) for developing stories that are large in scale, but are laced with intriguing concepts and withhold a deeper meaning, while at the same token, the pretentiousness does tend to be in the forefront in most of Nolan's work, and to good majority of movie viewers, that can be an issue. TENET will for sure be a movie that we may watch later and appreciate more, but as of now, it's both hot & cold..if that makes sense.
I always enjoy your reviews! This was a great one.
The movie was bad. It felt like they began filming the movie before the script was finished. Then Nolan got bored halfway through the making of the film, and didn't bother to finish the script.
i've noticed you don't review a lot of old generic classis. why not it's a wonderful life. there is a canadian christmas movie called a christmas story and also black christmas. don't need to necessarily review christmas movies, just something to get the ball rolling with old classics.
Classics are my forte actually. But I feel like many of them have been talked about to death. Don't know how much more I could really add to the conversation. But I'd like to do more since that's my comfort zone
@@deepfocuslens any strong opinions on the czech new wave?
If you track Nolan's box office returns, as film goers get wise to him over time (pun intended), his aura diminishes. Tenet was such a garbled narrative mess it almost suggests he has a self destructive element to his personality? It doesn't work as an action film or as a work of art. He is someone that refuses to play to his own strengths. Could it be that he shouldn't work on his own scripts and instead partner with a more visionary writer that uses Nolan to bring incredible ideas to life while still keeping an eye on creating a plausible and gripping story. At this stage Nolan has crossed into the yawn zone.
Tenet is a strange movie. I couldn’t understand it at all
Watch it again
Respect your opinion but this is a terrible review: no mention of the insane Opera scene in the prologue (one of the best opening prologue ever), no analysis of the inverted fight scenes which were very creative no CGI whatsoever and also the truck heist scene. (Granted no spoilers but can still hover around the subject).
Furthermore, no mention of the great chemistry Robert Pattison and John David Washington had on screen which was brilliant and great stunts too. Then you talked about the movie lacking emotion but actually the protagonist shows emotion through his actions alone not words, you see him try to save people at the opera scene and him trying to save Kat but spies are also supposed to be cold blooded.
Moreover, not once did you talk about Ludwig Gorransson's score which is one of the best original scores I've ever heard and should definitely be nominated for an Oscar.
You spent more time in this movie review comparing Nolan talking about flaws in his previous movies than actually analysing this movie alone when this movie is very different from all of his films, this is the most ambitious movie he'sever done I'm glad we have few directors who actually have the guts to make blockbuster like this.
Lastly, you spoke about Nolan not being aware of the "flaws" in the movie but if you did research you would realise he thought about this idea for 20 years and has writing it on and off for over a decade, he is aware of what he is doing. The protagonist not having a name he stated was actually influenced by Sergio Leone man with no name. This movie is a masterpiece in my humble opinion and will be appreciated in years to come, so ahead of its time.
I watched the film for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It has taken me until now to fully appreciate the film - I don't think I could get past how I felt about the death of Neil at the end and understanding why it made me feel the way I did before I could watch the film again (very few films have that effect on me).
I agree with you. Either she (the person who made the review video you were replying to) doesn't get the film, or is reviewing it prematurely (for the algorithm) - most likely - , or she is actually philosophically biased against certain presentations of the discussion of the concept of time - which would be plausable given how insane the internet is.
I won't bore you with my thoughts and feelings about it. But if you're interested I do have a take - but it is nothing that someone couldn't understand themselves with a bit of reading of philosophy (like existentialism) and some understanding of physics (like the double slit experiment - particularly the delayed choice quantum erasure version - the heisenberg uncertainty principle, quantum entanglement and einstein's general relativity concerning time dilation and the principle of the second law of thermodynamics and the arrow of time and things like 'the block universe' vs 'open universe' etc)...
...Though totally my comment from this present determined your comment to this video from 4 months ago - not because you inherently have no free will, but because I used the algorithm to rob you of your free will.
btw - if you reply with 'wut?' to this comment then I'll have the protagonist come by to take you out.
Cheers.
Sounds like you came here to hear what you wanted to be told. And yet there's more insight about both the film and nolan in this review than anything any nolan fan ever conjured up.
@@marcogianesello6083 really how so? Imagine talking about insight when for example she didn't even discuss the score which is one of best scores we've ever heard by Ludwig which should've won an Oscar and she didn't analyse the visual effects at all where were groundbreaking, furthermore one of the best prologue I've ever seen,
Absolutely nothing to do with being a Nolan or not but any review which doesn't acknowledge these things has no credibility. And she spent more talking about Nolan's previous than the movie itself, was this a Tenet review or a video about Nolan? She didn't stick to the subject poor review that's my opinion, hope this helps
@@tatenda2706 dude, if this score and that opening scene were the best you've ever seen I guess that's your problem for having seen very little, so don't make it a problem for the reviewers if they didn't tell what you wanted to hear, chances are they focus on a commrntary that actually matters because hopefully if they're worth their salt they have more interesting things to say than what you're complaining about. Oh my, the opening scene had a lot of people in costumes running around and shooting each other with a beat in the background, jeez how interesting, definitely necessary to talking about it in order to give the film a comprehensive look, despite it doing pretty much nothing narratively. You're just complaining that the review is negative, and using the fact that it didn't focus on menial stuff because you wanted to be told how good that stuff is, and in the meantime you complain about how the review actually took a look at Tenet in the context of an autheur's evolution in terms of philosophy and aesthetics and confronted it poignantly with nolan's sensibilities explaining what it was going for in a more accurate way than you could've ever come up with, and where it works and how it fails. That's a review, citing a bunch of shit and saying "this is cool, this is good, this is not good" is barely qualifiable as a review, it's a bullet list of talking points with zero substance. Visual effects? Yeah they worked and looked cool, end of the relevant discussion related to special effects. This review is simply an actually interesting one with something to say, if you want a list of self serving bullet points that amount to nothing you already wrote it out, it' not anyone's problem if you want reviews to read it back to you and nothing else
@@marcogianesello6083
Where did I say it's the best score and prologue waa the best that I've ever seen? I said "one of the best I've ever seen" and I've seen a lot movies that score was brilliant + very original and the prologue at the opera was absolutely brilliant. The fact that you downplayed that opera scene to just a bunch of people with guns is mind boggling, it's so much more than that.
Yeah well in my opinion is that it's a terrible "movie review" a movie review, it is supposed to talk about the movie as in what the author actually thought about it, the reason I picked out those scenes were because they were instrumental to the actual movie plot i.e. the opera scene and the battlefield scene at the end, this lady never actually in depth to talk about how it was one of the biggest movie sets in history, how the stunt people had to practice in real to fight backwards, no mention of that whatsoever.
Just because I liked the movie doesn't mean that I have an issue with someone saying negative stuff I just have a problem with someone who's very biased she sounds like she already went into the movie being someone who dislikes Nolan's movies so she already had confirmation bias especially when she said "his movies are flashy and pretentious". That is not objective at all thats so subjective no wonder she spent more time talking his previous work and him in general than the actual movie. She might as well have titled the video "a review of Nolan's work". This has nothing to do with me complaining a out what I wanted to hear so it wasn't a Tenet movie was it really? More of like a discussion of his movie catalogue and philosophy