For those of you who are here for the first time - I neglected to mention that I am visiting family out of town, hence the reason I'm doing this review from inside a closet. My usual set is better, I promise! Thanks for watching!
I think that obscuring of the expository dialogue was deliberate, so that the audience would be about as confused as the protagonist (if not necessarily in the exact same way).
I struggled with this as well, especially the sailing scene or any scene with action, I had no idea what they were saying, it frustrated me so much. I was watching another review where they said sound was different in different theatres sessions , in one they could hear 80% of the dialogue, the other it was more like 50%. They said it depended on the theatres speakers and the acoustics. They also said that Noland does not like actors re-recording sound post, he likes what happened in the moment. I then read on a forum that they also think Nolan did it on purposes so you don’t over think the concepts. As per the trailer line from the scientist, “ don’t try to understand it... feel it”. I think I just didn’t feel this movie. I left feeling so confused. I went with my mum, and she saw things and interpreted the plot differently to me.
Yea maybe I will try to watch it again with it comes out on streaming or blue ray so I can have sub titles and understand the dialog and I can use the auto volume on my tv. The music and effect sounds were just too loud.
Makes me appreciate Inception more. People were complaining how that movie was cold but Leo's emotional journey really anchored that one and made the ending powerful. This one I didnt really care much about the hero. I did feel sorry for Debicki's character though and Pattinson's character turned out to be interesting.
The movie felt like Nolan emptied a ten thousand piece puzzle, put a gun to ur head, made u smoke pcp and said “you got two and half hours, figure it out stupid”
Read up on entropy and its unique relationship to time, the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and the wheeler-feyman absorber theory, pretty much everything makes sense.
@@NBC.SATURDAY.NIGHT.LIVE. oh ok, I thought you didn't like the movie or that it didn't make sense to you based on your comment 😅 my bad, I agree, Tenet is awesome! But these theories/hypotheses are at the heart of what Nolan is trying to do with this movie, so if you feel interested at any point in the future, check em out.
my guess is because any time the Blue team shot someone, it basically would have been them shooting someone who just stood up from being dead. the premise is AMAZING and I loved it, but some aspects do require a logical excusal of a lot. They just couldn't have shown that happening, cause it wouldn't have worked.
there certainly was an enemy force, wearing white snow gear I saw many of them, Sators men were wearing it, just like his Sators main henchmen guy the bald guy who had his hand on the nuke in the final fight scene was wearing the same white snow camo
We see enemy combatants...they were wearing White Army clothes. Also, the climax is from The Protagonist & Neil's perspective... He nce you see what they are seeing & experiencing during the battle.
I'm an absolute Nolan fan, quoting Office Space's Bob "I celebrate the man's entire catalogue", however, I also understand that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Nolan is perhaps the most powerful filmmaker in Hollywood right now, he is, along with Villeneuve, the cream of the cream of movie directors now a days, and with Tenet, I think the word you are looking for Dan, is Self-Indulgent. Nolan is such a powerful filmmaker that he is running the risk of become self-indulgent, and borderline narcissistic with his craft, I mean, Tenet is a technical masterpiece, but like you, it left me cold, what's with his tendency to have his characters mumble their lines to the point that they are incomprehensible sometimes? just because he doesn't like ADR? This movie is magnificient but not one of Nolan's best.
same. this movie looked great but i understood barely anything. this movie really REALLY needs subtitles, and even then what i did understand barely explained anything. We don’t get even get the protagonist’s name, his employer, who the hell his team mates are, who or what they represent, and who the hell thr MAIN villain even is (it’s not the Russian). Who is sending back in time soldiers to fight the red team at the end? who is financing any of this? how did an indian women, of anyone for that matter, know a women from SEVERAL CENTURIES in the future created a time machine of those events happened after her death? did the future tell her? why her? this movie was Nolan self pleasing himself on to audiences. I will think twice now before seeing another one of his films. I’m not saying I’m done with him, but he’s clearly delivered a subpar product and lost my blind loyalty.
If Nolan had to restrain himself to be a Russo-style director, it would be a loss and a disservice (and a lack of honesty as a craftsman and an artist). We have tons of vanilla blockbuster directors. I say, let us let Nolan be as Nolan as he can/ wants to be.
Villenueve is a terrible director... Blade Runner 2049 is one of the most idiotic and pretentious Sci-Fi films ever. Same thing with Sicario, pretentious piece of crap. I live in Mexico, and trust me, the war on drugs is not like that... Traffic is much more like it. Hope he doesn't ruin DUNE!!!
I watched it on Sunday in Australia. I liked the movie but felt it didn’t develop its characters enough, it rushes through way too much and doesn’t let the audience breathe once. Great effects, great sound, great acting. But I figured out the “twist” pretty much straight away when a certain character is fighting a soldier and gives him a weird look. Definitely not one of Nolan’s best. But I hope it does well because I’d rather have more films like this. 8/10.
Does every heist film need that much character development though? It's the missions, suspense and action that should steal the show in a film like this imo.
I figured out twist in The Sixth Sense in the first ten minutes because someone said there was a twist - they didn't have to say what it was. Maybe delete your spoiler comment.
For what it does to push practical effects and cinematic filmmaking in blockbuster films, it should be support. But because it's emphasis on the spectacle it's inaccessible to the general public.
This is the first Tenet review I've watched and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said! The struggle to connect to the characters and their motivation was what made the movie not as great as it could have been and wanted to be! Also I need to rewatch it soon cause there were entire sequences where I was in awe of the filmmaking but couldn't really piece together what was going on. Also just my two-cents but I really felt this movie was trying to be a new Matrix (I saw lots of similarities) and didn't fully succeed (the philosophical dialogues weren't as engaging) I hope this makes sense and my English is correct 😅
@@Wazzaaap I don't think the person above meant "every character should be a walking SNL skit". James Gunn writes perfunctory self-inserts who think and talk like him. Hence, his characters are pop culture enthusiasts with a lowbrow sense of humor. Nolan has better people to collaborate with.
Gotta say, I was weirdly underwhelmed. I say weirdly because there were moments where I was in awe, but those were all set pieces. The dialogue was so technical and detached that it was hard to get engaged in the people themselves, and I just found myself waiting for the next cool set piece.
Also, and this is a first for Nolan, the EDITING had some issues here and there. That left me taken aback, because it's usually the one thing that flows flawlessly from beginning to end.
@@Shalalacls I think the fast and choppy editing at the beginning was deliberate because it's actually more like the end of the story, and you wouldn't have a ton of exposition at the end of the story. They actually DO give you exposition towards the end of the story, which turns out is actually the beginning of it. They are both the start and end just look at the word TeneT, it's neither forward or backward. It's both.
Shalala. cls i’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that! There were some scenes that just ended, with no word as to how they got to the next scene. It was a really bizarre experience. Knowing how tight Nolan is about his movies makes this one an anomaly to me.
I saw Tenet tonight, and without spoiling anything I definitely recommend watching it. Personally, I'm going to have to watch it again because so much of the movie plays in a double context. One note on the emotional subplot, much of that centers around Kat. The story there is subtle but profound, and parts of it didn't register for me until on the drive home from the theater. Many of the character development moments that are most potent are "blink or you'll miss it" scenes where a lot of meaning is packed into small items, hints, and background objects. It's one of those things that really grows on you once you start to pick it apart, and in particular if you pick apart the timeline from Kat's perspective.
Chuck Jokic that’s the writing ya dingus none of his scenes were emotional. You want him to just randomly cry in the middle of a fight? Or interrogation? Bruh
Chris Nolan's best scripts have been those in collaboration with his bro Jonathan. He wrote Tenet's original screenplay alone from scratch, which I think explains the problems with it. Inception had Paprika as source material, so not entirely his work. And Dunkirk was mostly silent action without much of a plot or dialogue. As a director though, I think he's fabulous. Maybe good collaboration in writing would help, the way Denis Villeneuve gets.
Your review really verbalized a lot of the same issues i had with Tenet that i was trying to make concrete when i put down my thoughts on paper. Nolan is one of my favorite directors. Outside of the end of Interstellar and most of The Dark Knight Rises, i love his filmography at a higher level than most other directors out there but i feel like Tenet was needlessly complicated, forgot to make characters and story that were relatable (or even comprehensible), and left out a lot more of the brainy fun he is known for. My overall feeling of Tenet was positive, yet at the same time, i also feel like it had no soul. The actors did a great job but i didn't care about what happened to them. Inception is his best film because he does such a perfect job of combining characters, stakes, fun, interesting concepts, and wow factor together. With Tenet, even when i tried to shut my brain off and just enjoy it, the action just made no sense or little sense. Maybe i am just too dumb to get it. Either way, i don't think this movie is "clean" enough to be an audience pleaser like most of his films are.
I can see a lot of criticism of it being a series of mission set ups/explanations and then mission executions. It is technically masterful and structurally intricate but kind of felt like a tech demo. John David Washingtons charisma made me like him enough and there was an emotional centre with Elizabeth Debecki, but since we're finding out what we're doing along with the protagonist it really takes all of your attention and faith in Nolan to engage with what's happening
@@madhurbakhle2712 Definitely, and Nolan has consistently been one of the best in the genre of pushing the envelope of what movies can be; whether its plot, technical & stunt work, structure or sound design and vfx, he always swings for the moon. His characters often get left behind though. Thankfully they're always played by top notch talent so they make up the gap somewhat
found it to be his worst movie. the difficulty in understanding/hearing dialogue and characters seemingly popping out of nowhere with no character development or setups made it very difficult to follow and it lacks the emotional depth of inception. the editing is so frenetic it gave me a headache
I feel like in today’s world of over abundance of lengthy tv series and character studies that people have lost the appreciation for characters through what’s happening onscreen. Social media can prove how so many people out there lack empathy for others and their opinions. I don’t believe you have to know everything about someone to care deeply. Nolan was inspired by Hitchcock and Chaplin. These silent films are a reminder that characters can be cared for by not knowing a thing about them. In Nolan’s case he turns everything up to 11 and forces the characters into extreme situations that it should force you to care, at least at a fundamental empathetic level. He takes these silent film techniques and lets the viewer fill in the gaps. In this day and age most people like characterization spoon fed to them to feel anything for a character in a story.
@@His_Dudeness1 @VaporizedReaper completely agree. Have seen it twice now and really enjoyed 2nd time.around as i didn't have to concentrate as much but used it to fill in gaps of things i missed on 1st viewing. Their is a poignant line in the film(&i paraphrase here): "nobody ever really cares about the people who save the world"...the thing about this line is its so spot on in the real world. There are a ton of people doing incredible things to change/save our world and the mass majority never stop for a minute to want to connect to those people? So why the obsession of connection through film? Its not necessary in certain films! I thought also to James bond movies and when i thought about it: do i actually care about bonds character as much as say John Wick? (Sure there are better examples) I watch bond for the action! Couldn't care less about him in general, because he always comes out on top so it gets a tad boring! The reveal at the end was pretty emotional too...enough to ground the characters complex journey in Tenet for the last 2.5...
Yes the wife child connection was supposed to be weak, that’s because sator constantly barred her from interacting with her son. This was even mentioned in the film.
Sator was made the man who he is by the future people, who also want him to destroy the world. The people of the past sent him to dig up radioactive plutonium. Not that unbelievable, that he wants to fulfill the prophecy.
I like your take on it, and I felt the same thing where I really wanted to invest my whole self into the film but something about the characters and the pacing made it hard for me. But at the same time, it's one of the coolest films I've seen in a while, and probably worth experiencing more than once.
Of course, there are many movies missing a lot of things they need, but at the same time every movie needs only what that movie needs. Dunkirk especially needs no further character development as far as I'm concerned. The situatuon IS the character and what you're caring about, etc, and by extention all present. Taking time on char could have hurt the momentum and tension of said Situation. Tenet to a lesser extent, but i myself didn't need deep character in this to go along with the concept. It remains to be seen if this will hurt repeat viewings of Tenet, though, which it has not for Dunkirk.
The thing, for me, with Christopher Nolan's movies, is how out of the box his films usually are. So whenever I hear that he is doing a new movie I get hyped, because it is probably something (or a concept) you won't see in your everyday movie. Doesn't mean that it will be the best movie ever made. Doesn't mean you are more intelligent for liking his movies. Doesn't mean he is the most original filmmaker (because I know people will always say "That has been done first on X and Y movies"). Is just that it (usually) very likely will be (for me) some complex stuff (either concept, execution or both) that my mind either never thought about or at least not in that level of detail. It is almost like the feeling of discovering a new song (or a new band) that blows your mind, but you have the anticipation for it instead of simply stumbling upon.
My experience: 'what? what did he say?' 'what did she say' 'what?' 'damn. that sounded important. i wonder what he said' 'wow. cool visuals but what did they say???' 'can't be bothered anymore. just look at the pretty pictures'
Ah, the perks of being a non-native English speaker. Usually I can understand everything in English but this time I did look at the subtitles in the theatre a lot. Nolan really goes over the top with the sound and I can swear at least in the beginning moments, some basic sounds like steps, are way too loud.
Funny thing about that. Critics typically claim Nolan's movie protagonists don't shut up but then they also complain about not being to hear them. It's truly hilarious.
I don't mind that I wasn't attached to the characters the whole time. For me, it added to the uncertainty the characters had about knowing who to trust.
I think there is a way to create characters the audience is attached to while creating suspense about knowing who to trust. For instance if we'd known something about JDW's character( A name, the hint of a backstory) he might have been our eyes and ears into this world. Most of the characters seemed broad strokes and not fleshed out human beings.
Perfect film to welcome us back to cinema. Stunning visuals, great soundtrack frequently drowning out the script making it even more perplexing Definitely one to see again, which I will.
...which makes it cold. There's a reason documentary film-makers try to bring the characters in the story to life - it gives the audience emotions. Most people can't connect emotionally to an abstract concept or story. Note: I *liked* Dunkirk. Every frame of it is fucking incredible. But Dan's point is that it leaves him cold because of the lack of character attachment. Which I would agree with. But for me the sheer wonder made up for it. Yes I realise this is 3 months ago, but I only just watched Tenet and wanted to see what Dan thought :).
The characters in Tenet weren’t as emotionally resonant as in Interstellar and Inception, even tho Elizabeth Debicki’s character definitely had a character arc and the relationship between Pattinson and Washington’s characters were nicely tied together in the end, the movie was also incredibly confusing but it was also so epic and even tho I still have many questions I was still thoroughly entertained and so impressed with what Nolan managed to do with this film and I really feel like movie is going to get better with multiple viewings Also I really didn’t have a problem with how he portrayed the characters in Dunkirk since it was more about all the people put in that situation than a few specific people, so for me Dunkirk also really worked
Nice Intro, Time is a key theme in all of Nolan's films since his first movie "Following." He pioneered the use of IMAX in modern films, when everyone else was on 3D craze.
One of the problems with Tenet when I saw is that the "time inversion" scenes were cool at first and then my interest dwindled as the film progressed. Inception, on the other hand, was cool throughout with the zero gravity, hallway fights, cities folding up on itself, which were truly a spectacle. So the bar was set so high being Nolan but it just doesn't live up to his previous work. He'll have to find something cooler than "time inversion" I guess.
I love Nolan movies and I’ve seen TENET twice now. Thought it was great on a first viewing and it’s absolutely better on a rewatch. Personally never had the criticism of ‘couldn’t connect to the characters’ as I see the story being the character and point that I follow and solve. The same way I don’t connect to most characters in a murder mystery, I find the case gripping. I think it’s not as complicated on the surface as Inception, but when you attempt to connect certain dots, such as how Neil (Robert Patterson) is where he is, you’ll get lost in the weeds of time. At that point you’ll be drawing timelines to see who is where and which version.
I went and saw it other the weekend as I live in South Korea and I will fully admit I'm not a huge fan of Nolan for, as you point out, he's movies are beautiful but I feel often empty of good characters. His movies often feel cold, which just isn't for me but I can respect him as a director and how much of a master is he is at his craft. This movie is beautiful but it's incredibly complicated and.. I couldn't hear about 40% of the dialogue. I know he's well known for that but because this movie is so complicated in it's explanations, I missed out on a good deal of understanding. Both the scene with the sailing and the final discussion before the climax I missed out on hearing enough to understand what was going on which really hampered my effort to enjoy the film. I know it was said he wanted the experience to be a big part, and I get it, but I kept getting pulled out so much in swiveling my head to hear better, or questioning if I was going deaf. The movie did had some amazing set pieces and the action was pretty great. Its gorgeously shot and I couldn't help but really admire Nolan's eye for beauty. This in my mind if definitely the most Nolan film to ever Nolan. I'll watch it again when I can have subtitles, but until then I shall remain in a bit of a rut when thinking back to it as I still continue to try to piece together my understanding of the plot.
@@littledgy4316 I don't think it's fair to assume I haven't understood the story when nothing in my original comment implies as such. And, no, I'm not going to go into an argument with you. Have a good day.
Watched more than once seems to apply to every Nolan film. He puts so much in early on, stuff you can only get with a rewatch. I don't know when I'll get to see this but I'm definitely looking forward to it. Even when he's not at his best, it's still way better than so many other films.
Yeah I’ve seen a lot of people complaining that movies “shouldn’t need to be watched more than once” but I have to say, I disagree. One of the great things about filmmaking and art in general is that there is never one correct approach to doing anything. Some films can be breezy and simple, and others can be complex mazes to work your way through over multiple viewings. I’m down for both.
@@ajw5388 Exactly. Who says that those people get to decide on there being rules and what they are. If they don't want to watch a film more than once, then they should only watch them once. Or not all. It's their call.
It's great if you don't care that much about character development. But I do and I happened to find the film soulless in that regard. It has nothing on his other works.
good point by Dan Murell. Somehow "time" is a key factor in all of Nolan's story. Whether its Memento, or The Prestige or The Inception or The Dark Knight or Interstellar. All his movies have the movement of time as critical element.
Thanks for your thoughts, Dan. I'm on a pretty similar page as you. I really respect Nolan's ambition and am impressed by his commitment to using practical effects and shooting in real locations and he is absolutely working on a scale and crafting stories that no one else is BUT the characters in this film are paper thin and I feel like as a filmmaker, he seems to care less and less about fleshing his characters out and treating them as people. It's a shame as I felt that there were a lot of elements in this film that could have been emotional and thoughtful if he had bothered to develop them. I also found the action set pieces to have diminishing returns so I can't even say at least I loved the spectacle. It really felt like a film that doubles down on all Nolan's tendencies, both good and bad. Interestingly enough, I love Dunkirk and consider it his best film because being a historical event, you can derive emotion and feeling just from the scenario, just from these people to whom it seemed like all was lost being rescued by ordinary people. To me, the emotion is in the story itself and I didn't need to know much about the specific characters but I think it's a lot harder to pull that off in these big, fictional narratives.
@Dan Murrell you’re right about the characters maybe it’s because he’s now writing without his brother, Jonathan... the last movie he worked with Chris was Interstellar and Jon wanted the movie to end Kurbrick-esque, up to the audiences to decide whether Cooper succeeds or not but Chris wanted the movie to end like, welll... AI from Steven Spielberg
Really interested to see this movie. About the characters, Dan, I think it's kind of telling how a movie like Dunkirk made it so clear it's not really about the specific characters, who they are, personality, names, etc. and yet people hail it as one of Nolan's best. Kind of shows where Nolan's interest is. I've kind of always been lukewarm on Nolan's original characters (so not including Batman stuff) besides really just Leonard in Memento. This movie looks like it will be no exception in regards to little focus on characters. Great review as usual Dan
I loved Robert Pattinson in this movie, I felt like this was his audition for the Batman, xD. I am even more excited for that movie after seeing this one. Kinda wish Bruce had the haircut he had in this movie tbh.
Awesome review. The Story and Characters were hella neglected but it was visually amazing. The "some things going in reverse while other things simultaneously go forward" special effect obviously spawned the movie/story and Christopher Nolan clearly wanted to be the first one to use it. Totally felt like they came up with the sfx and then urgently needed a story to best utilize It. This definitely needs to be seen on a large screen but I wouldn't recommend risking Rona to see it. I'd wait for the inevitable theatrical re-release or proper nationwide release whenever that happens.
This movie bored me to tears. Yes, it looked cool, but its characters were so empty, I really did not care about anything that happened on screen. 7:40-8:01 You basically described what DARK did.
Unpopular opinion but the Dark knight could be the same. Advantage it had is it is about superhero that we know and care about and villain that is the same. And great actor performance. Look at TDK story outside that, it is a mess with loads of plot holes. If it was not about Batman and Joker I would not care.
This movie for me was a mix of Dark and Primer for the mainstream audience, gotta admit it looked pretty cool but yes I agree the characters were very thin
I saw Tenet Wednesday because I am in Canada. Your thoughts are identical to mine. At the end, I marveled at what I had seen but realized I had no attachment to any characters. It made me in these isolation, it is the last feeling I wanted to have.
On the problem of characterization, I actually walked away from the theatre thinking that it is an improvement from Dunkirk and Inception. Maybe it's the cast's performance and charisma that sold me? I find John David's character easy to relate to (since in a sense he could service as a self-insert character with no backstory just like in Dunkirk), and he got sufficient "personality" for me in his humour and the groundedness/warmth in the portrayal. Pattinson really shone in his role and gave an emotional touch that feels more strongly as an aftereffect. Both men played off each other's energy well and have great chemistry. Debicki's character is very human, having went through perhaps the biggest emotional journey in the film, so in a sense she is given the most to work with, and she delivered. Kenneth Branagh's character is the most "out there", and I would say for the most part he was convincing even with the more dramatic approaches, aside from the end where he was dragged down by poorly written dialogue. I agree that it doesn't reach the level of Interstellar, where I felt the focus on father-daughter relationship was incredibly sincere, and it is probably the best Nolan film in terms of characterization. Really liked listening to your review though, and look forward to your spoiler review.
Thank you so much for this review Dan! I was really struggling to find enough words to describe how I felt about Tenet and I feel as if you’ve completely captured it to a T. Also glad you didn’t jump on the Chris Nolan Stan bandwagon of people that ridiculously defended the film to oblivion despite there being some significant flaws 🙏🏼
totally agree with you. i pay super close attention to details when it comes to nolan movies but for tenet, half way through i kind off put off because i feel like i don’t care enough about the characters to squeeze my brain power. inception is still his best work and i’m still waiting for his comeback.
Dan, I didn’t want to watch reviews till I at least recorded mine. Dude, your review makes me feel better that I wasn’t alone. Dude, my head was splitting. 🤣 I love your stuff, dude.
The trouble with Tenet was that it was a complicated concept with a complicated plot. Inception and Memento have complicated concepts but relatively simple plots.
Tarjei Mossige Aasen It sure can be. Making an over complicated film in general risk alienating the audience. Inception was a complex idea about dreams within dreams, but the plot was relatively simple about convincing a man to sell his company. Tenet had a complex idea about reversing time and doubled down with something about Armageddon, getting pieces for an algorithm, something about Kenneth Branagh’s character getting messages from the future that wasn’t fully explained. If Tenet had a more straightforward plot it would have been received better in my opinion.
To quote Jim Brockmire regarding Christopher Nolan: I just want to be told a story at the movie. I don't want to be taught a lesson in how to solve the puzzle of what the hell I'm watchin. As everyone else is saying I didn't understand half the dialogue, important expository dialogue over the music and sound mix. I also didn't understand what the mission to steal the drawing and crashing the plane was about.
To quote Christopher Nolan "I got your money for this one, how about I make my next film even less emotional and more puzzling? Sorry I can't hear you over the money-rustling sound effect.""
The drawing was the husband's hold on the wife. Their relationship was characterized by infedilty, blackmail and embezzlement. The plane crashes into the building granting access to the art storage facility. The art facility had one of those turnstile machines. Their mission was to locate the machine and report back its location.
Idk, haven’t seen Tenet but I enjoyed Dunkirk for its sort of, idk, ‘removed’ style, where you don’t latch onto a single character so much as the world and general ‘vibe’ is a character, and indulgence in the atmosphere and lore then takes front and center. Either way, great review, thanks for an intelligent, honest, thorough, and promise-fulfillingly spoiler-free take on the film.
This is a very balanced review! You're absolutely right about most people (me included) having no clue what the plot really is. I appreciate the spoiler-free take.
I like complex movies, but some parts of Tenet forced me to be so focused that my head started to hurt. Also the dialogs in the first act, that should introduce the characters, felt like unnecessary riddles to me. And after you get the whole idea of time inversion in the first half and you think that it's going to be a piece of cake now, it just goes bannanas from that point on. There were so many admirable moments that worked with the time inversion idea, but the pacing was so fast that I didn't have to time to replay it in my head. In the end I really liked the movie, but I feel like Christopher Nolan just decided to throw the audience into the water. Dan nailed it in the review with the note that his movies are starting to become just for himself. Still going to see them though!
Can understand what Dan is getting at with his poitns, but personally had no issues connecting with the characters. Specifically both main male characters. Perhaps because from the start of the movie it did give me a very familiar vibe as a relationship from doctor who, which has a similar style. As well as the way they behaved, especially considering those things. And the psychological aspects, even during some action scenes.
One Of The Rarest Reviewer And One Of The Rarest Good Review , Who Actually Genuine , Not Saying Too Much , Or Not Trolling , You Said Correctly About Those Charecters Which Makes This Movie A "Great" Not "Greatest Of All time" , Good Review Tho.
I must admit I found this a very frustrating watch, the set pieces are impressive but I just wasn’t invested. It felt like a lot of conversations/ exposition without actually explaining anything and ultimately I just didn’t care about anyone in it. With a stronger plot I feel it could be an amazing film but in reality I find my self wondering when the film would end from an hour in.
Shout out to the score. Though people are complaining about the sound mixing, the score itself is breathtaking. The first note is a discordant sound that diagetically is the orchestra warming up, but as I was watching it, I leaned over to my husband and said, "no orchestra warms up that perfectly discordant." It was haunting and set the tone beautifully. Score was done by the same guy who did Black Panther and The Mandalorian among others.
Hey Dan, great review. I watched this last Friday. It’s a great film and very complex. I agree, that the problem with Nolan’s recent films is the complexity of his stories. I do think that while we have a large majority of fans who love his films, he may end up pushing away the general audience member. Again, I think this is a great film and can’t wait to watch it again.
This made a new Estonian opening week record, because this is the first big Hollywood movie filmed in Tallinn, so a lot of people wanted to see familiar locations in a Hollywood movie. And the movie was awesome, so far the best movie of 2020
My biggest complaint is the sound mixing. Whoever thought it was a good idea to blast the score in moments of crucial dialogue needs to have their credentials assessed. Because on a first viewing I missed moments that would have helped me understand specific elements.
I found it very frustrating . But I read elsewhere that people think Nolan did it on purposes so you didn’t overthink the complexity of the plot/ time inversion. I don’t know if I would watch a second time because of it, unless it had subtitles.
@@kittycie5506 I saw it a second time. Don't know if its because I was in a different theatre, but because I knew a lot of the plot/story elements, I was able to focus on the dialogue more than the prior experience. Much more pleasant on the ears on a rewatch, but is still an issue that I had to see it twice to hear necessary dialogue.
I'm worried it won't get on to VOD for a while, and thus I probably won't see it until then/or I decide to drive all the way to a drive-in. This seems exciting,
The only reason I can think of Nolan not giving any character any background throughout the film is to follow the theme that nothing is linear; if we have a background then we(the audience) start there to try to make sense of the timeline, which is the exact opposite of the theme. Shit, even now I’m not sure who hired who and when lol
Very good review, you have a lot of the same feelings I had about this movie. At least he is being very original but it was a bit too complicated to keep up with it. Inception was complicated but if you watched carefully you could fully understand it at the end and it also had one of the best endings ever in context with the movie. The Prestige is still my favorite. We are lucky to have Christopher Nolan in the movie world!
Dan thanks for the review, I had seen a screening a few weeks ago ( I live in Australia and we got an early release showing weekend). Can you please do a spoiler video on TENET. I went with a group of 5, my husband is the only one that thinks he understood it the most. I am still confused about the ending, my mum saw things in the plot which The rest of us didn’t see or interpret that way. Would be interesting to see your interpretation of some of the plot points :)
I swear Nolan's films are getting more and more technical, less about the humans. As much as I love what he does, his films are getting less human. What I mean is he gets stuck explaining the concept that the effects on the humans almost becomes secondary. The characters often end up not feeling like real people. Strangely Jonathan Nolan has the same issues on Westworld i think
When I heard that DiCaprio was giving him pointers on character motivations (or whatever it was) in Inception that cleared up for me why I really liked that film and largely dislike to hate most of the rest (at least his recent ones)
Thanks for a very good review, Dan. I completely agree with your thoughts. I was very impressed with Tenet, but it was too mechanical for me. I like and respect it, but I also felt a lack of characters to connect to.
So I saw Tenet at my drive-in! I really enjoyed it, there were parts that were a little hard to follow and some dialogue I couldn't hear but it was still a good time. All of the actors killed it especially John David Washington I was very impressed by his physicality. The action was super cool but I thought there way too many scenes of exposition that I don't think were needed. Overall worth the wait IMO and I can't wait to watch it again on blu-ray. Go check it out if you can#thesummerofrobertpattinson
Many people complain that the characters feel cold in this movie and I totally disagree. As far as the Protagonist, he's intended to be cold and disconnected because his of his line of work. As far as the other characters, I think that's intentional as well. You're supposed to not know what to trust as you and the Protagonist are being exposed to this new world and potentially dangerous technology. Elizabeth Debicki's character was great and Sator had a great range from being completely being detached and cold to being a violent rage-filled monster. Then there's Neil of course which is probably my favorite character. You're so supposed to not know much about him to make the ending more impactful
Love your reviews Dan. I haven't seen the movie yet, but imo, what people are taking for a "complicated movie" is likely just the movie not telling the story well.
Ironically, given the sound editing issues and the complex nature of the storytelling, this is a film is best watched at home where you can watch with subtitles and rewatch certain parts immediately afterwards....
@@ironfox4990 That's why I said it's ironic as he was very adamant that people watch it in the cinema but due to the aforementioned issues, it added to the confusion.
@@athenajaxon2397 The sound issue has been reported by just about everyone. It's not helped by the fact that just about line was delivered in a whisper, through a mask, with an accent, or on a moving boat... It's such an issue with Nolan's movies now I'm seriously worried about the man's hearing.
Huge Nolan fan so I knew rewatches are mandatory Dissapointed at first cuz I didn't understand few things, the whole ending war went over my head. Read multiple plot online and rewatched within 24 hours. Understand so many details, this movie is filled with them and I love it more and more. Connecting the dots for character timelines felt so great as everything lines up
This movie was a theme park ride as Scorsese would say..I mean that in a good way. I thought the Protagonist kicked ass. The action & set pieces were fantastic. The plot kept it exciting and made leave the theater wondering what else could happen in that world. I loved this movie, i think Robert Pattinson was the one character the audience connected to. But John David Washington character was very much a Jason Bourne/James Bond cold heart agent. There were some funny bits early on but ultimately there was no time for development with such heavy plot.
I liked the intro to your review. I also love your reviews even if I can't see the movie. They remind me of Siskel and Ebert. Do you ever think you will have guest reviewers?
For those of you who are here for the first time - I neglected to mention that I am visiting family out of town, hence the reason I'm doing this review from inside a closet. My usual set is better, I promise! Thanks for watching!
I dunno, could be a good gimmick?
I knew it wasn't your closet. Didn't see a single flannel shirt.
@@hackur it's apparently his childhood closet, IIRC?
No problem the value of the content exceeds the dimension of any closet, even an Oprah-sized one.
The closet could be a reoccurring thing. Like a special segment.
I saw this movie and couldn’t spoil it if I wanted to
Dude, I’m editing my review. I said exactly what you said in the beginning of the review. 🤣
lol
Haha well said dude. I just saw it last night and I couldn't tell you what its about.
U could. Robert Pattinson dies, The bad guy gets shot by the lady, main character fights himself
@@NBC.SATURDAY.NIGHT.LIVE. Thanks man. This movie was the one reason I delayed suicide. Now you took that from me.
My experience:
Characters: saying important dialogue
Music/Ambient Noise: BWAHHAHAHA
I think that obscuring of the expository dialogue was deliberate, so that the audience would be about as confused as the protagonist (if not necessarily in the exact same way).
I struggled with this as well, especially the sailing scene or any scene with action, I had no idea what they were saying, it frustrated me so much. I was watching another review where they said sound was different in different theatres sessions , in one they could hear 80% of the dialogue, the other it was more like 50%. They said it depended on the theatres speakers and the acoustics. They also said that Noland does not like actors re-recording sound post, he likes what happened in the moment.
I then read on a forum that they also think Nolan did it on purposes so you don’t over think the concepts. As per the trailer line from the scientist, “ don’t try to understand it... feel it”. I think I just didn’t feel this movie. I left feeling so confused. I went with my mum, and she saw things and interpreted the plot differently to me.
It is a marketing trick so that you go and watch the movie again. :D :D :D :D
BWAAAAAAA! Hahahaha
Yea maybe I will try to watch it again with it comes out on streaming or blue ray so I can have sub titles and understand the dialog and I can use the auto volume on my tv. The music and effect sounds were just too loud.
Makes me appreciate Inception more. People were complaining how that movie was cold but Leo's emotional journey really anchored that one and made the ending powerful. This one I didnt really care much about the hero. I did feel sorry for Debicki's character though and Pattinson's character turned out to be interesting.
i wish the hero had a back story where he was taken from his mom and she died, and that's why he was so determined to help the lady get her son back
@bob polo Nah dude, it's Nolan, only one character can have such emotions in his movies and that quota was already filled by lead actress
Welcome to Dan's film closet, where only the most authentic bits of photo and video film related items are displayed. Also, shirts.
The movie felt like Nolan emptied a ten thousand piece puzzle, put a gun to ur head, made u smoke pcp and said “you got two and half hours, figure it out stupid”
🤣 so true
Read up on entropy and its unique relationship to time, the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and the wheeler-feyman absorber theory, pretty much everything makes sense.
@@morlun838 I’m gonna pass. Tenet is amazing.
@@NBC.SATURDAY.NIGHT.LIVE. oh ok, I thought you didn't like the movie or that it didn't make sense to you based on your comment 😅 my bad, I agree, Tenet is awesome! But these theories/hypotheses are at the heart of what Nolan is trying to do with this movie, so if you feel interested at any point in the future, check em out.
@@morlun838 u the man ! I might just watch tenet tonight ! Lol
The intro is perfect
I feel like every review I have seen of the movie has the same rewind intro
So fitting
if somebody asked u to explain TENET to him, tell him I already explained it to you in the future so I don't have to explain it to u in the past
Nolan: "you tell me"
Me: "what does it mean?"
Let me fix this for you.
Nolan: "em llet uoy"
Me: "naem ti seod tahw"
@@desidcfan3012
.you for this fix me let No
"em llet uoy" :naloN
"?naem ti seod tahW" :eM
"It's something about time that makes Christopher Nolan tick - no pun intended"
I don't believe you
I literally thought I was having a stroke in your intro
this, literally this.
Then don’t watch Tenet 😂
i actually did
same >.< haha
lol. same. my mind woke up real quick... my brain malfunctioned!
Can anyone tell me why during the battle scene, we didn't see a single enemy combatant? Just the invading force running in and hiding from explosions.
my guess is because any time the Blue team shot someone, it basically would have been them shooting someone who just stood up from being dead. the premise is AMAZING and I loved it, but some aspects do require a logical excusal of a lot. They just couldn't have shown that happening, cause it wouldn't have worked.
there certainly was an enemy force, wearing white snow gear I saw many of them, Sators men were wearing it, just like his Sators main henchmen guy the bald guy who had his hand on the nuke in the final fight scene was wearing the same white snow camo
We see enemy combatants...they were wearing White Army clothes.
Also, the climax is from The Protagonist & Neil's perspective... He nce you see what they are seeing & experiencing during the battle.
The real answer is that they didn’t get all of the equipment they were promised to film that scene as was intended originally
I'm an absolute Nolan fan, quoting Office Space's Bob "I celebrate the man's entire catalogue", however, I also understand that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Nolan is perhaps the most powerful filmmaker in Hollywood right now, he is, along with Villeneuve, the cream of the cream of movie directors now a days, and with Tenet, I think the word you are looking for Dan, is Self-Indulgent. Nolan is such a powerful filmmaker that he is running the risk of become self-indulgent, and borderline narcissistic with his craft, I mean, Tenet is a technical masterpiece, but like you, it left me cold, what's with his tendency to have his characters mumble their lines to the point that they are incomprehensible sometimes? just because he doesn't like ADR? This movie is magnificient but not one of Nolan's best.
I loved it, original and beautifully shot and orchestrated. Man i cant wait to go again and seeonce more in imax
same. this movie looked great but i understood barely anything. this movie really REALLY needs subtitles, and even then what i did understand barely explained anything. We don’t get even get the protagonist’s name, his employer, who the hell his team mates are, who or what they represent, and who the hell thr MAIN villain even is (it’s not the Russian). Who is sending back in time soldiers to fight the red team at the end? who is financing any of this? how did an indian women, of anyone for that matter, know a women from SEVERAL CENTURIES in the future created a time machine of those events happened after her death? did the future tell her? why her?
this movie was Nolan self pleasing himself on to audiences. I will think twice now before seeing another one of his films. I’m not saying I’m done with him, but he’s clearly delivered a subpar product and lost my blind loyalty.
If Nolan had to restrain himself to be a Russo-style director, it would be a loss and a disservice (and a lack of honesty as a craftsman and an artist). We have tons of vanilla blockbuster directors. I say, let us let Nolan be as Nolan as he can/ wants to be.
Villenueve is a terrible director... Blade Runner 2049 is one of the most idiotic and pretentious Sci-Fi films ever. Same thing with Sicario, pretentious piece of crap. I live in Mexico, and trust me, the war on drugs is not like that... Traffic is much more like it. Hope he doesn't ruin DUNE!!!
It gets far better with multiple views
I've already seen the movie and I still feel like I should avoid spoilers until I go back and watch it again lol.
bgates87 me too 😂
Honestly me too
The last two movies didn't have Jonathan as a co-writer. I wonder if this is where we are losing our characters.
I disagree. Dunkirk’s character decisions made sense, TENET’s didn’t
With Nolan's experience, he knows how to through in backstories if he wanted... it seems intentional and does not land for everyone.
Gabe Selden which one didnt?
I watched it on Sunday in Australia. I liked the movie but felt it didn’t develop its characters enough, it rushes through way too much and doesn’t let the audience breathe once. Great effects, great sound, great acting. But I figured out the “twist” pretty much straight away when a certain character is fighting a soldier and gives him a weird look. Definitely not one of Nolan’s best. But I hope it does well because I’d rather have more films like this. 8/10.
The sound was good? Oh, I’m so glad! Sometimes the sound design in his films doesn’t allow me to hear/understand anything.
I dont think it's really fair to define that as THE twist. It's one minor twist amongst many.
Does every heist film need that much character development though?
It's the missions, suspense and action that should steal the show in a film like this imo.
I figured out twist in The Sixth Sense in the first ten minutes because someone said there was a twist - they didn't have to say what it was.
Maybe delete your spoiler comment.
For what it does to push practical effects and cinematic filmmaking in blockbuster films, it should be support. But because it's emphasis on the spectacle it's inaccessible to the general public.
This is the first Tenet review I've watched and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said! The struggle to connect to the characters and their motivation was what made the movie not as great as it could have been and wanted to be! Also I need to rewatch it soon cause there were entire sequences where I was in awe of the filmmaking but couldn't really piece together what was going on.
Also just my two-cents but I really felt this movie was trying to be a new Matrix (I saw lots of similarities) and didn't fully succeed (the philosophical dialogues weren't as engaging)
I hope this makes sense and my English is correct 😅
Maybe Nolan should team up with some screenwriter known for creating memorable and interesting characters?
ThePreciseClimber a Nolan + James Gunn team up would be rad 😆
Your English is perfect. Seriously, I couldn't tell it's not your first language!
@@lotusthemermaid Thanks! You're so sweet! I'm actually Italian 😅
@@Wazzaaap I don't think the person above meant "every character should be a walking SNL skit". James Gunn writes perfunctory self-inserts who think and talk like him. Hence, his characters are pop culture enthusiasts with a lowbrow sense of humor. Nolan has better people to collaborate with.
Gotta say, I was weirdly underwhelmed. I say weirdly because there were moments where I was in awe, but those were all set pieces. The dialogue was so technical and detached that it was hard to get engaged in the people themselves, and I just found myself waiting for the next cool set piece.
I describe it as "lesser than the sum of its parts" there are some really cool scenes in the movie, but there's also some really dull moments as well.
Also, and this is a first for Nolan, the EDITING had some issues here and there. That left me taken aback, because it's usually the one thing that flows flawlessly from beginning to end.
@@Shalalacls I think the fast and choppy editing at the beginning was deliberate because it's actually more like the end of the story, and you wouldn't have a ton of exposition at the end of the story. They actually DO give you exposition towards the end of the story, which turns out is actually the beginning of it. They are both the start and end just look at the word TeneT, it's neither forward or backward. It's both.
Shalala. cls i’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that! There were some scenes that just ended, with no word as to how they got to the next scene. It was a really bizarre experience. Knowing how tight Nolan is about his movies makes this one an anomaly to me.
I saw Tenet tonight, and without spoiling anything I definitely recommend watching it. Personally, I'm going to have to watch it again because so much of the movie plays in a double context. One note on the emotional subplot, much of that centers around Kat. The story there is subtle but profound, and parts of it didn't register for me until on the drive home from the theater. Many of the character development moments that are most potent are "blink or you'll miss it" scenes where a lot of meaning is packed into small items, hints, and background objects. It's one of those things that really grows on you once you start to pick it apart, and in particular if you pick apart the timeline from Kat's perspective.
So glad we have movies to be reviewed again. Thank you again for the review Dan.
I thought John David Washington was great, would love for him to become the new Tom Cruise (both a good character actor and a great action star)
or the next denzel washington ;)
im pretty sure Tom Cruise already has a clone in place. Should one of his stunts go off the rails.
His physicality is amazing! And he's not the tallest dude either, and he doesnt try to hide it.
I really wanted to like him, but he showed literally 0 emotion, and I laughed because he was just there to exposition dump
Chuck Jokic that’s the writing ya dingus none of his scenes were emotional. You want him to just randomly cry in the middle of a fight? Or interrogation? Bruh
Chris Nolan's best scripts have been those in collaboration with his bro Jonathan.
He wrote Tenet's original screenplay alone from scratch, which I think explains the problems with it. Inception had Paprika as source material, so not entirely his work. And Dunkirk was mostly silent action without much of a plot or dialogue.
As a director though, I think he's fabulous. Maybe good collaboration in writing would help, the way Denis Villeneuve gets.
Paprika is NOT source material for inception aside being about dreams and Nolan’s homages there is no adaptation there at all
@@realrecognizereel3126 but the dream scenes look so similar!
Your review really verbalized a lot of the same issues i had with Tenet that i was trying to make concrete when i put down my thoughts on paper. Nolan is one of my favorite directors. Outside of the end of Interstellar and most of The Dark Knight Rises, i love his filmography at a higher level than most other directors out there but i feel like Tenet was needlessly complicated, forgot to make characters and story that were relatable (or even comprehensible), and left out a lot more of the brainy fun he is known for. My overall feeling of Tenet was positive, yet at the same time, i also feel like it had no soul. The actors did a great job but i didn't care about what happened to them. Inception is his best film because he does such a perfect job of combining characters, stakes, fun, interesting concepts, and wow factor together. With Tenet, even when i tried to shut my brain off and just enjoy it, the action just made no sense or little sense. Maybe i am just too dumb to get it. Either way, i don't think this movie is "clean" enough to be an audience pleaser like most of his films are.
I thought Prestige was one his best and its cos of the character building, brilliant casting and of course Nolenesque non linear screenplay
I can see a lot of criticism of it being a series of mission set ups/explanations and then mission executions. It is technically masterful and structurally intricate but kind of felt like a tech demo. John David Washingtons charisma made me like him enough and there was an emotional centre with Elizabeth Debecki, but since we're finding out what we're doing along with the protagonist it really takes all of your attention and faith in Nolan to engage with what's happening
Cant that be like a genre of its own though? Technical Procedural. Not everyone has to like it, but still a valid genre.
@@madhurbakhle2712 Definitely, and Nolan has consistently been one of the best in the genre of pushing the envelope of what movies can be; whether its plot, technical & stunt work, structure or sound design and vfx, he always swings for the moon. His characters often get left behind though. Thankfully they're always played by top notch talent so they make up the gap somewhat
found it to be his worst movie. the difficulty in understanding/hearing dialogue and characters seemingly popping out of nowhere with no character development or setups made it very difficult to follow and it lacks the emotional depth of inception. the editing is so frenetic it gave me a headache
I feel like in today’s world of over abundance of lengthy tv series and character studies that people have lost the appreciation for characters through what’s happening onscreen. Social media can prove how so many people out there lack empathy for others and their opinions. I don’t believe you have to know everything about someone to care deeply. Nolan was inspired by Hitchcock and Chaplin. These silent films are a reminder that characters can be cared for by not knowing a thing about them. In Nolan’s case he turns everything up to 11 and forces the characters into extreme situations that it should force you to care, at least at a fundamental empathetic level. He takes these silent film techniques and lets the viewer fill in the gaps. In this day and age most people like characterization spoon fed to them to feel anything for a character in a story.
@@His_Dudeness1 @VaporizedReaper completely agree. Have seen it twice now and really enjoyed 2nd time.around as i didn't have to concentrate as much but used it to fill in gaps of things i missed on 1st viewing. Their is a poignant line in the film(&i paraphrase here): "nobody ever really cares about the people who save the world"...the thing about this line is its so spot on in the real world. There are a ton of people doing incredible things to change/save our world and the mass majority never stop for a minute to want to connect to those people? So why the obsession of connection through film? Its not necessary in certain films! I thought also to James bond movies and when i thought about it: do i actually care about bonds character as much as say John Wick? (Sure there are better examples) I watch bond for the action! Couldn't care less about him in general, because he always comes out on top so it gets a tad boring! The reveal at the end was pretty emotional too...enough to ground the characters complex journey in Tenet for the last 2.5...
Dan, glad you went solo. Your insights and opinions are always enjoyed and appreciated.
The villan's motivation, and wife/child connection was kinda weak.
Thank you!
Yes the wife child connection was supposed to be weak, that’s because sator constantly barred her from interacting with her son. This was even mentioned in the film.
Sator was made the man who he is by the future people, who also want him to destroy the world. The people of the past sent him to dig up radioactive plutonium.
Not that unbelievable, that he wants to fulfill the prophecy.
@@danielkatona8778 believable isnt the problem, weak, watered down execution of the idea is.
@@Shadow-h9g2j generic yes, but it was still riveting, even if far fetched. I simply wasn't convinced.
Thank you, Dan, for being open and honest about your reviews.
I like your take on it, and I felt the same thing where I really wanted to invest my whole self into the film but something about the characters and the pacing made it hard for me. But at the same time, it's one of the coolest films I've seen in a while, and probably worth experiencing more than once.
Of course, there are many movies missing a lot of things they need, but at the same time every movie needs only what that movie needs.
Dunkirk especially needs no further character development as far as I'm concerned. The situatuon IS the character and what you're caring about, etc, and by extention all present. Taking time on char could have hurt the momentum and tension of said Situation.
Tenet to a lesser extent, but i myself didn't need deep character in this to go along with the concept. It remains to be seen if this will hurt repeat viewings of Tenet, though, which it has not for Dunkirk.
“Like Inception if you added four layers of explanation on top,” oh lord, no! Inception is already made up of people explaining stuff.
The thing, for me, with Christopher Nolan's movies, is how out of the box his films usually are.
So whenever I hear that he is doing a new movie I get hyped, because it is probably something (or a concept) you won't see in your everyday movie.
Doesn't mean that it will be the best movie ever made. Doesn't mean you are more intelligent for liking his movies. Doesn't mean he is the most original filmmaker (because I know people will always say "That has been done first on X and Y movies").
Is just that it (usually) very likely will be (for me) some complex stuff (either concept, execution or both) that my mind either never thought about or at least not in that level of detail.
It is almost like the feeling of discovering a new song (or a new band) that blows your mind, but you have the anticipation for it instead of simply stumbling upon.
My experience:
'what? what did he say?'
'what did she say'
'what?'
'damn. that sounded important. i wonder what he said'
'wow. cool visuals but what did they say???'
'can't be bothered anymore. just look at the pretty pictures'
True- the dialogue was very difficult to follow but loved the visual effects. I’m a Rob Pattinson fan anyway so throughly enjoy his performance.
Ah, the perks of being a non-native English speaker.
Usually I can understand everything in English but this time I did look at the subtitles in the theatre a lot. Nolan really goes over the top with the sound and I can swear at least in the beginning moments, some basic sounds like steps, are way too loud.
I thought id wait for subtitles on blueray or whatever
Funny thing about that. Critics typically claim Nolan's movie protagonists don't shut up but then they also complain about not being to hear them. It's truly hilarious.
@@asherujudo7383 your criticism is the most ridiculous criticism ever.
I don't mind that I wasn't attached to the characters the whole time. For me, it added to the uncertainty the characters had about knowing who to trust.
I think there is a way to create characters the audience is attached to while creating suspense about knowing who to trust. For instance if we'd known something about JDW's character( A name, the hint of a backstory) he might have been our eyes and ears into this world. Most of the characters seemed broad strokes and not fleshed out human beings.
true!!!
Great review and neat intro. Im very glad you didnt spoil this movie because i hope to see this movie soon.
Perfect film to welcome us back to cinema. Stunning visuals, great soundtrack frequently drowning out the script making it even more perplexing
Definitely one to see again, which I will.
I think Dunkirk is more about that event not about any specific character.
...which makes it cold. There's a reason documentary film-makers try to bring the characters in the story to life - it gives the audience emotions. Most people can't connect emotionally to an abstract concept or story.
Note: I *liked* Dunkirk. Every frame of it is fucking incredible. But Dan's point is that it leaves him cold because of the lack of character attachment. Which I would agree with. But for me the sheer wonder made up for it.
Yes I realise this is 3 months ago, but I only just watched Tenet and wanted to see what Dan thought :).
Nolan should watch 'The Empire Strikes Back' to see that character interaction can be just as interesting as spectacle...
I am afraid Nolan is well into his prequels phase now.
I would like Nolan to watch some Robert Altman films...
Pat The Plant don’t put “Nolan” and “prequels” in the same sentence lol
The characters in Tenet weren’t as emotionally resonant as in Interstellar and Inception, even tho Elizabeth Debicki’s character definitely had a character arc and the relationship between Pattinson and Washington’s characters were nicely tied together in the end, the movie was also incredibly confusing but it was also so epic and even tho I still have many questions I was still thoroughly entertained and so impressed with what Nolan managed to do with this film and I really feel like movie is going to get better with multiple viewings
Also I really didn’t have a problem with how he portrayed the characters in Dunkirk since it was more about all the people put in that situation than a few specific people, so for me Dunkirk also really worked
Nice Intro, Time is a key theme in all of Nolan's films since his first movie "Following." He pioneered the use of IMAX in modern films, when everyone else was on 3D craze.
One of the problems with Tenet when I saw is that the "time inversion" scenes were cool at first and then my interest dwindled as the film progressed. Inception, on the other hand, was cool throughout with the zero gravity, hallway fights, cities folding up on itself, which were truly a spectacle. So the bar was set so high being Nolan but it just doesn't live up to his previous work.
He'll have to find something cooler than "time inversion" I guess.
Agreed
I actually enjoyed the spectacle of this movie over inception, inception was cool dream stuff where as this was like mind bending practical stuff.
I love Nolan movies and I’ve seen TENET twice now. Thought it was great on a first viewing and it’s absolutely better on a rewatch.
Personally never had the criticism of ‘couldn’t connect to the characters’ as I see the story being the character and point that I follow and solve. The same way I don’t connect to most characters in a murder mystery, I find the case gripping.
I think it’s not as complicated on the surface as Inception, but when you attempt to connect certain dots, such as how Neil (Robert Patterson) is where he is, you’ll get lost in the weeds of time. At that point you’ll be drawing timelines to see who is where and which version.
Yes! The timelines & paradoxes made me appreciate how insistently Endgame explained time travel 😄
I went and saw it other the weekend as I live in South Korea and I will fully admit I'm not a huge fan of Nolan for, as you point out, he's movies are beautiful but I feel often empty of good characters. His movies often feel cold, which just isn't for me but I can respect him as a director and how much of a master is he is at his craft. This movie is beautiful but it's incredibly complicated and.. I couldn't hear about 40% of the dialogue. I know he's well known for that but because this movie is so complicated in it's explanations, I missed out on a good deal of understanding. Both the scene with the sailing and the final discussion before the climax I missed out on hearing enough to understand what was going on which really hampered my effort to enjoy the film. I know it was said he wanted the experience to be a big part, and I get it, but I kept getting pulled out so much in swiveling my head to hear better, or questioning if I was going deaf.
The movie did had some amazing set pieces and the action was pretty great. Its gorgeously shot and I couldn't help but really admire Nolan's eye for beauty. This in my mind if definitely the most Nolan film to ever Nolan. I'll watch it again when I can have subtitles, but until then I shall remain in a bit of a rut when thinking back to it as I still continue to try to piece together my understanding of the plot.
My reactions are exactly the same as Dan's. Impressive filmmaking on a technical level but not so much in the story department.
I don't think its fair to criticise a story which you haven't even fucking understood 😂
@@littledgy4316 If most people can't understand the story, you failed to tell it.
@@littledgy4316 I don't think it's fair to assume I haven't understood the story when nothing in my original comment implies as such.
And, no, I'm not going to go into an argument with you. Have a good day.
@@kaichen04 experimental film says hello 👋
@@BankMoviegoer Good respons. Worst part of other kind of confusing movies, when you understand them, I usualy think they get even more stupid
Tenet is a great movie. It’s designed to be watched more than once. The second viewing makes it far more easier to understand the plot.
Watched more than once seems to apply to every Nolan film. He puts so much in early on, stuff you can only get with a rewatch. I don't know when I'll get to see this but I'm definitely looking forward to it. Even when he's not at his best, it's still way better than so many other films.
Yeah I’ve seen a lot of people complaining that movies “shouldn’t need to be watched more than once” but I have to say, I disagree. One of the great things about filmmaking and art in general is that there is never one correct approach to doing anything. Some films can be breezy and simple, and others can be complex mazes to work your way through over multiple viewings. I’m down for both.
I also prefer when I don't know what's happening for a good part of the movie. It's so enjoyable.
@@ajw5388 Exactly. Who says that those people get to decide on there being rules and what they are. If they don't want to watch a film more than once, then they should only watch them once. Or not all. It's their call.
It's great if you don't care that much about character development. But I do and I happened to find the film soulless in that regard. It has nothing on his other works.
Love ya dan. Precise review as always
good point by Dan Murell. Somehow "time" is a key factor in all of Nolan's story. Whether its Memento, or The Prestige or The Inception or The Dark Knight or Interstellar. All his movies have the movement of time as critical element.
I really just love the way you review films. Great job Dan.
Thanks for your thoughts, Dan. I'm on a pretty similar page as you. I really respect Nolan's ambition and am impressed by his commitment to using practical effects and shooting in real locations and he is absolutely working on a scale and crafting stories that no one else is BUT the characters in this film are paper thin and I feel like as a filmmaker, he seems to care less and less about fleshing his characters out and treating them as people. It's a shame as I felt that there were a lot of elements in this film that could have been emotional and thoughtful if he had bothered to develop them. I also found the action set pieces to have diminishing returns so I can't even say at least I loved the spectacle. It really felt like a film that doubles down on all Nolan's tendencies, both good and bad.
Interestingly enough, I love Dunkirk and consider it his best film because being a historical event, you can derive emotion and feeling just from the scenario, just from these people to whom it seemed like all was lost being rescued by ordinary people. To me, the emotion is in the story itself and I didn't need to know much about the specific characters but I think it's a lot harder to pull that off in these big, fictional narratives.
@Dan Murrell you’re right about the characters maybe it’s because he’s now writing without his brother, Jonathan... the last movie he worked with Chris was Interstellar and Jon wanted the movie to end Kurbrick-esque, up to the audiences to decide whether Cooper succeeds or not but Chris wanted the movie to end like, welll... AI from Steven Spielberg
Thank you for verbalising what I have felt about Nolans last few movies. Getting more amazing whilst getting colder. I'll still check it out.
Really interested to see this movie. About the characters, Dan, I think it's kind of telling how a movie like Dunkirk made it so clear it's not really about the specific characters, who they are, personality, names, etc. and yet people hail it as one of Nolan's best. Kind of shows where Nolan's interest is. I've kind of always been lukewarm on Nolan's original characters (so not including Batman stuff) besides really just Leonard in Memento. This movie looks like it will be no exception in regards to little focus on characters. Great review as usual Dan
I didn't love Tenet, but I'm happy I watched it in a theater.
I loved Robert Pattinson in this movie, I felt like this was his audition for the Batman, xD. I am even more excited for that movie after seeing this one. Kinda wish Bruce had the haircut he had in this movie tbh.
I was thinking the same thing about the haircut but with his natural hair not blonde
H. Jams yeah agreed, just the general cut I meant
Finally, someone speaking what I am thinking about connecting with the characters. Thanks, Dan!!
Awesome review. The Story and Characters were hella neglected but it was visually amazing. The "some things going in reverse while other things simultaneously go forward" special effect obviously spawned the movie/story and Christopher Nolan clearly wanted to be the first one to use it. Totally felt like they came up with the sfx and then urgently needed a story to best utilize It. This definitely needs to be seen on a large screen but I wouldn't recommend risking Rona to see it. I'd wait for the inevitable theatrical re-release or proper nationwide release whenever that happens.
This movie bored me to tears. Yes, it looked cool, but its characters were so empty, I really did not care about anything that happened on screen.
7:40-8:01 You basically described what DARK did.
Unpopular opinion but the Dark knight could be the same. Advantage it had is it is about superhero that we know and care about and villain that is the same. And great actor performance. Look at TDK story outside that, it is a mess with loads of plot holes. If it was not about Batman and Joker I would not care.
This movie for me was a mix of Dark and Primer for the mainstream audience, gotta admit it looked pretty cool but yes I agree the characters were very thin
I saw Tenet Wednesday because I am in Canada. Your thoughts are identical to mine. At the end, I marveled at what I had seen but realized I had no attachment to any characters. It made me in these isolation, it is the last feeling I wanted to have.
On the problem of characterization, I actually walked away from the theatre thinking that it is an improvement from Dunkirk and Inception. Maybe it's the cast's performance and charisma that sold me? I find John David's character easy to relate to (since in a sense he could service as a self-insert character with no backstory just like in Dunkirk), and he got sufficient "personality" for me in his humour and the groundedness/warmth in the portrayal. Pattinson really shone in his role and gave an emotional touch that feels more strongly as an aftereffect. Both men played off each other's energy well and have great chemistry. Debicki's character is very human, having went through perhaps the biggest emotional journey in the film, so in a sense she is given the most to work with, and she delivered. Kenneth Branagh's character is the most "out there", and I would say for the most part he was convincing even with the more dramatic approaches, aside from the end where he was dragged down by poorly written dialogue. I agree that it doesn't reach the level of Interstellar, where I felt the focus on father-daughter relationship was incredibly sincere, and it is probably the best Nolan film in terms of characterization. Really liked listening to your review though, and look forward to your spoiler review.
The last thing I am is “worried” for Chris Nolan. He’s doing what he wants do impeccably. Living the dream. Can’t wait to watch it again.
Thank you so much for this review Dan! I was really struggling to find enough words to describe how I felt about Tenet and I feel as if you’ve completely captured it to a T.
Also glad you didn’t jump on the Chris Nolan Stan bandwagon of people that ridiculously defended the film to oblivion despite there being some significant flaws 🙏🏼
totally agree with you. i pay super close attention to details when it comes to nolan movies but for tenet, half way through i kind off put off because i feel like i don’t care enough about the characters to squeeze my brain power. inception is still his best work and i’m still waiting for his comeback.
Just got home from seeing it. This is the most accurate review to my thoughts when I left the theater.
Dan, I didn’t want to watch reviews till I at least recorded mine. Dude, your review makes me feel better that I wasn’t alone. Dude, my head was splitting. 🤣 I love your stuff, dude.
"See you at the beginning!" my favorite line from the film
The trouble with Tenet was that it was a complicated concept with a complicated plot.
Inception and Memento have complicated concepts but relatively simple plots.
That's a feature, not a bug.
Tarjei Mossige Aasen It sure can be. Making an over complicated film in general risk alienating the audience.
Inception was a complex idea about dreams within dreams, but the plot was relatively simple about convincing a man to sell his company.
Tenet had a complex idea about reversing time and doubled down with something about Armageddon, getting pieces for an algorithm, something about Kenneth Branagh’s character getting messages from the future that wasn’t fully explained.
If Tenet had a more straightforward plot it would have been received better in my opinion.
To quote Jim Brockmire regarding Christopher Nolan: I just want to be told a story at the movie. I don't want to be taught a lesson in how to solve the puzzle of what the hell I'm watchin. As everyone else is saying I didn't understand half the dialogue, important expository dialogue over the music and sound mix. I also didn't understand what the mission to steal the drawing and crashing the plane was about.
To quote Christopher Nolan "I got your money for this one, how about I make my next film even less emotional and more puzzling? Sorry I can't hear you over the money-rustling sound effect.""
The drawing was the husband's hold on the wife. Their relationship was characterized by infedilty, blackmail and embezzlement.
The plane crashes into the building granting access to the art storage facility. The art facility had one of those turnstile machines. Their mission was to locate the machine and report back its location.
Idk, haven’t seen Tenet but I enjoyed Dunkirk for its sort of, idk, ‘removed’ style, where you don’t latch onto a single character so much as the world and general ‘vibe’ is a character, and indulgence in the atmosphere and lore then takes front and center. Either way, great review, thanks for an intelligent, honest, thorough, and promise-fulfillingly spoiler-free take on the film.
This is a very balanced review! You're absolutely right about most people (me included) having no clue what the plot really is. I appreciate the spoiler-free take.
I like complex movies, but some parts of Tenet forced me to be so focused that my head started to hurt. Also the dialogs in the first act, that should introduce the characters, felt like unnecessary riddles to me. And after you get the whole idea of time inversion in the first half and you think that it's going to be a piece of cake now, it just goes bannanas from that point on. There were so many admirable moments that worked with the time inversion idea, but the pacing was so fast that I didn't have to time to replay it in my head. In the end I really liked the movie, but I feel like Christopher Nolan just decided to throw the audience into the water. Dan nailed it in the review with the note that his movies are starting to become just for himself. Still going to see them though!
Can understand what Dan is getting at with his poitns, but personally had no issues connecting with the characters. Specifically both main male characters. Perhaps because from the start of the movie it did give me a very familiar vibe as a relationship from doctor who, which has a similar style. As well as the way they behaved, especially considering those things. And the psychological aspects, even during some action scenes.
One Of The Rarest Reviewer And One Of The Rarest Good Review , Who Actually Genuine , Not Saying Too Much , Or Not Trolling , You Said Correctly About Those Charecters Which Makes This Movie A "Great" Not "Greatest Of All time" ,
Good Review Tho.
I'm a simple man, I see a Dan Murrell channel, I subscribe 😂 great to see you man!
I must admit I found this a very frustrating watch, the set pieces are impressive but I just wasn’t invested. It felt like a lot of conversations/ exposition without actually explaining anything and ultimately I just didn’t care about anyone in it. With a stronger plot I feel it could be an amazing film but in reality I find my self wondering when the film would end from an hour in.
Was it similar to Interstellar? That’s how I felt after watching it.
Shout out to the score. Though people are complaining about the sound mixing, the score itself is breathtaking. The first note is a discordant sound that diagetically is the orchestra warming up, but as I was watching it, I leaned over to my husband and said, "no orchestra warms up that perfectly discordant." It was haunting and set the tone beautifully. Score was done by the same guy who did Black Panther and The Mandalorian among others.
Hey Dan, great review. I watched this last Friday. It’s a great film and very complex. I agree, that the problem with Nolan’s recent films is the complexity of his stories. I do think that while we have a large majority of fans who love his films, he may end up pushing away the general audience member. Again, I think this is a great film and can’t wait to watch it again.
This made a new Estonian opening week record, because this is the first big Hollywood movie filmed in Tallinn, so a lot of people wanted to see familiar locations in a Hollywood movie. And the movie was awesome, so far the best movie of 2020
My biggest complaint is the sound mixing. Whoever thought it was a good idea to blast the score in moments of crucial dialogue needs to have their credentials assessed.
Because on a first viewing I missed moments that would have helped me understand specific elements.
I found it very frustrating . But I read elsewhere that people think Nolan did it on purposes so you didn’t overthink the complexity of the plot/ time inversion. I don’t know if I would watch a second time because of it, unless it had subtitles.
@@kittycie5506 I saw it a second time. Don't know if its because I was in a different theatre, but because I knew a lot of the plot/story elements, I was able to focus on the dialogue more than the prior experience. Much more pleasant on the ears on a rewatch, but is still an issue that I had to see it twice to hear necessary dialogue.
I'm worried it won't get on to VOD for a while, and thus I probably won't see it until then/or I decide to drive all the way to a drive-in.
This seems exciting,
literally every time someone says "no pun intended" the pun is intended every single time
The only reason I can think of Nolan not giving any character any background throughout the film is to follow the theme that nothing is linear; if we have a background then we(the audience) start there to try to make sense of the timeline, which is the exact opposite of the theme. Shit, even now I’m not sure who hired who and when lol
Very good review, you have a lot of the same feelings I had about this movie. At least he is being very original but it was a bit too complicated to keep up with it. Inception was complicated but if you watched carefully you could fully understand it at the end and it also had one of the best endings ever in context with the movie. The Prestige is still my favorite. We are lucky to have Christopher Nolan in the movie world!
Dan thanks for the review, I had seen a screening a few weeks ago ( I live in Australia and we got an early release showing weekend). Can you please do a spoiler video on TENET. I went with a group of 5, my husband is the only one that thinks he understood it the most. I am still confused about the ending, my mum saw things in the plot which The rest of us didn’t see or interpret that way. Would be interesting to see your interpretation of some of the plot points :)
I hope you do decide to do a spoiler review, Dan. I won't be watching Tenant but I'd love to hear you break it down unfiltered.
Snarky teenage me who hated Robert Pattinson for being in Twilight is getting proved wrong, guy is a phenomenal actor now.
I swear Nolan's films are getting more and more technical, less about the humans. As much as I love what he does, his films are getting less human.
What I mean is he gets stuck explaining the concept that the effects on the humans almost becomes secondary. The characters often end up not feeling like real people. Strangely Jonathan Nolan has the same issues on Westworld i think
When I heard that DiCaprio was giving him pointers on character motivations (or whatever it was) in Inception that cleared up for me why I really liked that film and largely dislike to hate most of the rest (at least his recent ones)
@Arshil Potter... Am I supposed to like that or hate that? The internet is no help here, the reviews are just ok to good.
@@SimonBuchanNz His first two Batman movies are good. I'd say Batman Begins is pretty solid.
Thanks for a very good review, Dan. I completely agree with your thoughts. I was very impressed with Tenet, but it was too mechanical for me. I like and respect it, but I also felt a lack of characters to connect to.
One of the best tenet reviews I’ve seen, or will see, or have not yet seen? My head still hurts from the movie
Would love a spoiler review or ending explanation type video. Best movie guy on TH-cam. Thanks!
ThankYou for the honest review.I'm gonna watch this movie the first chance I get .
So I saw Tenet at my drive-in! I really enjoyed it, there were parts that were a little hard to follow and some dialogue I couldn't hear but it was still a good time. All of the actors killed it especially John David Washington I was very impressed by his physicality. The action was super cool but I thought there way too many scenes of exposition that I don't think were needed. Overall worth the wait IMO and I can't wait to watch it again on blu-ray. Go check it out if you can#thesummerofrobertpattinson
H
How did they set up the audio at the drive in? Personal radios or general speaker set up? Glad you had fun! :)
@@Wazzaaap they had a radio station to tune into
Well, it seems many havent understood the film at all. So the exposition better be there lol.
@@madhurbakhle2712 true but the way it was done felt a little clunky
Many people complain that the characters feel cold in this movie and I totally disagree. As far as the Protagonist, he's intended to be cold and disconnected because his of his line of work. As far as the other characters, I think that's intentional as well. You're supposed to not know what to trust as you and the Protagonist are being exposed to this new world and potentially dangerous technology. Elizabeth Debicki's character was great and Sator had a great range from being completely being detached and cold to being a violent rage-filled monster. Then there's Neil of course which is probably my favorite character. You're so supposed to not know much about him to make the ending more impactful
Hah, you got me with intro rewind. For a split second I thought the interwebs was broken.
Love your reviews Dan. I haven't seen the movie yet, but imo, what people are taking for a "complicated movie" is likely just the movie not telling the story well.
I can't wait to watch Tenet on my cellphone screen.
Ironically, given the sound editing issues and the complex nature of the storytelling, this is a film is best watched at home where you can watch with subtitles and rewatch certain parts immediately afterwards....
That sounds strange because a lot of Nolan’s film are best viewed in a theater format, heck Dunkirk is only meant to be watched in a theater.
@@ironfox4990 That's why I said it's ironic as he was very adamant that people watch it in the cinema but due to the aforementioned issues, it added to the confusion.
I watched it at a drive in and thought it was my car but then I remembered I also saw Empire Strikes Back at a drive in and had no issues
@@athenajaxon2397 The sound issue has been reported by just about everyone. It's not helped by the fact that just about line was delivered in a whisper, through a mask, with an accent, or on a moving boat... It's such an issue with Nolan's movies now I'm seriously worried about the man's hearing.
@@LizardSpork yeah there were times where I legitimately had no idea what anyone was saying
Huge Nolan fan so I knew rewatches are mandatory
Dissapointed at first cuz I didn't understand few things, the whole ending war went over my head.
Read multiple plot online and rewatched within 24 hours. Understand so many details, this movie is filled with them and I love it more and more. Connecting the dots for character timelines felt so great as everything lines up
This movie was a theme park ride as Scorsese would say..I mean that in a good way. I thought the Protagonist kicked ass. The action & set pieces were fantastic. The plot kept it exciting and made leave the theater wondering what else could happen in that world. I loved this movie, i think Robert Pattinson was the one character the audience connected to. But John David Washington character was very much a Jason Bourne/James Bond cold heart agent. There were some funny bits early on but ultimately there was no time for development with such heavy plot.
I see Dan, I hit like.
But 11s in, I wish I could go into inversion and like again because that intro was PERFECT
I'm still looking forward to seeing this, even though our theaters are closed here in Nigeria. Here's hoping they reopen soon enough.
@Bad Robot Hmmm. You pose an interesting question. 🤔
*Writes in notebook* "Build my own theater so I can privately screen TENET." 😋
I liked the intro to your review.
I also love your reviews even if I can't see the movie. They remind me of Siskel and Ebert. Do you ever think you will have guest reviewers?