I saw Tenet a few months ago in theaters. Going there, sitting in an enclosed space with more people than I felt comfortable with, and breathing heavily through my mask was arguably more intense than the movie itself. I didn’t review the movie back then because, well…I could barely understand it. A few people have had issues with Nolan’s sound mixing in the past, whether it was too loud, the voices too muted, etc. I for one have never had a problem with hearing any of his films. So when I heard people complaining about how they couldn’t understand a lot of the dialogue in Tenet, I figured it wouldn’t be an issue for me because my masterfully trained ear would help me decipher everything absolutely perfectly.
NOOOPE.
This was by far the most frustrating movie experience I’ve had with a Nolan film. I could barely hear 50% of the dialogue. Seeing as how the film was so exposition-heavy, I was basically going into each new scene playing catch-up, and I couldn’t keep up minutes after the film’s start.
I had a chance earlier this week to watch it on Blu-Ray, with subtitles (Hallelujah!). It felt like watching the movie for the first time. Now I can finally offer my thoughts on it. Here’s my first thought: Nolan, fix your damn audio mixing!!!
Tenet is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. At its best, it’s got some of the most jaw-dropping CGI-less action scenes and stunts that you’ve ever seen in a movie. The gorgeous 70mm film captures the paradoxical nature of how everything feels and looks so real, yet what the camera is showing you seems to be so otherworldly and fantastical.
At its worst however, Tenet tries to tell a story that keeps the viewer struggling to keep up. It’s a film that demands numerous rewatches, and multiple YouTube videos explaining the plot. It makes Inception seem like a elementary school project in terms of its depth and scope, and that’s not really a good thing. It’s also got a bit of a cold, emotionless core that left me wanting more.
Now, when I first read criticisms about this movie being cold and heartless, I just thought to myself, “it’s those Nolan haters at it again, criticizing a SPY ESPIONAGE film to not have enough jokes and one-liners. It’s not Marvel-y enough for them.” I stand by those comments. People who say that the film is cold in that sense just give a flat-out bad take. Why does there need to be joy in a thriller like Tenet?
The part about this film being cold and heartless that I actually DID agree with, was that of its main female character. Obviously no spoilers, but a lot of the film’s narrative revolves around Elizabeth Debicki’s character, and her relationship with her abusive husband. Because so much of the film is centered around her plight and how our hero, the Protagonist (I still think that’s a dumb name) played by John David Washington, tries to save her, you expect to feel a certain emotional pull towards both those characters. In the two times I’ve watched it, I haven’t felt that pull yet. They don’t have a lot of moments that flesh out their characters, and I think it causes the central gravity of the story to kind of miss its mark.
I really have to applaud Nolan’s mind though, because the stuff he thinks of are incredibly imaginative. The whole concept of inversion and how he shows it unraveling into crazier levels just never ceases to amaze. I don’t know how much longer movie studios will just continue to throw endless amounts of money at Nolan, so I do hope that he makes the most of it. However this one definitely left me more confused than I wanted to, and a part of that is just the way that the film paces itself. It’s almost like Nolan assumed you completely understood everything he was trying to teach you the moment he shows you, because that’s kind of how JDW’s character is. Sometimes he’s confused and asks for clarification, and the characters kind of just brush him off and he adjusts to it. I was even more lost at times, but was too wrapped up in the spectacle to pause and wonder.
I think after viewing this film twice, this is my least favorite Nolan film. That’s not saying I didn’t enjoy it, because that is definitely not the case. Most of his movies I think are of an A or A+ caliber, but this one has a bit more missteps than the grand leaps I’m accustomed to. With that being said, I think it was important for me to point out some of the flaws in his directing style. The audio mixing was definitely my biggest gripe, and I hope that he tones it down for his next film. Even though I had some problems with the emotional resonance of the film along with some of its concepts, I cannot get over how amazing the set pieces are, how brilliant Nolan is in being able to film something so conceptually complex, and how persistent he is on giving a reason for the theatrical experience to exist. This was definitely a film that deserved to be seen on the biggest screen, because in my mind very few directors do spectacle the way Nolan does. I just wish I could have understood more of it at the time.
Grade: B+/83