Rob on Film’s review published on Letterboxd:
This movie is many things, entertaining, filled with great performances and compelling action sequences! But it’s also one of the most confusing films I’ve ever seen! But for some reason it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the piece as a whole! I believe that if you understand all of the movie from your first watch, you’re a genius!
John David Washington is absolutely amazing here and has such star quality! A lot goes on in the action sequences and my eyes were always drawn to him because he stood out so much! You can feel him thinking and really processing what was going on! I’m so happy for Robert Pattinson because I’m sure his performance in this movie will get him tons more work! He’s really developed as an actor and he played my favourite character! He was clever, cunning and charming and he really made the character his own! I wish he had more screen time! Kenneth Branagh was excellent at playing a genuinely terrifying villain because you never put it past you that he would kill anyone who got in his way! He has many great scenes! And Elizabeth Debicki’s Kat was actually really compelling to watch! At first you just think she’s a simple person who wants her child but she turns out to be bad ass! All the action sequences here are fantastic! There isn’t a single moment where I was not having fun with them! They’re so smart and create some of the best action I’ve seen in film! Christopher Nolan’s directing is of course sensational! His passion is really showcased throughout the entire movie! He’s genuinely crafted some moments that’ll never leave my head! And of course the cinematography is stunning and I was blown away with how fantastic the movie looks!
Okay now I have to talk about the story and how it’s explained! The movie is so confusing that it’s stopped me from giving it a higher rating! It’s a problem! Genuinely from start to finish I was confused! A long the way I did start to put together what everything meant but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to finish the puzzle! There is quite a lot of exposition that sounds smart but I never caught on to how time works within the movie! I don’t think it needed to be this complicated and I think Christopher Nolan feels pressure to make his films complex and unique! And he should, but not to this level! I’ve watched some explained videos and I’m still scratching my head! This didn’t effect my enjoyment of the film but it did effect what I thought about the piece as a whole! Also the sound seemed a little off at times! Sometimes you couldn’t hear what the characters were saying over the music and explosions! But to be honest I adored the music and thought it fit perfectly! Apart from all of that I thought the movie was pretty amazing!
Overall, while Tenet is a very confusing movie that’ll have even Christopher Nolan’s biggest fans feeling clueless, the piece as a whole is one hell of a ride that’s not to be missed out on! The performances are electric, the directing is top notch and the action sequences are breathtaking! Take the time to see it!
