I mean there is actually no point writing the words 'spoiler free' for this movie not only coz I wouldn't really be able to explain the movie in one viewing even if I wanted, but even if I did spoil it, there is no way you would understand it.
TENET
Cast- John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia and others.
Directed and written by : The only director whose movies are worth risking a disease for
So what kind of movie is this - A suave and cunning spy who will go to almost any length to for the mission, he finds himself in a cold war against a secretive faceless enemy. He is entangled in a web of lies, manipulation and finds a femme fatale along the way. He uncovers a world ending conspiracy, led on by a Russian oligarch who is of course played by a British actor and is obviously an abusive villainous torturous megalomaniac. Our protagonist is swift as a cobra in his words and his fists. Plus he gets special gadgets and tech to help him along the way.
If you thought of a Bond film, then you are right. It's no secret that Nolan has always wanted to make a one. The opening scene of The Dark Knight Rises is a testimony to that. Tenet on the surface is a just like a Bond movie....but that's the thing....Nolan's movies are many things on the surface yet there is so so so much dig beneath.
Tenet is a Bond movie with time travel elements. But again that's only on the next level. If you thought Inception was complicated and it took you 4 viewings to understand the plot, then Tenet might take at least 8 to fully understand. And just like Inception perhaps a million more to truly appreciate the intricate poem that Nolan weaves.
Yes you read that right...Nolan's movies are poetic. Nolan has often been criticized for making 'puzzle box movies' that are intricate and fun to solve but lack emotion. Anyone who says that hasn't really understood what makes Nolan different from most other directors working today. Yes, he does create frustratingly complicated plots that often have you scratching your head for days but always and I mean ALWAYS beneath those elements is the story of a person looking to solve the maze he has gotten himself into. One look at Leonard Shelby from Memento or Cobb from Inception and you realize his movies are more than puzzle boxes. Interstellar is literally about how love can transcend even the laws of physics and I still wonder why people think of him as a 'cold' emotionless film maker.
While Tenet doesn't have the heart of Interstellar or the emotion of Inception, it doesn't need to. Its a fast paced global thriller that still manages to pack in emotion when its needed. The movie does slag a slight bit in the middle when our Protagonist meets Kat (Elizabeth Debicki)..but it doesn't really stall the movie. The movie is fast paced and never lets up doesn't matter which way its moving (yes that's a wink and a nod to the time inversion that happens in the movie).
Many might feel that unlike Inception which does exposition in the best possible way...often holding your hand when it needs to...Tenet just doesn't. It can be a bit jarring to watch it at first and get confused by all that is happening. However, it is obviously all intentional. There is a reason I would call his movies poetry... just like a good poem it has layers upon layers of words, then of grammar, then form, then meter...finally the sentiment. It's all meant to be appreciated, marveled at, interpreted but not necessarily logically understood. Yes I know its sounds weird saying that about a Nolan movie but a character in the movie itself says this "Don't try to understand it, just feel it" . This is perhaps an attempt from Nolan to tell us to sit back and enjoy the movie as a unique cinematic experience rather than dissect it. (But Nolan being Nolan I have zero doubts that he probably actually invented the technology to shoot this movie and perhaps got a Nobel prize in physics for it or something).
Nolan has really grown as an action director and the opening scene itself is one of the best I have seen in any movie for a while. Speaking of which while I was disappointed to hear Zimmer wont be scoring this movie, Ludwig Goransson does a equally good job. The synth-techno aspects really compliment the sci-fi nature of the movie and yet never come across as superficial or unremarkable. The music is catchy energetic yet soulful and mystical.
John David Washington performs his role with such ease proving that a black James Bond would be absolutely easy to digest ( I honestly didn't know he is Denzel Washington's son). Robert Pattinson has obviously moved on from his Twilight days and is acting force to be reckoned with. The cool with which he moves about in the movie you would assume he just walked on set and performed the role. I am really excited to see him play Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Batman next year. Also Dimple has a much bigger role than I thought. (Would have loved if Nolan made her run in slow motion a la Sagar but hey you cant have everything)
Am not gonna humiliate myself by rating a Nolan movie...its obviously a Classic...this might be his most complex yet action filled movie yet. Do try and watch it in a theatre if possible. (Theatres need all the help we can give them). Watching a Christopher Nolan movie is more of a process than incident. He is perhaps the only living film maker whose movies begins in your mind when it ends on screen....
Easter Egg/References :
So I usually do a list of easter eggs/references for a Nolan or Snyder movie, here's a few I could find out on first viewing :-
1) The villains name Sator and his company's names Rotas are inversions of each other.
2) The word Tenet itself is a palindrome - its spelled the same way backwards. (this was pretty much known before release)
3) There is a Casablanca reference towards the end where one of the characters says "This is the end of a beautiful friendship" mirroring/inversing the famous line from Casablanca - "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"
Am sure there are several more that I haven't caught yet. I might do a spoiler filled review once
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