Where do I start with the complicated time travel film that is Tenet? It was a movie that had all the makings of a box office hit with Christopher Nolan as the director, John David Washington as the up-and-coming star who just so happened to be the son of legendary actor Denzel Washington and a perfect mixture of action and sci-fi that audiences typically flock to theaters to see. So what happened? The simple answer is timing. Unfortunately for Tenet, it just so happened to be one of the first major movie theater releases to happen during Covid—a time where a lot of people weren’t exactly comfortable going out for necessities, let alone public places like theaters. Making things worse, this was that odd period of the Covid timeframe where new films were being released in theaters and on streaming at the very same time, which infuriated Nolan.
This Mind-Bending 2020 Film Starring Denzel Washington's Son Is Massively Underrated and Definitely Deserves a Rewatch
And it's directed by Christopher Nolan
Throw in the poor early reviews from critics, and Tenet was officially a box office and streaming disaster. So where does this film stand with audiences now? The answer is that audiences are still very much divided, but I personally think it's worth the two hour investment.
Here are a couple of reasons why you should give it a shot.
1. The Engaging Storyline
I have now watched Tenet a total of three times, and I still can’t say I totally understand the storyline. The short story is: A secret secret agent (Washington) learns how to manipulate time, and is sent back to the past to prevent the start of World War III. The time traveling process, however, isn’t all that easy as he encounters tons of obstacles along the way. Now here is where the confusion comes in. The agent is moving through time both regularly and inverted, which means you, the viewer, don’t know at certain points whether he is moving forward or backwards. On top of that, you also have to understand algorithms, scientific concepts and mathematical equations. Tenet is so confusing that, according to Forbes, it just might be the most confusing movie ever.
While some might be turned off by that notion, I look at it as part of the film's brilliance. Make no mistake though, you won’t understand this movie by only watching it once. You at least need two or three comprehensive watches to make sure you catch everything.
2. The Visuals Are Compelling
Even if a bit lost, you’ll still be entranced by the film's stunning, futuristic visuals, and Nolan delivers as he always does in this department. In a 2021 interview with The Los Angeles Times, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson called the film "Christopher Nolan on Steroids," adding: "It’s an extreme version of playing with the idea of time. We needed to be able to visualize the forward and backward events together while at the same time thinking about the point of view of an inverted observer." Clearly it worked because Jackson, along with three others, wound up winning the Oscar for "Best Visual Effects." Oh, and the musical score is great as well.
3. The Performance of John David Washington
Nolan is very particular about which actors he works with, and Washington delivered on all fronts as he was tasked with the challenge of acting in a mind-bending time warp, while also having to take on tough combat scenes. As with every element of this film, Washington’s performance was criticized by some, but I personally think he put forth the necessary "James Bond cool factor" needed to meet the mark of being "suave agent."
PureWow Rating 4 out of 5 Stars
I think 4-out-of-5 stars is a fair rating for a movie that still gets a lot of undeserved hate if you go into it aware that you will have to watch more than once. If you aren’t willing to put that commitment in, then Tenet isn’t the film for you. If you are, however, then by the time you give it a second or third watch, it starts to become easier to understand and easier to appreciate. History has proven that certain films are more appreciated years or even decades later, and I think Tenet is slowly heading into that territory.
You can watch Tenet via Amazon Prime.
