Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global ... Read allArmed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.
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- Won 1 Oscar
- 49 wins & 134 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Tenet' is visually stunning with impressive action and unique concepts, though the convoluted plot and underdeveloped characters receive criticism. Kenneth Branagh's performance is praised, while responses to John David Washington and Robert Pattinson vary. Sound mixing and dialogue clarity are common complaints. Despite issues, the film's ambition and technical achievements are appreciated, with some suggesting multiple viewings for better understanding.
Featured reviews
Good movie but too complicated for a casual viewing
I'd suggest people read the synopsis on Wikipedia before watching the time. Otherwise it would be too hard to follow. If you're the type of person who enjoys watching a movie multiple times and dissecting it then you'll enjoy Tenet
Disappointing
Straightforward review:
Plot: Feels forced, cliche'd and had me facepalming in embarassment at several moments. Badly written villain, tired subplot of a damsel in distress. Its also not as complicated as I was led to believe, it's pretty straightforward actually. I saw comparisons to Primer, which in my opinion is a much better time-travel tale. This feels more like a James Bond movie with a time-travel element added to it.
Effects are done well, technically the movie is very well made. But it feels a bit over the top, almost Michael Bay-like at times.
Acting ranges from excellent to okay, the script doesn't help in this case but the actors do a good job considering. Pattinson is the standout for me.
All in all its not a bad movie to waste some time on, it's interesting enough to keep you engaged (was struggling to finish the last 30mins myself though). As far as mainstream blockbusters go it's decent.
Plot: Feels forced, cliche'd and had me facepalming in embarassment at several moments. Badly written villain, tired subplot of a damsel in distress. Its also not as complicated as I was led to believe, it's pretty straightforward actually. I saw comparisons to Primer, which in my opinion is a much better time-travel tale. This feels more like a James Bond movie with a time-travel element added to it.
Effects are done well, technically the movie is very well made. But it feels a bit over the top, almost Michael Bay-like at times.
Acting ranges from excellent to okay, the script doesn't help in this case but the actors do a good job considering. Pattinson is the standout for me.
All in all its not a bad movie to waste some time on, it's interesting enough to keep you engaged (was struggling to finish the last 30mins myself though). As far as mainstream blockbusters go it's decent.
An Experimental Thriller Disguised As A Blockbuster
I've seen a lot of hate for Tenet, but I honestly believe the movie will age very well, and a lot of the people who hate it now will come to realize just how ahead of its time it is. I will admit that it prioritizes concept over plot and character, and hard-to-hear dialogue has become a recurring problem for Nolan. But the movie is great, and I like it more the more I think about it. You don't need to be super smart to understand it, as some diehard Nolan fans claim, but I believe you do need to be fascinated enough by the philosophy of time to make it a pleasant experience. Without that, I think the movie will bore you and that boredom will probably lead you to miss some key points needed to fill in the puzzle. Filling in the puzzle doesn't mean you'll like it though, because this movie is an experimental thriller disguised as a blockbuster, which is not what people expected.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong, but I expect the love for this movie will grow over the years.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong, but I expect the love for this movie will grow over the years.
Interesting concept, good story, could have been told a lot better.
Many reviewers say you have to watch this movie multiple times to really get it all. No, I won't do that. I say a good movie is understandable with one viewing where the viewer is paying attention.
This is a relatively simple story, told in a complex manner with lots of special effects and aggressive sound track. Our future civilization has figured a way to interact with the past and now, in our PRESENT they intend to correct a problem we caused them, and if necessary destroy the world as we know it. So the PRESENT day leaders have to prevent that.
My wife and I watched it on a 2-disc DVD set from our public library. Much of the dialog is difficult to understand because the actors often fail to enunciate, so I had to turn on subtitles about half-way through. The second DVD is filled with extras.
It is a pretty good, entertaining movie, but often very confusing. I would not put it in the top tier of favorite movies. Nolan's "Inception" for example is a much better movie.
This is a relatively simple story, told in a complex manner with lots of special effects and aggressive sound track. Our future civilization has figured a way to interact with the past and now, in our PRESENT they intend to correct a problem we caused them, and if necessary destroy the world as we know it. So the PRESENT day leaders have to prevent that.
My wife and I watched it on a 2-disc DVD set from our public library. Much of the dialog is difficult to understand because the actors often fail to enunciate, so I had to turn on subtitles about half-way through. The second DVD is filled with extras.
It is a pretty good, entertaining movie, but often very confusing. I would not put it in the top tier of favorite movies. Nolan's "Inception" for example is a much better movie.
More Action than Sci Fi
On first viewing I will agree with many that the movie is a little difficult to follow . It's a demanding watch on plenty of levels . Where Interstellar and Inception both spent plenty of time throughout the film introducing the science behind it all Tenet ignores it , mostly . They do spell out the concept in a couple of brief scenes but then abandon any science in favour of action .There is plenty of relentless high voltage action if that's your thing and some genuine stunt work was great to see but it all becomes a little pointless if you don't really understand why it's all happening .If you don't like it really loud take some ear plugs . The score is thundering but a little overused for my liking . It is accomplished and brilliant film making but my first impressions were that I just didn't enjoy it as much as some of his previous films . I'll start with a 7 but I believe it has the potential to grow on me . It is a visual treat that's for sure .
Soundtrack
Preview the soundtrack here and continue listening on Amazon Music.
Did you know
- TriviaThe production team purchased and then crashed a real 747 airplane into a hangar. The stunt was all practical effects, with no visual effects or CGI. Director Sir Christopher Nolan had originally planned to use miniatures and set-piece builds. However, while scouting for locations in Victorville, California, the team discovered a massive array of old planes, and it became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size and to perform the sequence for real on camera.
- GoofsWhen the Protagonist is fighting the masked man (himself) the first time just before he threatens to shoot him, the masked man's wrists are exposed for a short time and they can be seen to be white.
- Crazy creditsThe Warner Bros and Syncopy logos are respectively shaded red and blue, the colors used in the film to represent normal/inverted time.
- Alternate versionsThe UK release was cut, this film was originally seen for advice. The distributor was advised it was likely to be classified 15 uncut but that their preferred 12A classification could be obtained by making small changes to one scene to remove shots of a man kicking a woman. When the film was submitted for formal classification, the shots in question had been removed and the film was classified 12A.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Animat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Oh Boy! More Movies Delayed! (2020)
- SoundtracksThe Plan
Written by Travis Scott (as Jacques Webster), Wonda Gurl (as Ebony Naomi Oshunrinde) and Ludwig Göransson
Performed by Travis Scott
Produced by Ludwig Göransson and Wonda Gurl
Travis Scott appears courtesy of Cactus Jack/Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Merry-Go-Round
- Filming locations
- Nysted Wind Farm, Denmark(wind farm)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $205,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $58,504,105
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,353,090
- Sep 6, 2020
- Gross worldwide
- $365,304,105
- Runtime
- 2h 30m(150 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
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