mr-shcmr

After months without going to the theaters, what a treat!

Tenet is the best of what cinema has to give, with dazzling action scenes and the kind of mind-bending concept that only Nolan is crazy enough to deliver. Set in the cold, confusing world of high-stakes espionage, the movie is tighter, more controlled than Inception. The central concept allows much less freedom than Inception's "dream sharing" did, but that's precisely the limitations that make it so exhilarating and satisfying to watch.

The policy is "no hand holding here". We're sharing the view of the Protagonist spy, and have to figure out what's happening with as few clues as he gets. Active viewing is required to connect the dots. It would be bad if every movie was like that, but from time to time it's a refreshing change.

Tenet is a very intense experience from first minute to last with little breathing room, efficiently highlighted by a pervasive soundtrack. It should delight all fans of Nolan's no-nonsense hard sci-fi style. And personally, it's my new favorite Nolan movie.

So, why 5/10?

The sound in my theater was ridiculously loud. Other reviewers have reported the same experience, which leads me to believe that the culprit is the movie, not the theater. The voices are way quieter than the rest, which forces projectionists to choose between damaging people's ears and leaving half the dialogues inaudible. I've noticed that a lot of critics who pan the movie complain about not hearing the dialogues. It's easy to understand how frustrated one would be in a movie where every line can hold a key plot element.

For a high-budget movie by a veteran director, there is simply no excuse. It's entirely on the movie for failing such a critical element.

Even the best movie isn't worth getting hearing damage, hence 5/10.

A wealthy book publisher locks 9 translators in a bunker to work on the last opus of the series that made his fortune, written by a secretive author that almost no one has seen. As the first pages get leaked to the public, the blackmailer and the publisher engage in a battle of wits where the publisher resorts to harsher and more cruel measures.

I was intrigued by the premise of this whodunnit, but afraid it would fail to entertain. Fortunately, the movie knows when to break its own rules to breathe and explore new directions. The movie starts slow but after about 15 minutes picks up pace and never drops it. The plot has a bagful of twists to entertain you, then as soon as you think it's done there's one more, and one more, then some more for good measure. All in only 1h45min of runtime that will never let you get bored. If every twist is simple and credible enough, the overall plot strains credulity, but no more than a typical movie of the genre. Apart from Lambert Wilson, the actors lack a little in charisma, but there's a refreshing simplicity to their roles and dialogues that makes them likeable. Where the movie is weak in my opinion is how it tries to link various plot elements to the sotry told by the book, which could have worked but feels artificial because the book doesn't have a separate existence. The whole 'translating' twist was a little underused, except in a dazzling scene where unfortunately it ends up making little difference. I watched the movie twice back to back and enjoyed it both times. A solid 8/10.