REVIEW: Christopher Nolan’s latest time-twisting cinematic film hits the big screen

TENET Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki Rating: M In cinemas: Now Review: Kellie Balaam If you plan on seeing the latest blockbuster film since COVID-19 struck, one thing is for certain — you’ll walk out the cinema with your mind spinning and more questions than answers. Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s 11th film and if you struggled to get your head around Inception or Interstellar then you are in for a confusing and brain-bending adventure. The spy film features an all-star cast with Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington alongside Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh. Put simply, the plot follows a secret agent who must manipulate time in order to prevent World War III. It’s no wonder Nolan took more than five years to write the screenplay after deliberating about the film’s central ideas for more than a decade. In one of the early scenes, the scientist who explains inversion says: “Don’t try to understand, feel it,” — and this is some sound advice for the audience. Just go along for the ride. The “it” in this case is referring to “inversion” which is described as “reversing the way an object moves through time by sending it back to us from the future”. Focusing on a CIA agent known only as The Protagonist (John David Washington), Tenet wastes no time getting into the action. The Protagonist is recruited by a shadowy organisation called Tenet to take part in a mission that involves going back and forth through time. You might have to watch the film multiple times before you start to get the gist of it but he is tasked with stopping a wealthy madman fulfilling his terrifying vision. Despite the confusing and fast-moving plot, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tenet and everything it has to offer. One standout element of the film is the soundtrack, which features original music composed by Academy Award winner Ludwig Goransson. The score is the definition of cinematic and provides an amazing sound that emanated throughout the theatre. However at times the music was a bit too overpowering, taking away from the characters’ dialogue. Principal photography for the film, involving a crew of 250 people, took place in Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who worked with Nolan on Interstellar and Dunkirk, has again produced incredible camera work with the majority of shots done in-camera. Forget CGI effects — in a climatic plane-crash scene Nolan determined it would be more cost-effective to buy the Boeing 747 instead of using miniatures and visual effects. As for the acting, Washington, in particular, is brilliant — every inch a chip off the old block. And Pattinson shows why negative comments about him being the next Batman could well look silly in hindsight. It felt good to finally be back in a cinema enjoying the movie magic after so long. What better way to start things off than with this large-scale headache of a film, which all in all, is a technical masterpiece.

REVIEW: Christopher Nolan’s latest time-twisting cinematic film hits the big screen

Subscribe today.

Everyday Digital

Weekend Papers + Everyday Digital