Tenet - Review (som...
 

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[Closed] Tenet - Review (some minor spoilers)

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So finally we're allowed to go back to the cinema! Went to see Tenet..hmmm,

so first some positives; it is a film to lose yourself in, watch the action unfurl in front of you, there are some terrific action sequences, that are shot in really breathtaking action and speed, cargo planes, a car chase that uses mostly trucks, they're all extremely good, and you get to see some of them twice shot from different perspective and meaning.

So the bad? It's a hammy, overly long, flabby plot free hot mess...Where to start...The script is mostly either Basil Exposition, or literal cliche,  "There's a cold war....Ice cold" it's difficult to understand how the Mcguffin of the plot works (time travelling backwards)  as it's so full of holes and mis-steps (which TBF are the failings of lots of time traveller films) The soundtrack is hard work, there's lots of pretty poor accents....'Ello, I am Russian bad-guy" etc etc...

Mleh, after all the hype I was expecting something tremendous, it isn't. Source Code is the same idea, only done better with fewer plot holes, and less shitty acting.

Oh yeah I remember. You know the cut sequence of a game you just bought that's full of Ex Soviets and abandoned cities, that tells you how the game works? It's that; made into a two and a half hour movie....


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 8:12 am
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Christopher Nolan movie plays gimmicky tricks with time. Shocking.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 8:54 am
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Thanks for the warning. Sounds like Interstellar all over again.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 9:28 am
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It didn’t seem as long and boring as interstellar. Thank goodness. Though it did suffer from lax editing as you’d expect. And it was predictable.

It was a high-action thriller with some Nolan gobbledygook thrown in. Disappointing. And sadly nothing really new in it that you haven’t seen in dozens of [better] movies.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 9:34 am
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Misread the title in my sleepy state.

Was hoping for camping content.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 9:46 am
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Sounds like i'll enjoy it seeing as interstellar is my fav film


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 2:47 pm
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I went on Friday, still puzzled about what the film was about. I don’t mind a challenging story line, but this was way over my head. I need to watch it again a couple more times, but I’ll wait for it to be on Sky.
My wife made a comment on the way home, it was trying to be to clever and lost what it was trying to say. It did feel like they missed some of the scenes out that explained the plot.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 3:31 pm
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Trying to work out if anyone has done time travel movie which wasn't riddled with plot holes. The only one which springs to mind is 12 Monkeys.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 4:28 pm
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Primer is the well worn answer to that question, although it's pretty difficult to follow with pad and pen to hand


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 7:12 pm
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Avengers Endgame does pretty well.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 7:31 pm
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I liked it.


 
Posted : 30/08/2020 7:31 pm
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I liked it as well. Entertaining.


 
Posted : 31/08/2020 10:31 pm
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I struggled to follow some of the dialogue in places, especially when they were wearing masks.

I thought overall it was good, although it did remind me of the “Backwards” episode of Red Dwarf.


 
Posted : 31/08/2020 10:51 pm
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Trying to work out if anyone has done time travel movie which wasn’t riddled with plot holes.

TV show, not a movie, but watch Futureman. You'll never question time travel movies again.


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 12:53 am
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Ok. That looks epic.


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 1:51 am
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Ok. That looks epic.

I hope you get more out of it than I did. Maybe it gets better.


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 4:35 am
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Watched the first series of FutureMan and ended up watching it as I'd started so had to finish. It was awful...now got Prime was looking for something to have on in the background and ended up watching the 2 other series and I think by the end of it, it was ok...by the second episode of the last series I was wanting to see the next one, but they were all slightly weird - so disconnect all brain function and just watch it. It was clever and had some good stuff, but overall, it was just a very weird series and story.

Has anyone watched Tenet backwards (would that be teneT?)? That might be the trick...all this time travelling stuff, maybe watch the film forwards then watch it backwards and see if that helps explain things!


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 9:15 am
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Watched the first series of FutureMan and ended up watching it as I’d started so had to finish. It was awful

If you're an adult who isn't much into dick jokes, that's quite likely. If you have the sense of humour of a 13 year old boy, it's hilarious. Especially the bit where he nearly ****ed his mum by mistake. Either way, the plot holes in time travel movies won't bother you so much again.


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 9:27 am
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Yeah, there were a couple of funny bits, but overall, it was weird and awful...I did enjoy the other 2 series though much better than the first one. And yes, that is my usual level of sense of humour...actually thinking back about it, although at the time I was thinking it was awful, I did tell a few colleagues about it and told them they should watch it...

Give it a watch, but watch it all...


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 9:38 am
 IHN
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It’s a hammy, overly long, flabby plot free hot mess…

A Christopher Nolan film you say?


 
Posted : 01/09/2020 9:41 am
 Drac
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Well seen it today. It’s Timecop directed Nolan style.

Beatiful looking, great sound, weird script “Where they..” “finish each other’s” “sentences”, the plot is explained numerous times to try and make sure you remember, fantastic action so yes Nolan. Once again just like Interstellar the twist was predictable so it’s hours of watching it unfold. Filled in a few hours while the car had its MOT.


 
Posted : 02/09/2020 6:29 pm
 rone
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Just off the back of watching all Nolan's Batman films (unpopular opinion DKR is the best). But it's interesting people saying Tenet is flabby etc.

If anything Nolan is guilty of putting too much into his films, too much plot and not explaining enough. The story telling between scenes on both DK and DKR is often scant on detail with too much jumping around. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I think Nolan has become too much of an auteur and needs to reign things in when most viewers seem to be saying the same thing.


 
Posted : 03/09/2020 7:11 am
 IHN
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DKR was the very epitome of

a hammy, overly long, flabby plot free hot mess…


 
Posted : 03/09/2020 7:20 am
 Drac
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Eh? He explains way too much that’s why the twist is always easy to see.


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 7:51 am
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Watched Tenet last night, I was captivated. I loved the way it played with time and things we had already seen. Soundtrack was fantastic.

I can see why some people didn't like it but I love the fact Nolan continues to make large scale, intelligent original films. We need more directors like him (not in style but scope). Also saw a first trailer for Dune, excited is an understatement.


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 8:12 am
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Really wanted to see this at the cinema because Inception blew me away at the cinema

I didn't see Interstellar at the cinema and i've never really rated that movie

Yep, Tenet has many issues, but as pure entertainment, especially in the cinema, it was awesome

I was fully immersed in the story and the spectacle of it all - exactly what a wanted after 6 months of no cinema.

Admittedly, I really didn't know what was happening (and still don't), but that's a classic Nolan thing.

Looking forward to seeing it again at home and trying to get my head around what the f*ck was going on 🙂


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 8:19 am
 MSP
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I love the fact Nolan continues to make large scale, intelligent original films.

He doesn't, he makes blockbuster films that shout that they are intelligent without actually being so, superficially complex plots with weak characterisations and poor dialogue, apart from Memento which was genuinely different and fresh when made.


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 8:20 am
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I liked it but I'd second the backwards episode of red dwarf comment 🙂

I like all of Nolan's films , even if they don't land quite right like this one they are at least trying to do something interesting and they always look great .


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 8:21 am
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Nolan continues to make large scale, intelligent original films

Go on...


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 8:53 am
 Drac
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like all of Nolan’s films , even if they don’t land quite right like this one they are at least trying to do something interesting and they always look great .

Yup he tries to do things different and I’ve that. It was very entertaining I’ll probably watch it again to see what else I can spot. I’m sure the door handle on one of the buildings was the Syncopy logo.


 
Posted : 04/09/2020 10:38 am
 rone
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Eh? He explains way too much that’s why the twist is always easy to see.

They're might be loads of exposition but it's hardly pinned to a narrative that makes much sense. And that is deliberate some of the time. (Dunkirk multiple time-line was clever.)

That's Nolan's main trick - sometimes it works other times it needs careful editing. It's not always clear whether it's deliberate ambiguity or sloppy story telling.

Think the beginning of DKR - there's sort of an explanation what's going on - very brief. But it is also designed to confuse you. Possibly treat you as an intelligent human too!

And then later an even briefer explaination as to who are what the Doctor Pavel blood swap body was all about. Yet for such an important plot point it's thrown away with one scene in a comms room

So yeah the menu might be full but desert comes before mains.

I think Nolan's biggest problem is a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Does Bane really need to go to all that trouble in the first scene?

Anyway - thoroughly enjoyed Tenet - definitely got worse at it went along. I feel it was Nolan's Matrix but the Matrix mostly had decent logic. This just tied itself in hard to comprehend knots.

It didn't stop it from being a proper pulse pounder though, even if the ending was an awful set straight out of Dr Who.


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 4:38 pm
 rone
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The Dune trailer was fantastic though.

Roll on Villeneuve.

Now there's a Director that can do big-scale intelligence.

Superficially complex - is a good summary of Nolan's story-telling but he's still a thrilling film-maker.


 
Posted : 05/09/2020 4:41 pm
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Went to see Tenet today (birthday film this year) - I liked it although it'll take a second watch sometime, the wife did not

It needs an explanation video on you tube or something, but I got the gist


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 4:46 pm
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For some the Bible is a terrible read, while for others.....

A story better told.

Brilliant, can't wait to see it again.


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 6:00 pm
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For some the Bible is a terrible read,

Who needs another implausible superhero blockbuster?


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 6:04 pm
 grum
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Nolan Shmolan, ultimate style over substance director.

At least it's not just yet more superhero movies though.


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 6:05 pm
 Mark
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It was a straight version of RD Backwards as said above but with fewer eclairs 🙂

But I really loved it. Thought it was very clever. I knew it was based on sound scientific principles (Entropy and times arrow and all that - stretched to the limits of course) and the 2.5 hours really passed quickly - I was absorbed by it all even though I didn't understand all of it until I'd thought and talked about it long after we'd come out of the cinema.

Oh, and after I read this explainer article which is really very good.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gamesradar.com/au/amp/tenet-ending-explained/


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 7:44 pm
 Drac
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Dunkirk multiple time-line was clever

It was terrible.


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 7:48 pm
 Mark
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Drac, Dunkirk was not terrible. S.Darko - now that's a terrible film 🙂


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 8:24 pm
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Oh, and after I read this explainer article which is really very good.

When your blockbuster movie needs a 3000 word article to explain itself, you probably should've written a novel rather than made a film...

regardless of the science-y stuff (which is utterly incomprehensible throughout the movie, hence all the explainer puff pieces and YouTube videos cropping up, all saying the same things, so they've all clearly been briefed by the Studio, because the audiences are all going "what the hell was that all about")  the things that spoiled it for me, was just the pretty poor acting and stereotypical casting. Branaugh's Russian was just a "Type 1 Russian baddie" straight from central casting, Elizabeth Debiki was literally playing the same character from the Night Manager, the CIA were all uptight, Neil was the louche spy...and perhaps the worse of all Clemence Posey's ridiculously bored scientist, she was there to explain the revelation of the century as if she couldn't be bothered with her life..."Ere is some stuff going backwards, 'urry up, I need to 'ave a wee..." followed by just a boggo storyline which boils down to: "hero foils plan of baddie, sidekick dies, he gets the girl"

Hollywood needs to try harder when the best most folk can come up with is "At least it's not a superhero movie"


 
Posted : 07/09/2020 9:30 pm

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