Tenet - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Tenet



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


​

Movie
Don’t try to understand, feel it was the tagline for Tenet MONTHS before the release, and was the catch phrase for proponents of the film to the people who were confused or reticent on the movie. Coming from a massive Christopher Nolan fan I was literally on pins and needles when the teaser came out, and SORELY disappointed that the COVID-19 pandemic kept me from seeing it in theaters. Nolan is a master of misdirection and convoluted mystery box story telling, and I usually fall head over heels for his films. Interstellar and Inception are two of my favorite movies of his, and when I watched Tenet for the first time this week I was left puzzled and confused. Had Nolan lost his touch? Because there were all of the ingredients for a great Christopher Nolan film on full display, but looked like it had been hacked and edited beyond belief, to the point where the mystery box storytelling sort of folded in on itself to such an extreme that that only Nolan himself knows what he was trying to portray on celluloid.

“Don’t try to understand, feel it” really does seem to be the mantra of the film, being that even those who think they’re figured out what’s actually going on in this temporal sci-fi James Bondesque flick may actually really not have much of a handle on it as they think. In typical Christopher Nolan fashion, Tenet is a film revolving around time, and our handling of it. I can’t really give a REAL description of the film without going blow by blow through every scene, but I’ll give you a hint. The Protagonist (given that name in the credits) is a CIA agent (played by John David Washington) is given a botched assignment only to end his own life with a cyanide capsule. However, it turns out his whole mission was a test, as he’s brought back to life with the antidote and inducted into a mystery organization called “Tenet” who seems to be trying to stop World War III.

It seems that temporal agents have created technology to “invert” objects and people through time, and have supposedly made it known that they want to cause harm and mayhem (the real reason doesn’t come out till the last act of the film, and it KIND of explains some things, while dropping other plot lines without a second thought), and Tenet is trying to stop them. The only clue they have to the over arching plans of the villains is that they are speaking to people in the past, and have a link to Estonian arms dealer Sator (Kenneth Branagh). Along the way the Protagonist is exposed to the time traveling abilities of inversion, as well as attempts to save the trapped wife of Sator (Elizabeth Debicki) and save the world from a madman who wants to use time to end the world as we know it (quite literally).

As I said above, Tenet has all of the earmarks of a Christopher Nolan film. Time travel, mind warping special effects, a huge sound track with enough “BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA’s” to rival a Transformers film, and a mystery box storytelling method that is sure to have you thinking. The problem is that no matter HOW much you think, you’re never going to make sense of the film. It seems that Nolan got so excited with making a puzzle box film that he forgot to make an exit for the mystery maze. We have tons and TONS of exposition by characters like Michael Caine and Robert Pattinson (who seems to know a bit TOO much in the film...wink wink), which is typical of his films, but nothing ever seems to come to fruition. Nolan plays his cards ridiculously close to the vest, never really letting the audience in on the secrets hidden throughout the film, but seems content to let the audience make up wild fan theories and explanations. As that tagline said, he seems to want you to “don’t try to understand, feel it!” throughout the entire film. Meaning (in my humble opinion), Nolan is the only one with a single CLUE of what the film is really about and he’s reveling in hiding that fact, allowing the audience to run wild in speculation.

This storytelling technique totally drops the gravitas from the film, even though you know what ideas Nolan is playing with. The idea of inversion was pretty cool to think about, but after the 2nd or 3rd showing of the “going backwards through time) loop the special effects got pretty tired and worn. The same can be said with plot points and story lines. Things are so slap dashed and crammed together that the audience doesn’t have a clue except that something exciting is happening on screen. It’s almost as if Nolan is screaming at the audience “don’t look behind the curtain, don’t try to understand the movie, just feel all of the cool things I’m trying to convey in my special effects extravaganza! Don’t worry, nobody else understands it either because my story is too smart for them!”. That sort of frenetic energy without the proper payoff is frustrating. I must connect it with Inception to compare, as the two share similar mind bender stories. The thing is, with Inception Nolan set the rules of the universe and stuck by them. We had plenty of puzzles to solve along the way, and there were some twists and turns, but the rules of diving into someone’s mind were spelled out and stable the entire time. Tenet tries to do the same thing, but sadly doesn’t stick to it’s own world building rules, but instead makes them up as they go along. This leaves the audience feeling very confused and frustrated at the movie. Even when watching multiple times, I still feel as if Nolan was SO desperate to keep things super close to the vest that he never gave the audience enough information to make even simple logical leaps to understand what he wanted to convey.

Washington is a solid actor for the bloated 2.5 hour flick, but Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki really are the scene stealers here. If you haven’t seen Pattinson outside of Twilight then you really should, as the man has a rather great range to display. Sadly Branagh is just chewing the scenery with his Russian villain impression that he gave us in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, so he’s sort of wasted. Decent acting, GREAT special effects, but poor Nolan seems to have lost touch with his fanbase.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language




4K Video: Video:

As with most of Nolan’s films, the 4K UHD disc utilizes a shifting aspect ratio as Nolan intertwines into the mixture of 65/70mm footage a healthy dose of IMAX shots. Those scenes open up to 1.78:1 framing, only for the rest of the film to be locked in at 2.20:1. The entire image is nothing but pure eye candy (especially the IMAX shots). Clarity is razor sharp from beginning to end, and the IMAX shots look even crisper and cleaner than the already stunning 65mm film. The whole thing is given a MOSTLY neutral look to the color grading, with light tinges of blue to round it out. General sharpness and visual detail levels are exemplary, showing every pore and every fiber the protagonist’s suit, as well as wonderful background focus. I did notice a few scenes that seemed to be intentionally soft in the background (the opening Opera house scene for example. When the camera focuses on the combatants the audience hazes over), but otherwise this is an incredibly clean looking picture. The HDR effects really enhance the viewing experience quite a bit, adding warmth to the opera house scene, or deeeeep and dark blacks when The Protagonist is watching Satar’s wife get shot. The light blue is deeper and darker in 4K UHD, and the colors depth and richness are just incredibly palpable. This is one of THE best looking 4K UHD discs I’ve seen in quite some time and makes for pure demo material.







Audio:

Tenet comes with a blistering audio track that is true to Nolan’s films. It’s HUGE, brash, bold, and intricately balanced in his sort of odd mixing way. The entire film just rips the walls down with huge BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAs in the soundtrack, as well as huge wallops of bassy material that just crushes you back in your seat. Audiophiles, don’t worry, there’s no surprise “shock” sub 10hz LFE as in Interstellar (seriously, that black whole scene was known to damage people’s speakers and subs), but it’s still a hefty track on the low end. Surrounds are active with a cacophony of noises all around as the Protagonist goes along his missions, the whole mix that pounds you straight back in your chair.

Now for the quirks. If you’ve been following Nolan’s work for some time you know that the choice to choose a 5.1 mix instead of Atmos or DTS:X is squarely on his shoulder’s. He’s very persnickety in how his films are mixed, and has made it clear that he really isn’t enamored with object based sound mixes. That doesn’t mean his tracks are BAD, it’s just that he maxes out the 5.1 system and refuses to change to suit more modern mixes. Then comes the dialog. There’s a lot of dialog in Tenet that is a bit hard to hear due to the score muffling bits of it, or just generally being hard to hear due to face masks etc. Nolan has a love affair with making dialog unintelligible, and even did an interview recently where he stated that he really can’t comprehend WHY his fans take issue with his weird mixing techniques. While I’m giving the track a 5/5 rating, I do make note of these idiosyncrasies simply due to the fact that Nolan does these things on purpose.






Extras:

• Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of "Tenet" – An hour-long exploration of the development and production of the film as told by the cast and crew.
• Theatrical Teaser
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Tenet has it’s large open spaces, as it takes us what amounts to a sci-fi James Bond adventure around the globe. It has tons of action, some cool effects, and the acting is really rather good for the most part. I love Nolan mind benders, but came away sadly disappointed with the entire film. It’s not a train wreck by any means, but it definitely is lackluster experience due to Nolan playing his cards so close to the vest that no one can even get a glimpse at them. Also the ending was seen a mile away (I was 15 minutes in and pretty sure I was figuring things out, but by the hour point with the crashed plane scene, I KNEW what was going to happen). The 4K UHD disc is simply stunning, outclassing the already great Blu-ray, but I would suggest renting this one first, even if you’re well acclimated to Nolan’s quirks and oddities in his experimental films.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Martin Donovan
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1 / 1.78:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, German DTS-HD MA 5.1, French (Canada), Italian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin), Czech, Hindi, Polish, Thai, Japanese DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Thai
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 150 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 15th 2020

Recommendation: Rent First

 

[Epoxy1]

I liked this a bit more than you but understand your criticism of it. What I liked is that it made me think hard about it after it was over. In fact, I caught myself drawing diagrams of the timeline and got most of it correct when I checked my work versus what others have posted online. Like most of Nolan's films, this is definitely a "mind $%&#," which I enjoy for the challenge. Is it his best? Nope. Is it his worst? Maybe, but the quality of his films are so high his worst is better than most people's best

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed his past films so will check this one out as well once it is available on amazon prime/netflix.

 

[phillihp23]

Wasn’t a fan of the complex bouncing time line back and forth. Audio and picture quality were great.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I look forward to watching this - I’m a big Nolan fan, so expectations are high! Definitely look forward to the AV experience...

Dear Mr Nolan: Atmos, please!!!!

 

[Grayson Dere]

This film was really enjoyable! Two thumbs up!

 

[Grayson Dere]

Wasn’t a fan of the complex bouncing time line back and forth. Audio and picture quality were great.

I was pretty confused trying to figure out the story sequences. After watching I read some critic breakdowns and it TOTALLY opened my eyes

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Yeah... after reading Mike's review... I almost dread watching it. I'll be trying to think too hard, which is ALWAYS a challenge for me.

 

[Michael Scott]

I look forward to watching this - I’m a big Nolan fan, so expectations are high! Definitely look forward to the AV experience...

Dear Mr Nolan: Atmos, please!!!!

I'm not trying to dissuade you from watching it, but I love Nolan too and I found this one a bit too "up in Nolan's head" for it's own good. Still fun enough watch and it DOES take 2-3x watching it to really get the whole picture. again, it's a solid enough movie and you might have a different experience than me, but I was rather taken aback by this one. Especially how much I love Inception + Interstellar

please let us know what your thoughts are on it after watching a few times

 

[Todd Anderson]

Hoping that Santa brings a copy, but will check in once I watch!

 

[Epoxy1]

A friend of mine stated that this movie is as if Inception and Momento had a baby

Here's my suggestion. Watch it once all the way through. Afterwards do a Google search on the timeline (things will click), then watch it again and I bet the experience is much better

 

[phillihp23]

A friend of mine stated that this movie is as if Inception and Momento had a baby

Here's my suggestion. Watch it once all the way through. Afterwards do a Google search on the timeline (things will click), then watch it again and I bet the experience is much better

Ughhh... so true. My most hated movie of all time is Momento!

 

[phillihp23]

I'm not trying to dissuade you from watching it, but I love Nolan too and I found this one a bit too "up in Nolan's head" for it's own good. Still fun enough watch and it DOES take 2-3x watching it to really get the whole picture. again, it's a solid enough movie and you might have a different experience than me, but I was rather taken aback by this one. Especially how much I love Inception + Interstellar

please let us know what your thoughts are on it after watching a few times

Just a little hint...if I wanted to read to understand a movie I would just read a book not watch a movie...pass it on to Nolan for me

 

[Epoxy1]

Ughhh... so true. My most hated movie of all time is Momento!

Seriously? That movie is extremely innovative and once you "get it," it's so much fun to watch over and over.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Even with just the 5.1 audio track it sounds amazing, though in typical Nolan style, some dialog is lost in the atmosphere.
I enjoyed it. Even if you don’t completely follow the timeline, it’s an enjoyable film. Not award-winning or ground-breaking, but enjoyable. The intricacy of the timeline will likely make it easier to watch a couple more times, once my pre-order finally arrives (got tired of waiting and grabbed it at Redbox).
Nolan would be better if he settled on one aspect ratio or the other and got over himself a little bit.

 

[SRW1000]

Good review, and echoes my same feelings. The complicated nature of the subject matter isn't helped by much of the nearly-incomprehensible dialog. It may be director's intent, but if you have an audience trying to suss out answers to a convoluted plot, it just makes it frustrating. Did that line have any meaning? Or weren't we supposed to know what they were saying?

The bigger problem is that it was hard to develop any feelings for the characters. The most developed one was Sator. I still have no idea why the Protagonist was so interested in Kat; it seemed like there was more concern that just the mission. If it was supposed to be love, that didn't really come across.

It is quite a spectacle, and worth watching for that, but it would be interesting to see what it could have been like if Nolan would adapt to the current technology and use Atmos or DTS-X. Maybe his future self can send him a message telling him how much more immersive the experience could be

“Don’t try to understand, feel it,” may be an appropriate marketing tag-line, but action and presentation can only take you so far.

Worth watching once, but can't imagine caring enough to watch it again. But then again, I'm predisposed to dislike time travel stories that take themselves seriously. My wife absolutely hated it, and didn't even feel like talking about it after watching it last night.

Scott

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Maybe his future self can send him a message telling him how much more immersive the experience could be
Scott

I wish I had thought of that line.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

This movie was super clear... as mud... on a stormy night... with hurricane force winds... for a blind and deaf man that can't see or hear it.

I'm not really sure it's worth watching again for me. It was something that occupied my time, but that's about it.

I also agree with Scott... why did the Protagonist care so much for Kat? He just met her... there was no love relationship... no real connection between the two. I thought maybe for a minute we were going to see the connection develop on the "go fast" boat similar to when Crockett and Isabella went for a spin on the "go fast" boat in Miami Vice. It brought back memories, but nothing developed.

 

[phillihp23]

This movie was super clear... as mud... on a stormy night... with hurricane force winds... for a blind and deaf man that can't see or hear it.

I'm not really sure it's worth watching again for me. It was something that occupied my time, but that's about it.

I also agree with Scott... why did the Protagonist care so much for Kat? He just met her... there was no love relationship... no real connection between the two. I thought maybe for a minute we were going to see the connection develop on the "go fast" boat similar to when Crockett and Isabella went for a spin on the "go fast" boat in Miami Vice. It brought back memories, but nothing developed.

Thanks for vindicating my opinion.

 

[Jack]

Thanks for bringing this up Michael. I really do not know if I like it or not because I have no idea what "It" is.
This lime truly explains this movie for me - "Nolan is the only one with a single CLUE of what the film is really about "

I guess I am a bit more sensitive about the dialogue in that it seemed to make the non sensical turn back on itself and create a story more confusing than the Nirvanas' "Smells Like Teen Spirit". I don't know. I will watch again to see if I can "Invert" my brainpan.

 

[Jon Liu]

Had to chime in with this film. I'm actually surprised to see more people put off by this film here than elsewhere.

I've seen it four times and each time I've loved it more. The first time I saw it in theaters I was pretty confused, but still really liked what I had seen. I immediately turned to my brothers and said eagerly, "I've gotta watch that one again!" Saw it again in the IMAX theater and now twice at home.

I love that this is one big palindrome. Or in the film's sci-fi terminology it's a temporal pincer movement. There are some pretty intricate details to the story flow, especially in the latter half of the film; who's inverted and when, but the more I watched it the more I understood. Still some things I don't quite fully grasp, but so far a lot of what I wondered or questioned has began to make sense.

To me the Protagonists relationship with Kat I think is simple. He's a protector. That is his role in this life, whether it's while he was in the CIA, or when he's being tortured to give up his team after the opera house, or when it comes to why he gets brought into be an agent of Tenet and his reason to save the world, or when it comes to Kat. He's the ultimate protector. She is being abused and bullied by her husband and he feels compelled to help her escape tyranny. It's admiration and respect, rather than a romantic connection.

Additionally, I love that Nolan implements the famous Latin palindrome Sator Square into the premise of the movie. I really like word play and it just adds another level of intricacy to the film that I can further appreciate.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

But Jon... you are much like Michael in that you are a serious film guy. You can break down a film like a reviewer that you are. That's kinda like cheating you know.

 

[Epoxy1]

For those who are confused by the movie, here's a good rundown of what's going on: https://screenrant.com/tenet-timeline-chronological-order-time-travel-inversion-explained/

Once your realize that the beginning of the movie (Opera House), the middle of the movie (Yacht scene), and ending battle are all occurring at the same time due to time inversion, things make a lot more sense. This is a movie that I've thought about for many hours after it was over (and days later still putting all of the pieces together). I'll be watching it again next week when my daughter comes to town

 

[Jon Liu]

Sonnie, you may be right about that!!

David's right. Once the timeline is understood a bit more, this film becomes a lot more doable. On reddit there are analyses on when things take place and even a handy diagram/visual aid.

(Obviously don't click on these links if you don't want to spoil the plot at all)

Link to Reddit Infograph for Tenet

The more complex idea that I am still trying to fully understand is when and where specific characters get inverted. The latter half and especially the last quarter of the film is a lot more complicated. Primarily Neil's character.

Character Timeline

Additionally I love Ludwig Gorannson's soundtrack. The moment that the soundtrack was available to purchase, I bought it. Being a musician and, maybe more simply, a music lover, Nolan's sound mix choices are just fine to me. For better or for worse, Nolan treats the musical score as a primary character in his films.

Tenet is also a beautiful looking film, locations, camera choices, style, imagery, everything.

This film has it all for me and has fast become one of my favorite Nolan films. I also love the fan theories that this film has conjured up, as well.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I’m feeling left out, here. Santa didn’t deliver a copy. I need to get in on this action!