Tenet (2020) - Official Trailer / Christopher Nolan

[NorthStar]

The plot is currently unknown. The project is described as an action epic revolving around international espionage, time travel, and evolution.

After watching that short trailer I have zero clue what's happening, nothing impacted me, few nice shots and the music that reminds me Sicario's music score slightly. That's it. But the film director is one of my favorites so I have to follow him wherever his next project leads me.

 

[WLVCA]

I watched this movie at home a couple days ago.

Hard to follow. Some hokey special effects (running film backwards to represent time travel - still?). Tad too long at 2 1/2 hours.

I'd give it a C+

Too bad as I was looking forward to this movie. Perhaps would have been better in a movie theater.

 

[Steve Williams]

It came and went in a blink of an eye. Due to the lockdown it was playing in only a limited number of theaters

I can hardly wait to see the nominations for this year's Academy Awards.Can anyone think of a movie that stands out worthy of contention

 

[Mike Lavigne]

watched Tenet last night in my Home Theater..

some entertaining moments, but really a confusing mess on first watch. i decided to turn it off about 3/4 way in.

it might take me 2 or 3 watches to get it. the conversations are hard to follow, the dialog is buried in the mix. but also some interesting ideas and i did enjoy the main characters. so ask me in a month or two and maybe it will speak to me.

 

[WLVCA]

Pickings will be rather slim this year since so few movies were released in theaters.

Great year for Netflix, Amazon, Showtime and other streaming alternatives.

 

[WLVCA]

watched Tenet last night in my Home Theater..

some entertaining moments, but really a confusing mess on first watch. i decided to turn it off about 3/4 way in.

it might take me 2 or 3 watches to get it. the conversations are hard to follow, the dialog is buried in the mix. so ask me in a month or two and maybe it will speak to me.

I was tempted to shut it off, too, but decided to stick it out.

 

[spiritofmusic]

watched Tenet last night in my Home Theater..

some entertaining moments, but really a confusing mess on first watch. i decided to turn it off about 3/4 way in.

it might take me 2 or 3 watches to get it. the conversations are hard to follow, the dialog is buried in the mix. but also some interesting ideas and i did enjoy the main characters. so ask me in a month or two and maybe it will speak to me.

Mike, Nolan has been pressed on this many times, and he 100% defends inaudible dialog. He effectively says anyone expecting an "easy" viewing AND listening experience, should pass on his movies or change their attitude.

For me, inaudible dialog remains amongst a few big reasons I can't enjoy so much modern cinema and tv.

 

[WLVCA]

Mike, Nolan has been pressed on this many times, and he 100% defends inaudible dialog. He effectively says anyone expecting an "easy" viewing AND listening experience, should pass on his movies or change their attitude.

For me, inaudible dialog remains amongst a few big reasons I can't enjoy so much modern cinema and tv.

Very interesting. My wife had no interest in the movie so I watched it in my office. I initially played the audio through a two channel system but the dialog was so muffled I decided to listen to it on the TV speakers.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, Nolan has been pressed on this many times, and he 100% defends inaudible dialog. He effectively says anyone expecting an "easy" viewing AND listening experience, should pass on his movies or change their attitude.

For me, inaudible dialog remains amongst a few big reasons I can't enjoy so much modern cinema and tv.

i have no problem with a movie like this needing closer examination to get the whole message. it's not a Marvel popcorn flick. the watcher has to work a little to find the nuggets and twists.

i expect to come back to it a few times. hopefully it will deliver in the end.

like listening to string quartets or some edgy modern orchestral pieces. you learn something with having to put some effort out. the bar for the watcher/listener is higher. and more music opens up to you. same with movies.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, there's a difference between concentrating on the dialog because every line is pure joy, and rewards every additional viewing. And films where the dialog is frankly not that interesting, and can't even be heard.

I'd put Glengarry Glenn Ross and Casablanca and Citizen Kane and The Usual Suspects in that first category.

But you heard every word clearly. There's a difference between killer dialog that is easily taken in, and films like Tenet that are frankly inscrutable and impenetrable. And worst of all, it's the director-creator's conscious pretentious choice to make it this way.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Marc, i take Tenet as more of a 'game' with the watcher by the director....something different and i'm ok with that.

not claiming any high art ground for this movie, and agree that understanding dialog is mostly what we expect from any film maker.

too soon for me to know if i like it, or it's a pain.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Why is it even an area of argument...should one be able to understand the dialog?...yes...thank you very much, what else were you expecting? Lol

 

[spiritofmusic]

Now if Nolan released Tenet with no dialog at all...THAT i could approve of. But dialog pretty much inscrutable...no.

 

[bonzo75]

Nolan films require subtitles as they need to be read, not heard, like a legal document, every fine word, and then make sense the second time

 

[spiritofmusic]

You'd have thought he would have learnt with the debacle over unintelligible Bane in his final Batman film.

Nolan sound engineer + Tom Hardy mumbling = unhappy test audiences.

He had to effectively dub a new dialog track in that film.

 

[Steve Williams]

Mike, Nolan has been pressed on this many times, and he 100% defends inaudible dialog. He effectively says anyone expecting an "easy" viewing AND listening experience, should pass on his movies or change their attitude.

For me, inaudible dialog remains amongst a few big reasons I can't enjoy so much modern cinema and tv.

That’s why they have subtitles. I bet if you turned on subtitles all would have been good

 

[bonzo75]

You'd have thought he would have learnt with the debacle over unintelligible Bane in his final Batman film.

Nolan sound engineer + Tom Hardy mumbling = unhappy test audiences.

He had to effectively dub a new dialog track in that film.

Yes after which the film became great. It was horrid otherwise. Tom Hardy with the new dub is fantastic

 

[bonzo75]

Batman begins, dark Knight rises, inception, and that two magician movie all have great dialogues and I loved them after the second watch with subtitles.

 

[adyc]

I am very disappointed with the movie. In general, I like Nolan's films very much especially Inception. But as some said, the story of Tenet is a mess. Tenet story is nothing compared to Inception.

 

[marty]

watched Tenet last night in my Home Theater..

some entertaining moments, but really a confusing mess on first watch. i decided to turn it off about 3/4 way in.

it might take me 2 or 3 watches to get it. the conversations are hard to follow, the dialog is buried in the mix. but also some interesting ideas and i did enjoy the main characters. so ask me in a month or two and maybe it will speak to me.

Christopher Nolan has been called a "cerebral" director. Just not my cup of tea I guess. He's probably regarded as a better screen writer than a director