In a recently unearthed video, director Sean Baker (“The Florida Project,” Red Rocket”) raves about Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and is basically calling it a masterpiece.
This is in contrast to his original view of Nolan’s divisive film. In 2020, he had actually posted a review on Letterboxd complaining about the confusing plot and muddy sound design. A rewatch clearly gave him a different impression of the film, via Konbini.
That’s one thing I find lacks in present day action fare: treating audiences respectfully. His craft is on another level and, actually, I find “Tenet” to be the [best film of 2020]. “Tenet” is so underrated. I think people should go back and rewatch the film because there are moments that are just jaw dropping.
From what I can remember about “Tenet,” Nolan had somehow managed to make a movie that, in comparison, made his 2010 mindbender “Inception” easy to follow. This translated in the most divisive reviews of his career.
In “Tenet,” which very much felt like Inception-on-steroids, Nolan somehow managed to give us his most complicated and confusing movie to date. It hammered me to a pulp, with its relentless 153 minutes assault on the senses. However, I am open to watching it again, for the third time, this month.
“Tenet” felt like a woefully classic case of putting concept over story, a film heavy on pseudo-science as it tackled time-travelling via reverse engineering, in a clear-cut world-hopping homage to Bond movies. Nolan’s byzantinian vision kept playing around with time and place, in sometimes playful, but ultimately frustrating fashion.
Many months ago, I agreed with CineVue’s John Bleasdale who tweeted, “John David Washington is not a great actor”. He isn’t. He might be competent enough for certain roles, but he couldn’t elevate “Tenet.”
Washington was in over his head as the lead, his line delivery was awkward and he just couldn’t carry the story. Nolan giving him the lead role in “Tenet” stands as one of the more baffling casting decisions of his career.
What’s your opinion on “Tenet”? Did it improve on rewatch? Is it the hidden masterpiece that Baker claims it to be?
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.