Tenet

Yay! Seeing a movie in the theatre is back, even if it’s quite different from the experience we are used to. I was so excited about being able to see a movie the way great movies are meant to be seen, that I almost gave this one a Golden Apple. I just couldn’t quite do it though. Tenet is directed by Chrisopher Nolan (Inception is one of his movies) and stars John David Washington (Denzel’s son). This is only the second movie I have seen him in (The first was Blackkklansman), and he is already emerging as a favorite with me. Tenet starts off with a bang as we see Washington playing some kind of secret agent who is “killed” in the line of duty during a special operation that goes awry. Believe me, I will be spoiling nothing if I tell you about the plot because the story is so confusing and convoluted that anything I will tell you might actually help with your understanding of the movie. It seems that people in the future have figured out how to ‘invert’ objects (that is, shift them through time). For example, an inverted bullet could go in the opposite direction it was fired initially, and change history. What if the same thing could be done with a nuclear weapon? All the plot shifts and twists are far, far more complicated than these simple examples. Washington is tasked with trying to stop this from happening. Washington’s partner is Robert Pattinson who may, or may not know what is going on. Everyone involved does a stellar job. The acting is great and the scenery and effects are eye-catching. However, the movie is very hard to follow (especially the first half hour) and there are a few too many plot holes for my taste; though it all eventually comes clear in the end. I still recommend Tenet, because you have never seen anything quite like it, and we all need a little escape into the past.