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Sci-fi Tenet is a thrill ride

A movie review by editor Josh Rivera 

Where do I start with Tenet? Christopher Nolan does it again with his newest sci-fi thriller that will definitely have you leaving with more questions than you had coming into the theatre, as usual. 

This movie is as if Inception and Memento, both Nolan movies, were put together. It is a must see on IMAX if you have the chance and if not, then at least see it on the big screen. 

John David Washington delivers a great performance in the lead role with Robert Pattinson complimenting him so well as his partner throughout the film. Their chemistry feels genuine and decisions are made by Pattinson’s character that really payoff in the end of the film. 

The beginning, however, can seem a little slow and is by far the most confusing half. You are still trying to figure out how inversion works and what the concept of Tenet is, which can be hard to follow. Not only are you trying to figure out what these foreign concepts are, but you are trying to understand what the plot is all about. Why is the antagonist the antagonist and what is the threat at hand? 

In the middle of the movie is a scene that clearly distinguishes the first half from the second half of the movie and let me tell you that second half is movie magic. Everything about the second half of the film is a thrill ride, and questions you had will all of a sudden click which makes the ride more epic. 

The final 30 minutes of Tenet had me at the literal edge of my seat, which doesn’t happen often, and I knew this movie would probably require a second or third watch. 

The score was composed by Ludwig Goransson, who composed the very popular score for Black Panther which won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The music was so incredible and fits the theme of this movie perfectly. Normally with Nolan’s big movies like these, Hans Zimmer composes the soundtrack like he did in the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Interstellar, so the expectations were definitely set high for Goransson. He absolutely met up to the standards and should be considered for another Academy award for best original score for this film. 

Is this Nolan’s best film? I would say no but definitely top 5 for me. The Dark Knight, Inception and the Dark Knight Rises are right at the top still, but I consider this movie in his Top 5 with The Prestige. 

I recommend people watch this film and even at the theaters if you feel comfortable enough to go. The story is solid, the action is very entertaining, the score is award winning — it is very rewatchable and the acting is very good from the entire cast. Some negatives for me is that the pacing is slow in the first half and hard to follow and that it can feel very tangled with learning new characters and what their purpose is. Other than that, I have nothing else to criticize. I give this movie a solid 8.8/10.


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