It seems like Christopher Nolan’s obsession with the space-time continuum is not going to end any time soon. His new movie Tenet proves it again. Fortunately, even if you can’t figure out all the sci-fi concepts, the slick visual effects and strong lead performances can help you stay hooked to the movie to some extent.
There is no doubt that Tenet is action-packed sci-fi eye-candy. However, the tedious complexity of how the plot has been narrated can make any normal moviegoer scratch their heads. If you have a Ph.D. in quantum physics and if you are able to remove all the constant and heavy barrage of confusing reveals, then you will find that the center plot of the movie is not as complicated as you have expected. In fact, some might even find it to be similar to the 1994 Sci-fi movie Time Cop.
Spoilers ahead!
For most of the folks who still haven’t got the faintest idea about what the movie is actually about, then let us break down the plot into a simpler form. A Russian bad guy possesses the technological ability to travel back and forth in time. In Nolan’s terminology, this is known as ‘temporal inversion’. The Protagonist is tasked with the top-secret mission to stop them by using the same technology- reversing time. Helping him in the mission is another spy from the British Intelligence, played by Rober Pattinson.
The core principle that drives the movie is the concept of time invention. In the future, humans have somehow derived the capability of sending objects back in time. This means that objects like a bullet will come back to the gun instead of going forward. Scratching your heads already?! There is more. After almost half of the movie, the protagonist is sent back in time to relive the even happened in the first half in reverse. The ending, like every other Nolan movie, can leave you confused and thinking.
Nolan’s movies are always critically remarked for its inability to convey human emotions. The director finds more perfection in building dramatic structures and scientific explanations than exploring the complexities of human life. This downside is evident in Tenet as well. However, the director’s ability to pick up a genre and reinvent it is something that was always appreciated. Tenet was his take on spy movies, but it fails to stand out and instead, ends up as an elaborated show of gimmicks.
