There’s a time when people really need to question the things they’re doing since it’s not bound to make sense to everyone involved. True, it’s not meant to and this isn’t a requirement of getting through the day, but when it comes to Christopher Nolan’s move Tenet it does feel as though he was trying to prove with every scene just how smart he really is and was doing a rather poor job of it by mashing the movie into the faces of the viewers rather than allowing them to figure out for themselves in a natural manner. Many consider Nolan to be a genius when it comes to filmmaking, and he might be in some ways, but the fact is that Tenet was one of the biggest mind-screws that he’s created yet, and it’s because he’s come as close to having a blank check to do what he wants as anyone possibly could in recent times. Anyone that wants to dispute this might want to take a look at the production costs of his movies and how much has really gone into each project he’s worked on in the past couple of decades. Then try to explain just how he’s been able to do what he’s done thus far. His movies are entertaining to be certain when they’re not hitting people over the head with their own intelligent premises over and over.
Tenet has been lauded as one of the best movies of 2020, but that does feel as though it might have been different had the pandemic not been such a big deal when it came to theaters, since there were plenty of blockbusters that would have come out over the summer, and there are many more that would have likely given this movie a run for its money. So let’s just say that when it comes time to watch the Oscars, whoever is still watching, the grand joke will be that if Tenet does win, or is nominated, that it should be noted that was one of the only big movies to make it to the screen since Nolan absolutely insisted on it because his movies ‘have’ to be experienced in a big-screen environment. That doesn’t sound pretentious at all, does it? Throughout all of this, it is important to remember that those of us writing on these subjects is just one more opinion among the many, a drop of criticism or praise in the bucket, and we’re not to be taken as the authority on what is or isn’t the definitive word when it comes to the many movies that are released. Do we give honest opinions? I hope so since the idea that Nolan is an intelligent human being that knows how to make a movie is something that many people can agree on. But the idea that he uses his intellect to sometimes part himself from the pack by using it in a manner that confuses even his actors is evident as well. In other words, sometimes he’s a bit too smart for the liking of those around him, which causes people to either fall in line and hope that they’ll get what he’s trying to do at some point, or will cause them to stand aside and open their eyes to the fact that he’s using his intellect as a smokescreen for a fairly simple story that’s been given a confusing premise to hide the fact that it’s not quite as complicated as it would appear.
This movie does have a pretty simple premise, but it was given such a massively confusing overlay that a lot of people might have to watch it a couple or a few times to really understand what’s going on. Even then it’s likely that people will continue to theorize just what happened and why since the whole idea eventually comes around that things can’t possibly be as simple as they are and that the director had plans and motives for something else that people missed entirely in the story. With the idea of hidden Easter eggs that some directors enjoy putting in their movies, there is a basis for this thought, but the fact is that the overall story is still quite simple, and people won’t want to believe this. Why is that? Well, the real world can be mystifying and unknown, but it can also be mundane and boring, and for a lot of people, once they’ve seen past the smoke and mirrors, they don’t want to believe that things are that simple. With the simple idea of inversion, Nolan has made it possible for people to be amazed continually, and will no doubt spark debates that will continue onward into 2021 and beyond as people might actually write entire essays on Tenet and the possibility of inversion. Just wait, it could happen.
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