TENET – Rated PG-13 – 2 hrs. 30 mins

This review is brought to you by Kathy Kaiser

TENET – Rated PG-13 – 2 hrs. 30 mins

DIRECTOR / WRITER:  Christopher Nolan

STARRING:  John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh

As we meet the protagonist of this espionage thriller, (John David Washington), he is on a quest to save our world, armed with only one word to use in his arsenal against the unknown, TENET.  When he is joined by a cohort on this quest named Neil (Robert Pattinson), they both venture to seek out the knowledge of what TENET truly is, and how they can join forces to stop it, before it’s too late!

When our protagonist meets the estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), of the demon who has expertly crafted the use of this time inversion continuum, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), he finds himself not only on a quest to save us all from Sator, but to save his wife Kat from this monster, as the quest plays out too…

Now, as our protagonist ventures his way through two alternate planes of reality, we can only hope that he finds a way to end the use of this new advanced universal plane, and Sator too, before it’s the end of reality as we know it…

I give TENET a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN at a theater near you!  I was so excited to actually get the opportunity to venture back into a theater after 5 months, the it seemed almost overwhelming, which I think for this particular film by film craftsman Christopher Nolan, played out perfectly!  TENET was so increasingly cerebral throughout, that I totally forgot the fact that I had a mask on, or that I wasn’t enjoying my usual popcorn fix either throughout this film.  Believe it or not, Nolan has again  managed to orchestrate another film that is so mentally and visually stimulating all at the same time, that I was totally entranced by what was happening on screen, as I tried to understand this inversion of time and space simultaneously.  And in typical Nolan fashion as well, if you aren’t quite into figuring out what the premise of TENET truly is, this visually enticing and more importantly for some – action packed thriller – will keep your interest totally throughout this 2.5-hour scenario too.  Denzel should be proud of his son yet again, as if you loved him in Blackkklansman as much as I did, you are in store for another exceptional performance, only this time he’s even more intense, seeming to channel many aspects that his father has shared with us on screen throughout his own film career too.  Pattinson’s performance is good as well, it’s just seems that he should have been more involved throughout this storyline, than what time he did get on screen.  Debicki, and her performance, actually outshines Pattinson’s this time around, as Washington’s character is so centrally focused on saving her, right along the with entire world, that Pattinson ends up taking a back seat.  Branagh’s performance is fabulous as well, as the Russian who, of course, is about to destroy our world, and it’s awesome to see him more scruffy and rough, than we usually get to see him on screen.

And even though I know it’s still kind of touch and go to see if many of us will venture back to the theater this week like I did, as we continue to mask up, and wash our hands feverishly to combat COVID-19, just know, I respect that decision too,  It’s just my hope that for the many independent and commercial theater owners that I know all throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area, that enough of us will feel that it’s safe to venture back into their seats to experience Nolan’s latest creation, as there really is no other way that you should experience TENET than ON THE BIG SCREEN, which is why I even paid extra to catch it on IMAX too, as that’s the only way to truly experience one of Nolan’s films, in all its glory!