If Tenet 2 isn’t a time travelling buddy cop movie with John David Washington and Robert Pattinson going on a bunch of dumb adventures then I don’t want it.
There's a love story in here somewhere. In the final scene, the protagonist was desperately searching for opportunities and asking questions just to make neil stay, even if for a few moments more, and Neil isnt thinking about himself anymore and has the protagonist's happiness and well being on his mind. It's this century's version of "I love you - I know" Also the fact that both the protagonist and neil's themes are so romantic and tragic and are dedicated to BOTH of them (even the melody in reverse is the same at some moment) and played during their first meeting for the protagonist/neil's farewell before his death...
THREE THINGS: 1. Excellent shirt. 2. Remember when we left the IMAX and i was like "Okay so R-Pattz is grown up Max?" well on viewing 3 it was a nice idea, but I no longer believe my past self, and "Maximilien" is such a reach. 3. I keep thinking about a sequel to this movie and then I realised that I think this movie IS the sequel. Because wouldn't it make that final scene when Neil is walking into the distance be SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL FOR US if we'd already seen those two characters do a big ol' time heist before, and then we go see this movie where it's like "find out how it all began (sort of) (for one of them)" and we watch lovely Neil walk away being like "this is the end of a beautiful friendship" and we know we'll never see him again and we're crying like JDW is crying. Like, that closing moment with the voiceover is Dark Knight Rises. It's end-of-trilogy vibes.
I spell it Maximalien and that supports my theory that Max is an alien, which is why Kat is so worried about her son. God I love this film. I really like the idea that the cyanide bit is the end (because when he asks if the others got out it hits harder-we know the others). I also love the idea that when they’re “reconstructing his teeth” or whatever while he’s in a coma, they’ve actually put him through a turnstile and then had to keep him under while he found his way back through time.
Please, can you explain? The cyanide part is at the end how? And the team he was talking about we didn't know, I thought. Because they were Americans involved in a separate operation.. right?
The final moments between Neil and The Protagonist is some of the most emotional I’ve gotten watching a Nolan film, believe it or not. I think it shows his biggest strengths as a storyteller: implying information. We see both Pattinson and Washington have great chemistry throughout the film, and i just like to imagine that’s what they’re doing in the Protagonists future... saving the world as best friends. Neil saying “We get into some stuff, you’ll love it” gets me every single time. Fantastic video as per usual Jack!
The first time I watched it I didn't understand anything lol, but that's exactly why I loved it so much. I saw how complex it was and knew I'd get more and more out of it with every rewatch, so I was just super excited to kinda unlock more each time. Also, I think it's a very emotional film. Its very militaristic, which is why it can come off as robotic and cold, but I think that actually makes it more emotional. The Protagonist had no choice but to hide any and all emotion to prevent endangering the mission and the people around him. Seeing him genuinely care for Kat and Neil, but having to very intentionally ignore those feelings and prioritize the mission I thought was very emotional throughout the movie. And it makes that last scene with Neil even more hard-hitting, because he finally breaks down and shows the true effect the mission has had on him. Kat's situation was similar, with her dealing with the abuse from Sator while having to stay focused on the mission. And the mission became very personal for both her and the Protagonist, which created an even more intense emotional conflict for them. I could literally go on and on about this forever lol but I'll leave it there. Also, I never knew what Tenet/that hand motion meant omgggg🤯
i really want a sequel just because i actually wanna see a movie about neil and the protagonist's friendship... like I felt robbed at the end I wanted to see atl least a tiny bit of it
The hardest thing for me was to let go of the idea of time as malleable tangents (Back to the Future is my favourite movie) and accept the finite quality of reality. I can't quite fully picture this concept in my head yet, maybe like a still fabric of infinite loops? I'm not sure. Neil and the protagonist briefly discuss this fate/reality thing at the end and I'm really looking forward to watching it again to focus on the idea predestined arc(s?) for every character. Great chat!
Was anyone else annoyed that The Protagonist didn't have a name? If they wanted the audience to have a sense of ambiguity with him he could have been given an alias when he woke up after swallowing the cyanide so we would have a name to call him but it's still at an arm's length. But when Neil reveals that they're friends he calls The Protagonist by his real name, showing that The Protagonist will trust him so deeply in the future that he would reveal that.
I feel like its very Nolan though. JDW is The Protagonist, not just a protagonist. The film mentions having protagonists and antagonists, but by having JDW being The Protagonist we're given the answer that he is the cause of the whole film, the creator of TENET.
I love it but also hate it haha. Agreeing with the other response it seems very Nolan! However it reminds me of something a student filmmaker would do and thinking of how ironic it would be to actually call The Protagonist, The Protagonist 😂
Yes. This was one of those films where I had to wait for the credits to find out what the characters were called because I couldn’t understand a word of dialogue (never a good sign). And then we get to the credits and I find out HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A NAME. HE’S ACTUALLY CALLED “THE PROTAGONIST”. *WHAAAT?!*
I just watched this here in Japan so it was in English but with Japanese subtitles and I kept trying to read the Japanese subtitles to get clues on what they were saying cuz the dialogue audio was whack but I don’t know many kanji characters so it was just confusing me in two languages 🤷🏼♀️ Anyways I still need time to digest (and read explanations online) but you’ve given me much to think about 🤔
I would love to have a choose-your-own-adventure interactive release of Tenet where you could scramble the scenes around or watch the film backwards or in multiple screens at once to play with the timeline in different ways. That would be so cool!
absolutely love this, I'm so glad you've come to love it, kinda made me realise how much I missed, going to watch it for a second time next week. also I thought that Neil and the protagonist relationship is kinda like the doctor and river because they're cross through different points in their timeline
Your experience with Tenet was similar to mine. First time: "it was fun, and I'll see it again just for those amazing action scenes, but it's not my favourite." Third time: "I have a new favourite movie of all time! My family, friends, co-workers, and girlfriend are sick of hearing me talk about how much I loved this movie!"
The one thing that would make a film I throughly enjoyed infinitely better is BEING ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR THE DIALOGUE. If they do a re-release with better sound mixing, it’d be a godsend, and make the film even better.
Jack, a good vid. I was once again confused by this film, because I've only seen it once whem it first came out and yet I'm watching this vid. I really love your album-anology, I'll keep it in mind watching it again!
Slightly unrelated, but I stopped stretching to become a film buff (a v pretentious one) about 4 years ago now, and as a result I enjoy these videos even more. I can just watch someone talk about something they're passionate about and I love that I feel no pressure to match pitch anymore. Also, I can appreciate the very cool shirt :)
Big time agree and don’t think it’s talked about enough, I rlly think the value of films is always found in the rewatch. First time is just taking in the story, every other time you get to take in every other detail that’s gone into the filmmaking process. Favourite way to watch a movie is to rewatch it!
I've only seen the film once, but your review has made me realise that I need to go and see it again before it goes off the big screen. I loved it. It's one of my fav Nolan films. Totally agree that it's a bit arrogant to assume that I will totally get a film in its first watch. How boring is that? I forget films very quickly that are like that. I never forget Nolan's films. I think the Neil/Max thing is a bit of a stretch but who knows. Wish Nolan would make Tenet 2! Great review, Jack.
to be honest i love rewatching movies, some movies you just have to watch more than once .... i think when it comes to watching movies they're not made in a "size fits all"... some movies you watch them once, never watch them again and still can say they are great movies, others you finish them and have to rewatch them a second time straight away, some you rewatch them because they never lose that freshness, that beauty that makes the story interesting to experience... any "size" of the movie works out for their own reasons.... movies are just cool idk
Is it weird that I cried a bit when I realised Neil was going back in to sacrifice himself. I mean Nolan just completely nailed that ending with the action and also Neil's dialogue. He's so good at endings - Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception and TeneT are all so complete at the end yet still leave you with loads of interesting questions to ponder.
Not at all, the ending really got to me on subsequent viewings and the more I think about the Protagonist meeting Neil in the future and already knowing when he dies, the less I want to think about it because it goddamn hurts. Someone needs to come up with some kind of even remotely workable way that Neil manages to survive so I don't feel so bad (although good luck with that because you see the blood spatter in his helmet when he's shot, but like, people can survive that and an explosion right?).
first time ever seeing a film in imax, couldn't have been more perfect I loved this film, it completely subverted my expectations and after more than a month I can't form a coherent sentence about it because I just can't think straight when it comes to it (like a crush!!! it _really_ is a love story)
I wish I could enjoy the film like you do. When I was watching the end, the part where there is an implied future story of a time-travelling, crime-busting duo of R-Patz & Washington just made me wish that THAT was the film I had just watched.
Don’t forget Primer when it comes to original time travel movies, kind of similar to Tenet in the way they have to actually wait 6 hours to go back 6 hours so they are 6 hours older if they go 6 hours in the past
Great review Jack! I really enjoyed video before TENET came out about your theories on what would happen. I have loved finding out more about TENET and reading about theories and learning about the sator square. Definitely need to check out yours and Mark Kermode's podcast!
Really enjoyed hearing your updated thoughts. Makes me want to re-watch the film I went in knowing nothing about the film, hadn't seen any trailers beforehand. My poor brain was working overtime throughout the whole film. It was a very enjoyable experience discussing it with the people who watched it with me afterwards
Totally nailed it, Jack, as always! I almost feel like I’m at the point where unless it’s a film that demands or inspires multiple rewatches, I’m not that interested. Like I want to be able to come out of the cinema and spend time stewing on it all then go again and add to my experience and understanding. I love being able to immerse myself in the world over a long period of time and I even love being proved wrong. Your album comparison described that so well, when art grows on you.
Cannot stress enough how much the pacing of the film felt like it changed on rewatch. First time, like you said, breakneck. Felt like I had whiplash and a headache at the end. Second time, it almost felt slow (well, not slow, but normal). Same with the emotion and motivations. First time, I was annoyed with Kat every time she spoke like “it isn’t personal, it isn’t about you, it’s the whole world, who cares about your son” but second time, I realised it IS personal. The whole thing is deeply personal, to all of the main characters. And every event (like the great moments in history) are always personal because everything collective is still experienced by individuals.
Loved this video! I've only seen Tenet once and for the first third maybe I was too overwhelmed and confused to enjoy it much, but I started to get it (sort of) later on and really loved the concept, so I'm definitely keen to watch it again
I have seen it twice now and I love it so much!! I again agree with everything you said in the video and it’s really cool to see someone as excited about it as I am. Makes me wanna watch it again honestly
I waited a month for a subtitled screening at a time/place I could see this for my second viewing and was not disappointed! Highly recommend for those who missed muffled/fast bits but only for a second/third viewing (obviously for full hearing people only, no judgement here)
everytime i watch jack, i always end up thinking about how much he's changed since his old days with dean. skits like fac-e-book make me think how the fuck is this the same guy. definitely one of my favourite creators
Two minutes in and I already want to say THANK YOU. One thing - the ONE THING about Nolan that always buys a wealth of good will from me is that he invites you think. He's not a filmmaker demanding you to just turn off your brain and "experience" the film (sorry Michael Bay - you're fun and all, but you know I'm right), he demands you think about what's going on. And I love it.
Great video! Really loved watching this and listening to the podcast a while back. I’ve only managed to see Tenet once but really enjoyed it, although it felt like I had seen it twice because I had to explain a lot of things to my parents on the journey home. I would really love a sequel, Rob Patts and John David Washington’s chemistry is too good not to see again.
versena I actually haven’t seen it in IMAX yet! I’ve only seen Dolby and whatever the Icon theaters have at their theaters. I’ll go sometime this next week and watch it on IMAX.
Id like to think the cyanide sequence was the begginning and the pill actually doesnt work. That would imply that when the Russian bad guy (cant remember the name anymore) planned on killing himself with that, it wouldn't have worked and therefore giving the heroes hassle kind of a new light.
I certainly agree that not every film has to get its entire message across in the first viewing. However, that first viewing needs to be strong enough to make the audience want to come back for more, just like a music album getting stuck in your head. I don't think Tenet managed to captivate enough people with that first viewing, so I understand the apathy around it
Was waiting for this video. Truly great. Describes so well why i really enjoyed this movie. Can definitely get behind the idea of the beginning being an end it felt that way for me too like it was somewhat out of place when i watched it but yeah i cant really make anything out of it.
love this Jack! Wonder if your journey with Tenet will change how you review films moving forward? Many people will have rushed to get their thoughts out after a first viewing and that's kinda the trend or necessity of the industry - strike while the conversation is hot! but wonder if more films would have a different RT score if they were allowed to marinade :)
Oh gosh please please elaborate on the title being at the beginning and the protagonist actually dying etc. etc. theory that you discussed a lil at the end! Sounds very intriguing :)
Maybe I just have shitty home speakers, but I didn't have a problem with the sound and dialogue. Maybe a few words here and there, but I chalk that up to how quick the lines are delivered. I did watch it once with subtitles, worth a view.
I’d argue that while you don’t have to get a film on first viewing for it to be good, but you still have to at lest like it after that initial viewing. If you don’t have the motivation to seek out the second or third viewing then the film makers have failed in some way.
asdfghskhahghkjfas HE IS NOT TELLING US WHAT TO FEEL! OMGGGGGG Also what you said in your instagram story a few days ago when talking about Tenet - i dont really know what you said exactly but it was something about taking a leap of faith and the Protagonist killing himself and waking up again with a different mindset but also with the feeling of having to complete something... My mind went spiraling bc THIS is a constant theme in nolans themes "taking a leap of faith" is said multiple times in inception; one of them in LIMBO (ahhh) in this movie you have the uncertainty of not being awake/not being able to tell what is real but they still try to complete their mission. They constantly have to adjust themselves to new settings even more so - in memento: Memory loss, non linear time frame, he always wakes up with lost thoughts and in different sorroundings but he still continues. In all of these movies the ppl are lead by a strong sense of purpose, no matter how much of themselves/their identity or their environment is stripped away. they always have to take a leap of faith. i dont even know if this makes sense, this is just the surface of my thoughts that i can write down lol
I went to see it on Wednesday for the first time and loved it, thought it was so clever and surprisingly felt like I really got what was going on, but the more I read and watch about it the more confused I get and wonder if I even understood it at all...
I can't watch it, because I haven't seen the Tenant yet. But I want to drop a comment to support Jack, because I love his videos and I'll be back to watch it some time in the future
last year i went to see the incredibles 2 six times... and every time i saw it i caught a few more details - not that the incredibles is some kind of deep sci-fi movie, but i have had a strong connection to the original ever since i saw it when i was 7 years old... it was actually the first movie i watched in a cinema
Even though I have only seen it once, I really, really love it surprisingly I have no issues with the audio at lol. Happy to report that my Christopher Nolan film on the big screen is a memorable one.
My biggest problem with the film was that the main concept, inversion, was completely inconsistent throughout the whole film. It also introduced many paradoxes and plot holes.
Really insightful review. I’ve only seen the film once and honestly already mostly lost the plot after the interrogation scene where Kat gets shot 😂 I usually have to see Nolan films twice though for it to fully click for me, so am definitely going to see Tenet again (and probably again after that). If anything, I still liked it ‘cause it was beautifully shot and scored.
Yeah I fucking loved Tenet. It was so so so good. I also thought at some point Christopher Nolan must have been like "You know what would look really cool? Fight sequences in reverse." I have a theory he made the film just to justify a shit ton of badass reverse fight choreo. :') amazing
Well I think if the Maximilien thing is true, we've got a very good implication of Max's story. Max, beginning of the name, not reversed refers to the fact that his journey have just begun. Neil, on the other hand, reversed and placed in the end of the name, means that his journey ends here and from that point forward, we only see a version of his past. All comes to the "m" in the middle.
Overall, I did enjoy this film, even after only one watch. There should be a massive shout out to every actor, they were amazing. But for me the biggest hiccup was pacing; the last big part with the small army was great but felt so rushed and barely set up. And there were sections earlier that I felt dragged, though probably that was in comparison to the extreme speed of the rest of the film. For me, it won’t break my top 3 Nolan films (The Prestige, Inception, and Memento) (Jack don’t be mad, it’s hard for me to compare Dark Knight to his other films so it’s in its own category) but I had a lot of fun watching it!
Pre video: I was wondering when you were going to do a review on this (I didn't get it at all, probably cos I'm dumb) 😂 Edit after watching video: feeling slightly more validated about not getting it if the expert on Nolan had to watch it 4 times before he got it. The main things I got were the emotions, that R Patz saw himself right at the beginning (He was the only character that knew what was going on) like it was v clear we would be returning to the gallery. I also got the vibe that the kid would grow up to be R Patz bc the protag would watch over him for his whole life cos he fancied his mum, sort of like a god father as he couldn't really act on his feelings w the mum. (Which felt weird but right, like their love would be very brief in that period of time). The villain was an arsehole and possibly mad BECAUSE of the time travel, but that's not important to the story. Or I just want to excuse horrible behaviour at all costs bc I can't comprehend arseholes. Idk I feel like I would understand Nolan films a lot better if he sorted out the background noise levels and the words. *machine guns going off* WHAT DID YOU SAY ROB? SCIENCE? (I recognise this is probably just a me problem and I have to have the subtitles on some Netflix shows bc the music is too loud - god bless Netflix subtitles honestly)
I watched Tenet for the first time yesterday in IMAX and christ alive, I couldn't understand a word that was said for entire scenes (there are a lot of very technical flaws with the film in general). I feel like it is very predictable in a lot of ways, it sets things up that you can see coming from a mile off but it's all the more satisfying for it. It feels obvious that when Neil rips off the mask of 'someone' at the airport that it is The Protagonist and after a while you can quite easily tell that Neil was recruited by The Protagonist and Tenet was created by the very same person but I think the film's a testament to playing to predictability in order to satisfy the audience.
With that last point about the reordered events, I don't think it works that way. The Protagonist is shocked by the inverted bullet, tells Poesy's scientist character that he was nearly hit by an inverted round. If the Protagonist did indeed goes back to the opera siege after dealing with Priya then JDW's performance doesn't really indicate he knows it's his last day on Earth. Not to mention the fact that the conversation with his CIA boss wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if this was the "start" of the Protagonist's story from his perspective. However. One thing that did strike me when watching it a third time is that The Protagonist doesn't recognise the part of the Algorithm during the Tallinn highway sequence. He has seen it before during the opera siege, so the fact he doesn't recognise it when opening the case always struck me as odd.
I dunno if it was just me, but I felt like TENET was a loop on itself, if you know what I mean, the beginning connects to the end and the end connects to the beginning, I feel like what I'm saying is rlly vague, but let me know what you think lol
Seen it twice. I understood most of it on the second viewing, but the thing that still has me puzzled is why it matters at all if Sator kills himself. Surely the endgame is the algorithm being buried, regardless of Sator being alive or not 🤔
@@JackHoward but say they failed, and the algorithm was buried. Isn't that game over, whether Sator is dead or alive? I can't understand why he *must* be alive until it is recovered.
If Tenet 2 isn’t a time travelling buddy cop movie with John David Washington and Robert Pattinson going on a bunch of dumb adventures then I don’t want it.
Would have been better
There's a love story in here somewhere. In the final scene, the protagonist was desperately searching for opportunities and asking questions just to make neil stay, even if for a few moments more, and Neil isnt thinking about himself anymore and has the protagonist's happiness and well being on his mind. It's this century's version of "I love you - I know"
Also the fact that both the protagonist and neil's themes are so romantic and tragic and are dedicated to BOTH of them (even the melody in reverse is the same at some moment) and played during their first meeting for the protagonist/neil's farewell before his death...
THREE THINGS:
1. Excellent shirt.
2. Remember when we left the IMAX and i was like "Okay so R-Pattz is grown up Max?" well on viewing 3 it was a nice idea, but I no longer believe my past self, and "Maximilien" is such a reach.
3. I keep thinking about a sequel to this movie and then I realised that I think this movie IS the sequel. Because wouldn't it make that final scene when Neil is walking into the distance be SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL FOR US if we'd already seen those two characters do a big ol' time heist before, and then we go see this movie where it's like "find out how it all began (sort of) (for one of them)" and we watch lovely Neil walk away being like "this is the end of a beautiful friendship" and we know we'll never see him again and we're crying like JDW is crying. Like, that closing moment with the voiceover is Dark Knight Rises. It's end-of-trilogy vibes.
I agree about it being a sequel - it just annoys me we didn’t get the first film before to build the basics of the characters.
Oh but jack, isn't it the failure of the filmmaker if they aren't able to communicate -
_begins to play smooth jazz_
I just can't wait to watch it with subtitles
Same. Funny enough, why I wished I watched it/ it was available on VOD.
I literally believe it’s going to be a different movie with subtitles haha
I must have been lucky, I could hear everything in the movie! Even the loud bits on the fast boats. Credit to my local cinema!
I spell it Maximalien and that supports my theory that Max is an alien, which is why Kat is so worried about her son.
God I love this film. I really like the idea that the cyanide bit is the end (because when he asks if the others got out it hits harder-we know the others). I also love the idea that when they’re “reconstructing his teeth” or whatever while he’s in a coma, they’ve actually put him through a turnstile and then had to keep him under while he found his way back through time.
Please, can you explain?
The cyanide part is at the end how?
And the team he was talking about we didn't know, I thought. Because they were Americans involved in a separate operation.. right?
The final moments between Neil and The Protagonist is some of the most emotional I’ve gotten watching a Nolan film, believe it or not. I think it shows his biggest strengths as a storyteller: implying information. We see both Pattinson and Washington have great chemistry throughout the film, and i just like to imagine that’s what they’re doing in the Protagonists future... saving the world as best friends. Neil saying “We get into some stuff, you’ll love it” gets me every single time. Fantastic video as per usual Jack!
The first time I watched it I didn't understand anything lol, but that's exactly why I loved it so much. I saw how complex it was and knew I'd get more and more out of it with every rewatch, so I was just super excited to kinda unlock more each time. Also, I think it's a very emotional film. Its very militaristic, which is why it can come off as robotic and cold, but I think that actually makes it more emotional. The Protagonist had no choice but to hide any and all emotion to prevent endangering the mission and the people around him. Seeing him genuinely care for Kat and Neil, but having to very intentionally ignore those feelings and prioritize the mission I thought was very emotional throughout the movie. And it makes that last scene with Neil even more hard-hitting, because he finally breaks down and shows the true effect the mission has had on him. Kat's situation was similar, with her dealing with the abuse from Sator while having to stay focused on the mission. And the mission became very personal for both her and the Protagonist, which created an even more intense emotional conflict for them. I could literally go on and on about this forever lol but I'll leave it there.
Also, I never knew what Tenet/that hand motion meant omgggg🤯
i really want a sequel just because i actually wanna see a movie about neil and the protagonist's friendship... like I felt robbed at the end I wanted to see atl least a tiny bit of it
I haven’t seen this movie but I don’t think I’ve been spoiled because everything you said confused the shit out of me
If anything this will help you understand when you watch it
The hardest thing for me was to let go of the idea of time as malleable tangents (Back to the Future is my favourite movie) and accept the finite quality of reality. I can't quite fully picture this concept in my head yet, maybe like a still fabric of infinite loops? I'm not sure. Neil and the protagonist briefly discuss this fate/reality thing at the end and I'm really looking forward to watching it again to focus on the idea predestined arc(s?) for every character. Great chat!
Now I am rewatching this video and getting too pumped about how genius Tenet is. IT'S SO GOOD *punches drywall*
i really want to watch the movie again but i’m going to need it to be subtitled because i had no idea what anyone was saying half the time.
Glad you came around. This was the first time I disagreed with a review of yours, so I knew something was wrong. I love this movie.
Was anyone else annoyed that The Protagonist didn't have a name? If they wanted the audience to have a sense of ambiguity with him he could have been given an alias when he woke up after swallowing the cyanide so we would have a name to call him but it's still at an arm's length.
But when Neil reveals that they're friends he calls The Protagonist by his real name, showing that The Protagonist will trust him so deeply in the future that he would reveal that.
I feel like its very Nolan though. JDW is The Protagonist, not just a protagonist. The film mentions having protagonists and antagonists, but by having JDW being The Protagonist we're given the answer that he is the cause of the whole film, the creator of TENET.
I love it but also hate it haha. Agreeing with the other response it seems very Nolan! However it reminds me of something a student filmmaker would do and thinking of how ironic it would be to actually call The Protagonist, The Protagonist 😂
Yes. This was one of those films where I had to wait for the credits to find out what the characters were called because I couldn’t understand a word of dialogue (never a good sign). And then we get to the credits and I find out HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A NAME. HE’S ACTUALLY CALLED “THE PROTAGONIST”. *WHAAAT?!*
I just watched this here in Japan so it was in English but with Japanese subtitles and I kept trying to read the Japanese subtitles to get clues on what they were saying cuz the dialogue audio was whack but I don’t know many kanji characters so it was just confusing me in two languages 🤷🏼♀️
Anyways I still need time to digest (and read explanations online) but you’ve given me much to think about 🤔
Education or military? Only type of Americans I've come across in Asia other than tourists lol
I would love to have a choose-your-own-adventure interactive release of Tenet where you could scramble the scenes around or watch the film backwards or in multiple screens at once to play with the timeline in different ways. That would be so cool!
absolutely love this, I'm so glad you've come to love it, kinda made me realise how much I missed, going to watch it for a second time next week. also I thought that Neil and the protagonist relationship is kinda like the doctor and river because they're cross through different points in their timeline
"Oh no I've gone cross-eyed" hahahaha love an Austin Powers shout. You're a goody Jack, great vid.
Your experience with Tenet was similar to mine. First time: "it was fun, and I'll see it again just for those amazing action scenes, but it's not my favourite." Third time: "I have a new favourite movie of all time! My family, friends, co-workers, and girlfriend are sick of hearing me talk about how much I loved this movie!"
The one thing that would make a film I throughly enjoyed infinitely better is BEING ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR THE DIALOGUE. If they do a re-release with better sound mixing, it’d be a godsend, and make the film even better.
Jack, a good vid. I was once again confused by this film, because I've only seen it once whem it first came out and yet I'm watching this vid. I really love your album-anology, I'll keep it in mind watching it again!
finally saw tenet last night. cried for 2hours. nolan films Never make me cry ;-;
Slightly unrelated, but I stopped stretching to become a film buff (a v pretentious one) about 4 years ago now, and as a result I enjoy these videos even more. I can just watch someone talk about something they're passionate about and I love that I feel no pressure to match pitch anymore. Also, I can appreciate the very cool shirt :)
It’s a great shirt
Big time agree and don’t think it’s talked about enough, I rlly think the value of films is always found in the rewatch. First time is just taking in the story, every other time you get to take in every other detail that’s gone into the filmmaking process. Favourite way to watch a movie is to rewatch it!
I've only seen the film once, but your review has made me realise that I need to go and see it again before it goes off the big screen. I loved it. It's one of my fav Nolan films. Totally agree that it's a bit arrogant to assume that I will totally get a film in its first watch. How boring is that? I forget films very quickly that are like that. I never forget Nolan's films. I think the Neil/Max thing is a bit of a stretch but who knows. Wish Nolan would make Tenet 2! Great review, Jack.
to be honest i love rewatching movies, some movies you just have to watch more than once .... i think when it comes to watching movies they're not made in a "size fits all"... some movies you watch them once, never watch them again and still can say they are great movies, others you finish them and have to rewatch them a second time straight away, some you rewatch them because they never lose that freshness, that beauty that makes the story interesting to experience... any "size" of the movie works out for their own reasons....
movies are just cool idk
Cant focus. Was just looking at the veins on his neck.
I was waiting for someone else to say it because.... damn
Chutiya hai kya
I legitimately just paused this video and said * out loud * "You're hair looks too good, I can't focus on what you're saying right now."
Is it weird that I cried a bit when I realised Neil was going back in to sacrifice himself. I mean Nolan just completely nailed that ending with the action and also Neil's dialogue. He's so good at endings - Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception and TeneT are all so complete at the end yet still leave you with loads of interesting questions to ponder.
Its honestly one of my favorite "emotional" scenes in a Nolan movie. It's done so well
Not at all, the ending really got to me on subsequent viewings and the more I think about the Protagonist meeting Neil in the future and already knowing when he dies, the less I want to think about it because it goddamn hurts. Someone needs to come up with some kind of even remotely workable way that Neil manages to survive so I don't feel so bad (although good luck with that because you see the blood spatter in his helmet when he's shot, but like, people can survive that and an explosion right?).
first time ever seeing a film in imax, couldn't have been more perfect
I loved this film, it completely subverted my expectations and after more than a month I can't form a coherent sentence about it because I just can't think straight when it comes to it (like a crush!!! it _really_ is a love story)
I wish I could enjoy the film like you do. When I was watching the end, the part where there is an implied future story of a time-travelling, crime-busting duo of R-Patz & Washington just made me wish that THAT was the film I had just watched.
Don’t forget Primer when it comes to original time travel movies, kind of similar to Tenet in the way they have to actually wait 6 hours to go back 6 hours so they are 6 hours older if they go 6 hours in the past
Great review Jack! I really enjoyed video before TENET came out about your theories on what would happen. I have loved finding out more about TENET and reading about theories and learning about the sator square. Definitely need to check out yours and Mark Kermode's podcast!
Really enjoyed hearing your updated thoughts. Makes me want to re-watch the film
I went in knowing nothing about the film, hadn't seen any trailers beforehand. My poor brain was working overtime throughout the whole film. It was a very enjoyable experience discussing it with the people who watched it with me afterwards
Totally nailed it, Jack, as always! I almost feel like I’m at the point where unless it’s a film that demands or inspires multiple rewatches, I’m not that interested. Like I want to be able to come out of the cinema and spend time stewing on it all then go again and add to my experience and understanding. I love being able to immerse myself in the world over a long period of time and I even love being proved wrong. Your album comparison described that so well, when art grows on you.
Cannot stress enough how much the pacing of the film felt like it changed on rewatch. First time, like you said, breakneck. Felt like I had whiplash and a headache at the end. Second time, it almost felt slow (well, not slow, but normal). Same with the emotion and motivations. First time, I was annoyed with Kat every time she spoke like “it isn’t personal, it isn’t about you, it’s the whole world, who cares about your son” but second time, I realised it IS personal. The whole thing is deeply personal, to all of the main characters. And every event (like the great moments in history) are always personal because everything collective is still experienced by individuals.
Loved this video! I've only seen Tenet once and for the first third maybe I was too overwhelmed and confused to enjoy it much, but I started to get it (sort of) later on and really loved the concept, so I'm definitely keen to watch it again
I have seen it twice now and I love it so much!! I again agree with everything you said in the video and it’s really cool to see someone as excited about it as I am. Makes me wanna watch it again honestly
I've seen it six times, I'm kinda addicted at this point.
I waited a month for a subtitled screening at a time/place I could see this for my second viewing and was not disappointed! Highly recommend for those who missed muffled/fast bits but only for a second/third viewing (obviously for full hearing people only, no judgement here)
everytime i watch jack, i always end up thinking about how much he's changed since his old days with dean. skits like fac-e-book make me think how the fuck is this the same guy. definitely one of my favourite creators
Two minutes in and I already want to say THANK YOU. One thing - the ONE THING about Nolan that always buys a wealth of good will from me is that he invites you think. He's not a filmmaker demanding you to just turn off your brain and "experience" the film (sorry Michael Bay - you're fun and all, but you know I'm right), he demands you think about what's going on. And I love it.
(and I loved Interstellar too so don't think I'm sucking up here)
I had to discuss this on a date, after seeing it just once. 2 hours after seeing it.
Great video! Really loved watching this and listening to the podcast a while back. I’ve only managed to see Tenet once but really enjoyed it, although it felt like I had seen it twice because I had to explain a lot of things to my parents on the journey home. I would really love a sequel, Rob Patts and John David Washington’s chemistry is too good not to see again.
Well it is a hubling experience to watch such an impresive film! And i must admit i did feel a bit stupid, but now you've changed my perspective.
Look I don't know about storytelling and themes, but what I do know is they had loud sick ass music with dope action scenes and i loved it
I saw it twice and I think I should go again. I loved it the first time and I want to keep loving it on the big screen too.
It's definitely a theatre kind of experience, particularly IMAX if you can. It's why I keep going back...
versena I actually haven’t seen it in IMAX yet! I’ve only seen Dolby and whatever the Icon theaters have at their theaters. I’ll go sometime this next week and watch it on IMAX.
Id like to think the cyanide sequence was the begginning and the pill actually doesnt work. That would imply that when the Russian bad guy (cant remember the name anymore) planned on killing himself with that, it wouldn't have worked and therefore giving the heroes hassle kind of a new light.
As soon as this comes out on DVD, i am buying it because you just mentioned so many things and watching it once in cinema is clearly not enough
literally booked tickets for a second viewing while watching this
I've been hoping this video would happen
I certainly agree that not every film has to get its entire message across in the first viewing. However, that first viewing needs to be strong enough to make the audience want to come back for more, just like a music album getting stuck in your head.
I don't think Tenet managed to captivate enough people with that first viewing, so I understand the apathy around it
I am here for this Howard!!
Was waiting for this video. Truly great. Describes so well why i really enjoyed this movie.
Can definitely get behind the idea of the beginning being an end it felt that way for me too like it was somewhat out of place when i watched it but yeah i cant really make anything out of it.
i was waiting for this!!!!
love this Jack! Wonder if your journey with Tenet will change how you review films moving forward? Many people will have rushed to get their thoughts out after a first viewing and that's kinda the trend or necessity of the industry - strike while the conversation is hot! but wonder if more films would have a different RT score if they were allowed to marinade :)
Oh gosh please please elaborate on the title being at the beginning and the protagonist actually dying etc. etc. theory that you discussed a lil at the end! Sounds very intriguing :)
love the shirt!
Maybe I just have shitty home speakers, but I didn't have a problem with the sound and dialogue. Maybe a few words here and there, but I chalk that up to how quick the lines are delivered. I did watch it once with subtitles, worth a view.
We're all so desperate to love it. This is me at Phantom Menace again, willing myself to believe it's still the thing I love.
I’d argue that while you don’t have to get a film on first viewing for it to be good, but you still have to at lest like it after that initial viewing. If you don’t have the motivation to seek out the second or third viewing then the film makers have failed in some way.
That's true so I guess that's where the mantra 'you'd don't have to understand it, you have to feel and experience it' comes from
asdfghskhahghkjfas HE IS NOT TELLING US WHAT TO FEEL! OMGGGGGG
Also what you said in your instagram story a few days ago when talking about Tenet - i dont really know what you said exactly but it was something about taking a leap of faith and the Protagonist killing himself and waking up again with a different mindset but also with the feeling of having to complete something...
My mind went spiraling bc THIS is a constant theme in nolans themes
"taking a leap of faith" is said multiple times in inception; one of them in LIMBO (ahhh)
in this movie you have the uncertainty of not being awake/not being able to tell what is real but they still try to complete their mission. They constantly have to adjust themselves to new settings even more so -
in memento:
Memory loss, non linear time frame, he always wakes up with lost thoughts and in different sorroundings but he still continues.
In all of these movies the ppl are lead by a strong sense of purpose, no matter how much of themselves/their identity or their environment is stripped away. they always have to take a leap of faith.
i dont even know if this makes sense, this is just the surface of my thoughts that i can write down lol
I went to see it on Wednesday for the first time and loved it, thought it was so clever and surprisingly felt like I really got what was going on, but the more I read and watch about it the more confused I get and wonder if I even understood it at all...
I was very intrigued at first watch. I enjoyed it far more the 2nd time around
As soon as the film finished I knew I needed to see it again.
Nolan put the title before the movie begins in Interstellar and Dunkirk too
gahhhh this video makes me want to watch it again!!!
Without a beard, Jack looks like a different human being. (It’s a good thing, I mean I like both bearded and beardless Jack)
I can't watch it, because I haven't seen the Tenant yet. But I want to drop a comment to support Jack, because I love his videos and I'll be back to watch it some time in the future
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff!!!
take a shot every time someone talks about the fucking algorithm and you'll be dead before Neil
Loving your hair
last year i went to see the incredibles 2 six times... and every time i saw it i caught a few more details - not that the incredibles is some kind of deep sci-fi movie, but i have had a strong connection to the original ever since i saw it when i was 7 years old... it was actually the first movie i watched in a cinema
Even though I have only seen it once, I really, really love it surprisingly I have no issues with the audio at lol. Happy to report that my Christopher Nolan film on the big screen is a memorable one.
Did... Did Jack just quote the Grinch?
Tenet is great and at all... Jack on the other hand is getting better looking by day my future self tells me he is the next GQ man of the year
My biggest problem with the film was that the main concept, inversion, was completely inconsistent throughout the whole film. It also introduced many paradoxes and plot holes.
The idea that one watch of a movie should be enough to appreciate everything about it is absurd
I think there is also art in making a film that can be viewed once and offer all it has in that one viewing.
Really insightful review. I’ve only seen the film once and honestly already mostly lost the plot after the interrogation scene where Kat gets shot 😂 I usually have to see Nolan films twice though for it to fully click for me, so am definitely going to see Tenet again (and probably again after that). If anything, I still liked it ‘cause it was beautifully shot and scored.
i walked out of the theater crying because i didn't understand anything that happened
lovely video jack! i personally really loved tenet! such a good film!
what do you think about the suggestion that christopher nolan has a problem with exposition in his films?
Yeah I fucking loved Tenet. It was so so so good. I also thought at some point Christopher Nolan must have been like "You know what would look really cool? Fight sequences in reverse." I have a theory he made the film just to justify a shit ton of badass reverse fight choreo. :') amazing
I don't want to spoil the movie for myself by watching this video, but I just wanted to say that Jack's hair looks MAGNIFICENT in this video. 👌🏻
Yep, I’m confused again 🙃
1:55 I feel like Jack was sneering saying this...
Well I think if the Maximilien thing is true, we've got a very good implication of Max's story. Max, beginning of the name, not reversed refers to the fact that his journey have just begun. Neil, on the other hand, reversed and placed in the end of the name, means that his journey ends here and from that point forward, we only see a version of his past. All comes to the "m" in the middle.
Fuck. Kinda love that. M could be sir Michael?
Overall, I did enjoy this film, even after only one watch. There should be a massive shout out to every actor, they were amazing. But for me the biggest hiccup was pacing; the last big part with the small army was great but felt so rushed and barely set up. And there were sections earlier that I felt dragged, though probably that was in comparison to the extreme speed of the rest of the film. For me, it won’t break my top 3 Nolan films (The Prestige, Inception, and Memento) (Jack don’t be mad, it’s hard for me to compare Dark Knight to his other films so it’s in its own category) but I had a lot of fun watching it!
I love the Prestige so much!! I feel like I never hear it talked about as much as other Nolan films, but it blew me away the first time I saw it
Pre video: I was wondering when you were going to do a review on this (I didn't get it at all, probably cos I'm dumb) 😂
Edit after watching video: feeling slightly more validated about not getting it if the expert on Nolan had to watch it 4 times before he got it.
The main things I got were the emotions, that R Patz saw himself right at the beginning (He was the only character that knew what was going on) like it was v clear we would be returning to the gallery.
I also got the vibe that the kid would grow up to be R Patz bc the protag would watch over him for his whole life cos he fancied his mum, sort of like a god father as he couldn't really act on his feelings w the mum. (Which felt weird but right, like their love would be very brief in that period of time).
The villain was an arsehole and possibly mad BECAUSE of the time travel, but that's not important to the story. Or I just want to excuse horrible behaviour at all costs bc I can't comprehend arseholes.
Idk I feel like I would understand Nolan films a lot better if he sorted out the background noise levels and the words. *machine guns going off* WHAT DID YOU SAY ROB? SCIENCE?
(I recognise this is probably just a me problem and I have to have the subtitles on some Netflix shows bc the music is too loud - god bless Netflix subtitles honestly)
Great video Jack! You've made good points, but just gotta ask: when did you start looking like Sam Claflin...?
Must be Nolan's most polarizing film since Interstellar.
Watch Dark on Netflix! I am sure you would LOVE those time paradoxes
Jack what's your Tenet view count up to now?
I watched Tenet for the first time yesterday in IMAX and christ alive, I couldn't understand a word that was said for entire scenes (there are a lot of very technical flaws with the film in general). I feel like it is very predictable in a lot of ways, it sets things up that you can see coming from a mile off but it's all the more satisfying for it. It feels obvious that when Neil rips off the mask of 'someone' at the airport that it is The Protagonist and after a while you can quite easily tell that Neil was recruited by The Protagonist and Tenet was created by the very same person but I think the film's a testament to playing to predictability in order to satisfy the audience.
With that last point about the reordered events, I don't think it works that way. The Protagonist is shocked by the inverted bullet, tells Poesy's scientist character that he was nearly hit by an inverted round. If the Protagonist did indeed goes back to the opera siege after dealing with Priya then JDW's performance doesn't really indicate he knows it's his last day on Earth. Not to mention the fact that the conversation with his CIA boss wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if this was the "start" of the Protagonist's story from his perspective.
However.
One thing that did strike me when watching it a third time is that The Protagonist doesn't recognise the part of the Algorithm during the Tallinn highway sequence. He has seen it before during the opera siege, so the fact he doesn't recognise it when opening the case always struck me as odd.
Same Old Satellite In Tallinn, the revealing shot seemed to imply he did.
I fell in loooove with the film the first time I watched it.
The sound for this film was AWFUL. You could never hear what anyone said.
Every time Jack talks, it just makes hin even hotter and more attractive
I dunno if it was just me, but I felt like TENET was a loop on itself, if you know what I mean, the beginning connects to the end and the end connects to the beginning, I feel like what I'm saying is rlly vague, but let me know what you think lol
Seen it twice. I understood most of it on the second viewing, but the thing that still has me puzzled is why it matters at all if Sator kills himself. Surely the endgame is the algorithm being buried, regardless of Sator being alive or not 🤔
Exactly, they don’t want him to die! Kat’s job is to protect him until the algorithm is lifted and then she is allowed to kill him if she wants.
@@JackHoward but say they failed, and the algorithm was buried. Isn't that game over, whether Sator is dead or alive? I can't understand why he *must* be alive until it is recovered.
I haven't seen the movie and I have no idea what's going on but I like it 👍
jack had no business being so snazzy in this shirt