Jump to content

Tenet (film)

Listen to this article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Tenet (2020 film))

Tenet
The upper half of a man in a suit pointing a gun. The image is mirrored diagonally, with the word TENET in the middle.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChristopher Nolan
Written byChristopher Nolan
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHoyte van Hoytema
Edited byJennifer Lame
Music byLudwig Göransson
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • August 26, 2020 (2020-08-26) (United Kingdom)
  • September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03) (United States)
Running time
150 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$205 million[1]
Box office$365.9 million[2]

Tenet is a 2020 science fiction action thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced it with his wife Emma Thomas. It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. The film follows a former CIA agent who is recruited into a secret organization, tasked with tracing the origin of objects that are traveling backward through time and their connection to an attack from the future to the present.

Nolan took over five years to write the screenplay after deliberating about Tenet's central ideas for more than a decade. Pre-production began in late 2018, casting took place in March 2019, and principal photography lasted six months in multiple countries. After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tenet was released in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2020, and in the United States on September 3, 2020. It was Nolan's last film to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Tenet was the first Hollywood tent-pole to open in theaters during the pandemic and grossed $365 million worldwide on a $205 million budget, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2020 despite failing to break-even. The film divided critics but won Best Visual Effects at the 93rd Academy Awards and received numerous other accolades.

Plot

[edit]

On "the 14th", the Protagonist leads a covert CIA extraction during a staged terrorist siege at an Opera House in Kyiv. He is saved from KORD forces by a masked operative wearing a red trinket. The Protagonist retrieves an artifact but his team is captured and tortured. He swallows a suicide pill but wakes up to find it was a fake—a test that only he passed. He is recruited by "Tenet", a secretive organization that briefs him on objects with "inverted" entropy that move backward through time. With his handler Neil, he traces inverted munitions to Priya Singh, an arms dealer in Mumbai.

Priya reveals that she is a member of Tenet, and the man who inverted her bullets, Russian oligarch Andrei Sator, is communicating with the future. Sator's estranged wife Kat Barton is an art appraiser who authenticated a forged Goya by her friend Arepo. Sator purchased the Goya at auction believing it to be legitimate, later using it to blackmail Kat into staying with him. To earn Kat's help, the Protagonist and Neil try to steal the Goya from Sator's freeport facility at Oslo Airport but are thwarted by two masked men who emerge from either side of a machine. In Mumbai, Priya explains it was a "turnstile"—a device that inverts entropy. The two men were the same person, traveling in opposite directions through time. She reveals that Sator's henchmen sabotaged his CIA team but KORD got the artifact, 3/4 kg of weapons-grade plutonium.

Believing that the Protagonist has destroyed the forgery, Kat introduces him to Sator in Italy. Sator agrees to help steal the artifact, which the Protagonist and Neil do in Tallinn, but they are ambushed by an inverted Sator holding Kat hostage. The Protagonist hides the artifact and rescues Kat, but they are recaptured and taken to a freeport in Tallinn where the inverted Sator interrogates them for the location of the artifact, shooting Kat with an inverted bullet. Tenet troops led by Commander Ives arrive, but Sator escapes into the turnstile. To save Kat's life, they also invert themselves. The inverted Protagonist drives back to the ambush to retrieve the hidden artifact where he encounters Sator, who overpowers him and takes it.

To un-invert, the Protagonist travels back in time to the freeport in Oslo, fights his past self, and enters the turnstile, followed by Neil and Kat. In Oslo, Priya tells him Sator now has all nine pieces of the "Algorithm", a device that future antagonists need to invert the entropy of the world and destroy its past. Priya had planned for Sator to get the artifact to reveal the other eight pieces in preparing his dead drop. Recalling an earlier conversation with Michael Crosby, the Protagonist realizes it is a nuclear hypocenter detonated on the 14th in Sator's hometown, the Russian closed city of Stalsk-12.

On a Tenet ship traveling back to the 14th, Kat reveals Sator has terminal cancer and is omnicidal. They surmise that after the Kyiv opera house siege on the 14th, Sator returns to a family vacation in Vietnam to commit suicide, sending the dead drop coordinates to the future via a dead man's switch.

Arriving at the 14th, Kat poses as her past self in Vietnam as the Tenet forces in Stalsk-12 recover the Algorithm. They use a "temporal pincer movement", with inverted and non-inverted troops creating a diversion so the Protagonist and Ives can steal the Algorithm before detonation. Sator's henchman, Volkov, traps them in the hypocenter. Calling from Vietnam, Sator explains the antagonists are trying to prevent catastrophes that will be caused by climate change. As Volkov is about to execute the Protagonist, an inverted soldier with a red trinket appears and sacrifices themselves, enabling the Protagonist and Ives to escape with the Algorithm. The hypocenter detonates in Stalsk-12 as Kat kills Sator in Vietnam.

The Protagonist, Neil, and Ives arrange to separate and hide pieces of the Algorithm. The Protagonist notices the red trinket on Neil's bag. Neil reveals that he was recruited in his past by a future Protagonist and that Neil has known him for a long time. He leaves them his piece of the algorithm to invert and sacrifice himself in the hypocenter. Later, in London, Priya plans to kill Kat to maintain the secrecy of Tenet. Realizing that it was he who created Tenet, the Protagonist kills Priya first and watches Kat leave with her son.

Cast

[edit]

Also appearing are Jefferson Hall, the "Well-Dressed Man", who the Protagonist tries to extract at the opera house; Andrew Howard as the Driver who sabotages the CIA's Kyiv operation and tortures the Protagonist; Wes Chatham as SWAT 3, a member of the Protagonist's covert CIA team in Kyiv; Denzil Smith as Sanjay Singh, Priya's husband;[18] Jeremy Theobald as the steward at the Reform Club; Laurie Shepherd as Max, Kat and Sator's son; Jack Cutmore-Scott as Klaus, an employee at Sator's Rotas freeport in Oslo; Josh Stewart as the voice of a Tenet agent in Mumbai; and Sean Avery as the lead soldier on the Red Team.

Production

[edit]

Writing and pre-production

[edit]
Writer, director and co-producer Christopher Nolan

Writer and director Christopher Nolan conceived the ideas behind Tenet over the course of twenty years,[19] but began working on the script in 2014.[20] The title, as well as being a palindrome, is an allusion to the Sator Square.[21][22] Inspired by a feeling about how he imagined Sergio Leone made Once Upon a Time in the West (1968),[19] Nolan avoided watching any spy films that might influence him while making Tenet, instead relying upon his memories.[23]

The science-fiction aspect of the film revolves around the ability to reverse the entropy of things and people, resulting in time reversibility.[24] While the film does refer to real concepts from physics, among them annihilation,[25][26] the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell's demon, the grandfather paradox, and Feynman and Wheeler's Absorber Theory, Nolan stated that "we're not going to make any case for this being scientifically accurate".[24] Commenting on the scientific aspects of writing the script, he stated: "I think the scientific method is the best tool we have for analyzing and understanding the world around us ... I've been very inspired by working with great scientists like Kip Thorne, who I worked with on Interstellar, who also helped me out with some early analysis of the ideas I wanted to explore to do with time and quantum physics on Tenet, although I promised him I wasn't going to bandy his name around as if there was some kind of scientific reality to Tenet. It's a very different kettle of fish to Interstellar."[27]

For both the production and the distribution of the film, which had an estimated budget of $200 million, Nolan continued his relationship with Warner Bros. and his production company Syncopy.[28] Tenet was the last Syncopy film to be distributed by Warner Bros. before leaving the film studio in January 2021.[29] Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley traveled to scout for locations in February and April 2019.[citation needed] Disappointed with the Royal Swedish Opera as a potential stand-in for the Kyiv Opera House,[citation needed] Crowley instead chose the Linnahall, which fit his affinity for Brutalist architecture.[30] The production decided to film at the National Liberal Club after management at Sotheby's refused to participate, at Cannon Hall after Thornhill Primary School in Islington and Channing School were deemed unsatisfactory, and at Shree Vardhan Tower after it was determined that security at the Antilia was too high to film there.[31]

Casting

[edit]
The film's cast includes John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh.

Washington, Pattinson, and Debicki were cast in March 2019.[32][33] Each of them were only permitted to read the screenplay while locked in a room.[9][19][34] Nolan chose Washington based on his performance in BlacKkKlansman (2018).[35] Washington kept diaries in which he expanded the Protagonist's backstory.[36] Pattinson took some of Neil's mannerisms from political journalist and author Christopher Hitchens.[37] Kat was originally going to be an older woman, but Debicki's appearance in Widows (2018) convinced the filmmakers otherwise.[4]

The casting of Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh was announced as filming started.[38] Kapadia's screen test was put together by director Homi Adajania while working on his 2020 film Angrezi Medium.[39] Caine was only given the pages from the script that included what was filmed on his one day of work.[40] Branagh rescheduled production on his own directorial venture Death on the Nile (2022) to take his part, claiming to have studied the manuscript more times than any other in his career.[41] Himesh Patel joined the production in August.[42] Martin Donovan's inclusion was revealed in the first trailer for the film.[43]

Design and special effects

[edit]

Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher watched World War II films and documentaries to find reference points for the film that were based in reality.[44] Prop prototypes were often 3D printed. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and his team cut and stitched the clothing for the film in the United States, manufacturing it for the main cast and thousands of extras.[45] Production designer Nathan Crowley ordered around thirty military wristwatches from Hamilton Watch Company, each analog with a digital countdown.[46]

Filming

[edit]
Tallinn locations featured in the film
Linnahall, the location for the fictional Kyiv Opera House
The Kumu museum, the location for the fictional Oslo freeport

Principal photography, involving a crew that Pattinson estimated at 500 people,[37] began on May 22, 2019,[38][47] in a soundstage in Los Angeles,[48] and eventually incorporated seven countries[47]—Denmark, Estonia,[nb 1] India,[nb 2] Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[51][nb 3] Filming in Estonia took place in June and July, with the Linnahall, Pärnu Highway (E67), and adjacent streets closed to facilitate the production.[52][53] Kumu Art Museum doubled as the fictional Oslo Freeport.[54] Barbara's office was built in a former law court, the Tallinn Freeport exterior was at the city docks, and a room at the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel was also used.[55] Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart expressed concerns about potential disruptions, as the shooting schedule required that the arterial Laagna Road be closed for one month.[56] A compromise was eventually reached, involving temporary road closures and detours.[57][58]

Scenes were shot on the Amalfi Coast (Italy) and at Cannon Hall (United Kingdom) from July to August,[59][60] and on the roof of the Oslo Opera House, at The Thief hotel (Norway), and in Rødbyhavn at Nysted Wind Farm (Denmark) in early September.[54][61][62] A five-day shoot occurred later that month in Mumbai,[51] specifically at Breach Candy Hospital, Cafe Mondegar, Colaba Causeway, Colaba Market, Gateway of India, Grant Road, Royal Bombay Yacht Club, and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.[63][64][65][66] A restaurant named "Chaand" was erected near the hotel,[64] but was never used, serving only as an unneeded alternate location.[51] Forty boats were positioned at the Gateway of India, where the crew rescued a man who had attempted suicide.[67]

Eagle Mountain locations featured in the film as Stalsk-12

Production proceeded in Los Angeles, where Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center functioned as the interior set of an icebreaker and a shipping container.[68] The Victorville Airport was disguised as Oslo, with more than ninety extras involved.[19] Instead of using miniatures and visual effects (VFX) for the plane crash sequence, Nolan determined that purchasing a Boeing 747 proved more cost-effective.[69] In October, filming moved to Eagle Mountain, where an abandoned town had been constructed and hundreds were clothed in military camouflage uniforms.[9] Over thirty buildings were prefabricated in Los Angeles and shipped to the site. Four Boeing CH-47 Chinooks were loaned out for four days.[citation needed] Outside shots of a tunnel were done in the desert, while the cavernous insides of the Hypocenter were fashioned on Warner Soundstage 16, their largest, with 32,130 square feet.[70] Tenet wrapped on November 12, after 96 days of shooting.[71]

Director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema employed a combination of 70 mm film and IMAX,[72] prioritizing Panavision lenses that would best accommodate lower light.[44] Segments that concerned time inversion were captured in both backward- and forward-mobility and speech.[73][74] To ensure proficiency in handling firearms, Washington and Pattinson attended the Taran Tactical firing range in Simi Valley. They did some of their own stunts. Over one hundred watercraft were recruited for the film, including two F50 catamarans,[citation needed] the superyacht Planet Nine (onto which an Mi-8 helicopter landed), an icebreaker, a cargo tanker, fishing boats, and speedboats.[75] The windfarm vessel Iceni Revenge was used for the three months spent filming in Denmark, Estonia, and Italy.[76][9]

Post-production

[edit]

During filming, sound designer Richard King sent a team to Eagle Mountain to record the Chinooks and Mi-8, and to Southampton to record the F50 catamarans.[77] Others were hired to capture the aural atmosphere of Oslo, Mumbai, and Tallinn.[77] King got audio of both live and blank automatic weapon rounds at a gun range in San Francisquito Canyon and rented a runway to test how the vehicles in the film sound.[78]

Jennifer Lame replaced Nolan's long-time editor Lee Smith, who was occupied with 2019's 1917.[79] Visual effects supervisor Andy Lockley said the film's VFX shots involved the participation of 300 employees at DNEG.[19][80]

Music

[edit]
Main article: Tenet (soundtrack)

Ludwig Göransson was chosen to compose the film's music after Nolan's frequent collaborator and first choice, Hans Zimmer, turned down the offer in favor of the 2021 film Dune.[81][82] Researching retrograde composition led Göransson to generate melodies that would sound the same forward and backward. He experimented with distorted industrial noise and, to represent Sator's irradiated breathing, asked Nolan to tape his own breath in a studio. Göransson produced ten to fifteen minutes of music each week. The first scoring session was held in November 2019, and sessions continued into early 2020.[83] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Göransson recorded musicians at their homes.[9] The Tenet soundtrack contains "The Plan", a song by Travis Scott,[84] which plays over the film's closing credits.[85]

Marketing

[edit]

In August 2019, Warner Bros. debuted a forty-second teaser ahead of Hobbs & Shaw previews,[86] which was published online in December.[87] Yohana Desta of Vanity Fair called it an "old-school surprise" and praised Göransson's score,[88] while Jim Vejvoda of IGN described it as "Inception with time travel".[89] Both Vejvoda and IndieWire's Zack Sharf noted the trailer's stylization of the film's title as TENƎT to emphasize the palindromic nature.[89][90] The film's prologue also played in select IMAX theaters before screenings of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,[87] which Kyle Kizu of The Hollywood Reporter favorably compared to the prolog of Nolan's other films.[91] The film's logo was altered in May 2020 to remove the inverted stylization due to its similarity with that of a bicycle components manufacturer.[92] The final trailer was released in August and featured Scott's single.[93] A making-of video was released on August 26.[14]

The marketing and promotion of the film was significantly hampered due to postponements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with executives calculating that each postponement cost Warner Bros. between $200,000 and $400,000 in marketing fees.[94] Eventually, after briefly being held up indefinitely,[95] Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Times noted that Warner Bros. did not put Tenet on the Academy's streaming platform or send out screeners to awards voters.[96] Given the large investment in the film, part of its marketing campaign involved dual promotions with the watch manufacturer Hamilton and Fortnite, both of whom assisted in increasing public awareness of the forthcoming film. Hamilton featured Washington wearing the watch and endorsing it in multiple ad campaigns, while Fortnite developer Epic Games worked on the pre-release trailer for the film and created an interview with Washington which was featured on multiple video game websites.[97]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

Warner Bros. originally scheduled Tenet for a July 17, 2020, release in IMAX, 35 mm, and 70 mm film.[98] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed to July 31,[99][100] and then August 12.[101] Nolan desired that the film be released in theatres as the first Hollywood tent-pole following the prolonged shutdown, instead of being released on the HBO Max streaming service.[102][103][104] Following a negotiation between Nolan and Warner Bros. executives, the studio arranged for the film to be released in seventy countries, with a run time of 150 minutes, on August 26,[105][106][107] following preview screenings in Australia and South Korea on August 22 and 23.[108][109] The film opened in select cities in the United States on September 3, gradually expanding in the ensuing weeks.[105] On September 4, it was released in China.[110] The lack of available movies afforded it more screens per multiplex than would otherwise have been possible.[111]

On March 2, 2021, Warner Bros. announced that, in light of the New York state government allowing film theaters in New York City to re-open on Friday, March 5, following a nearly year-long shutdown (causing theaters in the city to miss out on the film's initial theatrical run), they would be re-releasing Tenet at select theaters in the city.[112] In the Philippines, the film was released on HBO Go streaming platform on June 12, 2021, following the year-long indefinite closure of theaters in the country in response of a potential COVID-19 surge, becoming the last major Asian country to do so.[113] The film was re-released in theaters for exclusive IMAX screenings in 70 mm formats for an exclusive one-week theatrical window from February 23 to March 1, 2024. It also included footage to promote the release of the studio's then-upcoming film, Dune: Part Two (2024).[114]

Nolan subsequently expressed dissatisfaction with Warner Bros.,[115][104] with Nolan's next film being financed and distributed by Universal Pictures instead.[116] In 2023, Variety reported that Warner Bros. offered Nolan a "seven-figure check" for him to return to the studio, consisting of the fees that Nolan waived to encourage the release of Tenet in theatres.[103][117]

Home media

[edit]

The film was released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on December 15, 2020.[118] It was added to HBO Max on May 1, 2021.[119]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

As of January 29, 2024, Tenet has grossed $58.5 million in the United States and Canada and $306.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $363.7 million.[2][1]

With a production budget of $200 million,[120] it is Nolan's most expensive original project.[121] IndieWire speculated that marketing costs pushed the final sum to $300–350 million,[122] though some analysts predicted it would incur lower advertising costs than usual, owing to inexpensive live sports ads.[123] Box office analyst Jeff Bock estimated the film would need to make $400–500 million to break even.[124] In November 2020, rival studios expected the film to lose up to $100 million, but Warner Bros. insisted losses would not top $50 million.[125] Nolan received twenty percent of the film's first-dollar gross.[126]

The film was projected to make $25–30 million internationally over its first five days.[127] In South Korea, pre-sale IMAX tickets sold out, and weekend previews earned $717,000 from 590 venues.[109] Another four days in the country yielded $4.13 million from about 2,200 screens, bringing the cume to $5.1 million by the end of the week. Tenet debuted to $53 million in forty-one countries, grossing $7.1 million in the United Kingdom, $6.7 million in France, and $4.2 million in Germany.[28][128][129] It made $58.1 million its second weekend, with China ($30 million from first showings), the UK ($13.1 million), France ($10.7 million), Germany ($8.7 million), and South Korea ($8.2 million) as the largest markets.[130] It made $30.6 million its third weekend, earning $16.4 million in the UK, $13.2 million in France, $11.4 million in Germany, $10.3 million in South Korea, and $10.2 million in China.[131] The film earned $11.4 million in its first two weeks in Japan,[132] and, after opening in India on December 4, 2020,[133] made about $1.2 million in its first ten days in the country.[134] In Estonia, Tenet became the highest-grossing film of all time, with a total gross of $1.2 million.[135]

In the United States and Canada, with 65% of theaters operating at 25–40% capacity, the film earned $20.2 million from 2,810 theaters in its first eleven days of release: $12 million in the U.S., $2.5 million in Canada, and the rest from previews.[129][136] The second, third, and fourth weekends added $6.6 million, $4.6 million, and $3.3 million, respectively.[137][138][139] Tenet remained atop the American box office its fifth weekend with $2.7 million,[140] before ceding the number one spot to The War with Grandpa its sixth weekend.[141]

The film's worldwide 2024 IMAX re-release began on February 23, 2024, in 55 IMAX locations, including 12 showing the film in 70mm, opening against the one-week North American engagement of the Dolby Cinema reissue of Les Misérables (2012). It grossed $600,000 globally on its three-day opening weekend for a per-theater average of more than $10,000.[142]

Critical response

[edit]

Tenet divided critics, with USA Today's Jenna Ryu and the Los Angeles Times's Christi Carras respectively describing the reviews as "mixed" and "all over the place".[143][144] The Independent's Clémence Michallon wrote that the film was perceived as "both entertaining and 'cerebral' by some, but lacking and confusing by others".[145] Ellise Shafer of Variety found that, while some were weary of the film's "metaphysical babble", reviews were "largely positive", with critics overall naming it "a mind-blowing addition to Nolan's already-impressive arsenal".[146] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 378 critics gave Tenet a positive review, with an average rating of 7/10; the website's critical consensus reads: "A visually dazzling puzzle for film lovers to unlock, Tenet serves up all the cerebral spectacle audiences expect from a Christopher Nolan production."[147] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[148]

Guy Lodge of Variety described Tenet as a "grandly entertaining, time-slipping spectacle".[4] The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw felt it was both "madly preposterous" and "amazing cinema".[149] Kevin Maher of The Times awarded the film a full five stars, deeming it "a delightfully convoluted masterpiece".[150] Robbie Collin of The Telegraph likened it to Nolan's Inception and praised the "depth, subtlety and wit of Pattinson and Debicki's performances".[8] In his review for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers described the film as "pure, ravishing cinema" and called Washington a "star-in-the-making" who "brings a natural athletic grace to the stunts and hand-to-hand combat".[151] The Dispatch's Alec Dent found Tenet to have "a gloriously innovative storyline with incredible visuals to match".[152] Mark Daniell of the Toronto Sun gave the film four out of four stars, deeming it "the cinematic equivalent of a Rubik's Cube".[153] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three and a half out of four stars, praising Debicki's "mesmerizing" portrayal and concluding that "it's the kind of film that reminds us of the magic of the moviegoing experience", despite not reaching "cinematic greatness".[154] Keith Phipps of The Ringer wrote that Tenet has the makings of a cult film, with "a failed release due to the pandemic, a muted critical reception, and a twisty narrative that demands multiple viewings".[155] Director Denis Villeneuve called the film "a masterpiece" and "an incredible cinematic achievement".[156]

James Berardinelli noted that the film "may be the most challenging of Nolan's films to date" in terms of "the concepts forming the narrative's foundation: backwards-moving entropy, non-linear thinking, temporal paradoxes", but questioned whether its runtime "might prove to be problematic".[157] He named it the best film of 2020.[158] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter felt that Washington was "dashing but a little dull" and that Debicki's performance "adds a color to Nolan's palette, and [she] has persuasive chemistry with Branagh in their joint portrait of a violent, dysfunctional love-hate relationship". She concluded that Tenet is "rich in audacity and originality", but lacks "a certain humanity".[17] Jessica Kiang of The New York Times described the film as Nolan's "time-bending" take on James Bond, praising the film's cinematography, score, editing, acting, and "immaculately creaseless costumes", while also deeming it a "hugely expensive, blissfully empty spectacle".[159] LA Weekly's Asher Luberto also highlighted the similarities between Tenet and the James Bond films, but also felt it was "a daring, surprising and entirely original piece of work, reverent in its spectacle and haunting in its mesmerizing, dreamlike form".[160] Branagh's character was described by some critics as a stereotypical Russian villain.[161][162] Christina Newland of Vulture.com called Branagh "silly-accented ... as a Bond-villain-esque Russian mastermind".[163]

Mike McCahill of IndieWire gave the film a "C−" grade and called it "a humorless disappointment".[164] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune awarded it two out of four stars, writing that he wished the film "exploited its own ideas more dynamically".[165] The New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski also gave it two out of four stars, calling it Nolan's most "confusing" work so far, but acknowledged being "swept up by Nolan's incomparable cinematic vision".[166] Kathleen Sachs of the Chicago Reader gave the film one and a half out of four stars, concluding that Nolan "doesn't show much growth in his most recent self-indulgent work".[167] Brian Lloyd of Entertainment.ie said poor sound mixing "often" rendered dialog inaudible when viewed on 35 mm film, suggesting viewing the film on Digital Cinema Package files to reduce the problem.[168] The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle also found Tenet "difficult to understand", and continued that "even worse, it inspires little desire to understand it".[169]

Audience reception

[edit]

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale,[170] and PostTrak reported that 80% of those gave the film a positive score, with 65% saying they would recommend it.[171] Some publications reported that the film gained a cult following among science fiction enthusiasts and Nolan's fanbase.[172][173][174]

Accolades

[edit]
Main article: List of accolades received by Tenet

Tenet received nominations for Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects at the 93rd Academy Awards, winning the latter.[175] At the 74th British Academy Film Awards, the film won the Best Special Visual Effects award,[176] and also won an award in the same category at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, out of its five nominations.[177][178] It received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 78th Golden Globe Awards.[179] Other nominations include five Satellite Awards (winning one),[180] nine Saturn Awards (winning one),[181] and one Hugo Award nomination.[182]

Themes and analysis

[edit]

Tenet's complex plot and character timelines, ambiguities and hidden details have been analyzed, leading to various fan theories and interpretations.[183]

Palindromes and anadromes

[edit]
The first-century Latin Sator Square, which inspired the film's title, as well as two character names (Sator and Arepo, the Goya forger), the location of the opening sequence (Opera), and the name of Sator's security company (Rotas).

Palindromes (words which are spelled the same forward and backward) and anadromes (words which when spelled backward produce another word) appear throughout the film in various guises. The five-letter words from the palindromic Sator Square appear as names and locations in the film: "Sator" (the Russian oligarch); "Arepo" (the art forger); "Tenet" (the name of the film and the Protagonist's organization); "Opera" (the opening scene takes place at the Kyiv Opera House); and "Rotas" (the name of the security company running Oslo Freeport).[184] There is a further nod to the word "Tenet" in the film's final battle in which the red and blue teams each have "ten" minutes to carry out their non-inverted ("ten") and inverted ("net") operations in Stalsk-12.[185] When the Protagonist is being tortured, trains pass by in opposite directions. Ludwig Göransson's score includes melodies that sound the same forward and backward. The film itself is a form of "temporal palindrome", as it ends at the same time as the events of the beginning of the film were taking place, "the 14th".[186]

Temporal paradoxes and free will

[edit]

Several characters have complex timelines in the film due to inverting and reverting, notably Neil, the Protagonist, Sator and Kat.[187][186][188] Inversion allows multiple versions of a character to exist simultaneously; for instance, there are five simultaneous Neils (that are known) in the world during the moments of the climactic scene inside the Stalsk-12 hypocenter where he dies (two inverted and one normal on the battlefield, one inverted at the opera siege and one more normal somewhere else in the world who will later meet the Protagonist in Neil's first appearance of the film),[188] and the implication is that an older future Protagonist is orchestrating the events of the film behind the scenes without ever being seen by the viewer or his past self, in an example of a temporal pincer movement.[189] Inversion also sets up bootstrap paradoxes, whereby events are caused by themselves in a "chicken or the egg" scenario.[190]

Free will is a theme in Tenet.[190] There are suggestions that Tenet's universe is deterministic, so what happens (including bootstrap paradoxes) will always happen, and consequently, there is arguably no free will.[190] One of the film's common refrains, "ignorance is our ammunition", could hint at the illusionist stance that free will does not exist but people should act as if they have free will.[190] However, the characters (especially Neil) express uncertainty as to whether history can be altered, and say several times during the film, "what's happened, happened".[190] Neil's attitude towards free will could be interpreted as compatibilist, whereby free will and determinism are seen as compatible.[190] Kat is seen as the character who most strongly embodies free will in Tenet by choosing to stray from the plan and shoot Sator, at which point she is free from his control.[191] Kat relays to the Protagonist that when she was returning with Max to Sator's yacht in Vietnam and saw a woman (her future self, unbeknownst to past Kat) diving gracefully off the yacht, she felt jealous of that woman's freedom.[187] Similarly, there is uncertainty in Tenet regarding the grandfather paradox and whether the use of the Algorithm in the future, wiping out the past (the time of the events in Tenet), would also wipe out the future.[192] Tenet has been interpreted as a war between past and future.[193][187]

Scientific accuracy

[edit]

The plot revolves around reversing the entropy of things and people, resulting in time reversibility,[24] and the film references physics concepts including the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell's demon, and Feynman and Wheeler's notion of a one-electron universe; nonetheless, Christopher Nolan stated in the film's press notes: "we're not going to make any case for this being scientifically accurate".[24]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Seven weeks of filming in Estonia came at a cost of €16.5 million;[9][49] Warner Bros. Pictures paid a rebate that was reimbursed at thirty percent.[49]
  2. ^ It took one week to secure the permission to shoot in Mumbai.[50] The planned schedule was completed in half the time.[51]
  3. ^ Tenet went under the working title Merry Go Round.[19][50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Tenet". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Tenet". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Schaeffer, Sandy (May 22, 2020). "Tenet's Main Character Is Literally Named Protagonist". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lodge, Guy (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet' Review: Christopher Nolan's Grandly Entertaining, Time-Slipping Spectacle Is a Futuristic Throwback". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Phillips, Michael (September 4, 2020). "Review: "Tenet" is an uneven thriller from Christopher Nolan". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Fletcher, Rosie (August 27, 2020). "Tenet Meaning Explained: Putting the Title in the Context of the Movie". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Smith, Anna (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet' Review: James Bond Types Are Thrown Into Confounding Sci-Fi Plot In A Christopher Nolan Film You Can Miss". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Collin, Robbie (August 21, 2020). "Tenet review: don't try to understand it – just rewind and enjoy the ride". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Collis, Clark. "Time for Tenet: Behind the scenes of Christopher Nolan's top-secret movie". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  10. ^ "Tenet: Trailer for Christopher Nolan film arrives minus release date". BBC News. May 22, 2020. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Sandwell, Ian (August 26, 2020). "Tenet ending explained: Unravelling the mysteries of Christopher Nolan's spy thriller". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Ovenden, Olivia (August 27, 2020). "The Ending – Or Is It, The Beginning? – Of "Tenet", Explained". Esquire. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Gallagher, Simon (August 28, 2020). "Tenet Cast Guide: Where You Recognize The Actors From". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Warner Bros. Pictures (August 26, 2020). "TENET- Behind the Scenes Exclusive". Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Connellan, Shannon (August 22, 2020). "'Tenet' is a time-bending spy thriller that makes the audience work hard". Mashable. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Geisinger, Gabriella (September 1, 2020). "Tenet fails Elizabeth Debicki's Kat in a big, big way". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Felperin, Leslie (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  18. ^ "Tenet Star Denzil Smith: World Is Coming Closer Through Films". Mid-Day. December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Maytum, Matt (June 2020). "Time to Spy". Total Film. No. 299. pp. 30–35. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Mottram 2020, p. 12.
  21. ^ Shone, Tom (May 28, 2020). "Can Christopher Nolan Save the Summer?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  22. ^ Sheperd, Jack (September 5, 2020). "Why you need to read about this historic, real-world puzzle after watching Tenet". Total Film. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Maytum, Matt; Shepherd, Jack (May 27, 2020). "Christopher Nolan on making Tenet: "This is definitely the longest I've ever gone without watching a James Bond film"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c d Zemler, Emily (September 4, 2020). "How real is the science in Christopher Nolan's Tenet? We asked an expert". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (September 5, 2020). "The Science of Tenet Explained: Entropy, Annihilation & Time Inversion". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Feynman, Richard. "Feynman Messenger Lecture #3 – The Great Conversation Principles". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Maddox, Garry (August 22, 2020). "'The biggest film I've done': Christopher Nolan on the secret world of Tenet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  28. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (August 30, 2020). "Box Office: Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Enjoys Surprisingly Strong Debut Overseas". Variety. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  29. ^ Sharf, Zack (January 23, 2021). "Will Christopher Nolan Leave Warner Bros.? Assessing the Director's Next Move". IndieWire. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  30. ^ Looch Cassam (August 25, 2020). "Real Locations Used to Create the Strange World of "Tenet"". Culture Trip. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  31. ^ Mottram 2020, pp. 37, 96.
  32. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 19, 2019). "John David Washington to Star in Christopher Nolan's Next Film (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 19, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  33. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 20, 2019). "Elizabeth Debicki and Robert Pattinson Join Christopher Nolan's Next Film (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  34. ^ Sharf, Zack (April 4, 2019). "Robert Pattinson Got "Locked in a Room" to Read Christopher Nolan's New Movie, Says It's "Unreal"". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  35. ^ Storey, Kate (May 28, 2020). "The Untold Story of John David Washington". Esquire. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  36. ^ Mullally, William (August 26, 2020). "Christopher Nolan and "Tenet" cast talk new blockbuster film". Arab News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  37. ^ a b Baron, Zach (May 12, 2020). "Robert Pattinson: A Dispatch From Isolation". GQ. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Hipes, Patrick (May 22, 2019). "Christopher Nolan's New Movie Gets A Title, Final Cast As Shooting Begins". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  39. ^ Masand, Rajeev (February 21, 2020). "Dimple's Tenet". Open. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  40. ^ Sharf, Zack (March 13, 2020). "Michael Caine Stars in "Tenet" but Says He's Clueless About Christopher Nolan's New Film". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  41. ^ Mottram 2020, p. 22.
  42. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 27, 2019). "Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Adds "Yesterday" Star Himesh Patel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  43. ^ Desta, Yohana (December 19, 2019). "Tenet Trailer: Christopher Nolan's Latest Is All about World War III". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  44. ^ a b Martin, Kevin H. (August 2020). "Time, Again". ICG Magazine. Vol. 91, no. 6. pp. 43–46. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  45. ^ Lohana, Avinash (May 30, 2019). "Exclusive! Christopher Nolan to shoot Tenet in Mumbai in September". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  46. ^ Wolf, Cam (September 3, 2020). "How Tenet's Special Watch Was Built in Total Secrecy". GQ. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  47. ^ a b Bankhurst, Adam (May 22, 2019). "Christopher Nolan Begins Filming New Espionage Action Movie, Tenet". IGN. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  48. ^ Cohen, Jared (July 2, 2020). "35 Years Ago, "The Goonies" Came to Life on This Massive Burbank Soundstage". Los Angeles. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  49. ^ a b Whyte, Andrew (June 18, 2019). "Government meeting Thursday to mull €5 million loan in Nolan movie support". ERR. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  50. ^ a b Seta, Fenil (October 7, 2019). "Exclusive: In a first ever instance, Christopher Nolan was granted permission to shoot Tenet in Mumbai within a week!". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  51. ^ a b c d Vyavahare, Renuka (September 22, 2019). "Christopher Nolan wraps up his ten-day Mumbai schedule in just five days; leaves for LA". The Times of India. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  52. ^ Whyte, Andrew (June 19, 2019). "City government announces "Tenet" traffic restrictions". ERR. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  53. ^ Vahtla, Aili (June 11, 2019). "Gallery: Christopher Nolan, John David Washington arrive in Tallinn". ERR. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  54. ^ a b Steingrimsen, Morten Andreas (August 22, 2020). "Derfor valgte stjerneregissøren Oslo" [That is why the star director chose Oslo]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  55. ^ Hiietam, Laura. "Where Was Tenet Filmed?". Visit Tallinn. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  56. ^ Whyte, Andrew (June 7, 2019). "Tartu keen on Nolan movie filming should Tallinn fall through". ERR. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  57. ^ Cavegn, Dario (June 28, 2019). "Tallinn, film studio reach agreement about Laagna Road closure". ERR. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  58. ^ Vahtla, Aili (July 22, 2019). "Tallinn grants "Tenet" producers two extra days for filming on Laagna Road". ERR. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  59. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (August 23, 2019). "How Italy Entices Big-Budget Film and TV Projects to Shoot on the Peninsula". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  60. ^ "Tenet film crews shoot movie scenes in Hampstead". Camden New Journal. August 28, 2019. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  61. ^ Tronsli Drabløs, Øystein; Alnes, Espen; Tunheim, Helga (September 5, 2019). "Hollywood-stjerner i Oslo" [Hollywood stars in Oslo] (in Norwegian). NRK. Archived from the original on September 17, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  62. ^ Møller Nielsen, Jonathan (September 10, 2019). "Stjerneinstruktør optager i hemmelighed ny film i Danmark – stort område afspærret" [Star director secretly shoots new film in Denmark – large area cordoned off] (in Danish). TV 2. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  63. ^ "Christopher Nolan to film Tenet action scene at Mumbai's Colaba Causeway, Taj Mahal Hotel; here's when". Hindustan Times. August 28, 2019. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  64. ^ a b Bandekar, Prathamesh; Tahseen, Ismat (September 16, 2019). "Exclusive – Christopher Nolan and Robert Pattinson captured shooting at Gateway of India, Mumbai". The Times of India. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  65. ^ "Tenet in Mumbai: Christopher Nolan films dangerous stunt, Karan Kapadia shares pic with director". Hindustan Times. September 18, 2019. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  66. ^ "Christopher Nolan takes to Mumbai streets for action epic "Tenet"". The Week. September 18, 2019. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  67. ^ "Chistopher Nolan's Tenet Crew Rescues Man Attempting Suicide". News18. September 17, 2019. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  68. ^ Cohen, Jared (December 15, 2020). "Here Are the Locations Where Tenet Was Filmed". Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  69. ^ Maytum, Matt; Shepherd, Jack (May 26, 2020). "Tenet: Christopher Nolan explains why they crashed a real 747 instead of using CG". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  70. ^ Cohen, Jared (July 2, 2020). "35 Years Ago, "The Goonies" Came to Life on This Massive Burbank Soundstage". LAMag. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  71. ^ Sharf, Zack (July 17, 2023). "Cillian Murphy Says 'Oppenheimer' Was Shot in an 'Unbelievably Quick' 57 Days: 'The Pace of That Was Insane'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023. By comparison, Nolan's World War II survival thriller "Dunkirk" shot for 68 days, and his massive spy movie "Tenet" shot for 96 days.
  72. ^ "Filming is Underway on "Tenet," a New Film from Christopher Nolan". Business Wire. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  73. ^ Gillespie, Daniel (August 12, 2020). "Christopher Nolan Shot Tenet Scenes Twice – Once Forward & Once Backward". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  74. ^ Hutchinson, Sam (August 30, 2020). "Tenet: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Christopher Nolan's New Film". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  75. ^ "PLANET NINE SHINES IN THE BLOCKBUSTER TENET". The Italian Sea Group. September 3, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  76. ^ Coates, Liz (August 26, 2020). "How Norfolk grabbed a slice of the seafaring action in new Tenet blockbuster". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  77. ^ a b Mottram 2020, p. 146.
  78. ^ Walden, Jennifer (April 9, 2021). "RICHARD KING ON INVENTING INVERTED SOUNDS FOR "TENET"". A Sound Effect. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  79. ^ Kit, Borys (April 5, 2019). "Christopher Nolan Taps "Hereditary" Editor Jennifer Lame for His New Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  80. ^ Lockley, Andy. "Behind the VFX of TENET". DNEG. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  81. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (May 23, 2019). "Tenet: Title, cast and more details of new Christopher Nolan film revealed". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  82. ^ Barfield, Charles (July 16, 2019). "Hans Zimmer Explains Why He Chose "Dune" Over Christopher Nolan's Latest & Says He Never Saw The David Lynch 1984 Film". The Playlist. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  83. ^ "Ludwig Göransson on TENET and the musical genius of Christopher Nolan". August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020 – via YouTube.
  84. ^ Langford, Jackson (August 19, 2020). "Travis Scott officially announces new single "The Plan" for Christopher Nolan's "Tenet"". NME. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  85. ^ Shaffer, Claire (October 29, 2020). "Ludwig Göransson Explains How Travis Scott Ended up in Tenet". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  86. ^ Stedman, Alex (August 1, 2019). "Christopher Nolan's Next Movie "Tenet" Secretly Debuts Trailer Ahead of 'Hobbs & Shaw'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  87. ^ a b Alexander, Julia (December 19, 2019). "Stunning first trailer for Christopher Nolan's Tenet introduces the director's most ambitious film yet". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  88. ^ Desta, Yohana (August 2, 2019). "Christopher Nolan's Tenet Teaser Trailer Is an Old-School Surprise". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  89. ^ a b Vejvoda, Jim (August 2, 2019). "Tenet Trailer Description: Is Christopher Nolan's Next Thriller Inception But With Time Travel?". IGN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  90. ^ Sharf, Zack (August 2, 2019). "Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Teaser Hints the Director Is Screwing With Time Again". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  91. ^ Kizu, Kyle (December 20, 2019). "How "Tenet" Prologue Sets Up a Time-Bending Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  92. ^ Anderton, Ethan (May 24, 2020). "Warner Bros. Changed "Tenet" Logo to Avoid Confusion with a Bicycle Components Company". /Film. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  93. ^ Jones, Marcus (August 22, 2020). "Hear Travis Scott's new song "The Plan" in Christopher Nolan's final Tenet trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  94. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 2, 2020). "Studios Keep Delaying Movies. What's the Cost?". Variety. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  95. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 20, 2020). "'Tenet' Undated For Now: Warner Bros. To Announce New Date "Imminently", Pic's Theatrical Global Rollout Won't Be "Traditional"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  96. ^ Whipp, Glenn (March 13, 2021). "Oscar nominations 2021: Complete predictions in all 23 categories". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  97. ^ "20-in-20 Marketing Partnerships, Movies: Tenet". LastCallNews. December 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  98. ^ Sharf, Zack (December 19, 2019). "'Tenet' First Trailer: Christopher Nolan Returns With a Time-Bending Espionage Epic". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  99. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 12, 2020). "'Tenet' Moves To July 31; 10th Anniversary Re-release Of Christopher Nolan's "Inception" To Go On July 17". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  100. ^ McClintock, Pamela (June 12, 2020). "Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Delays Release Two Weeks to End of July". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  101. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (June 25, 2020). "Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Delays Release Date Again". Variety. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  102. ^ Roxborough, Scott (September 2, 2020). "Venice Kicks Off First Post-Lockdown Festival, With Director Calling for "Restart for Cinema"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  103. ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana (October 16, 2024). "Christopher Nolan's New Movie Landed at Universal Despite Warner Bros.' Attempt to Lure Him Back With Seven-Figure 'Tenet' Check". Variety. Retrieved October 27, 2024. As a goodwill gesture, Warner Bros. wrote him a seven-figure check, returning the "Tenet" fees he waived.
  104. ^ a b Kit, Borys (September 15, 2021). "Inside the Studios' (And Apple's) Frenzy to Get Christopher Nolan's Next Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2024. his once-ironclad relationships with Warners frayed last year with the release of Tenet. Nolan, who enjoyed mutual approval over release dates, and the studio fought over when to release the movie, seeing it push three times before finally opening in September to mediocre box office and middling reviews, both firsts for the man, while other studios pushed their tentpoles into the following year. The filmmaker then took umbrage when the studio put its 2021 slate into a day-and-date release strategy with HBO Max, calling it the "worst streaming service."
  105. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (July 27, 2020). "'Tenet' Will Release Internationally Ahead of U.S. Debut". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  106. ^ "Tenet". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  107. ^ "Tenet". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  108. ^ "There'll be preview screenings of Tenet the weekend before its release". Flicks.com.au. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  109. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (August 24, 2020). "'Tenet' Takes $717K In Two Days Of Korea Previews As Coronavirus Surge Threatens Movie Theaters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  110. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (August 6, 2020). "'Tenet' China Release Set For September 4; "Inception" Reissue To Hit A Week Prior". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  111. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (September 3, 2020). "Warner Bros. Chief Talks "Tenet" Release, WarnerMedia Shakeup, HBO Max Progress". Variety. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  112. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 2, 2021). "'Tenet' Finally Arriving in New York City This Friday". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  113. ^ "'Tenet,' 'Godzilla vs. Kong' to premiere in PH on HBO GO this June". ABS-CBN News. June 7, 2021. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  114. ^ Legacy, Spencer (January 24, 2024). "Christopher Nolan's Tenet Returning to Theaters Ahead of Dune: Part Two".
  115. ^ Pulver, Andrew (December 8, 2020). "Christopher Nolan leads industry fury over Warner Bros' streaming move". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  116. ^ Starkey, Adam (December 19, 2022). "Here's what we know about Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer". NME. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  117. ^ Donnelly, Matt (June 14, 2023). "Can Warner Bros. Restore Its Movie Glory? Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy Want Christopher Nolan Back, Will Prioritize Theatrical and Take More Big Swings". Variety. Retrieved October 27, 2024. Two sources familiar with Nolan say that the director received a seven-figure royalty check from Warner Bros. within the past eight months.
  118. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 5, 2020). "Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Coming to Home Entertainment in December". Variety. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  119. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (March 21, 2021). "'Tenet' Arriving on HBO Max on May 1, Months After Nolan Slammed the Platform". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  120. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Vary, Adam B. (January 9, 2020). "Box Office Predictions for 2020: From Surefire Hits to Potential Busts". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  121. ^ Sharf, Zack (January 10, 2020). "With a Budget Over $200 Million, Nolan Is Planning Something Massive With "Tenet"". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  122. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (May 27, 2020). "'Tenet' on July 17? 6 Reasons Why That's Far from Certain". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  123. ^ Keegan, Rebecca; McClintock, Pamela (July 8, 2020). "Can the Summer Box Office Be Saved? Hollywood Hinges Its Hopes on "Tenet" and "Mulan"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  124. ^ Katz, Brandon (April 24, 2020). "Box Office Experts Split on "Tenet," Christopher Nolan's Upcoming Film". Observer. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  125. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 3, 2020). "Christopher Nolan Defends "Tenet" Box Office Results". Variety. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  126. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 16, 2020). "Is "Tenet" Still Sticking On Its July 17 Release Date?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  127. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (August 25, 2020). "It's "Tenet" Time: $25M+ Expected In Overseas Bow Amid Uncharted Waters & Korea Flux – International Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  128. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (August 30, 2020). "'Tenet' Triumphs With $53M Worldwide Launch From 40 Offshore Markets & Canada – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  129. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 6, 2020). "'Tenet' Finally Opens Stateside: Warner Bros. Movie Resuscitates Exhibition With $20M+ Over Labor Day Weekend, $150M WW To Date". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  130. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 6, 2020). "'Tenet' Rises To $126M Overseas Including $30M From China Bow, Nears $150M WW; "Mulan" Kicks Off With $6M In Handful Of Markets – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  131. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 13, 2020). "'Mulan' Moola Muted in China With $23.2M Opening – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  132. ^ Schilling, Mark (October 1, 2020). "'Tenet' triumphs at the Japanese box office". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  133. ^ Rawat, Kshitij (November 22, 2020). "Tenet to release in India on December 4". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  134. ^ Kaushal, Sweta. "India Box Office: Nolan's "Tenet" Surpasses $1 Million In 10 Days". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  135. ^ "GLOBAL REPORT: Tenet Crosses $300M Worldwide, Soft Drops Continue as Domestic Reaches $45M; Hocus Pocus Surprises; China's Market Remains Strong in Recovery". Boxoffice. October 4, 2020. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  136. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 12, 2020). "Warner Bros & Sony Hiding Box Office Numbers From Rival Studios On "Tenet" & 'Broken Hearts Gallery': Here's Why". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  137. ^ "Domestic 2020 Weekend 37". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  138. ^ "Domestic 2020 Weekend 38". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  139. ^ "Domestic 2020 Weekend 39". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  140. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 4, 2020). "'Tenet' Reaches $45M+ Domestic, $307M WW Before Possible Cineworld & Partial Regal Shutdown – Sunday Final". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  141. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 11, 2020). "'War With Grandpa', "Hocus Pocus" & "Coco" Leaving Footprint With Families at Weekend Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  142. ^ Malhotra, Rahul (February 26, 2024). "'Tenet's IMAX Re-Release Delivers Huge Per-Theater Average at Global Box Office". Collider. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  143. ^ Ryu, Jenna (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet': What the critics are saying about Christoper Nolan's film". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  144. ^ Carras, Christi (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet': Read the mixed reviews of Nolan's dizzying new film". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  145. ^ Michallon, Clémence (August 22, 2020). "Tenet reviews round-up: Critics divided over Christopher Nolan's "almost impossible to love" film". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  146. ^ Shafer, Ellise (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet' Reviews: What the Critics Say About Christopher Nolan's Film". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  147. ^ "Tenet". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  148. ^ "Tenet". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  149. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (August 25, 2020). "Tenet review – supremely ambitious race against time makes for superb cinema". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  150. ^ Maher, Kevin (August 28, 2020). "Tenet review – a delightfully convoluted masterpiece". The Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  151. ^ Travers, Peter (August 28, 2020). "'Tenet' Review: Christopher Nolan's Knockout Arrives Right on Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  152. ^ Dent, Alec (September 5, 2020). "Tenet: Nolan's Masterful Take on Time Travel". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  153. ^ Daniell, Mark (August 25, 2020). "'Tenet' review: Christopher Nolan adds plenty of twists to spy genre with time-bending thriller". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  154. ^ Roeper, Richard (August 26, 2020). "'Tenet' a mind-bending blast in a time zone of its own". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  155. ^ Phipps, Keith (January 26, 2021). "'Tenet' Is Destined to Become a Cult Movie". The Website. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  156. ^ O'Connell, Sean (October 22, 2021). "Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Saw Christopher Nolan's Tenet "Several Times," Gives Us His Review". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021.
  157. ^ Berardinelli, James (August 28, 2020). "Tenet (United Kingdom/United States, 2020)". Reelviews. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  158. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Rewinding 2020: The Year in Movies (The Top 10)". Reelviews Movie Reviews. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  159. ^ Kiang, Jessica (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet' Review: Christopher Nolan's Time-Bending Take on James Bond". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  160. ^ Luberto, Asher (September 10, 2020). "Review: Tenet's Dreamlike Spectacle is Made for the Big Screen, but is it Worth the Trek out of L.A. County to see it?". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  161. ^ Sarkisian, Jacob (August 24, 2020). "'Tenet' is super slick and full of ambition, but forgets to be a thriller". Insider.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  162. ^ Tallerico, Brian (August 26, 2020). "Tenet movie review & film summary (2020)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  163. ^ Newland, Christina (August 25, 2020). "Tenet Is a Locked Puzzle Box With Nothing Inside". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  164. ^ McCahill, Mike (August 21, 2020). "'Tenet' Review: Christopher Nolan's Long-Anticipated Time Caper Is a Humorless Disappointment". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  165. ^ Phillips, Michael (August 26, 2020). "'Tenet' review: Saving the world, backwards, makes for an uneven Christopher Nolan thriller". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  166. ^ Oleksinski, Johnny (August 31, 2020). "'Tenet' review: Christopher Nolan's most confusing movie ever". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  167. ^ Sachs, Kathleen (September 18, 2020). "Tenet is the most Nolan-esque film yet—and that's not a good thing". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  168. ^ Lloyd, Brian (August 28, 2020). "Yes, the sound mixing in "Tenet" is terrible". Entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  169. ^ LaSalle, Mick; Johnson, G. Allen (December 17, 2020). "Review: You've waited all this time to see "Tenet" — now, don't even bother (unless, maybe, in a theater)". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  170. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (September 5, 2020). "'Tenet' Gets a B CinemaScore, Christopher Nolan's Lowest Since "The Prestige"". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  171. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 13, 2020). "'Tenet' Raises To $200M+ Worldwide With Domestic Near $30M In Marketplace Still Slowed By Pandemic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  172. ^ Poole, James Preston (September 4, 2023). "'Tenet' is Christopher Nolan's Boldest Experiment". DiscussingFilm.
  173. ^ Damski, Mike (April 6, 2023). "25 Box Office Flops We've Grown to Love". MovieWeb.
  174. ^ Grierson, Tim (February 21, 2024). "The People Who Never Stopped Loving Tenet". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  175. ^ "Oscars 2021: The winners in full". BBC News. April 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  176. ^ "2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  177. ^ Davis, Clayton (February 8, 2021). "Critics Choice Awards: Mank Leads With 12 Nominations, Netflix Makes History With Four Best Picture Nominees". Variety. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  178. ^ Davis, Clayton (March 7, 2021). "Critics Choice Awards 2021 Full Winners: Chloe Zhao's Nomadland Continues Its Reign on Awards Season". Variety. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  179. ^ "Winners & Nominees 2021". goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  180. ^ Van Blaricom, Mirjana (February 1, 2021). "25th Satellite Awards Nominees for Motion Pictures and Television Announced". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  181. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 4, 2021). "Saturn Awards Nominations: "Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker", "Tenet", "Walking Dead", "Outlander" Lead List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  182. ^ "2021 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. January 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  183. ^ Bean, Travis. "Google Says "Tenet" Could Be The Most Confusing Movie Ever". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  184. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (September 4, 2020). "The ancient palindrome that explains Christopher Nolan's Tenet". Vox. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  185. ^ Jung, Col (March 19, 2022). "Tenet plot explained". Medium. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  186. ^ a b Dutta, Debopriyaa (December 31, 2020). "Tenet: Neil's Complete Timeline Explained". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  187. ^ a b c Barry, This is (December 9, 2020). "Tenet Explained Simply (With Timeline Diagrams)". This is Barry. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  188. ^ a b Crow, David (May 8, 2021). "Tenet: Robert Pattinson's Neil Timeline Explained". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  189. ^ Shepherd, Jack; published, Bradley Russell (December 15, 2020). "Tenet ending explained: your biggest questions answered". gamesradar. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  190. ^ a b c d e f Crow, David (May 2, 2021). "Does Free Will Exist in Tenet?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  191. ^ "Elizabeth Debicki's Kat Is the True Heart of Tenet". The Escapist. September 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  192. ^ Gallagher, Simon (December 14, 2020). "Tenet Ending Explained: All Questions Answered". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  193. ^ Pym, Olivia (January 11, 2021). "The "Tenet" Ending Explained, Plus all Your Questions Answered". Esquire. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

Works cited

[edit]
  • Mottram, James (2020). The Secrets of Tenet: Inside Christopher Nolan's Quantum Cold War. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-64722-060-0.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Listen to this article (45 minutes)
Spoken Wikipedia icon
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 2 May 2024 (2024-05-02), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Tenet_(film)&oldid=1257521079"