JackBurton1234’s review published on Letterboxd:
This film has been added to the honorable mentions for my favorites films list.
So wow.
I didn’t think this would hold up on rewatch.
But not only did it hold up it exceeded my original thoughts on the film.
I could not stop thinking about this film after I saw it. And now I’ll be waiting till it comes out on DVD to see it again.
But yeah this blew me away on second watch.
How complex the film is and how it manages to keep itself together and make itself make perfect sense while also leaving you with questions.
The fact that I saw a Nolan film again shocked me. Again considering my history with his previous films.
Just wow.
The direction was just insanely good.
Those ending shots after the battle “ended” as The Protagonist and Neil and the military guy are just standing there look insanely good.
The shots of Saytor when he kidnaps The Protagonist and you see him through the glass just look insanely good.
The opening opera scene is immaculately directed. How it makes things so intense. As it starts of so calm then just bam! The soundtrack just comes pounding into the film just destroying the sense of calmness and keeping it that way for the entire rest of the film.
Once again I adored the direction.
The fact that’s there’s a backwards car chase and fight scene and they work is just insane. In fact they make more sense.
Nolan’s direction here is amazing.
Everything in the film is perfect to me.
The script is genius.
The fact that Tenet is a palindrome is genius. It’s already been talked about a lot but just the fact that even the title of the movie adds to the movie is just amazing.
I can understand why people don’t like it but I just loved it. So if you hate this film I respect your opinion.
But the soundtrack is just pulse pounding.
In the opera scene it just explodes into the film and shocks you with the stillness just destroyed again the score is amazing.
And how it’s used in the hallway fight. And you realize the music makes sense in a different order won’t say anymore than that.
How the inverted music comes in at multiple moments I missed in my first watch.
Like there’s a scene where I didn’t even think that it would be there it is and it reveals a twist but the music is not introduced to you at that point and you don’t realize.
The score is my favorite score out of any of Nolan’s films.
Ludwig Goransson puts so much effort into it. The fact that he inverts the music to fit the film is just amazing.
Can’t wait to see what he scores next!
But yeah the plot.
It’s genius to me.
How well set up the twists are is insane.
From the car chase to the airport to the yacht to the final discussion between Neil and The Protagonist to the final shot.
The fact that that shot came back in the end and you think it didn’t matter but it does was just amazing.
And how it all perfectly fits together.
From the score to the script to the plot it’s all perfection to me.
Not only did it hold up on second watch it’s earned itself an honorable mention on my favorite films.
11/10 without a doubt I can now say that that is my rating.
I won’t be going to see it again I’ll be waiting till it comes out on DVD to watch it again.
I can’t wait to see what Nolan does next!
If his next film is anything like this I can’t wait!
And once again if you dislike this film I respect your opinion.
Also the only thing I can see topping this is Dune or The French Dispatch.
But Dune has a book I’ve read many times and love to no end to live up to and I hope it does.
But yeah for now this is my favorite film of 2020 without a doubt.
And I know I missed something so I’ll definitely be rewatching it once it comes out on DVD.
Can’t give this film enough praise.
Edit: Also I love how slowly the first act goes. It just lured you into this false sense of security with these beautiful shots of the oceans and just beautiful areas. There are some action moments but not near as many as the second act which I actually really enjoyed on both viewings. How the first act does hold off on most of the big setpieces and focuses more just on direction. So I adore the first act as well. Also that opera scene and that kitchen scene are both in the first act and I love both of them.
Oh and the sequence with the fire truck was just intensity at its peak. Then you find out what’s really happening later and just wow.
Then how the direction gets bigger and bigger sad you go through the acts is just amazing.
How it starts of at that just insanely intense opera sequence to that final inverted battle sequence and also not inverted battle sequence is just insane.
A perfect homage to Bond and time travel films that have come before it.
