Moving Backwards: Tenet and why we should stop paying so much attention to critics

The last (two) trips I made to the cinema was to go and see Christopher Nolan’s new action-packed spy/time travel epic ‘Tenet’. Now while this film has gained notoriety for its definitely over-complicated plot, and has had mixed critical reviews, I’m going to tell you why you should ignore the media and go and watch the film (It’s recently been made available on Amazon Prime). 

Photo by Markus Winkler  from  Pexels

Okay…so, Tenet, what’s it about? Without giving too much away (don’t you hate people who do that?), I’m going to try and give a short spoiler free synopsis of the plot. Tenet is basically about a CIA agent who is recruited to join a top-secret division that is tasked with saving the world from its impending doom (sounds pretty classic). The film plays around with time travel in a way that hasn’t been seen before, a way that seems philosophically plausible, but still confined to the reality of the silver screen. Loaded with action and very fast paced, Nolan’s latest project is a cinematic experience that is worth a watch.

Immediately after the film my head was spun, it is very complicated, and there are many aspects that I still don’t understand. However, I was totally in awe. I loved every second of the film’s 150-minute runtime and was determined to ensure that as many people as possible had the same experience as I had. As I embarked on my mission as Nolan’s personal salesman, I encountered a lot of similar responses. “I heard it’s way too complicated”; “I’ve heard that it’s not very good”; “I read somewhere that Kenneth Branagh’s performance is blah blah blah”; “Critics say it’s not his best work…”.

Okay, I get the idea. You read/saw somewhere a review written by someone who said something about how it’s not that good. You’re right, it’s not an Oscar-winning masterpiece of modern cinema that’s going to gain the praise of every critic and their nan - but that’s not what cinema is about! Cinema is about forgetting about the rest of the world for a couple of hours and enjoying the experience of the big screen. It’s about watching something (good or bad) and coming away knowing that you enjoyed it.                                            

Now I can’t promise that every film you go and see will give you that experience (nor can I promise that Tenet will either). But I think we need to stop worrying about what other people say and go and make a judgement for ourselves. Now I could write a meticulous critical review that dissects everything that is wrong with the film (and there is a lot) to the point where you think you know everything about it and have decided that it’s not worth your time. But - where’s the fun in that?!

I am telling you right now that if you like action films, if you like Christopher Nolan and if you like cool visuals then you’re gonna come away from Tenet thinking ‘wow that was cool!’. Because that’s what cinema is about! What won’t be in your head as you leave the cinema is some complex thought about how you plan on writing your acclaimed critical review. 

Too often I hear people unmotivated to see a film based on one comment that they saw on social media, and I hate that. I hate hearing someone else’s opinion on the quality of a film before seeing it, because inevitably it’s going to affect the experience of watching it.

I had a similar experience with Sam Mendes’s ‘1917’. Some people had told me beforehand that ‘it’s not that good’, so when I started watching the film the only thought in my head was ‘how is this film not good’. I spent the first quarter of 1917 dissecting every scene, trying to find a way that it conformed to the opinion I had received before the film. It wasn’t until a few minutes in that I realised the person didn’t know what they were talking about and began to enjoy the film for myself.

This is a problem. We hear an opinion or read a review which will taint our experience of watching a film. Nowadays people seem so reluctant to see a film that they have heard one negative comment/review about. Since when have people refused to go and see a film that isn’t 100% Oscar-bait? Everyone is too quick to criticise what’s wrong with a film rather than see the value of what’s good in it. We go to the cinema to enjoy ourselves, and just because a film isn’t the best ever doesn’t mean that it’s not worth your time. 

So please, ignore the opinions that you’ve heard before, and go and make opinions for yourself. We rely so often on other people to tell us what’s good, that we are losing the freedom to make our own minds up. I thought Tenet was worth the money of the cinema ticket, and if it seems like the kind of film you like, then you will (hopefully) think the same thing too. 

Recommendation: Watch an explanatory YouTube video afterwards. It will help you understand the film and give you a greater appreciation.

Written by Luke Osborne - Liberal Arts (Philosophy pathway)