Most critics like Tenet, and nearly all of them like the same things about it. The praise lands on the practical action set pieces, staged at a scale several reviewers say justifies a cinema seat, and on the inverted-time sequences that run forwards and backwards at once. Robert Pattinson is the performer most often singled out, with Elizabeth Debicki and John David Washington close behind, and the score gets repeated mention.
The reservations are just as consistent. Almost every review, including the warm ones, complains of too much exposition, dialogue lost under the sound mix, and characters kept at a distance, so the film is admired more than felt. The spread is wide: The Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph give it full marks, while IndieWire calls it joyless and Vulture finds a puzzle box with nothing inside. Nobody dismisses it outright; the argument is over whether the machinery is enough.
G
The Guardian
25 August 2020 · ★★★★★ · Peter Bradshaw
100
The critic calls the film a gigantically confusing yet entertaining metaphysical action thriller that succeeds as superb cinema despite its preposterous premise. They single out its steroidal energy, imagination, and practical spectacle, including symmetrically recurring action sequences.
The critic describes it as an icily glamorous, time-bending thriller that rewards surrender to its sensory assault and complex plotting. They single out its practical action set pieces, performances (especially Pattinson and Debicki), and the way it unfolds like a palindrome.
The critic hails it as a delightfully convoluted masterpiece and the year’s first mainstream one, with a classic spy story at its heart. They single out its globe-trotting practical stunts and effects, including a structurally audacious climactic battle, and Washington’s action-hero turn.
The critic calls the film an eye-popping, ground-breaking blast and a dream for film-goers, highlighting its commitment to the big screen and thrilling sequences. They note some quibbles with the physics exposition and villain but overall celebrate its ambition and timeliness.
The critic praises the film's bold action set pieces, globetrotting espionage thrills and inventive time-bending spectacle as a big-screen experience. They single out the complex, often baffling plotting as a potential barrier to full emotional engagement.
The review praises Tenet as a slick, globetrotting sci-fi adventure that is frequently as exciting as cinema gets, with spectacular set pieces and a bristling score masking any confusion from its complex concepts. It highlights the intense lead performance and showmanship in direction.
The critic describes the film as rich with ideas, exceptionally crafted and blissfully ambitious, commending its visual spectacle, intricate plotting and technical achievements. They note it can feel cold and lack emotional depth at times, with characters serving more as archetypes for the concepts.
The film is undeniably enjoyable as a grand spectacle but its giddy grandiosity highlights the brittleness of its purported braininess, meeting expectations without exceeding them in Nolan's signature style.
The critic praises the technical intricacy and economy of the action set-pieces and the craftsmanship, while noting issues with muffled dialogue, excessive exposition, and questioning the substance behind the style.
The film dazzles with ambitious, imaginative set pieces and a globe-trotting spectacle but confuses with copious exposition and lacks a living spark or fun, feeling overly industrial and male-centric.
The critic finds the time-twisting narrative exhausting due to excessive exposition and underdeveloped emotional stakes, preferring the film's technical craftsmanship and momentum. The performances and visuals are strong, but the puzzle-box plotting leaves many viewers weary or confused.
The critic notes it delivers visual intensity and cerebral ideas but has little heart, muted emotional core, and can be overwhelming, though enjoyable for Nolan fans.
The critic finds Tenet mostly entertaining yet baffling, calling it a locked puzzle box with nothing inside. They praise the inventive action sequences and the charisma of leads John David Washington and Robert Pattinson while complaining that the excessive complexity and exposition lead to indifference and boredom.
The critic finds the film big and ambitious but ultimately a humorless disappointment, with Nolan too caught up in his own machinations. It is clever in an exhausting, joyless way and lacks fun or generosity.
The film dazzles with high-concept set pieces and technical ingenuity but is devoid of feeling, offering procedural thrills over emotional depth or lyrical strangeness despite its complexity and spectacle.
The critic highlights the glossy, high-octane action, strong cast performances, and the joy of returning to big-screen spectacle with inventive set pieces, while acknowledging the complex temporal plot.
The critic finds Tenet an overwhelming visual and aural spectacle with impressive set-pieces and locations, but notes gaps in logic, narrative, and emotion, particularly lacking chemistry between leads.
The film is easy to admire for its audacity, originality, and visual spectacle but hard to love, coming across as chilly and cerebral with little humanity or emotional engagement. The critic singles out the lack of sympathy for characters and the confusing, paradoxical plotting as key drawbacks.
The critic praises the film's muscular, muscular filmmaking and grandly entertaining spectacle on an Imax scale as a futuristic throwback to big, brash entertainment. They single out the meticulousness of the action aesthetic and its dizzy, expensive bang-up qualities for praise, while noting it is not a holy grail.
The critic calls it the most important film of 2020 for its scale and spectacle, praising the mind-bending action sequences and high-concept twists that reward multiple viewings while noting it falls short of masterpiece status due to emotional distance and occasional confusion.
The review highlights the film's thrilling complexity as a cerebral blockbuster with strong performances, original ambition, and visually stunning action, while acknowledging some clumsy dialogue and the need for repeat viewings to fully appreciate its time-bending plot.
The critic calls Tenet a great, original big-screen experience and mind-bending spy thriller with remarkable action set pieces and technical feats. They single out the innovative time-inversion concept and score for praise but complain that thin character development and lack of emotional investment prevent it from reaching Nolan's best work.
The film is the most Christopher Nolan-y of his works, amplifying his visual, aural and temporal fetishes to the maximum. It delivers a viscerally thrilling ride that remains emotionally and intellectually engaging in uniquely cinematic ways.
The critic views Tenet as classic Nolan: pristine, demanding, and convoluted, with striking small-scale imagery and a doomy atmosphere. The review singles out the inaudible dialogue and chilly detachment that hinders emotional investment for complaint while noting the inventive visualization of time inversion.
The critic finds Tenet a collection of Nolan's signature ambitious set pieces and practical effects that ultimately feels cold and detached. The review singles out the strong practical action sequences and Robert Pattinson's charismatic performance for praise while criticizing the mumbled exposition, poor handling of female characters, and lack of emotional engagement.
The film offers enjoyably puzzling fun as a glossy espionage thriller but ultimately feels like a muddled Bond knock-off with a sci-fi gimmick that leaves viewers confused and unsatisfied.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
