MovieChat Forums > Tenet (2020) Discussion > "doesn't make sense"? you didn't get it...

"doesn't make sense"? you didn't get it....

posted 4 years ago by [deleted]
20 replies | jump to latest

This story, plot, script all make perfect sense. It's just harder to follow than the typical, brain dead media we are constantly fed.

Been reading a lot of reviews from people saying that IT doesn't make any sense, is nosensical, is a MESS, pretentious, or the script is bad. Then, a bunch of reviews of how great, brilliant, fantastical it is.

CLEARLY, many understanding and follow it fine, and others don't. Their not understanding or following does not make the film/script/plot BAD, it just means they couldn't follow it easy.

I know many people who are 100 times faster at a Rubic's Cube than me. That doesn't make me stupid, those are just not my thing. I can DO them, just not very fast at all.

Same with movies like this. It's ALL in there, and cleverly put together like a live puzzle for you to assemble mentally. Everybody is different and like and enjoy different things.

But, no need to call this film SENSELESS if YOU didn't follow it on one viewing.

I'm going back to watch it again, for the fun of it!!!

[–] maximmm (3409) 4 years ago

bullshit

the odds are, you didn't get it either and need to see it 5 more times for it to make any sense ^^

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

well, no, MY perspective and opinion is not bullshit.

I got everything in it EXCEPT the final battle. Which I think I figured out now.

I'm going back because:

1. it was great entertainment first and foremost, and now that I KNOW, will be cool to catch things better like the backwards fighting.

2. to support the movie industry

3. make sure I correctly grasped the final battle

4. the center channel dialog audio in the IMAX version was poorly mixed, and I could not understand a decent amount of the dialog - many others are complaining about this too, so it is not my hearing

[–] maximmm (3409) 4 years ago

It's no the IMAX version that has crappy audio - it's Nolan version that has crappy audio.
I'm astounded by how many people get caught up in his scammy crap. Then again, I seem to be easily surprised by stupidity present in our society these days in general.

1. Dude, you need to see this film 3 times to understand it all - it's awesome! (many reviewers are saying this about this film which blows my mind). $$$$

2. Dude, you weren't supposed to hear the many dialogue lines - but if you so dumb, you should definitely buy the bluray version with subtitles! $$$$

My advice? Ignore any and all films made by Nolan, maybe then the studios will learn not to hire him for big films. He is clearly good at visuals, but much like Ridley Scott these days, his storytelling ability is atrocious at best. He should be doing independent, artistic films -

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I find the stories way more interesting and entertaining than MOST stuff out there. IE the Avengers is a cartoon soap opera yet sells billions.... I'd rather THINK a little sometimes in the cinema, and Nolan delivers that every time.

This kind of stuff is what I want and get from his sci-fi. Unlike LIFE, HIGH LIFE, AD ASTRA -- those were trash

I'm not going to knock you for not liking his films - to each their own - but a lot of people like them.

[–] maximmm (3409) 4 years ago

True - taste in films is akin to taste in music.

Of the 3 films you've listed, I only liked Life, by the way ^^

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

trash was a strong word from my rushed response. :) I enjoyed watching LIFE once, but not enough to rewatch. :) Was expecting a little more from it.

[–] maximmm (3409) 4 years ago

I never rewatch movies (well.... I might have seen a few movies twice when I was showing a film to someone else). I recall this being a big thing when Titanic was shown and people rushing to buy a second and third movie ticket - and I was like 'Why?'.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

That's cool. Everyone's different. :)

I'm going again already because knowing what I know now, it will be pretty neat to re-experience.
And buying the Blu-Ray or 4K when it comes out so I can live in it again. :)

[–] Diddy1111 (411) 4 years ago

I understood it. I understood how stupid the whole premise is. I just don’t enjoy these types of movies. If it’s not in any way remotely plausible I can’t get into it.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Did you GO to this movie? If so, why would you do that? Didn't you know the premise going in?

I don't GO to movies I find stupid or pointless. But then I don't bitch to everyone about them. They have their own audiences, I guess.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

If you don't make a film that makes sense the first time someone sees it then you failed at making a decent film. Making a movie is just storytelling and if your story doesn't make sense to the person that you tell the story to then it isn't the person listening to the story that is to blame it is whoever told the story.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

It does make perfect sense to many, many people, self included. Soooo... what's the problem for the people that don't get it?
ONLY thing I missed was parts of the ending battle because the center channel was too low and I didn't HEAR the dialog clearly. 2nd viewing in a different theater it was much better and made sense.

If you are telling a TIME BASED story, forward, in a 2.5 hour movie, with back tracking reversed overlaps, how else would you tell that story? It all worked great, and was a lot of interesting fun. To many of us.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

It fails out of the gate. Assume you can time travel, okay now why does Sator what to use this ability to destroy the world because he is dying when it would be much more logical to use it to get himself treated before the cancer became untreatable. Pancreatic cancer is deadly because you never know you have it until it has progressed too far, but if you know about it early it is very treatable. So frankly the story crumbles from the start in terms of why a character is behaving the way he is.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

TO ME, most movies exist out of fictional people making poor decisions. I'm okay with that. If you really look at a lot of movies, most are based on that.

But, yeah, if you don't like how it goes, that's always okay too. :)

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I understand that completely... but if you create a character that is smart enough to do what Sator has done and is planning on doing why would he miss the most basic answer to his problem? I mean when you are told you have cancer that has advanced beyond the possibility of treatment the almost universal thing your doctor would tell you is if we had only caught this sooner... So to me it simply fails to at least be consistent with the characters he has created.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I just go with, that's how it worked out for him.
maybe future people dont have a cure for that?
maybe they cant travel far in time, i mean time went back ward and future could send things back, but no info about going forward, and the algorythm seems so destructive that maybe pushing it caused worse things to happen faster.

If HE goes in reverse a while, maybe it is unstoppable due to his genitic structure or that makes it worse?

I don't know. It's time time travel fiction. Doesn't need to work in reality because it is fiction :)

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

to that end, should every story get dumbed down so the smallest child watching can keep up and comprehend it? Can you imagine?? That would be awful!

I rather enjoy stories where one must THINK and figure the puzzle out. That's not for everybody, but that doesn't mean the puzzle is not great.

[–] WhereIsRent (1092) 4 years ago

I agree, the best aspect of the movie is that it’s a puzzle that makes sense but you have to figure it out.

The problem is Tenet also tries to be a James Bond action movie as well, and on that level it’s kind of meh. It was really trying to be thrilling but I didn’t find it anywhere near as thrilling as Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar or Dunkirk.

It made me think though and it is a clever script, probably Nolan’s smartest yet but it just lacked the thrills to go along with it for me.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I do agree there. It's kinda like he invents a crazy concept, then has to shoe horn in SOMETHING to give it the widest interest boost possible: Action Adventure spy movie.

Maybe it would be tighter, more interesting removing some of the explosion parts. Stick to the MAIN plot and the people.

Related --- there was zero point to the [not any kind of spoiler here] sleeping in the wind turbine part near the beginning. that whole section could be cut out completely with just gaining time (tightening) and zero plot effect. Odd choice in the editing room there

[–] elcamino (15540) 4 years ago

I end up being wrong as I will see the movie sometime later. But right now I can't find enough want to go see it at the theater I don't like that is the only one open somewhat by me.