5 years ago, amidst the pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet opened in theaters and became the first major Hollywood movie to get a theatrical release during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It also became the first and only Nolan film to not break even at the box office, despite becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year, because the box office struggled in 2020.

While the pandemic is the reason for the low box office collections, Tenet has remained divisive even for the filmmaker’s fans, with some claiming it is a movie that went too far, and others claiming Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s misunderstood masterpiece. Irrespective of which school of thought you subscribe to, it’s a fact that Tenet is his most elaborate film.

A Tenet rewatch tells me critics and audiences weren’t wrong about Christopher Nolan’s direction and screenwriting in the film, and I strongly believe it’s his weakest movie. It stands out as the biggest misstep in what is otherwise a surprisingly consistent run of quality films over the years. Tenet goes too far and often feels like a test of patience.

Christopher Nolan’s Other “Confusing” Movies Also Delivered A тιԍнт Narrative

A common defense of the movie that its fans often offer in favor of Tenet is that Nolan has made confusing movies throughout his career, and Tenet is no exception. However, not only is that a simplification of the director’s other works, but it also misses an important common trait that makes all of them great, if not fantastic, movies.

Inception, often named in the same breath as Tenet, is a perfect movie that’s impossible to hate because you have compelling characters in the mix who you care about. Their personal motivations aren’t just explicitly clarified in the film, but they’re also made personable, so that there’s a coherent narrative thread for you to follow and become emotionally invested in.

Nolan’s other movies, from The Prestige and Memento, to Interstellar and Following, which also have confusing elements, all feature similarly well-composed narratives. Character-driven elements are present even in plot-driven narratives, and that’s what makes the movies memorable and enjoyable, alongside the joy of solving the puzzle of confusing narrative threads. His films feel like тιԍнт-knit, large-scale tapestries of perplexing storylines.

Tenet Was Nolan’s First Movie That Felt Confusing Without Any Real Purpose

Christopher Nolan’s trademark of confusing movie premises also comes with a strong emotional hook, a personable motivation that explains the reason for this premise. From getting stuck on a space mission to look for ways to help humanity survive, to losing memory every few minutes, the confusing aspect has genuine reason to exist beyond simple curiosity on the director’s part.

However, a harsh reality about Christopher Nolan that rewatching Tenet reveals is the lack of a narrative explanation for the confusing technology and time travel concept beyond the director’s wish to explore this idea in a film. It’s his pᴀssion project that he’d worked on for over a decade, but it feels like he’s trying to prove a point to himself.

The intricacies of Tenet‘s time travel mechanics are fun to decode, but beyond a preliminary throwaway line about how one should be feeling instead of thinking, it isn’t addressed much, and not enough effort is put into making the conflict or the use of this technology personal to any of the characters, unlike in his other movies known for being confusing.

Tenet’s Worst Crime Isn’t Being Confusing – It’s The Thin Story & Characters

The problem with Tenet isn’t that it’s confusing, and I’m sure there are those for whom it’s a fun exercise to figure out the specific details that Nolan includes in the time travel that he smartly created. However, there’s not enough narrative motivation for everyone to do that or to even care that the mechanics are surprisingly consistent despite their complexity.

With confusing movie concepts, I need an emotional hook to get invested. So, the poorly developed characters and the paper-thin plot keep me from seeing the genius of the time travel system that Nolan has developed in Tenet. Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, and Robert Pattinson deliver weak performances because their characters are means of plot progression instead of real characters.

While the protagonist’s journey in the film will eventually have a satisfying outcome if you stick with it, the motivation isn’t at the forefront. Similarly, Kat’s lukewarm introduction in the story is followed by her involvement without emotional impact. They’re all pawns in a game, and their personal motivations are either weak, or sidelined to create spectacular time travel setpieces.

Don’t Worry, Christopher Nolan Won Me Straight Back With Oppenheimer

While Tenet really disappointed me, and even made me reconsider committing so much to Nolan’s filmography and being a completionist. However, be it because of Barbenheimer or my love for Cillian Murphy, I inevitably watched Oppenheimer, and realized my love for the director’s work hadn’t disappeared. I realized that Tenet is an exception for me, much like its box office.

The biopic genre is filled with examples of mediocrity that prioritize formula over creativity, and among the notable exceptions, Oppenheimer is the strongest one in recent years. Gorgeous cinematography, careful scene selection, a тιԍнт screenplay, and compelling performances help it stand out. Moreover, Kitty Oppenheimer has a truly empowering scene, a rarity for a female character in a Nolan film.