Misunderstood ‘masterpiece’ by The Odyssey director just added to Netflix | Films | Entertainment

A misunderstood “masterpiece” is hailed by one fan as one of the most “rewarding” watches ever. Tenet (2020) tells the story of a nameless CIA agent (played by John David Washington) who is recruited by a shadowy organisation trying to understand a surreal phenomenon where objects and people travel backwards through time, uncovering a disturbing, mind-bending threat from the future.

The all-star cast also includes Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. It was written and directed by iconic British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, whose latest blockbuster The Odyssey about Homer’s epic poem is winning plaudits from critics. It’s fair to say some people felt Tenet’s complex web of time inversions made it hard to follow. One critical viewer writing on IMDb even called it a “frustrating experience best skipped unless you enjoy being baffled and bored simultaneously”.

But others lauded it, despite having to work hard to work out what’s going on. One wrote: “I must say I’m a big fan of Nolan and big fan of “smart scifi”. This is why I had high excpectations going in to finally watch Tenet.

“And boy did it deliver! I just came out of the movie theatre feeling like my brain was just put in a blender. I will have to watch this movie a few more times to understand better what I just witnessed, and I will gladly do that!

“The best way to describe this movie shortly would be probably to just say that Tenet absolutely does not underestimate the viewer or try to explain things too much.

“This movie just happens, whether you are ready or not! This was probably the hardest movie that I have ever watched due to both complexity of the plot and fast pace of action. And probably one of the most rewarding also!”

Another writing back in 2020 said it was Nolan’s best work at the time, calling hailing it as “visually a very brilliant movie”.

“The movie contains Nolan’s genius and a superb soundtrack. The movie has enough twists and turns to keep you at the edge of your seat.”

A third, who gave the film a perfect score, wrote: “This is in my opinion the best movie made about time travel. Just as you’d expect from Nolan, the plot is complex and layered, and it employs a novel concept (or rather, mechanic) that provides great visuals and action scenes.

“It is a bit lacking in emotional and thematic depth, but that is not the focus of the movie. It is extremely satisfying when in the last half of the movie, the details you didn’t understand until then start to make sense.”

The film has a 12 certificate and features moderate violence, threat, domestic abuse, and infrequent strong language – so viewer discretion is advised.

Tenet was added to Netflix in the UK on Friday, July 17. It’s also available to stream, rent, or buy on other platforms.