It’s that time and indeed time is everything as this is my Tenet blu-ray review. I’m a huge fan of director Christopher Nolan having enjoyed all of his films to date. Having not been able to see his latest movie Tenet in 2020 due to the current world pandemic I eagerly anticipated the blu-ray release which arrived just in time for Christmas. I’m sure many of you movie lovers received it as Christmas present!
In any case I aim to find out if the movie is actually any good and which format should you purchase it on, standard blu-ray or 4K.
- Tenet (2020)
- Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Thriller
- Directed by Christopher Nolan
- UK Rating 12
- Discs: 2
- Released By Warner Bros
- Blu-ray Released: 14 December 2020
Plot
A CIA agent is given a word ‘TENET’ which he is told will open doors and also put him in the firing line. It seems there are bullets with “inverted” entropy in circulation. This means in effect the bullets are actually moving backward through time. If they can travel back in time what else can. Furthermore it looks like a Russian oligarch may well be behind it.
Style / Direction
Tenet is not only directed by Christopher Nolan but he also wrote it. Hoyte van Hoytema does a fabulous job as director of photography as he juggles the IMAX camera that Nolan love to utilise. The film really does have that high level action thriller look you get in a Bond film mixed with Nolan’s own style and vision.
There’s several set pieces from fire fights to car chases (some backwards) and even a plane crash. As you might expect it’s all very visually impressive.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is comes from Ludwig Göransson this time out. Unlike many of Christopher Nolan’s previous films (Inception, Interstellar) there’s no stand out music. It’s more on the functional side rather than memorable like many of Hans Zimmer’s scores. That said it really does suit the film.
Acting / Characters
John David Washington, son of Denzel Washington, takes on the lead role as a CIA agent known only as the Protagonist. I have to say he proved to be an excellent choice for the lead role as he delivers a very strong and compelling performance.
Backing up the Protagonist is his handler Neil played by Robert Pattinson. Neil seems to have the advantage over the Protagonist seemingly knowing far more than his is letting on.
Kenneth Branagh takes on the role of Andrei Sator a Russian oligarch that has found a way of moving backwards through time.
Meanwhile Elizabeth Debicki plays Katherine Barton an art appraiser and Sator’s estranged wife. His hold over concerns their child placing her in a tricky position.
Now this is indeed a Christopher Nolan film and that should mean an appearance from Michael Caine. Fear not as he does appear albeit in a small role limited to one scene.
The casting from Nolan is excellent as usual and the acting performance all-round are simply exceptional. I mean no one puts in a bad performance.
Cast
- John David Washington as the Protagonist
- Robert Pattinson as Neil
- Elizabeth Debicki as Katherine “Kat” Barton
- Kenneth Branagh as Andrei Sator
- Dimple Kapadia as Priya
- Denzil Smith as Sanjay
- Martin Donovan as Fay
- Fiona Dourif as Wheeler
- Yuri Kolokolnikov as Volkov
- Himesh Patel as Mahir
- Clémence Poésy as Barbara
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ives
- Michael Caine as Sir Michael Crosby
Conclusion: Tenet (2020) Film Review
Christopher Nolan delivers another fantastic directed and complex story akin to Inception. This really is Nolan’s take on a James Bond sci-fi action thriller and it’s simply fabulous.
If you’ve enjoyed my Tenet Blu-ray Review so far you may want to check out the following sci-fi films:
Conclusion: Tenet Blu-ray Review
I’m reviewing the standard blu-ray version and the picture quality looks sensational. If you really want to pick-up the 4K version (which as comes with the blu-ray) you are talking around £25. Personally I really don’t think it’s worth it. Some will say it looks way better but I’d have to say 4K is more of a marketing thing rather than a massive improvement in image quality. Sure it’s going to be better with a higher resolution but unlike a jump from DVD to blu-ray it’s far harder to notice.
If the price was around £18/19 I’d recommend picking it up on 4K but it’s seems a lot of the film companies are just milking us film enthusiasts.
The special features come on their own disc. This includes ‘The Making of Tenet’ which I highly recommend you give a look. It goes through every aspect of the filmmaking process. It has interviews with all the key department heads along with Christopher Nolan, Hoyte van Hoytema, stunts and special effects teams plus most of the cast.
If you are a film enthusiast or budding filmmaker this is one making of feature well worth a look.
Extras
- Looking At The World In A New Way: The Making of Tenet (75 mins)
- Theatrical Trailers
Tenet (2020) Blu-ray
Tenet (2020) blu-ray, 4K UHD & DVD are available now from Amazon and HMV.
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate / associate links. By buying through the links we may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price you pay.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Tenet (2020)
MOVIE RATING: MUST SEE
BLU-RAY RATING: PERFECT
POPCORN CINEMA: EXCELLENT
Tenet (2020) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may NOT be representative of the Blu-ray version
That concludes my Tenet blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more action thrillers soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
Summary: Tenet (2020) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Tenet (2020)
Duration: 150 mins
Director(s): Christopher Nolan
Actor(s): John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Thriller
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
Christopher Nolan really delivers with his sci-fi James Bond style spy movie
Pros
Christopher Nolan Film Compelling / Complex Story Great Cast
Cons
None
