Tenet (2020) Mumbles

*Spoilers*

Right, let’s get this straight: I don’t hate women, I don’t hate children (most of the time), but holy hell did Nolan milk the “I’m only doing this for my child” trope to death. We get it. She loves her kid. No need to remind us every five minutes while she tortures herself about Kenneth’s offer to be free but never see her son again. Anyone in her shoes would at least consider it — trapped with a psychopathic tyrant? Come on, it’s a no-brainer.

Now, cards on the table: I’m not a genius, so it’s no surprise I found this film fucking confusing. Luckily, Nolan does throw you some breadcrumbs as it goes on, and I’ll admit it was awesome seeing what you missed once time started to unwind. But here’s the kicker: the second you figure something out, you’re already too late, because some little time-hopping fuck already went and did it. It’s equal parts clever and infuriating.

And then there’s Neil. What a dude. Honestly, I’d rather have watched his relationship with the Protagonist develop from the start than sit through 2 hours and 30 minutes of mumbling about inverted entropy. Pattinson nailed it — Twilight stigma officially gone. That said, when I heard one of the agents mutter “We live in a twilight world” I damn near spat my drink. Was that a deliberate nod? If it was, respect. If not, then poor Pattinson probably died a little inside.