Tenet directed by Christopher Nolan was my return to the theaters since the last week of the release of The Hunt starring Betty Gilpin. AMC Theaters in the Woodlands Tx area is my local theater and it was a nice time to get out and test out the sanitation criteria in the new world. So far so good but I have to say I don't know if I got the full experience of what the local staff is capable of because my fiance and I went to the last showing on a Friday night and we literally had the entire theater to ourselves. Keep in mind this was the night that The Boys and Mulan were released on their streaming platforms so I'm not surprised some people stayed home or could not make it to the last showing.
From the beginning of the movie, I notice that typical Nolan sound quality. Maybe I'm getting old but the music and sound mixing of the first fifteen minutes were extremely loud. I decided to go to the restroom and could clearly still hear everything going on. There was another time I could tell that some mixing in the sound was being a little too specific was during a fight scene that involved Robert Pattinson and John David Washington fighting a masked combatant, there was muffling that I later felt that we were hearing the fight from the point of view of the man in the mask and helmet gear. I was also impressed that the fight scenes, which involved our heroes in suits, were recorded and amplified because to me, it sounded like what a fight would sound like with a man wearing a suit.
The plot of the movie was a tad more mind-boggling than Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The plot device of time inversion did not seem like it would become too complicated but seeing in action you're telling yourself in real-time "I'm going to have to watch this again to understand what I'm currently seeing". Backward fighting is something to watch. It was the most enjoyable thing about the film. The spy thriller aspect and the mystery of the plot were good, not great, I think trying to explain it would turn people on or completely off. Seeing it would just confuse you and being told that you'll definitely be confused may turn people off from even going to the theaters to see it.
My overall feelings about the movie are that it was enjoyable and a fun time. There was no middle ground either you spend the price for a ticket to see it in theaters or you rent it for $3.99 and watch it once. This may not have been the best film to reintroduce people to coming back to the theaters. Bill and Ted or a comedy would have been a better option. I'm convinced now that Mulan would have been a better first as well and Tenet a second film. I think that Disney is now thinking they made a mistake that they did not wait. If you're curious about Pattinson's ability to be Batman or Washingtons' ability to considered for Black Panther.
This may not have been the best role out for the return to the theaters but overall it was another classic by Nolan. It brought something new to the screen that I've never seen before and that was worth the price of admission. My prediction for the franchise if this movie is lucky enough to earn a sequel. This was Washington's film, he was the protagonist and Pattinson was his co-star. With the plot of time travel and things movie backward, I predict that a sequel will become a joint venture with equal screen time and starring Pattinson and Washington evenly. If there is a third I believe Washington will become the co-star and Pattinson will be focal of the story and be the new lead protagonist. It feels like the backward and forward aspect isn't just in the title and the plot but also in how a possible franchise will draw out.