Christopher Nolan has done the impossible of making an even more mind-boggling project than Inception (2010). TENET plays with the idea of traversing the flow of time, but not in the traditional sense that you are probably thinking about. When a well-dressed man — played by Robert Pattinson — asks the just as sharp protagonist — John David Washington (Blackkklansman) — if their dealing with time travel, he confidentially answers no. Instead, he puts forth a concept called “inversion”.
In the two trailers that have been released so far, time clearly moves backwards several times either through an object or around a character. In one particular instance, a female scientist tells the protagonist to fire a handgun into a stone target. When he does so, an empty shell casing bullet suddenly arcs from a pile of others into the gun, a projectile ejects from the target, erases the bullet hole, and enters the gun. Removing the clip, the protagonist discovers an extra bullet nestled with the originals. The scientist tells him, “You’re not shooting the bullet, you’re catching it.” To which I and the protagonist both responded, “Whoa.” It is a fascinating concept, especially when characters walk into a situation that “hasn’t happened yet” as they survey the aftermath of an apparent fight, then proceed to experience said fight backwards or watch as a car crash happens in reverse while racing down the highway.
Beside the 5-minutes of content the two trailers cumulatively offer, details on TENET are scarce. Dialogue suggests that the plot will center around preventing World War III while visuals make it clear that the action with be next level. One of the most interesting and fun things about the film will hopefully come from seeing what happened in the scene, then trying to figure out why or how alongside the protagonist. Christopher Nolan has built himself an impressive reputation for spectacular films, so there is little doubt that his newest project will be any different. TENET is set to release in theaters July 17th of this year; however, with the COVID-19 pandemic still rampant, it’s difficult to say whether or not that will remain true.
Featured Image via Wikimedia.org
