{"id":24239,"date":"2020-12-10T10:01:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T18:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=24239"},"modified":"2020-12-16T16:16:58","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T00:16:58","slug":"review-tenet-4k-bluray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2020\/12\/review-tenet-4k-bluray\/","title":{"rendered":"Tenet 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Tenet<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t one of Christopher Nolan\u2019s better movies but there are some interesting elements and the technical aspects like the visual effects, are top notch and although it\u2019s hard to wrap my head around the concept while watching, it is unique.<\/p>\n

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Tenet<\/span>
\n(2020)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Science Fiction, Action<\/span>
\nWarner Bros. | PG13 \u2013 151 min. \u2013 $44.95 | November 15, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 12\/10\/2020 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Christopher Nolan
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Christopher Nolan (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Cl\u00e9mence Po\u00e9sy<\/span><\/p>\n

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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Featurette
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>3<\/span><\/p>\n
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Audio (4K\/BD): <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
\nVideo (4K): <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.20 (1.78 IMAX scenes)
\nVideo (BD): <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.20 (1.78 IMAX scenes)
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265 (4K), MPEG-4 AVC (BD)
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0The screen captures were taken from the Blu-ray disc and\u00a0do not<\/span> represent the 4K Ultra HD transfer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 3\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Armed with only one word \u2013 Tenet \u2013 and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist (JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON) journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.<\/p>\n

Review: <\/strong>Other than Following<\/em>, which I have yet to see, I have been a big fan of Christopher Nolan\u2019s films, even ones that weren\u2019t exactly near perfection (like Insomnia<\/em> or even The Dark Knight Rises<\/em>), though even those were highly engaging and entertaining, if not bleak in the case of Insomnia<\/em>. Over the years, I\u2019ve re-watched Batman Begins<\/em>, The Dark Night<\/em>, Inception<\/em> and Interstellar<\/em>, and they still are great, if not without their flaws, of course. Some of which come front and center in his latest.<\/p>\n

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Nolan continues his fascination with time from his last two features with Tenent<\/em><\/strong>, a movie that certainly is mind-bending, yet also mind-numbing trying to wrap ones head around what\u2019s going on. Sure, I get the gist of as the film in a new way does involve time travel, an inverse side to our world where the past and future converge onto the present. And I applaud Nolan for not merely playing it safe, but unlike Inception<\/em> where the rules are clearer and easier to comprehend (when it came to the \u201ckick\u201d in each level), here it was difficult to grasp but instead of being intrigued, I had a hard time grasping for other elements to carry me along, most notably a main character with no name, credited as \u201cThe Protagonist\u201d, and if it wasn\u2019t Nolan, I would criticize the name alone, something I would\u2019ve come up with during my college days of screenwriting.<\/p>\n

This leads to another issue: John David Washington. When I first saw the trailers, thought it was great casting, especially someone who isn\u2019t exactly in the mainstream of stardom yet. While he as the look with a slick wardrobe and thanks to the photography, does seem hella cool. Yet, in action, even though seems to be able to do some of the stunts, doesn\u2019t hold enough charisma to carry the film. Of course, part of the problem also is with the character development. Again, no name and no real background on who he is, where he came from, etc. Even though the development for DiCaprio\u2019s Cobb or McConaughey\u2019s Cooper didn\u2019t go beyond a motivation for their kids, but with \u201cThe Protagonist\u201d, we barely get to know anything about him. So perhaps with more to work within the character development department, maybe Washington would\u2019ve shined brighter.<\/p>\n

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In regards to the supporting cast, no incredible standouts. I did like Robert Pattinson even though his character isn\u2019t all that well fleshed out, but in a secondary role, he\u2019s fine. Elizabeth Debicki is a bit of a fresh face to me and carries herself well enough, doesn\u2019t hold as much of a screen presence compared with Anne Hathaway or Rebecca Ferguson, but serviceable. And Kenneth Branagh, a Brit I believe, once again plays a Russian (as he did in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit<\/em>) and I will say he\u2019s as evil as it gets, zero redeeming values. Very much a Bond-like villain.<\/p>\n

The next issue, and it\u2019s not as of a big one comparatively speaking, is the dialogue. Nolan is the sole writing credit so he takes the bulk of the blame and I think it\u2019s safe to say, it\u2019s unlikely there were uncredited writers on a project that Nolan had been developing for over ten years. This is a movie that has the villain utter one of the more clich\u00e9d lines of, and I\u2019m paraphrasing, \u201cIf I can\u2019t have you, then no one will.\u201d I\u2019ve heard variations of this line numerous times when watching true crime (i.e. \u201cDateline\u201d, \u201c20\/20\u201d, etc.). It\u2019s trite and just hokey. Then there is a problem that has plagued other films from Nolan, with sound design where bits of dialogue are hard to understand, and it\u2019s permeated in this one as well. A big concern since 90% of the conversations are significant exposition.<\/p>\n

On the plus side, no real surprise that the stunt work including car chases and the all around action like a plane crashing into a building, a kick ass assault at an opera house or a car chase\/heist on the freeway, are top notch. Doesn\u2019t quite match anything in Inception<\/em> (or for an \u201colder\u201d film, The Matrix Revolution<\/em>) but still highly entertaining and provided some thrills. Nolan has come a long way from Batman Begins<\/em> where some of the action was admittedly rough. Between Inception<\/em> and Tenent<\/em><\/strong>, does appear he\u2019s getting ready to direct the next iteration of James Bond.<\/p>\n

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Normally I don\u2019t mention the score but one thing Nolan\u2019s movies, is his collaboration with composer Hans Zimmer and will admit, I adore those compositions, consistently listening to the tracks from Inception<\/em> and Interstellar<\/em>. This time around, with Zimmer turning down the chance to work on Denis Villeneuve\u2019s Dune<\/em>. Tackling the score is Ludwig G\u00f6ransson, who won the Oscar for Black Panther<\/em>. I know many mock or at least light-heartedly joke on Zimmer\u2019s more bombastic score, apparently G\u00f6ransson said, \u201chold my beer\u201d. Not entirely sure what to think of it, but like the plot, it has its uniqueness and listening to the tracks on their own, there are some nice themes, though nothing I\u2019ve heard holds a candle to \u2018Time\u201d from Inception<\/em> or \u2018S.T.A.Y.\u2019 and \u2018Imperfect Lock\u2019 from Interstellar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Yeah, that was a lengthy paragraph just to talk about the score. Not a music wonk by any stretch, but it was one of the many aspects that I focus on when it comes to Christopher Nolan\u2019s movies.<\/p>\n

In the end, Tenent<\/em><\/strong> is not top tier work from Nolan. It does have lofty ideas and conceptually it did sound interesting and to be fair, some of the execution was well done, particularly with the stunt work. The problem here, it felt empty, emotionless, cold even. I know these are criticisms hurled at Nolan by others for his works anyway, but at least with Inception<\/em> and Interstellar<\/em>, I actually cared about the characters while also invested in the story, here, characters were vastly underdeveloped and the story never was quite gripping, for all of the technical achievements (save for the aforementioned sound design for the dialogue). Outside of maybe Robert Pattinson, can\u2019t say the performances were terribly memorable, and even for Pattinson, his character is a blank slate.<\/p>\n

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I would say if you are a fan of Nolan, there\u2019s enough in Tenent<\/em><\/strong> to make it a worthwhile rental, if nothing else. I\u2019m not sure how much replay value it has since I don\u2019t really have a desire right now to revisit, but I\u2019ll at least say there are unique elements that distinguishes it from others.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes in a matted slip cover<\/strong> and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of Tenant<\/em> (1:15:22)<\/u><\/strong> is a lengthy behind-the-scenes featurette that includes on-set footage and production stills plus interviews with members of the cast (John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, etc) and crew (Christopher Nolan, Producer Emma Thomas). Viewable either by chapter or via a play all option.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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4K VIDEO \u2013 5\/5, BD VIDEO \u2013 5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Warner Bros. releases Tenet<\/em><\/strong> onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray presented with a 2.20 widescreen aspect ratio (and 1.78 for the IMAX scenes). The picture quality on both formats look incredible, detail is amazingly sharp for both close-up and distant shots and colors are more on the natural scale, though there are some bright and more vibrant scenes (and blue hues in the inverse world in one of the turntable sequences) in the more exotic locales or the bright orange\/yellow with each explosion. The 4K video is noticeable sharper in comparison, the fine grain and noise is especially noticeable, however the 1080p resolution on the Blu-ray is no slouch, colors might not be as rich (ever so slight edge to the 4K), but you will not be disappointed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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4K\/BD AUDIO \u2013 5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs come with a standard DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Oh my, even though this isn\u2019t the newer DTS:X or Atmos audio codec, this is an experience. I used the \u201cbombastic\u201d when describing Zimmer\u2019s scores, well G\u00f6ransson and the sound studios take it up more than a few notches. While dialogue, at least what you can discern, does come across with nice clarity (again, on-location sound design is one thing, studios can only do so much when transferring for the home market), the LFE channel (bass) goes into overdrive, shaking not only the floor but I could consistently hear my walls vibrate and rattle. For me, the gold standard for audio was The Incredible Hulk<\/em>, this one however blows that film out of the water, it\u2019s as intense as it gets and never really lets up save for the very few \u201cquiet\u201d scenes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 3\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Overall, Tenet<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t one of Christopher Nolan\u2019s better movies, probably a step ahead of Dunkirk<\/em>, but there are some interesting elements and the technical aspects like the visual effects, are top notch and although it\u2019s hard to wrap my head around the concept while watching, it is unique I\u2019ll admit, though I\u2019d say this is a rental because this might be divisive even within a household. Meanwhile, the 4K UHD\/Blu-ray combo pack doesn\u2019t have a plethora of features but does include a 75-minute behind-the-scenes featurette\/documentary to go along with the astounding video and audio transfers.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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The screen captures came from the Blu-ray copy and are here to add visuals to the review and\u00a0do not<\/span> represent the 4K video.
\nThese are only here to give an idea of the movie\u2019s video quality and may not be truly representative of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Tenet isn\u2019t one of Christopher Nolan\u2019s better movies but there are some interesting elements and the technical aspects like the visual effects, are top notch and although it\u2019s hard to wrap my head around the concept while watching, it is unique.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4581,3],"tags":[1897,138,2289,2355,6812,1406,1865,397,76],"class_list":["post-24239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4k-uhd-reviews","category-blurayreviews","tag-aaron-taylor-johnson","tag-christopher-nolan","tag-elizabeth-debicki","tag-fiona-dourif","tag-john-david-washington","tag-kenneth-branagh","tag-martin-donovan","tag-michael-caine","tag-robert-pattinson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24239"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24289,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239\/revisions\/24289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}