For a lot of lucky places around the world, Christopher Nolan's newest Interstellar.
Tenet is not perfect, and, especially on one watch, it is hard to imagine many people calling it Nolan's unmatched masterpiece. Still, it has a slew of brilliance within it, similar to Interstellar, which itself has flaws, while both epics offer something different to audiences.
Interstellar - Main Performance
There is not one bad performance in Tenet; John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, and Elizabeth Debicki are all varying degrees of suave and superb. There is no performance as good as Matthew McConaughey's, though.
That is all down to how much McConaughey gets to work with throughout the film. Nonetheless, he is still outstanding as the main character of the story, as a loving father, a ionate explorer, and a human being, it is one of McConaughey's best lead performances.
Tenet - The Manipulation Of Time
Christopher Nolan is known for his obsession with time and its manipulation and how it can get used to altering the narrative structure of filmmaking, as well as the audience's perception of the on-screen events.
In Tenet, Nolan manipulates time far more ambitiously than ever before. In Interstellar, time changes based on the planet the characters are on; it is a relatively simple concept. Interstellar's use of time may be more to some people's liking, but Tenet's time manipulation is so bold, unique, and exciting and is very well-executed that one cannot help but appreciate it.
Interstellar - Layered Characters
Going back to what got mentioned in regards to McConaughey getting more to work with, that is indicative of a more significant issue with Tenet that a lot of people do and will have: the lack of characters.
Fans do not know much at all about most of the characters, no backstory, no insight, no connection. In Interstellar, audiences get treated to not only Cooper but Brand, Murph, Tom, and Professor Brand. The characters are layered to a pretty decent extent considering what the film is; we get to know them, who they are, what their goal is, and what their role in the central conflict of the film is.
Tenet - The Action & Breakneck Speed
Tenet is chock full of action, with spectacular visuals, expertly crafted sequences, all of which move at an almost overwhelming speed, and that will overwhelm many.
Interstellar does have incredible spectacle to it and is a real experience with some action, but no action like Tenet. They are two different movies in that regard, but where Interstellar is very slow and deliberate, Tenet goes at breakneck speed and is packed with action that will have your jaw on the floor.
Interstellar - The Parent/Child Aspect
One commonality between Tenet and Interstellar is that there is a subplot involving a parent wanting to get back to life with their child/children, Cooper with his son and daughter on Earth, and Kat with her son, who is used by Sater to keep her trapped with him.
The version of this subplot we get in Tenet is far more one-note and gets nowhere near developed enough to make audiences genuinely care. In Interstellar, fans are fully invested in the story of Murph and Cooper, and the use of the video chat makes for some powerful moments.
Tenet - The Ending
While a lack of emotional heart is a serious issue to many with Tenet, perhaps Interstellar's biggest weak point is the ending, which many fans agree is where the film falls apart a little.
Cooper meeting Murph again and getting sent away to find Brand rubs people the wrong way, and there is a definite feeling that the movie could have ended a little while ago. Tenet does not tie the film up in a nice little bow, but with the reveal of the Protagonist creating the Tenet organization, hiring Neil, and the overall enthralling nature of the final sequence, Tenet's ending is superior.
Interstellar - Accessibility & Investment
As has gotten mentioned above, Interstellar is a film that, despite its flaws, does draw you into the story of Cooper and Murph and overall will inspire far more audience than Tenet from an emotional and narrative standpoint, even though Tenet gets you hooked in other areas.
It is just far more accessible in that regard, and many others. Interstellar allows the audience to experience what is happening and understand it entirely while still being awe-inspired. While the movie suffers from too much handholding, it does enable many more people to care.
Tenet - Makes You Think More
Tenet can get incredibly overwhelming through the series of visuals, the slew of information, and the overload of sound. Nevertheless, with every ing second, it makes you think more and more.
Every scene seems to present us with something to ponder over. Audiences are never totally let into what is going, even after the ending and the reveals that come with it, everything is hard to piece together. It sticks with you for a long while, and if that is something one likes with their cinematic experience, Tenet wins over Interstellar.
Interstellar - Emotion
There are certain scenes and moments throughout Tenet where the audiences are supposed to feel and care for what is going on, usually that revolving around Kat.
Unfortunately, while it does a great job at tension and exhilaration, it does not build up to these emotional moments well enough to make the audience truly care. Interstellar does do this relatively well, though. A lot of the personal moments that work in the movie revolve around Cooper and Murph, as well as Tom, and they are great. Despite the flaws the film may have, and as much as it may manipulate these emotions cheaply on occasion, the audience is still emotionally involved.
Tenet - Less Handholding, Better Exposition
Interstellar has a lot of exposition and explaining, and at times, far too much of it just hammering home a point that audiences themselves can and have figured out. Tenet does not do this.
Tenet does a lot of explaining, but audiences learn what the protagonist is learning. The first hour of the movie is a game of catch up, and thankfully there are no breaks to fill us in completely; instead, Nolan goes forth with the story, feeding us information as it is needed, allowing us to think about the mystery before the reveals, and even then, there is a lot to think about. Tenet does not handhold; it takes the audience on a journey.
