Every director in the movie business had to start somewhere. Some began with a bang and never looked back. Others got off to a slow start and, eventually, found their way to great success. Of course, most begin and never really get off the ground, as far as monetary gain is concerned, but continue to pursue their goals because it is what they love doing and that is usually enough for most people.

For a small window of time, from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, a fresh crop of filmmakers graced the scene and seemed to make its presence felt. In 1999, M. Night Shayamalan saw immediate headlines with his metaphysical thriller “The Sixth Sense.” It took the nation (of the United States) by storm and became one of the most-talked about movies in recent memory. In the aftermath, many people in the industry tried their best to capitalize on the success and impact of this film. A handful of examples drew comparisons, with the hopes of gaining positive promotions with the average spectator. One such movie was “The Others” and the similarities were fair and obvious, but around that same time was another a film, entitled “Memento.” To this day, there are those who argue that if there had been no “The Sixth Sense,” “Memento” might have been the one to take up that mantle spot. Though it is distinguished as an American movie, a number of the principles involved were from elsewhere, including the director, Christopher Nolan.

Over the past 20 years, Nolan has become known for two things: reviving the Batman legend on the big screen and making other films which will make your head spin with more twists and turns than a tornado sweeping across a mountainside. Even if you are someone who has never seen “Inception” or “Interstellar,” you are bound to have heard of them. Along those same lines is the latest in Nolan’s tales about time and space, “Tenet,” starring John David Washington (“The BlackKklansman”) as the Protagonist. Alongside for most of the ride were: Robert Pattinson (“The Lighthouse”) as Neil and Elizabeth Debicki (“The Burnt Orange Heresy”) as Kat. Coming along later in the story was Kenneth Branagh (“Avengers: Infinity War”) as Andrei Sator. These are the principles who truly matter, though others come and go, for various moments, throughout the story.

The action comes out of the gates quickly. Soon, the Protagonist finds himself at a new starting point, attempting to find out the source of a new type of weapon, which not only comes from a different time and place, but travels backward from the present time as though it has not happened yet. If what I am saying does not make much sense or is hard to understand, do not dwell on it, for this is a common theme throughout the entire story. The characters may or may not catch glimpses of people whom they do not know, only to find out later on that it was them, all along, traveling back in time from the future, with knowledge of the past, in hopes of altering it.

I once heard someone say, in another film about time travel, that if you see yourself in the past, it could change the entire course of history, but in a negative way. Somehow, in that movie, though it still did not all add up, it was easier to follow and less irritating as a viewer. You see, one way that I would pose is a key difference between being smart and being a genius is the ability to make something complex simple to grasp. I, also, think that a movie can outsmart itself to the point of paralysis. Have you ever sat down and watched a film that seemed to be trying too hard to one-up the director’s previous work? Did you reach a point where you literally (or figuratively) threw your hands up and thought to yourself, “I give up on trying to follow what is going on!” Maybe it will not affect your overall enjoyment of the movie, but you might turn out to be so frustrated that you cannot think about anything else.

Allow me to share my inner thoughts as I slowly began to give up on “Tenet:” Washington reminds me SO much of his father, but I am unsure if he possesses the same level of charisma to carry an entire film… Pattinson looks convincing in a suit. I think I can see him playing the role of James Bond in a few more years… Debicki’s character seems to fail in making me truly care about what she is going through, but is that her fault of the fault of the filmmakers?… Branagh is such a great actor. It is a shame that his character has such little depth to make his performance more interesting… Am I crazy, or is the sound mixing way too loud to appropriately hear the dialogue in spots of this movie?… Could certain plot elements become any more repetitive?… When is this film going to end?!…

When “Tenet” did finally end, I was more relieved than I was content. Actually, I felt contentment once I was able to find a bathroom, shortly thereafter. Did I think there were times when the movie almost redeemed itself? Yes, but the more I have thought about the overall experience, the less I have agreed with my previous reply. Style and editing are not enough and acting needs depth and proper direction.

I think it might be time for Nolan to go a different direction as a filmmaker. This convoluted, over complicated story arc is played out, in my view. Say, could it be that he and Pattinson will team up on down the road when the time comes to begin making 007 movie number 26? If what transpired in “Tenet” actually leads to that, I would consider the experience a little more enjoyable, perhaps, but only time will tell, no pun intended.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Screenwriter: Nolan

Editor: Jennifer Lame

Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia as Priya, Michael Caine as Sir Michael Crosby and Kenneth Branagh

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release: August 26^th, 2020. (United Kingdom) and September 3^rd, 2020 (United States)