Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.
Where to Watch Tenet
- PatrikStarJune 16, 2025Nolan cooked something that tastes good, but I have no idea what I'm eating.
- Brad.Plex.October 13, 2024James Bond with time travel. Nolan once again delivers and emotional, thought provoking, action packed script akin to Inception. And as with his other films, it gets better with each re-watch as you piece together more of the puzzle and wrap your mind around temporal pincer maneuvers and causality loops.
- Jacob AllenJune 2, 2025Not for the simple minded
- Nathan MagretaSeptember 18, 2026The GOAT Christopher Nolan is back with a new, interestingly made project that still is a fun watch despite being one of his weaker works.
- jake.meyerAugust 25, 2026I saw this movie in the theater during the heights of COVID because you don't see a movie like this for the first time at home on your TV. I'm a movie theater junkie, so for me, there really wasn't much of a choice. Weirdly, this is also the Nolan film I rewatch the most. It's certainly not his best, but there's a vibe in this one that pulls me into it every time. There's just something about it that I can't put my finger on. John David Washington is absolutely incredible in this film as well. He was perfectly cast, and his dialog delivery is elevated but always totally relatable. He is an excellent audience surrogate. Aside from his confusion of the time-reversal mechanics, he also grounds the reality of the world he is moving through. For example, in the hands of a lesser writer, The Protagonist would not have batted an eye at the gross displays of wealth in this movie, but the Nolans are not lesser writers. His occasional poke at the wealth and snobbery always felt genuine and gave me a chuckle. He's certainly no James Bond, and the character is all the better because of that fact. The fight choreography is also top-notch, and speaks to the character excellently. All the fights definitely look like a highly choreographed dance number that in any other film wouldn't look real... but The Protagonist is a highly skilled and trained fighter. He keeps his cool, and every move looks like a calculated response; as if he's choosing a counter-move from a selection of options in his head. It this context, it looks a little more fitting than what would probably be the more "realistic" knockdown, drag out savage brawl. It truly makes you believe that this guy really is all he's cracked up to be. I was also initially a little worried that Hans Zimmer wouldn't be scoring this film, as his work with Nolan consistently produces absolutely amazing work, but Goransson snuck in and really delivered. He first came to my attention with "The Mandalorian," and it seemed like he skyrocketed to the top from out of nowhere. His score of this movie is vastly different than what I would have expected from Zimmer, but it definitely works. Even if I'm still trying to wrap my head fully around the time-bending details, I still thoroughly enjoy Tenet, and will probably be watching it over and over again for years to come.
- Michael LackeyJuly 23, 2026I watched it. Then I watched it again. Then I realized I had already watched it again.
- blk_cyanideJuly 24, 2025One of the best , deepest , most cerebral of a brain twister movie I've seen since primer, also check los chronocrimenes
- SimmobananaAugust 17, 2026This is right up there with my favourite of all time. I had to watch it several times to try & work it all out.
- ZokkiieApril 13, 2026I had a good time with it, even though it kind of fried my brain. It looks incredible and sounds even better (the audio really hits), but it definitely expects you to keep up without much help. That’s exciting at first, then a little tiring. The performances are solid, especially Washingtons quiet intensity, but it doesn’t hit very hard emotionally. Still, it sticks with you afterward, even if you’re not totally sure you caught everything. Worth the ride, just maybe not back-to-back.
- ✢ AhmedJune 26, 2026A very cool movie with an exciting concept of time inversion that can take a couple rewatches to understand how everything works, and those rewatches accompanied by Ludwig Göransson's score in the background can be absolute delight to watch. Once you “get” how everything works and fits together, it can feel like an extremely rewarding experience, akin to a puzzle being solved, and the emotional beats on any subsequent rewatches feel like peak cinema. As confusing as the movie can get, it’s ambitious in the story it tries to tell and just for that is worthy of applause.
- DEXAPLEXJuly 20, 2026A "cool" and technical achievement, sure. But still not worthy of this 2.5 hour mess. Tenet is the primest example of what i don't like about many of Nolan's films. There's nothing exceptionally great here that you can't already get from his best acclaimed works; while still getting all the familiar trappings of sterile cinematography and lifeless characters delivering whispered over-the-top exposition underneath loud obnoxious music and sound effects. This was incredibly frustrating for me to get through. I'm trusting that The Odyssey will be significantly better.
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Tenet was released on August 26, 2020.
Tenet was directed by Christopher Nolan.
Tenet has a runtime of 2h 30m.
Tenet was produced by Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas.
Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.
The key characters in Tenet are Protagonist (John David Washington), Neil (Robert Pattinson), Kat (Elizabeth Debicki).
Tenet is rated PG-13.
Tenet is a Thriller, Action, Science Fiction film.
Tenet has an audience rating of 7.6 out of 10.
Tenet had a budget of $205M.
Tenet has made $365.3M at the box office.