When asked about great directors, people easily throw out names like Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino, Hitchcock and many more, but when people try to name active directors it gets harder. Christopher Nolan definitely leads the modern day, active list of directors, but many will agree if he does not make that list, he will be listed amongst the most ambitious of the lot. We find out his latest is no different as early reviews of Tenet hit the web.

Early Reviews of Tenet: Which Way Is Up?

All directors have ‘tells’. Tells are things in their movies that become signatures of their style. JJ Abrams has the lens flare. M. Knight Shamalan like to try and trick audiences with twists at the end. Nolan likes to take you on roller coaster rides with so many twists and turns, audiences find it hard to follow. Early reviews suggest whether you like the movie or not, he accomplishes exactly that again in Tenet. After months of rescheduling due to the virus, it finally hits theaters. Check out the trailer below:

Early Reviews of Tenet: Confusion Is Consistent

If the movie bring confusion, then some of the reviews do as well. I do not think a more colorful description can be given then that of The Hollywood Reporter who said:

And like Xanax, Tenet makes you feel floaty, mesmerized and, to an extent, soothed by its spectacle — but also so cloudy in the head that the only option is to relax and let it blow your mind around like a balloon, buffeted by seaside breezes and hot air.

The Hollywood Reporter

In the end I am not sure if that is a good or bad review, but it definitely sounds intriguing. Here are what some other reports had to say:

“The sheer meticulousness of Nolan’s grand-canvas action aesthetic is enthralling, as if to compensate for the stray loose threads and teasing paradoxes of his screenplay — or perhaps simply to underline that they don’t matter all that much. Tenet is no holy grail, but for all its stern, solemn posing, it’s dizzy, expensive, bang-up entertainment of both the old and new school. Right now, as it belatedly crashes a dormant global release calendar, it seems something of a time inversion in itself.”

Guy Lodge, Variety

“Tenet once again proves Nolan’s undying commitment to big-screen thrills and spills. There’s a lot riding on this film, to resurrect cinema, to wrench people away from their televisions, facemasks and all. It may well do the trick: if you’re after a big old explosive Nolan braingasm, that is exactly what you’re going to get, shot on old-fashioned film too (as the end credits proudly state). By the time it’s done, you might not know what the hell’s gone on, but it is exciting nevertheless. It is ferociously entertaining.”

Alex Godfrey, Empire

Early Reviews on Tenet: Not So Loving Views

Then on a less positive note we have Catherine Shoard from The Guardian who said this:

“You exit the cinema a little less energized than you were going in. There’s something grating about a film which insists on detailing its pseudo-science while also conceding you probably won’t have followed a thing. We’re clobbered with plot then comforted with tea-towel homilies about how what’s happened has happened. The world is more than ready for a fabulous blockbuster, especially one that happens to feature face masks and chat about going back in time to avoid catastrophe. It’s a real shame Tenet isn’t it.”

Catherine Shoard, The Guardian

Use Nolan’s track record with movies like The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, The Prestige, Inception as guides. If you liked these movies and have a love for Nolan’s flare catch this movie in theaters. If any of those lost you at any point, you might want to skip this one.

Tenet stars John David Washington and Rob Pattinson and hits available markets Sept 3.