Nolan Isn't Giving Up On Theaters With New "Tenet" Trailer

Scene from Tenet (2020)

Leave it to Christopher Nolan to not even do the pandemic conventionally. While Tenet has gotten by on an unconventional marketing strategy reminiscent of Inception, it's more the reality that it's the only major summer release still scheduled to be released theatrically. In a time where everyone is going to streaming, Nolan still believes that the world will be returning to normal by this summer. One can hope that's true because there's plenty to love about his latest, especially in the visual department. The latest trailer is another cacophony of wonderful mystery, bringing the clearest version of the story so far. Even then, it's still full of mysteries that you'll probably not understand until the third watch. 

Considering that almost every major release has moved to the Fall or 2021, it's bold to know that Tenet has been the longtime holdout. It's been fun to circle the internet, waiting for Nolan to finally bend to the will of everyone else. Coming to the end of this new trailer, it's hilarious to see that there are still exclusive engagements planned for this summer. 

Then again, Nolan has had this gift for making us want to get out of our houses for almost 20 years now. He has this ability to make you curious about what his worlds will entail, thanks in large part to great marketing that hides the biggest appeal of the film. But the question will be if it works this time, and will it be on its own merits. Will it likely succeed, like Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York, solely because there are no other options? 

I want to go to the movies as much as the next person, but the pandemic has me paranoid and worrying that a familiar theatrical experience will not be happening in two months. At best it'll be a restrained version that takes away something from the experience. Beyond the pandemic, this was already a must-see movie of the year, so it will raise a whole host of ethics once that time comes. Then again, we'll have a month of experience to pull from to determine how successful reopening is. 

I know that this is technically a post about Tenet, but it's also one that is asking about what its success will represent in 2020 when COVID-19 has failed to be contained. If it becomes the highest-grossing movie, will that shift every movie scheduled for a Fall release? Will it be a Best Picture nominee solely because of what it symbolizes, or will this be Nolan's breakthrough to a win? Considering that I doubt that it's better than Dunkirk, I don't know if it happens. The only thing keeping it surefire is that half of the competition has been eliminated. Unless Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee's greatest movie ever, Tenet seems unstoppable until September works itself out.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks very good. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

An action epic revolving around international espionage, time travel, and evolution. Possibly about a man trying to prevent World War 3 through time travel and rebirth.

In all honesty, Nolan is one of my favorite filmmakers, so anything to do with his movies always excites me. In this case, I am having the familiar highs that I did when seeing how he warped the perspectives of Inception back in 2010. To see him now playing with time as something flexible feels like a logical evolution of his mentality. I can only hope that this features some great performances, as I'm excited to see how John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki perform. I'm well aware that Nolan's Best Actor roster is very slim besides The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, but I can only hope this serves as Pattinson's breakthrough. His past five years have been exciting, and an Oscar nomination can mark his own version of the McConaissance. 

There's a lot to look forward to with this movie, and I could watch this trailer all day. As to whether we actually get to see the film in theaters is unseen. I would love to, but it all depends on how confident the world is by then. So I end by saying that I hope the Coronavirus dies by then because I miss movie theaters. I was going to see this anyway, and I want the biggest screen possible to fill this sensation of mine. Tenet looks amazing and I don't want it to be postponed or marginalized. I just need it in my veins right now. Gimme, gimme, gimme.