Movie Review

Christopher Nolan welcomes back moviegoers with baffling Tenet

No filmmaker revels in confusion more than Christopher Nolan. It started with his breakout film, Memento, in which a man with no short-term memory tries to find out who killed his wife, and continued in such brain-twisters as The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar. Even his more straightforward films, like The Dark Knight trilogy and Dunkirk, took approaches that few others would try with comic book and war movies, respectively.

All of that is to say that if you thought you were used to Nolan’s perplexing stories, Tenet has them all beat. Normally for a highly-anticipated movie like this, I’d do my best not to reveal any kind of spoilers in my plot description. In this case, it is literally impossible to explain almost anything that happens because Nolan apparently doesn’t want us to understand it.

What can be said is that John David Washington plays The Protagonist — no, really, that’s his character’s name as listed on IMDb, and he states as such on multiple occasions in the film. He is some kind of combination of spy and soldier who gets wrapped up in an international conspiracy led by Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) that could bring about the end of the world if The Protagonist isn’t successful in his mission.

Now, what that mission entails and how he goes about doing it, I haven’t the slightest idea. The film is so densely packed with dialogue and changing locations that to keep up is an exercise in futility. And that’s even before you get to the actual mind-melting part of the plot, which involves time. Not time travel, mind you, or at least not how it’s been used in previous time travel movies. The very idea of time comes into question, and to say that it’s baffling is the understatement of the year.

The story has the basic mechanics of a James Bond movie: The hero, aided by Neil (Robert Pattinson), a jack-of-all-trades, is trying to stop a Russian megalomaniac at all costs, especially when the Russian’s beautiful wife, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), comes into play. Beyond that, only Nolan truly knows the kind of story he intended to tell. At times it feels as if he’s making things up as he goes, claiming that they fit with the rest of the movie merely because the same characters continue to show up.

Now, there will be those who will say that the confusion is the point, that it’s the type of movie that shouldn’t be understood on first viewing, or even the second. To that I say: How does that translate into something good? It’s fine to make a movie confusing, as Nolan did with Inception, but that film was balanced with its massively entertaining and eye-popping action sequences.

Tenet has some of those, most notably when they crash a real 747 plane into a building, but they are few and far between. More importantly, the scenes leading up to the action are so difficult to comprehend that the subsequent action comes off as just random combat for the sake of having something exciting to look at. Nolan plays with time so that some parts of the film run in reverse, but more often than not those parts feel like someone playing around with a film technique instead of making some grand impressive point.

Still, the film (screened for critics in Nolan’s preferred IMAX format) is as visually stunning as we’ve come to expect from the filmmaker. Nolan may be one of the last directors influential enough to be able to film on location in countries like Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, India, and more. The grandeur of their landscapes is something that can’t be created in a computer, and Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema capture them in all their glory.

In just a few short years, Washington has gone from the “son of Denzel” to a full-fledged star in his own right, and he controls nearly every moment of this film, even if you don’t know what his character is doing. Pattinson, soon to be the envy of fanboys as Batman, is smooth and interesting in a smaller role. Debicki isn’t given enough to do to show off her talent, and Branagh hams it up in the villain role.

Nolan was right to wait for theaters to reopen to show off the visuals of Tenet the way they should be seen. However, his seeming obsession with making his films as complex as humanly possible is frustrating for those of us who would like at least a scintilla of clarity in our storytelling.

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Tenet officially opens on September 3, but it is currently available for preview screenings in many theaters.

John David Washington in Tenet.

John David Washington in Tenet

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon

John David Washington in Tenet.

Weekend event planner

These are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

Houston BBQ Festival Truth barbecue brisket

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

The Houston BBQ Festival returns on Sunday.

Things may get a bit damp this weekend.

It’s been projected to rain throughout the weekend, which means a lot of outside events (like the annual Houston Art Car Parade and the Tacos & Tequila Festival, both happening on Saturday) might require a raincoat.

As long as the weather cooperates, this weekend has lots to offer, including a barbecue festival, a couple of ballet shows, and a three-day event focusing on wellness – which we all need right about now.

Thursday, April 9

Fresh Arts presents "Our Road Home: Gallery As Instrument" opening reception
The opening reception of Fresh Arts' "Our Road Home: Gallery As Instrument" launches an eight-week residency with a celebration that is equal parts art opening, community gathering, and party. Guests are invited into a gallery space already alive with visual works, costume pieces, video installations, and projection art drawn directly from the stage worlds of "Our Road Home" and "Shout!," giving visitors an intimate glimpse of the productions. Through Friday, May 29. 7 pm.

Blue Man Group: Bluevolution
From those days doing weird stuff on MTV to serving as a storyline on the sitcom Arrested Development, Blue Man Group has been one of the more fascinating entertainers of the past 40 years. Blending art, invention and mind-bending curiosity, Blue Man Group is a euphoric celebration of human connection. On the new World Tour, audiences will be introduced to “The Musician,” a new character who will showcase her drumming and percussion skills throughout the show. 7:30 pm (2 & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1 & 6:30 pm Sunday).

Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Six
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor queens to pop icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 50 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power. Originally debuted at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, this musical comedy has won 23 awards in the 2021/22 Broadway season, including the Tony for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. 7:30 pm (7:30 pm Friday; 2 & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 7 pm Sunday).

Friday, April 10

Blessings Apothecary and da Gama in the Heights present Spring Reset Wellness Weekend
Fresh from returning from a recent wellness journey to India, former Houston Ballet star-turned-wellness advisor Anne Tyler Harshbarger returns to Houston as host of an immersive three-day event designed to nourish the body, mind and soul. In an exclusive collaboration with Michelin-recognized restaurant da Gama in the Heights and the wellness boutique Blessings Apothecary, the weekend festivities will offer an uplifting set of ancient traditions for modern Houston life. 7 pm (5:30 pm Saturday; 10 am Sunday).

Rice Cinema presents Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea
Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea is a 3D documentary film that chronicles the story of a marine veteran who navigated the profound traumas of war by making art, becoming a hero to generations of artists, including his friends Ed Ruscha and Frank Gehry, among others interviewed in this immersive film. The film features actor Ed Harris as the voice of H.C. Westermann. Stay for a Q&A with director Leslie Buchbinder and art professor/Department of Art chair John Sparagana. 7 pm.

Asia Society Texas and Houston Ballet present Sons de L’âme
For two nights, Asia Society Texas and the Houston Ballet are presenting Sons de L’âme (Sounds of the Soul), making its U.S. debut. The work will be performed in its entirety for only the second time, with music accompanied live by award-winning pianist George Li. Set to piano pieces by Frédéric Chopin, the intimate and elegant Sons de L’âme was created by Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch AM and premiered in 2013 with renowned concert pianist Lang Lang at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. 7:30 pm.

Improv Houston presents Mo Amer
Houston’s own Mo Amer had a great 2025. He wrapped up his second and final season of his critically acclaimed Netflix show Mo, and he also dropped a new Netflix special, Mo Amer: Wild World, in October. The Houston Chronicle also called him Houstonian of the Year. Now, Amer is back at it, doing new standup material over at Improv Houston. But don’t get it twisted; he still continues to give audiences observational comedy, political satire, and race-related material in his unique, conversational style. 7:30 & 9:45 pm. (7 & 9:30 pm Saturday).

Saturday, April 11

FLATS and FotoFest Biennial 2026 present Uncle Bob’s Photo Zine & Book Market
An official part of the FotoFest Biennial 2026, Uncle Bob’s Photo Zine & Book Market is a free, two-day fair celebrating regional photography through small publishers and self-published zines and books. 50+ artists and publishers from across the South will be in attendance, along with special guests like Houston Aura Photography and Houston Camera Exchange. Expect stacks of photo books, handmade zines, prints, and plenty of conversations with the artists who made them. 11 am.

Orange Show Center for Visionary Art presents 39th Annual Art Car Parade
For the 39th year, 250 rolling works of art will take over Houston’s streets as more than 300,000 fans cheer them on from the sidelines. The parade begins at Dallas and Bagby Streets on Allen Parkway, heads into downtown, circles City Hall, and returns outbound on Allen Parkway before dispersing at Waugh Drive. For the ultimate viewing experience, VIPit offers reserved seating, private hospitality suites, family-friendly activities, and premium parade views, with proceeds supporting year-round programming at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. 2 pm.

Tacos & Tequila Festival
The Tacos & Tequila Festival brings the biggest names in 2000s hip-hop to Houston for a day of nostalgia, flavor, and fun. The festival will also feature the area’s best tacos and street eats, craft margaritas, Lucha Libre wrestling matches, a chihuahua beauty pageant, an exotic car showcase, and more. Headlined by Three 6 Mafia and Fat Joe, the lineup will also include performances by Xzibit, Trina, Ying Yang Twins, Bubba Sparxxx, Mims, Murphy Lee, and DJ Ashton Martin. 2 pm.

Archway Gallery presents Fifty Forward opening reception
Archway Gallery, Texas’ longest-running artist-owned/operated gallery, proudly marks its 50th anniversary with this landmark exhibition titled Fifty Forward, which pays tribute to the artists who are continuing to build Archway Gallery’s legacy. A striking wall of self-portraits, featuring each of the current artists, honors the people whose creative energy and shared vision are carrying the gallery into the next half century. As part of the celebration, one guest submission will be selected to receive a $500 gift certificate. Through Thursday, April 30. 5 pm.

Sunday, April 12

Clark's presents First Annual Houston Crawfish Boil
The Montrose (by way of Austin) restaurant is holding an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil. Tickets ($52, gratuity included) provide access to crawfish and keg beer, plus DJ sets by Morgan Morgan and country music by Christopher Seymore. Cocktails and other drinks are available for an additional price. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Southern Smoke Foundation. 11 am.

13th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival
The Houston Barbecue Festival is back for its 13th year, celebrating everything that makes Houston barbecue unique. Fan favorites return alongside several new and up-and-coming barbecue joints making their festival debut. From established Houston institutions like Blood Bros BBQ and Roegels Barbecue Co. to newer standouts such as Eastbound Barbecue and Space City BBQ, the festival offers a rare opportunity to taste the past, present, and future of Houston barbecue in a single afternoon. 1 pm.

Houston Repertoire Ballet presents Celebration of Dance
Houston Repertoire Ballet celebrates its 30th season with Celebration of Dance, featuring a blend of classical and contemporary works. The performance begins with Sleeping Beauty, brought to life by HRB’s dancers alongside Kansas City Ballet guest artists Olivia Jacobus and Andrew Vecseri. Other selections will include Bolero, a contemporary ballet choreographed to the score of Maurice Ravel; Take Five, a jazz piece choreographed to the music of Dave Brubeck; and Rodeo, a story-ballet, set to the music of Aaron Copland. 1 & 4:30 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?
The first Korean feature to have U.S. theatrical distribution explores themes of consciousness, acceptance, and redemption. An old Zen master wishes to make the ceremony of his death his final lesson to his apprentice, who is struggling to come to terms with abandoning worldly ways. Meanwhile, a young boy has his own awakening to mortality as he attempts to nurse a bird he thoughtlessly injured with a stone. This film (shown in glorious 35mm!) complements the MFAH exhibition Buddha | Nature: Five Dialogues on Our Shared World. 2 pm.

Houston BBQ Festival Truth barbecue brisket

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

The Houston BBQ Festival returns on Sunday.

event-planner weekend events

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