Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
Recently, I watched Tenet for the first time. I did not go to see it in theaters, naturally, but I did pay to rent it, which is not something I do terribly often. However, I was curious about it. I’m no Christopher Nolan lover. The Dark Knight is my second-least-favorite Batman movie, ahead of only Batman & Robin. I knew the reviews of Tenet were polarizing, so I was hesitant. Fortunately, I really enjoyed it. The action is great. It was a gripping film. I didn’t understand all of it, but I understood enough of it, and in the end it was a really good movie. In fact, I would call it my second-favorite Nolan film. This leads to my favorite Nolan movie, which is a film that really flies under the radar of Nolan films: The Prestige.
Yes, The Prestige is my top Nolan film. I think it’s great. It’s not a huge blockbuster or a comic book movie, so it doesn’t get the attention of the Batman films. For Nolan, it’s a “small” movie. That being said, it’s still heady and has big ideas. You know, a Nolan film. Oh, and it involves Christian Bale, of course.
The Prestige is about two rival magicians, one played by Bale and one played by Hugh Jackman. Jackman believes that Bale’s character is responsible for his love’s death (classic Nolan) and the two become obsessed with outdoing each other and destroying one another. This rivalry gives them fuel, but also ruins their lives. Few movies about magicians feature this much death. There’s a sci-fi twist in the story, but I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s just say David Bowie plays Nikola Tesla. Isn’t that enough to want to see The Prestige.
I think both Jackman and Bale are great in the film, and they have to shoulder the load. Thematically, I found The Prestige more robust than many Nolan films. The story is engaging, but also easy to follow. If you aren’t understanding it by the climax, the movie spells it out for you. Also, I just really dig the look of it. It’s lush and feels like a modern twist on an old Techicolor melodrama in some ways.
I know my Nolan rankings are atypical. I stand by them. If you have ever liked a Nolan film and haven’t seen The Prestige, I would definitely change that. Also, give Tenet a shot. Even if you don’t understand the mechanics, you can understand dope fight scenes.
