Tenet viewers are complaining about the film's sound mixing
Tenet is attracting criticism from a number of viewers for its sound mixing.
Last month marked the big release of Christopher Nolan's time inversion mind-melter (the first big blockbuster to hit cinemas since the pandemic), but despite its incredible cast and some of the greatest action sequences committed to the screen, fans have been noting on social media that it's not always easy to hear the dialogue.
Related: Tenet's John David Washington admits he still doesn’t quite understand the film
"Tenet is relentlessly impressive, intensely spectacular and a dazzling mind f**k," one wrote. "However...the sound mix is so overwhelmingly maximised that it's sometimes difficult to properly hear the dialogue, making an already complex plot unnecessarily more difficult to grasp."
Another noted: "Frustrating sound mix, straining to hear dialogue but have to praise its amazing imagery."
And a third added: "Tenet was BRILLIANT (up there with Christopher Nolan's best) but really... what was up with the sound mixing? Was everyone mumbling or what?"
It should be pointed out that the sound issues aren't universal, but there are still plenty of people having trouble hearing it all, as you can see below:
Me trying to hear any of the dialogue in #Tenet pic.twitter.com/naqnRQvEhd
— Winston ‘The Wolf’ Wolfe (@ryanprivett) September 1, 2020
Just walked out of #tenet because the sound mixing was so bad it was impossible to hear/follow dialogue. Hoping someone will fix that so I can see it
— Nathaniel Eastunder (@nate_westy) September 1, 2020
Hey Christopher Nolan, I dropped 20 quid on an IMAX ticket and am risking my health to see your film #Tenet. You couldn't do us all a kindness and let us hear the dialogue, could you?
— Lindsay Hallam (@LindsayHallam1) September 1, 2020
Tenet thoughts
- Ludwig Göransson’s score is phenomenal
- The cinematography is gorgeous
- Holy crap the action is just insane
- Sound mixing is horrible
- The ending makes you rethink the whole movie
- Washington/Pattinson are incredible
- PLANE SCENE A+++#TenetMovie #Tenet pic.twitter.com/EALYefzMOn— Geo Z (@GeoZaroff) September 1, 2020
#Tenet left me confused. Makes Inception look like child’s play. JDW and Robert Pattinson really bring it. The latter being my favorite. The action was insane and the score matched. Nolan made another must see theater experience. PS. The sound mixing is atrocious. pic.twitter.com/dN1Df9cfrg
— mikhail draws (@pageitchy) September 1, 2020
Does Christopher Nolan need to see an ear doctor? Serious question... hearing MULTIPLE a complaints about #Tenet regarding the sound mix, saying some scenes are impossible to hear the dialogue. I don’t understand why this is a constant choice of his?
— Andy Signore (@andysignore) August 26, 2020
Related: Tenet ending explained: Unravelling the mysteries of Christopher Nolan's spy thriller
It's not the first time a Nolan film has been criticised over its sound. It was a complaint made against The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar and Dunkirk by many viewers too.
Nolan himself addressed the issue after Interstellar, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he purposely uses sound in "bold and adventurous ways".
"Broadly speaking, there is no question when you mix a film in an unconventional way as this, you're bound to catch some people off guard, but hopefully people can appreciate the experience for what it's intended to be," he said.
"I don't agree with the idea that you can only achieve clarity through dialogue. Clarity of story, clarity of emotions – I try to achieve that in a very layered way using all the different things at my disposal – picture and sound."
Tenet is now in cinemas.
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