The Boys - "We Gotta Go Now"

Any show that disses what Joss Whedon did to Zack Snyder's Justice League is instantly my favourite. Writer Ellie Monahan is the episode's MVP. Her commentary of the way superhero films are created, and how corporations have thin unfelt inclusion hits the mark.

We open on a Zack Snyder like shot, with Queen Maeve and a hacker woman in a war-torn street. Through he dialogue is noticeably low quality and the pandering to the LGBTQ community obvious as if the writers of Supergirl were on set. It turns out that Vought is making their Justice League film: Dawn Of The Seven. Besides having to perform a noticeably weaker role in the film, Maeve also finds herself Vought's new diversity hire, with a massive campaign made behind her and her girlfriend Elena's relationship. The satire here should be a wake-up call. It is awkward and cringes in all the right ways. I like the direction that they are taking Maeve here. As the character suffers from burnout, she didn't have that much of an active role in season 1, nor the comics. Now, with the mission she placed upon herself to take down Homelander, she will take a more active role in the overall storyline. Her and The Deep haven't interacted, so it will be cool to see where that goes.

Anthony Starr was surprisingly hilarious in this episode. Sure, more unsettling moments, especially the scene at the protest, but he was a source of some of the biggest laughs. Homelander was filmed killing a Supe terrorist on video, but his laser vision ended up hitting an innocent, resulting in protests against him. Homelander's mental state during the protest scene was suspenseful and tense. The moment when he lasers the entire crowd is a fake-out, but with what has been established with him this season alone, I wouldn't have put it past him, so it gives the moment impact and weight.

A-Train, having been fired also finds that his storyline in the film has been altered to retire him. He attempts to resist it, but both Ashley and the director reject his ideas. In the end, to avoid losing his benefits, he submits and films his exit to Homelander. Actually, to add insult to injury, he films his goodbye in front of a Homelander stand-in. Jessie T Usher didn't waste his screen time here. He was great. Also, with what we know about Stormfront, the conversation between the two regarding Church was uncomfortable.

The Boys storyline will more dramatic than action-packed, but still interesting. For one, the team is still separate. Not a big deal, as The Seven have all been together a total of 4 times through the entire show so far. Just an observation. Butcher, still reeling from Becca choosing not to leave with him leaves the team to visit his aunt Judy, who is taking care of his dog, Terror. Terror in the comics had a habit of humping thins. Behind the scenes, the dog actor was a bit of a diva, and would not hump on command. Of course, the dog being as cute as he is is excused from any culpability. Hughie and MM (Mother's Milk) find him there. Black Noir is also there, having tracked Butcher from the Vought compound, and they rigged the house with explosions. They failed to do anything but destroy Judy's house. The team fights Noir face on, and it also failed. Butcher manages to keep them alive by threatening Vought with pictures revealing the secret of Ryan's existence. Mr.Edgar who is watching from a camera in Noir's suit calls off Noir in exchange for the photos never being released. At this moment, I realized two things. One, Butcher's lying on the spot was incredible. Two, Mr. Edgar is aware of everything that goes on in his company. As a black man, what is he doing with Stormfront?

The relationship between Hughie and Butcher is given more depth here. We learn that Butcher had a brother named Lenny who is like Hughie in a lot of ways. The older brother younger brother relationship had subtle yet tender moments. The chemistry of The Boys as a whole makes their team dynamic feel natural and believable. The history implied between Butcher and MM works because of this.

The episode benefits from a faster pace from last week's episode. The weakest part of of this episode is with Kimiko and Frenchie. Frenchie adoration with her was sweet in season 1, but his character has become defined by it. Kimiko, venting her anger has become a hitman, resulting in the week's grossing visual of ripping a man's face off. Was it because he thought Dear Evan Hansen was better than Hamilton? No, but I like to think so. This results in the two fighting in a church. This fails to create the effect the show wants it to as Kimiko is communicating in a language that Frenchie does not understand, so it is rendered useless.

The ending of this episode has me cringing. I thought Homelander and Stormfront would-be rivals, not lovers engaging in super-violent superhero sex. The sound effect during the oral portion is brief yet shocking. I expected the two of them to be rivals, but as lovers, their dynamic is much easier to invest in. Stormfront puts on a good face to disguise who she really is, so her plans for Homelander raise a lot of them. Also, the sex scene, while beautiful shot revealed that she is just as powerful as him, withstanding his laser blasts that are known to cut people in half. She is much more dangerous now with Homelander wrapped around her finger. Shawn Ambrose, best known as Terry Fox and Iceman from the X-Men franchise plays Lamplighter and had a brief cameo in this episode. He and Stormfront are working together. It has been a while since I read the comics, so I don't know his purpose, but the character was referenced last season as the reason The Boys broke up in the first place, so last week has me hyped.

Side note: 3 former castmembers from Timeless were in this episode. As a clockbuster fan, I loved this.

The Boys sets up new dynamics, providing more developed stories for The Supes, continuing the show's streak of satirical wit, and shocking moments. This is the show at its best. Kimiko and Frenchie's story is still weak though.
9/10

The Boys - Nothing Like It In The World

Love. The feeling of it can be ecstatic, but also brutally painful. Most of the characters this week experience some form of it. From the sweet and tender to the downright messed up and dysfunctional. Nevertheless, the stories all end up the same way for heroes and villains alike: poorly.

The show taking the time to slow down after the shocking events of the previous episode was a wise one. Hell, this episode has a running time of 68 minutes, and the gore was severely down. I mean, every episode in the first season had a messy murder. There is death in this one, but the blood is kept to a minimum here. Even Stormfront is kept in the background this time, while the groundwork is continued to be laid down as we learn more about her and her past, but the focus is on relationships: Hughie and Annie, Billy and Becca, Homelander and his ego, Frenchie and Kimiko, Maeve and Elena.

In the aftermath of last week, with Kenji set up as the murderer of all of Stormfront's victims, she continues to stoke the fires of public outrage with Kimiko steaming, watching her with revenge on her mind. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Frenchie kissing her. Frenchie, wracked with guilt is on a drug fuel bender. Seeing the error of this action as a selfish one when she is grieving, he makes up for it by stopping her from making a move on Stormfront at one of her rallies. There is no way she would walk away from that fight.

Mallory kicks off the other two storylines involving The Boys. Raynor has files involving a hero from the 70s of the name of Liberty. Mother's Milk and Hughie go off on a road trip to follow the lead, but Hughie brings Annie as well, feeling that she shouldn't be alone after Homelander assaulted her back at Vought HQ. This trio pairing was a fun one. Hughie and Annie as having fun singing to Billy Joel annoying MM is a classic road trip scenario. Hughie and Annie even hook up again, as if anyone is surprised, but this brief joy doesn't last long. They discover that Liberty was a racist superhero, who killed a black man for no reason other than he was black. Sound familiar? The timing of a storyline like this after this summer personally effected me as it will affect many other minorities. The icing on the cake? Liberty is actually Stormfront. To recap, Stormfront is the living embodiment of immortal, murderous racism that doesn’t age and has found a way to come back stronger in 2020. Damn. After the trip, Annie ends things with Hughie as the two of them together is too dangerous, and everyone is really just alone.

The other storyline is with Butcher given Becca's location, and he goes after her and sneaks into the compound where she is being held. Becca is a much stronger character than I thought she would be. The feelings between her and Butcher hasn't disappeared after all their time apart, and the two certainly attempt to make up for lost time with car sex. But reality sets in. She knows that Butcher will never accept Ryan, and she couldn't cope if he gets killed due to his vendetta with Homelander so she doesn't go with him. Karl Urban has been performing as a more emotionally vulnerable Butcher, and he is doing some great work here. I am curious how this setback will influence his actions for the second half of the season. Hughie and Frenchie too. Heartbreak all around.

To me, it seems that it will become quickly redundant when I tell you that Anthony Starr is doing excellent work again. His increasingly melting mental state is fascinating to watch. His unresolved mommy issues are fueled with Doppelganger morphing into Stillwell in a secret cabin in the woods for him. He also makes big moves regarding the seven, such as threatening Annie, kicking A-Train off the team, and outing Maeve on television. They tease a confrontation between him and Stormfront. It will be quite conflicting to vote for the winner of that fight.

"Nothing Like It in the World" wisely chooses to focus on the emotional and mental journeys of the ensemble, making it an impactful follow up after the previous episode while continuing to set the stage for the season's upcoming conflict.
8/10

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

The Babysitter was some much-needed escapism when it was first released. A horror film that played with tropes and didn't take itself too seriously. Sure, maybe it was a little stupid, but I had a blast watching it, so when they announced a sequel, I was excited. I am happy to report that the sequel delivers, and cleans up some story holes from the first. It is ridiculously rewatchable.

The film is set two years later. After surviving the night against Bee and her blood cult friends, Cole finds himself an outcast as no one believes him about the events of that night. His parents are considering putting him in a facility. To escape the pressures of high school, he accompanies his best friend and crush Melanie to a party in the canyon. Those plans are thrown out the window when the blood cult ( Max, Allison, Sonya, and John) return from the dead. Stuck in limbo, every two years they are allowed to roam the earth, and attempt to complete the blood ritual that they didn't finish.

Cole must once again survive the night, but he doesn't have to do it alone this time. He is aided with his new classmate and fellow outcast, Phoebe who has personal reasons for being in the canyon. While all this is happening, Cole and Melanie's parents are trying to find them. Well, Cole's parents are trying to find him. Melanie's dad wants his car back.

Its bonkers style is fully realized and embraced this time around, doubling down on its 80's influences. The comedy is at the forefront here, and the ensemble successfully balances it here. With its self-aware style, it gives you more of what to expect with the villains but briefly expanding on their backstories and motivations which was missing from the film. In the original, some of it fell flat and was scattershot. This was particularly surprising as four writers are credited to this film. When there are four or more writers, that is usually a warning sign. The kills got more creative, and with Cole's character being older and having experience, the character is much more active and surviving the night.

The twist with Melanie's character in the middle act ks so something that I am still on the fence about. I certainly didn't see it coming, but the change felt forced and didn't flow well. Respect to the filmmakers to sticking with it till the end, but I didn't like it. Honestly, most of the new villains fell flat in personality and how they were written, especially when they share the screen with the original villains. The scenes shared between Cole's dad and Melanie's dad annoyed me, but the parallels between them and how their kids turned out is some good perspective.

The climax somewhat disappointed me. Bee's character is back, making brief appearances throughout the film in flashbacks. Her involvement in this one to me felt shoehorned in, and I wish that they moved on from her character. How she is brought back and her interactions with the clut were straoght up sloppy. The plot holes around couldn't be ignored. Samara Weaving is great, but if you are going to include her again, give her more to do. The soundtrack, like the first one is killer, and only adds to the fun, keeping the story's kinetic energy up.

Judah Lewis and Jenna Ortega play off each other well and provide a good dynamic between them to serve as the heart of the film. The entire cast is having fun here, but the scene-stealer of both films is Andrew Bachelor (King Bach). He was the first cult member killed last time, and he last longer than the rest here. He is effortlessly hilarious and likable, even though he is evil. Another relationship in this film I liked was the dynamic between Cole and Max. Max is a psychotic killer who encourages Cole to stand up for himself and grow up, while still trying to kill him. His attachment to him is somewhat endearing.

If you are looking for a bloody good time, look no further. There is a tease for a potential third film, but unlike other potential franchises, this film stands on its own.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen is a sequel that improves upon the original, and is a hilarious silly gory ride with unexpected emotional heft.
8/10

Mulan (2020)

The trailers for this film bored me. The prospect of another live-action remake of one of Disney's animated films didn't excite me. I wasn't a huge fan of the original animated film. I enjoy it, but I don't love it, so I wasn't too terribly invested in another Mulan film. So it was no surprise that when I watched it, I was bored. This review is gonna be short and sweet because I have already spent more time than necessary with this film.

Set in Imperial China, the film is about Mulan who defies both the law and tradition by disguising herself as a man and taking her father's place in the army since the o ly man in her family is her old and weaken father. The soldiers are trained to save China from Bori Khan and his forces, who seek to overthrow the Emperor of China. So overall, the same story as before. A few changes here and there, but the foundation is the same.

Shifting from a musical to a fantasy epic was at least an inspired choice, rather than another direct remake. Its almost as if the filmmakers had a feeling that fans wouldn't be feeling that essentially shot for shot remake of The Lion King (2019). Mulan is a unique woman with elevated chi that allows her to have enhanced reflexes. She has had them since she was a child, and had a pretty good grasp of how to use it, and this continued into adulthood. So when she embraces it when she reveals her true identity, the moment falls. Had she denied and hide her gift, it would have been a more powerful moment, but it just wasn't. Maybe she should have cut off her hair like the original.

The parallels between Mulan and Xianniang, the shape-shifting witch is one of the only interesting things the film. The two of them are unique individuals with abilities that others consider taboo and are treated as outcasts. While this isn't fully explored to its potential, the story between the two of them is strong enough that it honed in on the fact that the main villain Bori Khan, felt flat. Honestly, the film didn't make his character or his motivations a priority so he is as generic as it gets.

Director Niki Caro invests a good deal of time creating interestingly shot action sequences. I did enjoy what she did with the camera. Having Donnie Yen doing his thing is always a plus. It did get to feel repetitive in a way, and overall, it wasn't as epic as it wanted to be. The final battle in fact felt quite small.

The lead actress is... dull. We spend 90% of the film following Liu Yifei's Mulan, but rooting for her to succeed and engaging with her journey was difficult. Lack of facial expressions, and emotional weight. Liu is at her most energetic during the fight scenes, but that's it. Maybe the screenplay doesn't give her much to work with, but great actors have done a lot more with a lot less. The performances all around in this film are passable. The ensemble of soldiers was plain while the original had several different unique personalities.

A shame that the film was released on Disney+, rather than in theaters, like many others, but I doubt it would have made its money back. The most expensive film directed by a female director at 200 million, we should have gotten a lot more. A beautiful looking mess.

Mulan sets itself apart enough from the original animation film, and edges towards a thrill ride with large scale battle sequences, but comes off as dull with a flat lead performance, thinly written characters, and unearned emotional catharsis.

3/10

The Boys Season 2 Premiere

Note: This review encompasses the first 3 episodes of the season as they were released on amazon prime at the same time. This is the next show I will be doing weekly.

If anyone requires their superhero fix, look no further than the second season of The Boys. Maybe its too early to say so, but this is one of my favorite shows, and on its current course, it may eclipse the original comics, of which I read and loved. Besides giving the original stories a modern update, especially in regards to its female characters, it recreates moments and stories from the original comics that OG fans can appreciate.

We pick up not long after the events of the first season. The Boys are the most wanted people in the world. Licking their wounds while in hiding, they still plan to take down Vought, the company behind The Seven. Hughie is getting help of double agent Annie/Starlight in retrieving compound V. Butcher, last season discovered that his wife is still alive, and has given birth to Homelander's son, and is determined to get her back. Homelander, after killing Stillwell is becoming increasingly unhinged, and while initially thinks he will finally be given free reign shockingly finds himself neutered by the arrival of Stormfront, the new member of the seven, and Mr. Edgar, the head of Vought.

This is just a smart show. The ideas its presents, the size of the cast, the length of episodes, and the money on the line, it has no choice but to be. Eric Kripke, the man behind other great shows, Supernatural, Timeless( A personal favourite), runs a tight ship, and the writer's room is firing on all cylinders this season. Its vision of superheroes in a heightened reality similar to ours is frighteningly accurate and resembles what the DCEU would look like if Zack Snyder could do whatever he wanted.

As this is the "we got money" season, the visuals received a huge bump. There is a sequence where the camera pans up on a building being destroyed from the inside that I loved. Sure, the exploding heads are just as gory and shocking as the first season(The season 2 opening scene alone starring Black Noir is a standout scene) but the scope feels bigger. Watching the series feels like watching a particularly long film rather than a television series. The second season honestly feels like the first season continued. The consistency is maintained without skipping a beat.

The massive ensemble cast is much more balanced in the first three episodes alone than in the previous season. Queen Maeve, Kimiko, The Deep, Frenchie, and Ashley are given more to do with their storylines. Kimiko's character in particular is given the respect she deserves this season. This mute character is given much more emotional depth and heart beyond the feral character from the original comics. She is independent from her connection with Frenchie and really does come into her own. Karen Fukuhara doesn't waste her increased screentime.

In fact, this show's treatment of female characters trumps the original comic any day of the week. Episode 2 actually takes shots at films and television shows who pat themselves on the pat with on the surface female representation. The slogan "Girls get it done", and the lazy feminism thrown at the female superheroes make for top-notch satirical humor, from Aya Cash especially.

The relationship between Hughie and Annie is still a strength for the series and provides sweet relief from the door events surrounding them. I do hope that the dynamic between them does shake up a bit because while the relationship between the two was a highlight last season, the storylines and events happening around them are proving to be much more engaging.

The entire cast is at the top of their game. The MVPs are Antony Starr, whose screen presence as Homelander alone especially is captivating. He is unnerving, terrifying, and creepy to watch. Karl Urban excels as Butcher, with his particular sense of profanity with the usage of the word "cunt" providing laughs. His scenes with Jack Quaid this season with their characters at odds are particularly fun. Aya Cash quickly establishes herself as a standout. Episode 3, especially near the end will shock if you don't know the character's history in the comics.

The way that episode 3 unfolds, it is no wonder why the show decided to switch to a weekly format. Fans will be discussing it. Honestly, I considered review bombing for the first time in my life because I prefer binging like last season, but frankly, this show is well worth the wait. The after-show with Aisha Tyler is worth a look as well.

The Boys have a triumphant return, continuing to tell stories with compelling characters old and new, and set up the stakes for an ambitious engrossing season.
10/10

The New Mutants (2020)

I never thought that I would get to write this review. Seriously, the first trailer for this film was released on October 2017, with the original release date in April 2018. We are in August 2020. Regardless of box office intake, which will be lower than expected projections back in April since several theatres are still closed, the development and delays of this film have earned it a place in cinema history. No reshoots, pickups or anything. The film was just a victim of bad timing.

Usually, if a film is delayed for so long, its because it is awful. Luckily, that is not the case here. I mean, Thank God that the iconic X-Men franchise ends with this rather than Dark Phoenix. The handing of the female characters alone makes it a superior film.

We open the film with Dani Moonstar, who is woken in the middle of the night by her father, who grabs her and runs. The reservation that they are living on is being destroyed by an unknown force, seemingly a tornado. After her father is brutally murder, Dani is knocked out and awakens in a hospital, run by Dr. Cecilia Reyes. From there, she is informed that she is a mutant, and she is to remain there until she can discover what her abilities are, and learn to control it.

She meets four fellow mutants: Sam Guthrie, a Southern boy who can go propel himself in the air, making him invulnerable, Illyana Rasputin, a Russian girl who can create portals and has magical capabilities, Roberto da Costa, a Brazilian boy who can light himself on fire, and Rahne Sinclir, a religious Scottish girl who can morph into a wolf. Throughout the film, we learn about their pasts and the trauma they have endured due to their abilities. The mandated therapy session that Reyes runs isn't taken seriously by the teens, and their trauma isn't revealed there. Instead, their stories come out from natural conversations between each other. The film follows the five of them working together to overcome both their guilt and their fears in order to survive strange events occurring at the hospital.

I appreciated the small cast, giving this film a more self-contained character-driven narrative, an element missing from the uneven ensemble presentation from the previous X-Men films. The 5 young mutants are distinct enough in personality and their abilities that you are invested in their development. In first act is devoted to Dani as she is the audience surrogate, but I like how it became more of an ensemble film in the second and third acts.

The romantic storyline between Dani and Rahne was one of those cute romances that you hope goes well. Personally, I'm not into romantic storylines in superhero films too much as they often feel forced, but a natural connection between the two is apparent when they first meet, due to the chemistry of Blu Hunt and Maisie Williams. The LGBTQA romance was brought up several times during promotion and I did like how it wasn't simply teased or hinted at, unlike other high profile films that use that queer bait. (Cough cough... The Rise Of Skywalker...)

I do wish the film was longer. The characters bond over their mutant experiences much too quickly for me. This is a bit easier to swallow due to the performances of the talented young cast, Anya Taylor Joy and Charlie Heaton in particular. The story is serviceable. It's pretty straightforward in the sense that there are no surprises. It meets the exact expectations, which was a tad disappointing as this certainly not a typical superhero film. One surprise I suppose is the X-Men connections, especially a flashback moment that references one past X-Men film in particular.

As the film was sold as a horror film, there wasn't much of it. The smiley men were certainly creepy, but I don't see myself having nightmares over it. Perhaps by now, I'm desensitized, but even jump scares, the film was light on. The visuals were top tier, especially regarding the abilities of Illyana and the Demon Bear, a given as it isn't an action-heavy film.

I do hope that this film gets a sequel. Personally, I think that this is director Josh Boone's best work, with his past experiences in the YA genre his greatest strength here, and I'd love to see more of these characters from these actors. I guess the ball is in Kevin Feige's court.

The New Mutants features a by the numbers superhero story with not enough horror elements, but it's elevated with intriguing characters, a unique tone, and cool visuals.
7.5/10

Tenet (2020)

Christopher Nolan makes films that are meant to be experienced in cinemas, at least for the first time, and Tenet is no exception. As my local theatre opened back up, seeing this film first just made sense. The trailers for this film looked incredible and presented itself as an original spy adventure. Beyond that and teasing the concept of inversion, the plot was virtually unknown. Love him or hate him, Nolan certainly knows how to intrigue an audience.

The film follows The Protagonist, a CIA agent. He goes undercover with Russian operatives to secure an object with a small team. After the item is recovered, the Russians realize that they have been duped, and torture him to reveal what he knows. He persists and manages to chew on a suicide pill. Except that it wasn't a suicide pill. He wakes up after a coma and finds out that the Russians found and killed his entire team, and had taken the mysterious object for themselves. From there, he is given only a word, "tenet", and a mission that will have a significant impact on the entire world.

He then learns the science behind inversion, and the capabilities, sending people and objects back in time. As the title Tenet is a palindrome, a word that is spelled the same way frontwards and backward, I thought that was quite clever. Materials from the future keep showing up in the present, hinting at an upcoming war, and The Protagonist is recruited to help prevent it due to his skill set. How inversion is presented to us is interesting. From the perspective of the characters and the audience, it is things moving backward. From cars on the highway to bullets reentering the gun before it is fired, effectively catching it. There is even a sequence where characters speak backward, and behind the scenes, this wasn't even a digital trick. The actors learned to speak and perform some action sequences backward.

Like Nolan's previous films, especially Inception or Interstellar, this is a film that requires your full attention. The concept of Inversion has a lot of rules that unfold throughout the narrative, and you do not dare take your eyes off the screen, or you will be lost. There are little moments throughout the film that get a callback that would make an audience member go "Wait. Didn't I see this before...Woah". It's all in the details. Anyway, with the mission clear, The Protagonist goes fo retrieve the several items that are required to prevent Armageddon.

The exposition does get a little heavy, especially in the middle act, and little things will be lost during a first time viewing, but it doesn't drag, and as written in the previous paragraph, the payoff makes it worth it in the final act. As big as the film is, the narrative is mostly focused. The concept that it presents us with, it has to be. Nolan has a lot of characters in this film but keeps the focus on The Protagonist.

There is an honest trailer from ScreenJunkies looking back at Nolan's first eight films. One constant is that the wife or girlfriend character is secretly evil. Two main female characters avoid that. One is Priya, the wife of an arms dealer who is presented from her introduction as morally grey. The other is Kat, the wife of Andrei Sator, a Russian oligarch who can somehow communicate with the future. Both are full characters that add creative value to the film. With Kat, in particular, we have an inside look at a dysfunctional loveless marriage that Nolan usually avoids. The closest we have gotten to this from Nolan is the relationship between Dom and his imaginary dead wife in Inception.

John David Washington serves as a charismatic leading man. The amount of swagger that he presents on screen, it is almost enough to make you forget that we are spending 2 and a half hours with him, and we never learn his name. While the film isn't humorous, as some critics may criticize the film for, though that was never Nolan's style, to begin with, The Protagonist does break the tension here and there with a comment that makes him feel like a real person, helping the audience root for him. That was important, as not being given a name could have made this some impersonal. Robert Pattinson's Neil serves as the heart of the film. The relationship and chemistry between his and Washington's characters were the most engrossing for me to watch, besides the massive action sequences of course.

The action set pieces are as thrilling as expected. With Nolan's insistence on practical effects, there is an epic nature to it. The highlight for me was the airport sequence, as teased in the trailers that involve crashing a massive plane.

Nolan's usual collaborator, Hanz Zimmer wasn't available to compose the score for this film, instead choosing to work on the upcoming Dune, which he described as a passion project. Instead, rising star Ludwig Goransson(The Mandolorian, Black Panther) composed the score and co-wrote the original song sung by Travis Scott played during the end credits. Yes, Christoper Nolan has a hip hop song played in his film. Honestly, it works. Nevertheless, Ludwig does great work here, and the way the music is used as if it was a natural extension. it is integral to the story. The use of breathing sounds will make sense with context, but nevertheless, it is highly effective.

I felt that the editing was a bit off during the first act. As long as this film is (150 minutes), there were some moments that I felt that the filmmakers were rushing. Other moments, the music was a bit loud that I had trouble hearing the actors.

Tenet is a thrilling epic spy adventure created with technical precision and elevated with brilliant performances and top tier directing.
8.5/10