Much like most Christopher Nolan movies, the dialogue in “Tenet,” at key moments, sounds inaudible; Nolan’s sound editing and mixing is and has always been so atrocious that one wonders why he never fixes it given that it’s become a common complaint from his detractors. In “Tenet,” the indecipherable booming bass muffles out what his on-screen characters are saying, and it does become detrimental since the film is heavy on expository dialogue.
Nolan has defended his sound design in the past, and, now, in Tom Shone’s new book “The Nolan Variations,” says he’s surprised about how “conservative” moviegoers are about cinematic sound. In the interview, he goes as far as to call his style of sound mixing purposeful and “radical.”
That is absurd. When a director mixes dialogue that is inaudible, you better hope that the screenplay isn’t dialogue-heavy, which is usually not the case when it comes to Nolan’s features. There is an abundance of expository dialogue in practically every movie he’s made. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of many of his movies, but this sound problem has gotten way out of hand. His stance comes from a biased perspective, he already knows the dialogue inside and out, but he seems to forget it’s our first time around with the material.
If there ever is an option for subtitles in a Christopher Nolan movie, please, for the love of God, CHOOSE THE SUBTITLES. I’ve pointed this out before; Christopher Nolan should really book an appointment with an ear doctor, it’s long overdue