Nolan wraps it all up in sumptuous scenery and high-tech chase scenes. He also pulls off a few rewinds that are interesting at first, then predictable. By the time “Tenet” gets to its climax, we realize Sator is just another Thanos looking to collect his own Infinity Stones.

Washington is every bit the James Bond critics have said he is; Debicki embraces her own Grace Kelly brand of cool. Branagh is appropriately nasty, but it’s Pattinson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson who surprise as The Protagonist’s support system. Together, the four get all those nail-biting moments racing against time.

While Nolan tosses in explanations that will make average viewers glaze over, he doesn’t lose his audience, largely because he reviews his material repeatedly.

“Tenet’s” journeys make it anything but claustrophobic; its action suggests Michael Bay isn’t the only one who can impress with a good explosion.

Still, this isn’t the great Christopher Nolan film that has been percolating for years. It’s another timebender that reminds you, at its heart, masks are a must today, tomorrow and, yes, yesterday.