INCEPTION (includes trailer and 3 interviews)
July 22nd 2010 13:05
Inception - out now!
Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins, Momento, The Prestige and The Dark Night has out done himself this time. With Inception, Nolan has firstly written a script which gestated in him for almost ten years, when you see it, you will understand why it took this length of time to conceive. The way Nolan actually executes this all, with such a level of genius, into a coherent film - it’s down right intimidating. Inception pulled me into deep trance with it’s mind bending, hypnotic deliverance. Inception is a science fiction, thriller that tells the story of a group of thieves, who have the ability to enter the same dream of others and steal thoughts from their subject’s minds. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island), as Cobb, a business man who specializes in sub conscious theft, known in the story as ‘extraction’.
Cobb begins to assemble a team, comprising of Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days Of Summer), Ariadne, played by Ellen Page (Juno), Eames, played by Tom Hardy (Bronson) and Yusuf, played by Dileep Rao (Avatar). Inception fills it’s frames with a fantastic cast who have all proved themselves to be some of the most talented young actors working today, bursting with presence and charisma, each of these actors are flawless in their roles. Leonardo DiCaprio also takes on one of his most challenging roles yet and is suitably convincing as a man who’s grasp on the real world is beginning to crumble.
Cobb cuts a deal with fellow businessman Saito, played by Ken Wantanabe (Batman Begins), where he must enter the dreams of one Robert Fischer Jr., played by Cillian Murphey (The Wind That Shakes The Barley) and commit Inception, the act of implanting an idea into someone’s mind which they can’t ignore.
At the beginning of Inception, we process that an idea, like any virus, can over take our thoughts, either consuming or defining us - Cobb understands this more than anyone as he explains this to Ariadne, who represents the eyes of the audience. He assembles this team with the purpose of them penetrating Fischer’s dreams and implanting a negative idea, but here’s the catch – the mind is incapable of holding onto negative thoughts. Their challenge is to plunge deeper than ever before into their subject and trick his sub-conscious into holding this negative thought. As a result, grand visuals are conceived in psychic plains of the mind, where anything can happen as they risk their lives in an unfamiliarly volatile world. Cinematographer, Wally Pfister, who has now shot all of Nolan’s films once again creates a ominous, atmospheric look, shot beyond perfection that creates these mesmerizing surroundings.
In typical heist fashion, each member of Cobb’s team possesses a unique skill that will come in use during their plummet into the sub-conscious, a dream with in a dream with in a dream. Inception’s storyline can sound quite sticky and over complicated in theory, but what blew my mind while watching it, was just how easy it was to follow. A lesser accomplished writer than Nolan would have easily put himself into a corner with this material. There’s a large amount of exposition attached to everything but it’s cloaked by the prestige that is pulled off, making for some fascinating concepts and themes. Inception engages your mind and it’s up to you to keep track of it, which isn’t that hard if you enjoy films that require you be a participant in them.
Inception not only is a great blockbuster/action film, but works on so many other levels. It’s intellectual while still tapping into our world of dreams, our memories, that swell deep in us - where our thoughts and feelings blur the line, along with some of our hidden feelings that briefly surface during our waking moments. Many times I’ve had a dream with in a dream, it’s almost always accessed my most private, hidden feelings and illogical thoughts, and when I wake up I find myself shaken, as if I have created something which reached deep into the depths of my soul. This is where Inception takes place, and at times the film can be hauntingly resonant. This ethereal conceit challenges our existence as these concepts are delivered in the form of some of the most thrilling action scenes ever created, along with some of the greatest special effects to date.
The main character, Cobb, has some dark secrets which threaten to capsize their mission and put everyone in jeopardy. It’s this subplot that I found most captivating as memories are explored here along with plenty of cerebral material that Christopher Nolan mines to it’s full potential. The film’s themes and undercurrents come full circle as it hi-jacks your imagination. I felt myself unusually affected by Inception, it hit a nerve as it broached some seriously fun and exciting cinematic territory. Inception creates the playbook for it’s strange, brave new world and then once this has all been established - everything that can go wrong does go wrong, it’s a far more impressive and imaginative journey than Avatar. There is a small flaw in Inception, where it’s final act of snowballing events feels a bit top heavy and overly stretched out, but it didn’t bother me too much.
Inception is worth it’s weight in current praise. Christopher Nolan has become one of the most extraordinary writer/directors working today and Inception is his masterpiece.
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Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Wow is all I can really say to it - and look at that - somebody put a shiny gold star on my post
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Not sure if it's his masterpiece, as I'm still a huge fan of Memento which isn't as grandiose, but is just as potent and memorable (pun unintended), and a movie I still have to review.
Comment by Andy Tope
Bagman's Gazette
I too, (like many movie lovers it seems) rushed out to see this one on its opening day here in Australia like a giddy school boy. I'm a huge fan of Nolan, Di Caprio, Ellen Page and most certainly science fiction.
And I wasn't disappointed. I agree with you in that one of the best aspects about this was it's overall construction. I too found it quite easy to follow and felt that many directors would not have pulled such material together as smoothly. I also love the line that Di Caprio says to Cotillard when he finally confronts her with his agony.
I also found the acting excellent overall, although I couldn't help but be effected a little by the hype, and while I felt it's execution was masterful, I didn't think the idea was entirely original. That didn't put this one in the absolutely outstanding category for me (but still very good). Maybe I was just expecting too much. I will no doubt have to watch this one again with a new set of eyes.
Great review!
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
This film really had a big impact on me!
Any comment on that last shot of the film gents? Any one have anything to say aside from the immediate obvious?
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Deni, I find the top to be ambiguous- it continues to spin meaning that either his wife was right the whole time (remember the scene with the shoe and the window ledge - anything seem strange to you about where he was and she was when they had one room together) or that he had created too many memories and finally lost his grasp on reality in the end???? Thoughts?
Comment by angelbird72
Cooking with Feeling
I really enjoyed this movie. It was very engaging, and as you said, I found it amazing that it was so easy to follow. I think the large amounts of exposition were necessary for that, but they weren't too intrusive for me.
The two problems I had were with the trip into the deeper levels of Fischer's mind. The film tells us that if you die in this dream you don't wake up, you go into limbo. And then they go into a dream within that dream, and then a dream within that dream. And we see that it is necessary to be woken by the same mechanic, the kick, in sequence out of each dream; the kick at the top level as the van falls does not bring them out of the deepest constructed level. So if the same mechanics work to wake you from a dream within a dream, why does dying at a lower level not just throw you one level up?
Secondly, why is Arthur not woken from the second level by the kick when the van drives off the bridge?
Anyway, those two points were small ones, and they didn't detract too much from the movie for me at all.
As for the ending. At first I thought he was still dreaming. The kids haven't aged at all and the heavy handedness and identical situation with the same clothes all pointed me towards the idea that he was still dreaming.
That said, the two guys I saw it with had another idea that I also think is valid. They said that it is in fact both. That the movie is deliberately ambiguous and that reality is always going to be constructed, since it is a movie, so it was both the movie's reality and a dream.
I probably didn't do their arguments proper justice, and they had others, but that was the gist I got. Sorry for the ridiculously long comment : )
****SPOILERS******
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Someone else had brought up the same point your friends made but I can't remember exactly how he phrased it.
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I finally got my net working again and placed up a very brief review HERE. I did a very short one as everyone has already done one
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Look forward to chatting about this one.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
As for arthur, the kick comes when the van hits the water......It's the the writer/directors rules I suppose
As for the end - interesting take - that makes sense too
Thanks for reading - hope to have you stop by again!
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Hey Jason - thanks - I saw the mini review - come one Jason - get in the game, this is an opportunity for you to say things about the film that are different to everyone else's review! It was awesome wasnt it
JD - thanks pal - speak soon