Inception Review

‘Inception’ is a Revelation in Both Filmmaking and Storytelling Alike

-----‘Inception,’ like any truly original film, is best viewed knowing as little as possible before you enter. That being said, I won’t reveal anything not brought up in the trailer, so you can rest assured if you want merely a vague plot description. The mysterious Mr. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the head of a team that steals ideas through their target’s dreams. The technology is a given in the film’s context, but what they’re about to do next is an unwarranted attempt at subconscious manipulation, even for Cobb’s rag tag crew of the best in the business.

-----Leonardo DiCaprio continues to hone his skill in his best performance in years. Once again playing the tortured soul as seen in much of his recent work, including most notably February’s ‘Shutter Island,’ DiCaprio handles the role with presence and depth, switching effortlessly between the unwavering and charismatic leader of his team and a man haunted by his past. Playing his right-hand-man of sorts is the increasingly impressive Joseph Gordon-Levitt, fresh off his star making role in last year’s excellent ‘(500) Days of Summer.’ Proving to be a versatile actor to rank with Hollywood’s best, Gordon-Levitt leaves his moody and lovable boyfriend persona behind, instead playing a justifiably cocky and coolheaded regular in the field of subconscious theft. His character is one of the film’s most entertaining, and is no less intriguing than that of DiCaprio’s.

-----Ellen Page plays an architect prodigy and newcomer to the business, in a likable role that proves to be much more than just an entry into the world of dream theft for the audience’s sake. This is thanks in part to her strong performance, but also owes much to the brilliant skill of Director Christopher Nolan and the film’s flawless script. Costar Tom Hardy also proves to be a true gem of entertainment, one part straight man, two parts professional, and three parts hilarious. Dileep Rao, a likable actor who keeps popping up in various films, including a similar role as a physicist in last year’s ‘Avatar,’ is also in on the action as the team’s expert on drug-induced sleep. Rounding out the squad of sorts is the person who brought them together, businessman Saito, played boldly by a perfectly cast Ken Watanabe.

-----Marion Cotillard stars effectively in one of the film’s more bizarre roles, which I’ll avoid delving into for those who have yet to view the film. Cillian Murphy, whom many will recognize as the Scarecrow in Nolan’s Batman franchise, plays the soon-to-be heir of a giant and limitlessly powerful corporation, capably adding to the collective greatness of the cast. Joining Watanabe and Murphy as ‘Batman Begins’ alumni returned for Nolan’s newest outing, is Michael Caine, in a bit role that adeptly sets the status quo for our protagonist while simultaneously furthering the mysterious past that drives his motives. Perhaps the true majesty of this nearly unparalleled ensemble is that every time it seems that conventions and archetypes will come into play, each individual character comes through with a real and unique personality that lays the foundations for the grand themes that drive the film. This is but a part of Nolan’s expertise, the ability to instantly establish relationships that most films spend hours trying to develop. This makes for a quick understanding of the universe our characters live in, and consequently a greater exploration of its further concepts.

-----So fine tuned is Nolan’s craft, the audience can’t help but be enthralled for every second of this two and a half hour epic. Literally not a minute goes to waste in this lightning paced science fiction feat of storytelling. So quick and skillful is the setup of the status quo of technology, taken as a given in the film, that audiences will find themselves trying to think things out before realizing they’d better move on or miss the new developments unraveling onscreen. Yet through all of the films endless explorations and audience realizations, it still manages to take you along for the ride, never leaving anyone lost and in the dark. So armed with information and precise detailing, any human in the audience will likely only begin to crack the shell of discoveries ‘Inception’ has to offer around their tenth viewing or so. Lacking the more depressing and unrewarding turns of Nolan’s solid but scorching thriller ‘The Prestige,’ ‘Inception’ is truly a film that demands to be seen again as soon as the credits hit. It’s a rarity to be ranked with ‘The Matrix,’ offering not only some of the best action you’ll ever see, but also some of the most original ideas ever to be conceived, and all told on an entirely epic scale. Although, it is fair to say that anyone with the brain capacity to sit through this one twice in a row without their brain melting into a giant pool of peer bliss, is surely a more steady handed man than I. Playing with and exploring notions previously only hinted at in sci-fi lore, ‘Inception’ combines the elements into its own neo noir conceptualized creation. Sure to offer new revelations with each viewing as only the best, most skillfully filmed and thoughtfully constructed of all revolutionary sci-fi outings, ‘Inception’ may well be a perfect film, and it certainly takes the medium to places it’s never ventured before.

-----Each scene in ‘Inception’ works on multiple levels, providing technical marvel and human interest. For any great filmmaker, it would be a daunting task to film even the most elementary aspects of ‘Inception,’ though in this case that may well mean the climax of any other excellent film. The film is edited to perfection, never letting any of the gravity-defying stunts come off as anything other than real. The special effects work itself is also spectacular, providing crisp, consistent, and always subtle tricks to fool your mind even when staring at a city overturning itself. The non-reliance on computer generation no doubt has great impact here, as its brilliant application is used sparingly and flawlessly. The film’s greatest brawl is surely one of the best ever to grace the silver screen, employing the impossible and passing it as actual.

-----The musical score from Nolan regular Hans Zimmer is as astounding and creative as everything else in the film’s untouchable repertoire, using ominous overtones to drive the film’s characters onward. Its building crescendo is nothing less than awe inspiring, and its towering climax can only being to be understood as a momentous roar of melodic bravura, reverberating throughout the audience in a virtual demonstration of powerhouse sound, courtesy the prestige of IMAX auditoriums where the film is also being offered. Also present is gorgeous cinematography from fellow Nolan regular Wally Pfister, proving just how remarkable the simple image of a top spinning can be. The locations filmed are likewise quite intriguing and visually stunning, especially those involving Nolan-patented aerial views of exotic cityscapes. You’ll never feel anywhere other than in the dream with our protagonists as Nolan skillfully sets up a world that, as was the case when he turned Chicago into Gotham, never seems recognizable or plain, existing solely for the story and acting as a tribute to the power of a refined art direction. Nolan has indeed assembled a team of artistic experts over the years to help in carrying out a collective vision tuned to perfection.

-----At the heart of all the excellence is the script, composed by the arguably unparalleled writing team of brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan. Just when the smallest seed of question is planted in the audience as to whether these are just action heroes serving a sci-fi plot, the script brings it all to a human level. The Nolan brother’s culmination of a growing trend of ideas involving the dream state and its applications is not only one of the greatest science fiction endeavors ever to be fully explored, it’s also a fantastic human tale about loss and love and the fallacies of memory. In the latter realm it can be compared to the dynamic duo’s script for their highly innovative work on 2000’s ‘Memento.’ As far as entering a world whose battling realities cause its subjects to question which reality is real, it is very comparable to 1999’s ‘The Matrix,’ and even last year’s ‘Avatar’ among other modern science fiction outings. This has proven a prevalent theme in our escapist generation where video games and diversified media offer people a different life in a different world. What is real? It has become an argument to define modern science fiction, often mirroring our modern mentality. The Nolan brothers take this discussion and offer the latest window into this universe with their wholly unique vision of a world where escape is only a few sleeping pills away.

-----Yet somehow the film never loses control of its ideas or becomes overwhelmed with its questions. After almost instantaneously setting up the world its characters live in and their varied relationships with each other, the film miraculously allows itself to push the envelope of its own vast ideas all within a runtime that miraculously manages to stay under twelve hours. With the groundwork so quickly and skillfully laid, the Nolan brothers take the story to elaborate and deep places, all playing off this world of dream hackers and manipulators. It’s fair to say that the Nolan brothers took the always diluted concept of dreaming, and analyzed it to the point of precise storytelling complete with rules and anomalies, and all leading up to a pitch perfect ending that so easily could have been mishandled in a lesser storyteller’s hands.

-----‘Inception’ is a masterpiece that could be, and will be, discussed for hours on end, and years on end at that. At its core a classic heist setup, it is truly a work of art that I find beyond criticism, and any complaints that anyone other than a young and confused child could file with it, are beyond me. ‘Inception’ very much makes everything else seem like “just a movie.” It’s almost depressing for an aspiring filmmaker to watch this and wonder why they should waste time telling any story that will never live up to the excellence of Nolan’s creation, which was miraculously created within the two year period following ‘The Dark Knight.’ It’s one thing when he’s doing it with Batman, but now that he’s proven his reach beyond a single franchise; his name can legitimately be considered in the list of the world’s greatest Directors, and even storytellers, of all time. Plenty of filmmakers have established themselves with a trilogy, whether it’s Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy in ‘Lord of the Rings,’ George Lucas’s sci-fi adventures in ‘Star Wars,’ or any number of Director’s whose claim to fame is their innovative trilogy. Now that Nolan has transcended being just the ‘Batman’ director with two legitimate classics in ‘Memento’ and ‘Inception,’ it’s time to start putting him in the conversation with the universally lauded Spielberg, Kubrick, Scorsese, Hitchcock, Kurosawa, and a very select few others, as one of the medium’s definitive creators. Perhaps the only reason anyone may question his place among the giants of cinema is for the fact that his greatest films are of the same genre; but really this could be said for the highlights of nearly any Director’s career. Better to be a specialist than someone making an array of mediocrity in every genre, and many would argue that sci-fi is the most applicable platform for the medium, as the inherent visuals can be explored like never before on page. Though regardless of anyone’s personal opinion on Christopher Nolan’s status among the greatest of great Directors, the fact remains that ‘Inception’ is a film like none other and a gift of storytelling that I’m just happy to have witnessed, and look forward to reliving again and again for decades to come (seeing as I won’t live for centuries). It would take a near miracle for a film to knock ‘Inception’ out of 2010’s top spot, and Batman 3 isn’t scheduled until 2012.

-----Oscar Watch: Now would be a great time to give Nolan all the Oscars he should have won for ‘The Dark Knight,’ but then again he’s established himself far beyond any petty awards at this point. Expect multiple Nominations if the Academy has any brain cells left in its collective head, including many of which ‘The Dark Knight’ earned nods for in 2008. Look for nods in Cinematography, Musical Score (Zimmer ousted in 08’ because “too many people worked on it?”), Editing, Sound, Screenplay and if they’re smart enough to realize who makes all this work together (another Nom missing in 08’), Directing. And thanks to ‘The Dark Knight’ rule where there is now ten Best Picture Nominations, it should grab one of those for sure. Finally, it will definitely receive a Best Visual Effects nod, and may have a shot at winning too, with its only legitimate threat being December’s promising visual feast, ‘Tron: Legacy.’ And I know this isn’t an Oscar, but ‘Inception’ may have a shot at the grand prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which is Best Ensemble honors. Though it would greatly help there SAG chances if a certain cast member was Nominated for individual acting chops (as was the case with last year’s winner ‘Inglourious Basterds’), but Leo will probably be overlooked amidst the July release date and spectacular sci-fi storyline and special effects. As far as what ‘Inception’ will actually win, it’s tough to say with over five months left in the year, but it is fair to say that it has a legitimate shot at taking home screenplay, visual effects (maybe an upset for slightly more subtle over grandiose spectrum, like 1999’s case of ‘The Matrix’ beating out ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’), editing, and the two sound awards, for which ‘Tron: Legacy’ may once again prove a competitor.

Official Trailer

Sci-Fi Epic also Co-Stars Dileep Rao

Christopher Nolan's Last Film -----

Co-Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt -----

Co-Stars Marion Cotillard -----

Stars Leonardo DiCaprio -----