Inception Review

Saturday, July 31, 2010 , Posted by Should I See It at 7:09 PM



Film: Inception.
Director: Christopher Nolan.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.
Rating:


So Inception has made A LOT of money since its release. No surprise really, considering its credentials: It’s written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Well it stars a few other people too, but, let’s face it, Leonardo is the only one that’s a real draw.

Is Inception a good film? Yes it is. Actually, it’s refreshing to be treated as an intelligent person, as opposed to being forced to accept some of the drivel that studios turn out in droves. It’s an exhausting two and a half hours in the cinema. The audience is forced to concentrate on information that’s thrown at them faster than a spin ball from Glenn McGrath.



However, it is not “OMG THE MOST AMAZING FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!” as some people would have you believe. I think that talk of an Academy Award for Best Picture is a bit pre-emptive, there is still A LONG time to go until the Oscars, and remember, the Academy is not a huge fan of Sci-Fi.

The special effects were excellent. The no-gravity sequence was particularly well done (though it begged the question why does the zero gravity of the van, only affect one layer of the dream, not them all). The early dream sequence where the Parisian Streets turn in on themselves is also remarkable.



I guess is should make some sort of comment on the supposed ‘twist’ ending. So, here it is:

Does the final shot really raise the stakes of the film, or does Christopher Nolan just chicken out? My vote goes to the latter: Christopher Nolan chickened out. The point of cutting to black without knowing whether the spinning top falls, is just an attempt to force some sort of debate in the audience as to whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio was dreaming the whole time. As soon as I realised the film was about dreams inside dreams, my mind immediately sprang to the idea that the whole thing was a ‘dream.’ If you weren’t thinking that while watching the film, then….well, there’s not much hope for you, is there?

Is Inception as complicated and esoteric as it makes itself out to be? If you pay attention, the film isn’t nearly as complicated as it makes itself out to be.

Is it really as original as everyone keeps saying? Inception is sort of Memento meets The Matrix, but it is put together in such a way that feels fresh.

I realise that the last couple of paragraphs may seem like I am particularly derisive towards Inception. That is not so. I enjoyed it. The film held me it every step. It was inense, engaging, surprising and well crafted. I have no doubt that Inception will become a staple of film schools the world over. I just ask that you take the pseudo-intellectual debate that surrounds the film with a grain of salt.

 
Should I See It?

Sure. It’s an intelligent film that deserves to be seen.





Inception Official Site here.