Movie Review: INCEPTION

You know the feeling after you wake up from a dream and your uncertainty of weather what you just experienced was real or all in your head? That is the concept that director Christopher Nolan’s latest masterpiece Inception is built upon. When you suddenly wake up from a dream, or even a nightmare, you typically can’t piece together what you just experienced so it is coherent. Nolan takes that notion and runs with it. What would you do if you could control your dream? If you could manipulate the dreams and ideas of other people? This brilliant approach to storytelling is the fundamental aspect that engages the audience and takes them into a dream world they could have never imagined. With Inception Christopher Nolan has taken an inspired vision and has created a intelligent, creative, and authentically original film that is beyond all other word’s an accomplishment in superb film making.

Not since The Matrix hit theaters in 1999 has a film taken an original concept and completely changed the game for filmmakers. Remember when everyone thought that Keanu Reeve’s dodging slow motion bullets in was one of the most visually exciting action scenes ever made? Inception makes The Matrix look like an old school video game. The technology, the special effects, the elaborate fight scenes are all perfect in this film. It is all a visual treat for the eyes.

So what is it all about? If you have yet to watch the film I encourage you to read no further. My above praise is all you need (and then some.) This is the type of film that works best when your knowledge is minimal. Not to say if you know the basic fundamentals of the film you won’t enjoy it – because you will. But I believe a more authentic screening will bring the most satisfaction for the audience. The rest of this review will refrain from major spoilers, but it is near impossible to analyze this movie without providing some details. So without further ado…

Christopher Nolan’s Inception follows a team of “extractors,” a term used for those who break into the dreams of others to “extract” information. Usually secrets that the victim is hiding within are the target, and the method involves building a dream world, where those in this maze-like universe, have  no idea that this alternate reality is just that. Leonardo DiCaprio, in an Oscar worthy performance, plays the go-to-guy for extraction. His character Dom Cobb is a tortured soul, one who has gone so far with extraction that his reality is tested by a spinning top. If the top continuously spins – he is in a dream world. If it falls he is in the real world. Cobb is a fugitive in America, a problem that presents a solution when a wealthy businessman (Ken Watanabe) offers Cobb the chance to return home if he performs a different kind of job for him. Instead of extraction, Cobb has been hired to perform inception.

Extraction is the process of stealing a secret or idea from an unsuspecting victim. Inception is the opposite. Instead of taking something, Cobb will plant an idea and make the person think it is their own thought or belief. The victim is the son of a prominent business tycoon who is on his deathbed. His son is set to inherit the company and Saito (Watanabe) wants to convince the son that he should break this company up therefore making no competition for Saito’s own energy company.

Cobb accepts the job and puts together his team which includes a point man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a forger (Tom Hardy), a chemist (Dileep Raio), and an architect to construct the dream world (Ellen Page) where they will plant this idea in the mind of Robert Fischer, Jr (Cillian Murphy). The first half on Inception takes the time to construct a direction for the plot to move forward. It establishes the characters, their motivations, and most importantly explains the rules of inception. The explanations of these rules provide the viewer with some much needed guidance to fully understand this high concept film. This movie is more than sci-fi, more than an action adventure. It combines the elements of  The Matrix, with the sophistication of James Bond, the action of the Call of Duty video game, and performances that should be honored at the Academy Awards.

Inception is an extremely dynamic film because Nolan is an extremely gifted director. Drawing comparisons from legendary film makers like Hitchcock and Kubrick, Christopher Nolan has spun an original tale, with complex characters, and a unique idea, that should be recognized as a modern day masterpiece. With Inception Nolan has written DiCaprio’s character into a whirl wind of turmoil with intentions that are both selfish yet understandable. Cobb is haunted by his wife who has passed away yet lives vibrantly in Cobb’s self-conscious. We learn that a dreamer’s self-conscious is their biggest threat, to both themselves and to those in their dream. Cobb visits his dream world just so he can relive the memories he yearns for, the times when his family was together, a better time before his job consumed his life.

The mind games that Inception plays (to both the characters and the audience) are the most engaging aspects of the film. The tag-line for Inception says it all: ” The Dream is Real.” Convincing a person that their dreams are reality is no simple task. Cobb and his team navigate multiple dreams as they go deeper into the head of their target. Inception is exactly what movie making is about. In theaters filled with sequels, comic book films, franchise flicks, and uninspired drivel, Inception takes on the ultimate challenge and delivers with outstanding results. You may not remember a dream but you will not forget the experience that is Inception.

Fanboyz Grade: A+