I just saw one of the best films in recent memory over the weekend. And it’s about dreams. Poetic justice. Great for this blog. Great for any blog. Just great. This will be my first movie review post for this blog. Rightfully so. Inception is wicked. And we’ve never seen anything like it.
Christopher Nolan has done it again. He has done it big time.. The man behind titles like Insomnia, The Prestige, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight clearly lived up to his name, leaving critics and movie enthusiasts delighted. Inception is well written—well thought of—and the very concept in which Nolan creates this masterpiece is timeless. It’s a constant interplay of dreams and realities that stretches our imagination. It’s a depiction of how our brains work on an idea. Brains can work exponentially fast that a second can mean a lifetime; brains are more powerful than we can ever imagine. Inception infers that a dream is not just random things, but every dream embodies how we think and, ultimately, who we really are.
The plot is deep, and it clearly is not for everyone to appreciate, nay, understand. My take on this may be a whole lot different from yours. Maybe that’s the point. It's a debate.
For me, the fact that an idea transcends from a dream makes a lot of sense. We can never change, even when we are asleep. What we think about while we are sleeping may also reflect who we really are. It’s not a choice… it is our nature. And to even consider that we can invade someone else’s mind (and identity) and change it to something we want him to be (without coercion, meaning effectively it’s his own idea, his own thoughts and free will) is a very powerful thought. It’s like an advanced hypnotism. It is genius.
The cinematography is very Nolan-like. You can see his signature from all over the place; to name a few: the dark-yellow-red-black-gray hue, the semi-stable camera pan, and the constant music filler backdrop—these can be seen in his works in the past. Speaking of music and original score, award-winning Hans Zimmer delivered once again (Zimmer’s resume includes: Sherlock Holmes, Angels & Demons, The Dark Knight, King Arthur, The Last Samurai, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, even Madagascar, The Prince of Egypt and Lion King). Nolan’s choice of camera angles is phenomenal, and I think the editors did a good job of putting it all up together. The set looked great, and the effects very down-to-earth (ok, not literally, but I think all of it looked very believable). The split-second shots (especially the one in the van) were a thing of beauty. My favorite part was when Joseph Gordon-Levitt et al were doing “space-shuttle-like” maneuvers. Jaw-dropping scenes. The set/locations are fantastic. It felt like a classic.
And then there is the Nolan twist. He did it in The Prestige (Christian Bale’s character had a twin) and The Dark Knight (game theory-esque social experiment by the Joker and the irony of Batman being a dark knight). Inception is possible because Cobb (Leo DiCaprio) did it before. And Nolan used advanced technology in all three movies as well. In The Prestige, the Tesla Coil; in The Dark Knight, the sonar visuals, and in Inception, the “dream machine.” He knows how to stretch imaginations and successfully create subplots.
I also concede that the cast is phenomenal. It’s given that Leo DiCaprio is classic. As always, every new role is a nice addition to his repertoire. Joseph Gordon-Levitt widens his acting perspective. And I tell you, he’s still rising—probably to replicate “10 Things” co-star Heath Ledger’s success (looks like a thinner version of him too). Ellen Page acted like a veteran, reminiscent of her role in the wildly successful Juno. The Last Samurai Ken Watanabe is also a natural. The supporting cast also delivered: the Katy Perry-look-alike Marion Cottilard (my friend pointed out that Joseph Gordon-Levitt paired up with 2 Katy Perrys already, the first in 500 Days of Summer); Michael Caine’s role wasn’t big, but he’s Michael Caine nonetheless; Cillian Murphy’s look is still mysterious and I could see why he fits his role in this; the others are also great.
The only trouble for me in this movie is you have to see it at least three times to understand all the meanings, the little subplots and symbolisms that surround every act. It’s a lot to swallow for a relaxing Sunday night. Inception is not for those looking for a quick fix. This movie puts everything into question; while at the same time it pushes your mind’s limits. You really have to think; think hard and over and over. And because we have to do that for 145 minutes, some may tap out. This is not for everyone.
I’ve never written a biased movie review before. I always had to say something strange, something incomplete—something about the movie that disappointed me. Maybe I should watch again to see it. But like most people, I was blown away by this masterpiece. I think Christopher Nolan did a really good job, and he’s becoming one of the few directors who can pull off a constant string of near-perfect movies. And you don’t have to understand it to appreciate it (I think I need to watch it at least four times :))
For me, the one true selling point in Inception lies in its theme: that dreams make you who you are; that thoughts are part of reality; that there is a chance, no matter how small, that you might just transcend that thought into reality. I may not get all of meanings at this point (and maybe I am wrong) but I think it’s very inspiring. Five stars definitely.
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