Review: Inception (Nolan, 2010)
July 16th 2010 22:15
Inception (Nolan, 2010)
Written July 16, 2010
(this review contains minimal detail on the plot and no real spoilers)
As clichéd as it sounds, every so often a film comes along that reminds one of what it means to be a Cinephile; a film that goes behind the purpose of financial revenue or mindless shallow entertainment for the casual movie-goer. Inception is one of these films. And rarer still, it is actually a summer blockbuster, a term that is not usually synonymous with critical acclaim.
Inception breaks the rules; in fact, it breaks the mold. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan began working on the script for Inception 10 years prior. It had seen many genre and concept shifts before he arrived at his final product. What Nolan has created is a world onto his own. From the beginning sequences, we are thrust into his creation without hesitation and never once do we question the authenticity of the world in which these characters inhabit. Perhaps it’s the future, perhaps present day but we wouldn’t know; there are no time stamps that allow us to place the action that is occurring.
Dom Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio) and his associates work in the field of dream extraction. They engage in an illegal practice of infiltrating their mark’s dreams and gaining access to their carefully guarded secrets.
Soon, though, the job shifts to the taboo concept of inception; the practice of implanting an idea in someone’s mind, without knowledge that their mind has been compromised. If Cobb and his team perform this “one last job”, the client Saito (Ken Watanabe) will give Cobb the only thing he truly wants: the ability to return home to the states.
Inception takes the generic conventions of the One Last Heist sub-genre, combines it with some good old-fashioned corporate espionage and then proceeds to stun the viewer 150 minutes of brilliantly constructed set pieces, action sequences, and engaging characters.
Nolan has defiantly gone against the status quo; most films in your local theaters at any given time of the year (and certainly in the summer) consist of over-saturated special effects and conversion to 3-D. We are consistently overwhelmed with CGI which has become inherit to the medium. For Inception, Nolan sparingly used full-on CGI. Instead, production and set designers constructed complex buildings, hallways and even a train. In post-production, necessary CGI was added but mostly Nolan chose to rely on a director’s best friend: his camera. The CGI Nolan did use is seamless to the film’s world and never once do we question the realism of what’s on the screen except when the script calls for such pondering.
Nolan shot Inception mostly in 35mm, along with some use of 65mm and VistaVision for higher quality; he did not use IMAX photography and railed against 3-D while other directors are reformatting their 2-D films to follow the three-dimensional fad.
While the cast is stellar, they nevertheless take a backseat to the world that has been constructed before our eyes. We watch; gaze transfixed, as buildings topple over, water rushes into the frame, windows are blown out. We watch as a truck falls ever so slowly off a bridge, into water, as fights break out in a stunningly depth-filled hallway without the function of gravity. We try to wrap our mind around these images and then realize that we’re also watching some amazing performances on top of these spectacular set pieces.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb is the driving force of emotional conflict and turmoil in the film. His turn in Inception is not unlike his role in Shutter Island earlier this year. Both characters are fractured men, deeply driven by their guilt and remorse over their family ties. It’s Cobb’s relationship with his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) that supplies the plot with carefully guarded secrets which shape our protagonist’s storyline and personality. DiCaprio plays the role with intensity, sadness, and determination. It isn’t the most original role he’s ever done but he portrays it with passion and unbridled love for the pure craft of filmmaking. Cotillard’s role is a difficult one, for reasons explained within the film. Her entire embodiment is one of deceptive reality and she plays it with ease and precision. Cotillard is a brilliant young actress who will no doubt continue to do spellbinding work.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy are two of the finest young male actors working today; simply their presence on camera is one to behold. Inception is centered on Murphy’s character. He is the reason everything happens and it’s fascinating to watch the way he is pulled into this world, even in his subconscious.
The concept of what is happening in the film seems so simple on the surface: to plant an idea in someone’s head but make them believe it is theirs. Only when you realize the layers, levels, dangers and outcome of this venture do you truly understand the complexity of each event that is taking place on the screen. And it’s this realization of how intricate the dramatic action is and the knowledge that planting this idea in one man’s head will affect lives, change lives, and shape who these people are and who they will become. At the end, you realize what these events have done to this man; the magnitude of how they have changed his life all in the name of corporate politics and this in and of itself is a rather brilliant discovery.
Ellen Page portrays the film’s other female character. Her name is Ariadne, an architect pulled into the job to design the mazes in the target’s mind. When Cobb asks her to design a maze in two minutes that takes one minute to get out of, she fails until she creates a labyrinth. This makes sense, as the mind as a labyrinthine maze, full of deception and fear.
Ariadne’s first experience into the dreamscape is a stunning venture. As explosions occur around her and buildings fold and disconnect, it’s as if we are alluding to the instability of dreams as a whole. Page does a fine job with the material that she’s given and is charismatic in her role. However, she has the unfortunate task of being our exposition deliverer in the film. She must ask the necessary questions and uncover the untold secrets in order for the audience to access the inner workings of Cobb’s past and how it is affecting not only his conscience mind but infiltrating his subconscious as well. For the most part, Inception is flawless. The tension is tangible and never once do you feel the film’s long runtime. Han Zimmer, a composer whom has succumb to rather generic, lackadaisical approach to musical composition as of late brings his A-game in a perfectly executed and not overly-present or self-aware score.
Christopher Nolan’s Inception is the reason movies are meant to be consumed, analyzed, critiqued; adored. Whereas The Matrix revolutionized action sequences, Inception has taken from that franchise and turned it on its head. Now it will be Inception’s turn to revolutionize the way people (whether it is audiences or filmmakers) view the medium of film as a whole. It will make people think of surrealism, of storytelling, and of the way an abundance of noticeable special effects is simply unneeded when something as masterful as this film can exist.
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What did you think of Inception, fellow Cinephiles? And what do you think is Mr. Nolan's greatest achievement to date?
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Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Aside from the Batman movies and, of course Inception, I really like The Prestige.
I couldn't get into Momento when I first saw it, so I need to sit down and watch it again.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Agree with much of what you say.
From my own review:
"Inception is a smartly scripted, visually astonishing accomplishment that reminds not all bigscreen behemoths need to be dumbed down adaptations of existing works. Constructed with eye of the needle care and calculated pacing the film’s delicate stealth seeps originality taking an intangible truth and manipulating it to maximum effect.
Compelling and riveting, Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) proves once more he is a consummate storyteller. Focused and avoiding the pitfalls of over complicating a simple “idea” to deliver complex, intellectually stimulating entertainment that never plummets into incoherence. An architect of the cerebral cortex, instead of a frustrating paradox of riddles the film is a fluid exercise in the tapestry of structure."
You can Click HERE to read my entire review if your interested.
Comment by Cinema is Truth
Comment by Cinema is Truth
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Following was an impressive debut.
I love all his films, except the remake of Insomnia which was good, not great. After all took him over two hours to tell a story that achieved the same result in an hour and a half.
I have reviewed a few of his films if your interested:
You can read Memento HERE
To read Dark Knight click HERE
to read The Prestige click HERE
Comment by Experienced Amateur
Comment by Cinema is truth
Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth