Inception Review- To Dream or Not to Dream
By giyanks22 1 Comments
I am a huge Nolan fan. After his tremendous accomplishments on Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight, I knew he was for real, and not just a one time wonder. Now I saw the teaser trailer for Inception nearly a year ago, and I was interested. A movie with Leonardo DiCaprio that was directed by Christopher Nolan had to be decent, but after seeing the movie, calling it decent is an insult. This is the best movie I have ever seen on so many levels. The film's protagonist Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is the best dream extractor in the world. He is efficient, slick, and he understands the system of dreaming. Together with his partner Arthur (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) they steal information from corporate executives minds. This comes at a price however, as Cobb is a fugitive from the US and cannot get home to see his children, until Cobb and Arthur are given a job offer by Saito (Ken Watanabe), a wealthy Japanese Corporate Exec. Saito wants Cobb and Arthur to plant an idea in the son of an energy Tycoon (Cillian Murphy), through the process of Inception. Cobb and Arthur believe it to be impossible to do at first, but Saito says that if it is done, Cobb will be able to go home to his family. Cobb has been enticed, and begins gathering a team to perform Inception. No more should be said about the plot. The story is needless to say...incredible. The script is tightly knit, intelligent, well thought out, and just plain suspenseful. This is a rare movie that really requires you to think to understand the plot.
The cast is really amazing. DiCaprio nails his role again, Joseph-Gordon Levitt was really really incredible as Arthur, Tom Hardy as Eames gives a really solid performance, and looks and acts like a future Bond in many scenes. Ellen Page is surprisingly perfect in her role as Ariadne the architect, but the best of all was Ken Watanabe as Saito. He needs to be nominated for best supporting actor. He was just so emotional and everything he said was so meaningful and powerful. Michael Caine...well he just did his thing and who cares. Cillian Murphy was also really excellent as Robert Fisher, and gives a chilling performance till the very end. Marion Cotillard as deserves a nomination for best supporting actor, because she her actions influence the entire chain of events more than any other character, and she makes you hate her, but feel terribly sorry for her. Nolan again does an incredible job of getting the most from the whole cast, as he did in the The Dark Knight.
Production wise, Nolan's direction needs to be recognized by the Oscars. The way he moved this story along, and he so tightly controlled the script and his vision created a truly breathtaking movie. The Cinematography is also incredible, and Wally Pfister will win his oscar this time around. Hans Zimmer pulls off his best score in the movie. The Special Effects, or lack there of are really amazing. As in the Dark Knight there is very little CGI, although it is used sparingly it used very well.
This film does things that view movies have ever really done to me, except for maybe Memento (What do you know! Another Nolan Movie). They cast a spell on me that causes me to question my first impression of the movie. It makes me wonder why? Makes me really try and reason with the protaganist, and I never knew more than the protagnist knew. At the very end of the movie I felt like there were more questions left unanswered than answered. The film is unlike anything you've ever seen. It may combine elements of the Matrix and James Bond, but at the same time it really has so many different parts to it that it is incredibly unique and entertaining.
You will laugh at parts, you will cry at parts, you will be on the edge your seat at parts, you will ponder in confusion at parts, but this movie will become a part of you. The movie is entertaining throughout, yet the ending although action filled, is extremely emotional on so many levels.
Nolan has created a masterpiece that will keep people guessing forever. This movie, after seeing it twice, has surpassed Saving Private Ryan as my favorite movie ever. I love movies, but this movie is more than love. It is something that really gets inside your head and as the motto of the movie says, "Your Mind is the Scene of the Crime".
See Inception the Best Picture of the Year.