INCEPTION: Movie Review

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"INCEPTION: Movie Review"


Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe this movie as it is one of the best movies released this year! After so many remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and [comic book] movies – which I love – it was SO refreshing to see something that we haven’t seen before. This movie is the real deal. Inception is a mind-fucker of a movie, but it’s something we’ve come to expect from the mind of one Christopher Nolan. He has dazzled us with Memento and Insomnia before making cinematic magic with The Prestige. Between all that, he also did manage to impress us with Batman Begins while The Dark Knight is an amazing piece of super-dense storytelling that entertains and astounds on so many levels. Suffice to say, expectations are high, even if we have almost close to zero idea what Inception is all about. And that’s the best way to go into this. The marketing has been shrewd and details have been near minimal, going into this movie with almost no knowledge about it aside from the stars and the few people making the movie, is like an experience that has been lost for quite a few years now in this age of super-fast information.

First let me start by saying I now understand why this film took him 10 years to write/perfect. This is a movie I feel some will need to see multiple times to fully grasp and understand everything in the movie. I’ve only seen it once and was pretty amazed by what I was watching. Though I was confused at times, I knew that after a repeated viewing I would pick up on things I missed previously. I plan on seeing it again real soon and I haven’t felt about a film this way in a LONG while. I was actually surprised at how much fun this movie actually was as I thought it was going to be a real serious action/thriller. In many ways it was, but it is a lot of fun to watch and go on Nolan’s adventure. It drew me in even more during certain scenes which discussed the many realities which WE tend to experience within our own subconscious and dreams. I really do not want to give away much of what the story’s about, but in a nutshell it embarks on what it would be like if we were actually able to dig deep within our heads to create and steal ideas, manipulate and to a certain degree redeem ourselves from a guilt-ridden past. There really isn’t any other way of clearly laying it out on this review. Truth is Inception is such a spoiler free movie, if I layered it out in detail (Which I can’t) one still wouldn’t understand how one scene connects to the next unless it’s visually experienced. Nolan uses EVERYTHING to his advantage in order to tell the story. You name it! From clear cut writing which seems as simple as can be… to simple objects which pertain to symbols one picks up on as the film moves on. It’s a maze within a maze and if you’re the kind of person who HATES this kind of film, I don’t recommend it unless you just want to see Leo deliver yet another great acting job. Seriously, is there anything this man does which sucks? Having presented us with another mind-fucker film back in February (Shutter Island), Inception raises the stakes on many levels!

Much love and respect to the rest of the cast as well. Leo’s in a class by itself, however, without his back-bone of supporters, much of his character’s (Cobb) objectives would have never been met. They all precisely lend to the story due to their individual links to “Cobb” and the unexpected adventure they’re lured into by him at the cost of… I’m NOT telling you! (LOL!)

The many effects shots showcased in the various teasers and trailers are put into perspective, and the result is nothing like what has been suggested, making the movie an experience to truly behold, crafted by a sure-handed director wrangling his story into an entertaining and enjoyable whole. The effects are wholly impressive, especially so when it’s basically one major effects studio handling everything that we see on screen. Nolan uses the effects wisely, so nothing is really intrusive or distracting, blending seamlessly into the architecture of the story itself. Added to this Hans Zimmer pounding score that makes liberal use of the Horns Section adds to the sense of delirium at times, and that’s a good thing. There are also the usual driving beat rhythms that we’ve come to expect of Zimmer’s works that simply add to the excitement to the set-pieces.

Direction in this film is superb! Nolan’s clearly becoming one of my favorite directors due to KNOWING what it is he wants coming across in any of his films. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for others in this realm of business, but with Nolan it’s on a unique level. To be honest, I can’t really wait to see what he presents next. I will say it again… Inception is clearly ONE of THE BEST films I’ve ever seen and stands out in many ways this year alone. With all the shit that’s opened up and what I see coming soon… it can’t compare to this. The film deserves at least one watch. It’s unique in every way and clearly a film that will make one question their dreams the next time they awake from one.
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Grade: A+
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Drama and Thriller
Roars: 5 Out of 5

Rated: PG-13 / Run Time: 2 Hrs. 30 Min.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

Director: Christopher Nolan