Inception (2010)

3.5

SCIENCE FICTION/THRILLER

U.S. Release Date: 07/16/10

Running Length: 148 Minutes

MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

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

Director: Christopher Nolan

Screenplay: Christopher Nolan

Cinematography: Wally Pfister

Music: Hans Zimmer

U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

Review by: Carter Moulton

07/18/10

Inception—much like an ogre—is an onion. Layers upon layers upon layers upon layers. You won’t get any plot points or character names from me. This is one of those rare ones that you simply can’t and shouldn’t describe with words. My mouth is duct-taped and my fingers are in one of those Chinese trap things. So what will I do? Tell you to see it.

See it.

In a time when Clash of the Titans 2 is becoming a reality, Inception lays a foundation, an alternate path, for what Hollywood films should become: original, thought-provoking, challenging, exciting. View each ticket purchase as a vote. You could go see Transformers 3. You know what to expect. Clunky robots duking it out, girls bending over cars and Shia Labeouf saying,“No no no.” You could vote for Michael Bay, a director who turned Pearl Harbor into a cash cow.

Or you could support Christopher Nolan, a director who, even with his mainstream Batman films, has consistently raised intellects and eyebrows with his work. The Prestige, Memento, and now Inception? He fools us, over and over again. He lifts our awareness, an awareness we can take out of the theater into the world around us. It’s progressive stuff.

The film is about dreams and ideas, and it’s more complex than it seems. It’s a heist movie at its core, so while details remain vague, it’s easy enough to follow the main premise. It’s refreshing, though, to have a movie genuinely stump you. I was frustrated for a short time toward the beginning because pieces were drifting around the theater rather than coming directly to me, but accepting Nolan’s victory is key. For once, what seems like a plot hole is in fact verifiable; it just takes some time to figure it out. There’s math involved. Like I said: challenging.

Photo © Warner Bros.

Those who have seen The Matrix will see the influence, but Nolan has been straightforward all along in saying that, of course, the Wachowski brothers’ film was an inspiration. What Nolan does, though, is take it visually and ideologically to a new level—or layer, if you’re still following the onion metaphor.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a quasi-man crush of mine, looks dangerously dapper in a suit vest, and Ellen Page is wonderful as a non-pregnant character. Seriously, what an actress. Leonardo DiCaprio is perpetually wincing, but it’s accurate given his character’s emotional noose. This is an almost unfair cast, with Marion Cotillard creeping us out, Tom Hardy making us laugh, Cillian Murphy throwing us the cold shoulder, Ken Watanabe giving us mixed signals, and Michael Caine, without which no Christopher Nolan film would be complete, tipping his cap to us.

Nolan may have made a few slight sacrifices to please a larger audience—for instance, there are a few cheesy mid-action shots accompanied by some quick one-liners—but these are only minor flaws in an otherwise pristine film. The first twenty minutes don’t capture your attention the way the remaining two hours do, so don’t pass judgment after your first impression—a good rule to live by anyway.

Is it better than The Dark Knight? No. Is it the best movie of the summer? Yes. If you decide to spend your money on movies, if cinema is something you enjoy, you’d be a fool not to see Inception on the big screen. Isn’t it ironic that an onion stinks a little less than everything else out these days?