Christopher Nolan's imminent return after The Dark Knight has manifested itself in a completely new film, which embodies and fuses the blockbuster scale of his Batman franchise with the psychological headf*** of Memento. Inception is his new baby, before he endeavors to finish the Batman trilogy and throw his hands at re-boosting the Superman franchise. However this summer's blockbuster is an animal of an unforeseen nature. Without laying danger to the follies of hype, Inception is arguably the greatest piece of film-making of the 21st century. I would argue that only The Matrix (the first one I mean) had the same affect on me, the power to completely revolutionize your perceptions of everything, to not only entertain you more than any other rival action or comedy film, but at the same time take you on tour de force of the history of modern philosophy at the same time.
Nolan first started writing Inception around the time of his under-rated feature Insomnia, in which he became fascinated with the idea of lucid dreaming and the fundamental questions that dreams made us question about the nature of the human mind and reality. However, Nolan knew that to dream big on this scale and honour the stories requirements, he would have to wait. This is by no means a small scale film; in fact both aesthetically and cognitively this is perhaps the grandest canvas of film-making up there in cinema history. There has been talk that Nolan is the new Kubrick or Scott, but I like to think Nolan is just the new master of cinema, he is more Hitchcock in his methods, and yet the result is something you would expect from Spielberg and Lucas and more.
Narratively, it is very difficult to actually explain to someone who hasn't seen this film what is actually about, which I think is integral to its beauty and attraction. In simple terms ( if that's at all possible) the premise is that Leonardo Dicaprio's character Dom Cobb is a dream thief, a specialist spy who has the ability to enter your mind and either extract or plant information through the medium of the subconscious. Dicaprio and an ensemble team of experts join together for one final mission, which proves to be make or break. All the odds are against them and if they don't succeed its game over. That s about as much as can be given away or explained of this ingeniously original and complex screenplay. Dicaprio offers one of his most challenging yet rewarding performances yet and acts the emotional catalyst throughout, forever sustaining the audience s interest and compassion. He is also joined by a host of incredible talent, coming from the likes of Ellen Page, British Newcomer and one to watch- Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Marion Cotillard, and the standard Nolan crew of Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe. Furthermore in addition there is an unexpected but ultimately brilliant casting choice of the long lost Tom Berenger.
Where in the lies the true mastery or sorcery of Inception is its ability to almost transform as a remarkable example of any genre. It cannot be defined, I mean at a push you could say it is a multi-layered science fiction heist action blockbuster peppered with comedy and brutal drama, o and least I forget perhaps the most audacious and enthralling story in the last decade of cinema since its principal influence and main source of inspiration The Matrix. It s funny, it's sad, it's cool, it s beautiful, its slick, its breath-taking, it hurts your head, it pumps adrenaline into your heart, it entertains, it stimulates all spectrums of the IQ, it captivates your attention and does not take any mercy on you, it surprises, it twist and turns, it bends and collapses, it forces you to become part of it and until you cannot resist. Also for such a complicated piece, it never for one moment becomes too indulgent or hypocritical, its tempo is just right like a fat bass beat, it s so smooth you could just listen to it on loop. It s just got the perfect equilibrium of everything to make everything work. You're never quite comfortable enough but then you re never bored enough or confused enough to even begin to be distracted or discontented. This film will not let you do anything other than be sucked it and spat out.
Inception offers some of the truly finest action sequences I have ever experienced, up until the point where you just can't take it; it illustrates some of the finest uses of C.G.I since The Return of the King. (Although Nolan remains old school in that he deferred from the use of 3D or Imax technology and the over use or ease of use of too much C.G.I in favour for expensive and realistic constructions and explosions like the Ice Fortress). One of its central themes is an emotional journey into one man's ability to cope with madness and death, playing on the notions of loss and the effect it has on the psyche. Or perhaps just an educated disposition into the principal hypothesis of Descartes body of work- Cogito Ergo Sum- I Think Therefore I am. No wait perhaps just a true understanding and exploration of Freud's Interpretation of Dreams and the hallucinogenic nature of lucid dreams or a psychological investigation into the world of dreams as either a metaphor for reality itself or this just socially accepted journey into hedonistic and ludicrous dimensions of madness and beauty that we all collectively embark upon every time we close our eyes.
Nolan's fundamental message here I believe is that anything is possible, but even without a central thesis or framework of intelligent ideas, Inception would still be a masterpiece, in that it offers anything you could possibly want from any film, also without revealing anything, one of the most finest endings I have ever witnessed, leaving you tantalizing useless and in sheer awe of what you have just been subjected to. Inception is truly in the face of all post-modern criticisms and the suggestion that originality is dead, and that everything is a re-hash or interpretation of everything else. This is truly original and pure, yes heavily inspired and resting on the shoulder of giants (perhaps mostly Wachowski giants) but none the less a completely fresh experience and tale of its own, further experimenting and messing with your world. This is Nolan s Bond film, his 2001, his Blade Runner, his Matrix, taking the best of Memento and The Dark Knight to create his Guernica, his Sistine, his Fifth symphony and cementing him and his film into history. If you have any interest in the experiment that is film what so ever, you will do yourself a favour and see this film, if not don't worry son.
Inception Trailer
