Movie Review: Inception

Image via Wikipedia

Inception that is the title not just of a movie but an idea, one that I believe has proven without a shadow of doubt that Christopher Nolan is one of the creative greats of our generation. On par with Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, or Steven Spielberg, able to not only create as an architect, but to populate these stories with some of the most compelling characters ever, as a dreamer. His previous efforts Memento, The Prestige, and of course Batman Begins & The Dark Knight, all have been a precursor to this his most ambitious film yet.

What you should know going into Inception is that most people will think to compare this movie to The Matrix, while there are certain similarities such as alternate worlds, and the sleep state you enter to get to them, that is where they end. Inception proves that while summer is for action it can also be for thought provoking thrillers, and Inception blends them seamlessly. The limited action pieces are spectacular, "limited" only in that this movie uses them as necessary for the story not just moving our characters from set piece to set piece. The "lack" of action sequence are made up by being some of the most innovative fights and explosions around especially once the laws of physics get turned around. You know what they say quality over quantity. What Nolan has a natural knack for is pacing, and in this movie it is a constant train rolling through the proverbial street gaining speed and immediacy until the kick. For 2 1/2 hours this movie is able to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, when not the action then through the witness and explanation of the amazing feats people can preform in dreams. Whether it is bending a city or washing up on the shores of ego ,   Image via io9
 there is always spectacular imagery on screen. Finally when it comes to getting this movie, as I explained to my girlfriend (which I have a feeling will have to be done for some in your viewing party as well) is that with each "layer" the cast goes deeper the closer we get to the thematic core of the movie. On layer 1 its about a reverse heist, on layer 2 its about an idea, so on and so forth, but at its deepest layer this movie is about overcoming guilt. The cast's performances, of whom Nolan has been able to create great archetypes and memberable characters, are superb. Leonardo Dicaprio' man on the brink, to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, easily the action star of this film, and Ellen Page's naive student cum therapist are the stand outs to this reviewer.

When condsidering your own personal list of favorite movies it is important to not only take in the movie itself but the context in which you first saw it. The first time you saw Star Wars, or The Matrix, those represented a paradigm shift in what you thought was possible in a movie let alone that a human mind could create something that revolutionary. When Inception ended I was immediately hit with this shift, I was speechless, a feat that I can honestly say may never have happened before. I still find it difficult to explain why this movie has effected me in this way. But to this reviewer Inception could be one of the greatest movies I have ever seen, and whole heartedly recommend it to everyone.