Inception Review

        It’s the end of the month, while I would want to talk about an action movie from the 2020s, I’ve decided the one that was revolutionary and groundbreaking. Christopher Nolan needs no introduction since his work is well known by even the most casual viewers. With the success of The Dark Knight, it only made sense for Warner Bros. to give him a carte blanche of cash to go crazy in I think his best work with Inception.

1. Dream Heist

        No one could’ve imagined just how much of a mind bender this movie was and still is. It wasn’t the first time he made a movie that manipulated time with Memento. Give credit to where it’s due since Nolan was developing Inception in the 2000s. Originally, it was supposed to be a horror movie. Perhaps a heist film with A Nightmare on Elm Street flair to it. With any case, it took 8 years to develop for Nolan and it paid off big time. 

        With how complex the movie is as far as the gimmick is concerned; I’ll just summarize it for clarity sake. We follow Dom who’s a professional thief with stealing corporate secrets. The way he does so is by infiltrating a person’s mind. The film establishes that he’s been doing it for awhile since he’s constantly on the run. He’s soon granted a chance of clemency when he’s presented with a job to implant a thought into a person’s dream. In order to get the money from the target corporation.

        Yeah, that plot is something else. Especially one where it involves a heist in the most unique way. In a while I’ll explain the film’s use of dreams and the idea of inceptin’ someone. For now, I would like to say that the film isn’t as complex as an art film. What do I mean by that, well typically in an art film in presents an idea as abstract into moving celluloid. This movie has a unique story that manages to elevate and retain what a heist movie is. 

        Within the first hour, we see Dom slowly recruiting people he needs to execute the dream heist. All the supporting cast do a great job with understanding the idea. We see that Dom isn’t the only specialist, with his partner Arthur who’s more tactile when it comes to the rules. More so with Elliot Page’s character who I think is the audience stand in so that Dom can explain Inception. The moment when the two of them talk and we see the idea of Dream building is simply special effects nirvana. 

        Just that shot of seeing the Paris Street rise and tilt to connect to the rooftop is deserving of an Academy Award. Before I forget, the first minutes of the film is an appetizer with what the audience is getting themselves into. It’s jarring since we see Dom waking up from a beach then transported to a palace. Especially when we see the main antagonist pop up whenever a dream is involved. 

        As far as the main villain is concerned, it’s kind of complicated. Throughout the movie we see a woman named Mal who pops up within the dream, only for the scheme to go south when she wreaks havoc. I say it’s complicated since Dom is tied into it. And without giving it away as far as who’s the real villain, to me it’s ingenious with the approach. In one way, I think the film is in one way about having the dreams be an escape. 

        Dom constantly sees his wife and it’s slowly revealed what happened to her and how Dom just can’t seem to move on. The same thing with Cillian Murphy’s character who is the prime target for the mind heist. Everything is contingent with his Dad and how he’s constantly living in the shadow of him. With how these two characters are used is for their relatives to confront their past.   

   

2. World Building

        The film’s highlight is obviously the world building to justify the idea of dream walking into someone. For one thing I’m glad that the film didn’t stoop to the lowest level to justify how exactly Dom and his crew manage to do the near impossible. The film took it’s time, albeit briefly that Inception is a military experiment. No superpower needed, since to do the action requires an IV and select drugs. 

        It manages to stay grounded in its approach, while also being imaginative. It’s nothing that’s too head scratching or vague since it’s something that must be easily explainable. The second half is when we see everything play out. And to say that anything can happen, anything goes. The main target for the heist is a guy named Fischer, so during the mind heist Dom tries to plant an idea in the victim. 

        Just when you think that it takes place in one dream, there’s layers. For the heist to go smoothly, we’re transported to places where reality is affecting it. During the initial action, the whole crew is being driven and chased as they’re in a deep sleep. For instance, one layer is inside a hotel and when the van window is busted, the weather changes to match what’s going on. Especially when the van is tumbling down. Gravity is practically non-existent since the hallway scene is memorable. 

        This is where the level of investment really comes with a payoff. It’s something where you can watch the movie again and just be in awe with what’s happening. The way the stunts are pulled off and how it even goes beyond just the heist.  One thing that I noticed is the music that has the people wake up to for them to stop the Inception. The music that’s being used is from the French singer Edith Piaf with her song “Non je ne regrette rien”, Marion Cotillard portrays the singer in a different movie. Convenient is one thing, and sort of smart with the implication that the movie is going for. 

3. Overall

        Inception is one of the best films of the 2010s and I think Christopher Nolan’s best film all around.