Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.
148 Minutes
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
Staring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Tom Berenger, Lukas Haas
Review:
Is it true, could Christopher Nolan be the super hero I have been looking for to save myself and fellow theater goers from the overused and over priced 3D medium? In my opinion, yes Nolan is exactly what I have been hoping for. Many fellow film reviewers may agree with me and many also may vehemently disagree but I believe that Inception will be looked upon in time as a true masterpiece. It shows that a film does not have to rely on having 3D to be a big film that is worthy of seeing on the big screen.
Nolan takes us on a journey into a dream world with great characters, stunning backdrops, amazing special effects and pain staking attention to detail. There have been some complaints that the film is confusing and there is a lack of character development. I believe that this is exactly what makes this movie work. So much is left up to the audience to wonder and obsess about after the film is over and will draw them back for multiple viewings. Inception has the perfect mix of mystery, science fiction, drama and action to make this a strong film.
The story is so unique and different. The audience is brought in and able to buy into the idea of ‘Extractors’ like Cobb played by DiCaprio being able to enter into peoples dreams to gain secret information. Cobb is the best extractor in the business and his abilities are put to the test with this last job that instead of extracting information from a dream he has been tasked with the challenge of planting and idea into the mind of the heir to a multi-billion dollar company.
The cast is truly a exquisite example of an ensemble cast with such broad talent throughout. Leonoardo DiCaprio continues to prove that he is extremely talented. He really makes smart choices with the roles he takes on and is very believable. I love his strength and yet his vulnerability as a character and how it motivates his actions. His screen presence is so powerful and it seems as though he really loves acting and cares about his work. For these reasons I am consistently impressed with his work and believe he is deserving of his A list status.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been an actor I have admired since his work in Brick and The Lookout. Inception has given him a unique and powerful character to work with. There are some very intense sequences where there is zero gravity and he actually performed all of his own stunts for that scene which is very impressive and shows how committed he is to his character. I am excited to think that this role will help him gain even more exposure.
The same can be said for Tom Hardy who plays Eames. I had no idea that he was Charles Bronson in the movie Bronson. If you have not seen it, I recommend it. Hardy is set to explode onto the scene and Inception is definitely the catapult for him. He will be playing Mad Max in the currently filming Mad Max: Fury Road. Marion Cotillard plays Mal, Cobb’s wife. She is beautiful and was great in Public Enemies. She is definitely someone that I think can hold her own with the likes of DiCaprio and other leading men.
When I had heard that Ellen Page was going to be in this movie I thought okay this should be interesting. Her character, while mildly important to the story, did not make her stand out as much as I had hoped. This is definitely a male centered cast. That is not to say there there are not some great aspects for both men and women. There is the love and redemption aspects of the film that are ever present and strong motivators for the action sequences.
Not only is the cast great and nice to look at, so is the scenery. I loved the visual tone of the film. Everything from the costumes to the sets were awesome and added to the overall tone of the film. The sound quality is spot on for the film as I have come to expect from Christopher Nolan because of his strong attention to detail as a director.
The Bottom Line:
I know that I may come under fire from others saying that this may be too kind but I believe Inception is a masterpiece and deserving of the praise and the box office receipts it has received. Christopher Nolan is a marvelous director, his films are a work of art in my mind. The cast is great and diverse. If you are looking for a great film to truly escape with and one that will have you thinking for days to come then Inception is the one for you!
I still don’t buy the whole intentionally underdeveloped character argument. I think he could at least have made them a bit more intriguing and given them more personality, which would at least have made me curious about who they are. Instead, they’re just like pawns on a chess board, something that is just there to sustain the intellectual push of Nolan’s movie.
Cobb is fascinating, and Mal is also compelling as an extension of his character, but I never cared about him or anyone else in this movie, which seemed key for the big emotional payoff in the end, which did nothing for me.
Still, it’s a masterfully constructed film, one I want to revisit in theaters again, but I hardly think it’s a masterpiece.
James Ewing recently posted..Despicable Me 2010
As time goes on, the holes will get bigger and people will backlash. I’m just waiting for that time to come.
Jonathan Sullivan recently posted..Mob Thoughts- Kevin Smith Needs to Get Over It Seriously
Hey, the more I think about the movie, the more inconsistencies I can find. I will keep those in mind when I see the movie again in a couple weeks. Maybe a post for another day
Castor recently posted..
Marion Cotillard continues to leave me slack-jawed in awe, but I can’t decide if it’s because she’s so stunningly beautiful or so talented. Probably it’s both!
I tend to agree with you, Jim, that “Inception” is a pretty damn fantastic film. It’s certainly the best of summer 2010 (admittedly, that’s not too hard to do), and I suspect it will be one of my tops for the year. Unlike a lot of reviewers I did not find the characters uninteresting. I’m a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and believe he’s grown into a very strong actor with a knack for playing men riddled with guilt (and, everyone, let’s stop calling him a “pretty boy” — he can ACT!). Gordon-Levitt and Hardy are aces together and Watanabe is not getting enough praise for his intensity.
M. Carter @ the Movies recently posted..Review- “The Descent” 2005
You are correct about Watanabe, he was intense and it was great.
I was very close to ordering tickets for tomorrow night’s showing at the local Imax theatre until I got that ‘glare’ from the other half that said it was going to cost too much. Suffice to say I’ll be seeing it on a normal-sized cinema screen instead of the 50 foot behemoth but I’m sure it’ll still be great!
Dan recently posted..Top10Films Presents Classics Scenes 4
It will still be visually stunning, trust me.
Tom Berenger is the man
Ross McG recently posted..Dumb & Dumber v Me- Myself & Irene
There are issues with Inception, of that there is no doubt, but on the whole it’s a film destined to be much discussed for years.
What I wanted to applaud with this review, however, is Jim’s comments regarding 3D, and the lack of Inception’s conversion to this format. Finally, a major money-making film that hasn’t pandered to the latest fad to come out of Hollywood, and Jim’s comments are right on the money. Chris Nolan deserves a big pat on the back from every film lover for resisting the urge to 3D-ify Inception. I would say that perhaps the 3D medium could have heightened the “dream world” moments of collapsing/building /folding cities, perhaps, but the film stands strong regardless.
A masterpiece it is not, but a must-see it most assuredly is. Inception is excellent.
Thanks Rodney! I thought I was one of the few people that felt that way.
I believe that I am going to go and watch Inception one more time.totally enjoyed it
It is definitley worth multiple viewings.
I’ve yet to hear a single “inconsistency” with the film that held up or (most often the case) isn’t an inconsistency as much as a misunderstanding of the film’s ideas and rules on behalf of the commenter. Probably the most convincing example of inconsistency in the film comes down to the fact that Fischer never recognizes Saito outside the dream world, but,
a) It’s never established that Fischer has met Saito; he might know who he is but he doesn’t necessarily know what he looks like, and
b) Really? Like, really? Come on.
Inception is bound to end up as one of those films that professors and scholars present in a frame-by-frame examination to their students and general audiences. In fact I look forward to watching it again and again just to pore over all of the film’s details, which seem innumerable.
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