Review of Inception (2010) by Omar K — 17 Jul 2015

A dream, within a dream, within another dream, and a descent into a final dreamâ?¦ then limbo. Inception may be a film with literal layers, but for damn sure does it layer itself as an engrossing blockbuster. Inception will temporarily transform your outlook on life and the potential that lies beyond the basic understanding of dreaming. We have been looking upwards for new galaxies and planets, but little do we know there could be a whole new realm, or realms for that matter, fixed into the mind of humans. Directed by the masterful Christopher Nolan, Inception focuses on dreaming, reality, dreams within reality, reality within dreams and the perils of mixing the two together. It is incredible how someone could even conceive of a well-rounded idea and make a global phenomenon of a film by not baffling themselves in the first place. Inception deserves its universal kudos, but those who reject its greatness are either simple-minded or truly have reservations. One cannot deny that Inception is a vision, and that, that vision isnâ??t flawless, but it is a damn good attempt at trying to achieve cinematic perfection.

Inception focuses on a professional thief, barred from entering the USA, who infiltrates the subconscious of his targets in order to execute corporate espionage. After failing his latest mission and being on the run, he is offered a chance of redemption and a return home only if he can execute the impossible task that is â??inception.â?? In reference to the film, Inception is an implantation of another personâ??s idea into the subconscious of their target, making the idea theirs. As a title, Inception caught some people off-guard not knowing what was at its beginning or establishment point until mid-way through the film! Despite the plot revolving around planting an idea into their targetâ??s subconscious, it is all about the process of dreaming that is the filmâ??s main point of fascination and when the film addresses the drama about tainting dream with reality, you know that this is Nolan territory. Inception is a far-reaching blockbuster with a heart, but that heart is partially overshadowed by a mixture of tragedy and intricacy.

The complexity of Inception should be marvelled at with utter appraisal, as the simple matter of envisioning an idea so exceptional is a challenge in itself, let alone creating a fully-fledged feature film. Inception never once gets caught up in its complexity and it spends a substantial amount of time describing how this world can even come to fruition with scattered sequences of illuminating explanations. Inception not only explains itself efficiently, but this is done so well that it makes you think about the alternative world our subconscious could possibly withhold. You will find yourself just mesmerised about the many levels of dreaming states there are and the intricate rules that bound subconscious espionage. Nolan really challenges you to keep up with him; he sets out the structure of the film perfectly and then adds elucidating details to fill each level within the dreaming mechanism. Nevertheless, it is still a lot to take in on first viewing, and if you donâ??t enjoy it, you really have to give it a chance and watch it for a second time, and maybe a third to completely get to grips with its premise. Most negatively, the complexity makes you constantly think about Inceptionâ??s process, and the fact that youâ??re always thinking about its mental steps, distances yourself from the proceedings therefore your own personal attachment to the film isnâ??t that great.

Through the backstory of Di Caprioâ??s character, there is a more intimate section to the filmâ??s large-scale entertainment. This intimacy appears more dark than what you would have expected as Di Caprio suffers uncontrollable guilt from the death of his wife that whenever he dreams, she appears and damages his plans. Each scene involving Di Caprioâ??s guilt-ridden subconscious acts as a freshening sub-plot to the main proceedings, but this intimacy reveals its dark nucleus and puts a sombre mood over the film because it tragically bites Di Caprio on the ass on several occasions. This profound emotional side is almost secluded because only Di Caprio experiences it full pelt, and sometimes it is too emotional that you donâ??t feel at all sentimental about it. The intricacy of its plot permeates pretty much everything that goes on, reality or (un)reality, and therefore the emotion looks profoundly affecting, but it unfortunately doesnâ??t feel the same way. Despite its tragic gravity, this sub-plot is undoubtedly needed to make it Nolan-esque, because it adds a heart to the film, and in all of Nolanâ??s blockbusters there is always a heart and that is what separates him from the rest of the many directors in Hollywood.

In terms of Inceptionâ??s cast, it is predominantly male dominated featuring a group of actors that have been carefully selected to collectively electrify. Leonardo Di Caprio portrays the protagonist Dom Cobb, and with his consistent acting skills, he delivers a solid performance, but again lacks a sense of originality to his acting. Cobb is a meticulous soul, but Di Caprio fails to bring a diversification to his rich character. Joseph Gordon-Levittâ??s Arthur is involved in some of the best fight scenes in the film but he lacks a depth to his character, which makes him slightly boring. Ellen Page stars as Ariadne, the graduate student turned architect of their dreams. She functions almost as a psychiatrist for Di Caprio and a compass for the audience who like her are trying to comprehend dream sharing, making her a pivotal character who delivers a low-profile performance. Tom Hardyâ??s Eames is the forger of the group and in 2010 the comparatively unknown Hardy shot himself into the Hollywood in-demand acting spectrum telling you all you need to know about his top-notch enactment. Ken Watanabe portrays Saito, the Japanese businessman who employs Cobb with the assurance that he can help him. This is Watanabeâ??s first fully-English film, and unfortunately it shows as he struggles to get his words out and we struggle to understand them. And finally, the freakishly terrifying performance of Cobbâ??s wife Mal, portrayed by Marion Cotillard is perhaps the best acting in the film. Her femme fatale persona is evident through her diversified persona as she can be vulnerable, dangerous, buoyant and distressing all at once. She may be the most depressing character of the film, but boy is she the best actress.

Inception already has the profundity of emotion and complex intellect, and it doesnâ??t forget to add the scorching visuals. Seeing as the film deals with dreams, a state of mind where anything is possible, it had to really sell itself through its otherworldly imagery. There are moments where you will be itching to try out the dream-state yourself and at times just flabbergasted by the potential of a world that can truly be yours. In particular, as seen on the filmâ??s poster, the physics of the dream-world is non-existent as Ariadne folds half of the city on top of the other half creating a mirror-like image. The filmmakers had to be selective in deciding how they could sell the potential of dreaming and to just fold a city in half is a sight for sore eyes. Hans Zimmerâ??s electronically operatic score serves the visuals justice as it truly unleashes your imagination and almost trances you into a dream-like state.

On the topic of the very controversial ending in which the totem of Di Caprio that declares the difference between dreaming and reality still spins as the scene fades to black should not be debated about, but instead treasured for adding an ambiguity, or to put it better another dimension to an already complex world. Inception is riddled with depth and as a blockbuster, it truly goes beyond its limits and challenges your understandings.

The sheer complexity of the subconscious labyrinth created by Christopher Nolan is truly mind-boggling, and if it werenâ??t for its dark intimacy and sometimes convoluted topic, it would succeed on every level.

â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â?? 8/10.