Review of Inception (2010) by Mikael K — 21 May 2014

Three things that all by themselves make me consider seeing a film: serious science fiction as the genre, Christopher Nolan as the director and dreams as a setting. âInceptionâ? has all three, so my expectations were pretty damn high when I went to see it. And guess what? I wasnâ(TM)t disappointed in the slightest. After spending- in my opinion- too much time and effort on making admittedly good movies for the Batman franchise the much hyped director of such masterful movies as âMementoâ? and âPrestigeâ? returns with a completely original science fiction spectacle. A science fiction spectacle that quite simply kicks ass on almost every level. Itâ(TM)s completely entertaining while giving you a constant bombartment of big ideas, true sci-fi style.

The story is about a team of people capable of engineering dreams and imposing them on a selected subject in order to either get them to reveal information or embrace a planted idea. The latter, more difficult process is called an inception. The premise is intriguing but simple, and itâ(TM)s hardly a novelty for a viewer whoâ(TM)s interested in science fiction. In this instance the potential of the premise is used in an innovative way and serves as a foundation to a complex, ambitious and beautiful story that contains substance and ideas for several average films. The plot has many levels that all advance simultaneously and the visuals are beautiful. Even the action works well, advancing the plot and keeping up suspense and aesthetic intrigue with just a few instances where shootouts or chase scenes are perhaps slightly stretched. But only slightly.

In my fright of spoilers I didnâ(TM)t even check out who all the actors were in this film before seeing it, which meant I was in most cases pleasantly surprised. DiCaprio isnâ(TM)t too bad in the lead, but he falteres a bit in the most intense scenes, doing some Acting with a big A instead of delivering an organic performance. But all the rest of the cast were simply perfect in roles that grew surprisingly complex during a film that had so many characters and so overwhelmingly much going on with the plot.

It was interesting to note that for a film dealing with dreaming, the Freudian psychodynamic model was quite absent from the way the characters and their inner lives were- at times even literally- depicted. The concept of a subconscious is present, and the visuals seem to flirt with the idea of dream symbolism, but overall the model for the human mind is drawn from the more contemporary branch of cognitive psychology. People are presented as complex processors of information; dynamic, alive but not mystical. It was about time Hollywood gave us a psychological film that approaches the mind in the modern way.

At its core I think âInceptionâ? is an exploration of the often dangerous human tendency for escapism and blind subjectivity. We all live in a subjective version of reality not necessarily well connected with the world around us; a well known fact and a much explored subject, but itâ(TM)s just presented so simply yet elegantly in this flick. Nolan again demonstrates his ability to communicate ideas and themes amongst even the most ambitious of plot twists. For example it was a nice move to make the story not be about a âgreater goodâ?. The characters do the things they do because theyâ(TM)re either greedy or their destinies are in the hands of powerful corporations, waiting to be bought. Subtle yet poignant. Itâ(TM)s not the first time that Nolan states that a system relying on selfish corporations is as unstable as an exceptionally illogical dream.

âInceptionâ? is filled with old sci-fi concepts, sometimes sewed together in just a little bit contrived way. But as a whole itâ(TM)s completely original and fresh, as well as stylish and wise. I was reminded of many masterful works in the genre, such as the works of Greg Egan, Neil Gaimanâ(TM)s âSandmanâ? comics, Darren Aronofskyâ(TM)s âThe Fountainâ? and some stellar episodes of all the different Star Trek series. With such great comparisons I just have to consider Nolanâ(TM)s latest the newest landmark on the hopefully far reaching road of quality science fiction cinema.