Movie review: 'Inception'

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Inception, a movie written and directed by Sigmund Freud, I mean Christopher Nolan, is very impressive.  Damn near perfection.  The undertaking of this script is challenging as getting a black belt in Karate.  If one has ever witnessed a black belt test, it requires precise movement and stamina.  By the time one gets to the last leg of the test, the precise movements achieved up to this point, start to wither away just a bit.  The test is designed to do this to truly see if how long one can perform at such a high level.  Same theory is applied for this 148 minute feature.

The flick kept pushing the boundaries of how deep the story can go.  Upon reaching the final climatic moment, the story stays at the level intended but not without a struggle.  By the way, any content resembling negativity should be viewed as the flick going from greatness to really good.  Or for fans of the elementary grading system, A to B.  At least one part of this review has to stay simple.

Probably does not make sense to try to explain the plot.  Not that it's overly complex or anything.  The pacing of the story and the characters' dialogue actually clears up most of the tricky parts.  Most of them.  Anyways, technology exists where people can enter one's dreams and extract information.  Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) perform this con on unsuspecting people with something to lose.  After the latest caper, a powerful business mogul named Saito (Ken Watanabe) offers Cobb a deal he cannot refuse.  The catch is he wants to change the future by planting an idea into a rival's mind (Cillian Murphy)  The process is called inception.  

Cobb is reluctant at first, but Saito knows about the demons inside his mind.  Demons revolving around the death of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard, evil as ever) and how it has left him unable to see his two kids in the United States.  Saito promises to restore his life if he can pull off what no one has done before in the state of dreams.  Assembling a team (Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, & Dileep Rao), the six execute an elaborate plot in a dream world where the subconscious can be the worst enemy of all.

Generally speaking, an easy summation is this flick is all about the dynamic of dreams.  Dissecting the subconscious is the root of the story.  Hence why this would be Freud's wet dream on film.  The way the story unfolds is very intelligent.  Pacing is on point.  Just when the audience thinks they may get lost, the questions are answered at the right time.  Now one can't truly grasp everything and the writers clearly don't want you to.  Conceptually, this will have instances where one is reminded of The Matrix.  Cinematography has not been this fun since that trilogy.  The effects look real and they knew when and where to use the CGI.  Nolan physically doesn't give us a new world to explore.  Instead, he enhances it through a story and the actions of the characters. 

Some may sight the unbelievable.  Pertaining to how our main characters never get hit with bullets from head on.  And yes, there is plenty of spy-like action sequences in this adventure (shot all over the world).  The answer is brilliant.  Think about being in a dream with the above surroundings.  One can do the impossible in their dreams and Nolan keeps this theme prevalent in the script.  Details such as this are spread throughout and when one notices them it just makes the whole scene more engaging and dramatic.  At the halfway point, where this flick really begins to crescendo, this thought will enter your mind, "This is so cool!"

Toward the end, the script might have started to focus more on the wrong storyline.  The relationship of Cobb and his wife is important and intriguing.  Not sure it was necessary.  The concept of "dream stealing" is the true hook of this feature.  Would have liked to see more back story regarding the technology and whether this technique is known to the rest of the world.  The closing moments play out the way one would think believe it or not.  However, you will leave the theater wondering what truly went down.  In a positive way.  I suggest paying attention to the words of Michael Caine's character.  At least that's my solution at the moment.

Casting was impeccable for this gem.  Granted, Leonardo DiCaprio showcases characters he's played recently (hint, hint) and Ellen Page can't always reach the emotional highs her character needed at times.  Their co-stars picked up any minor slack and turned in solid support work.  Direction of every scene warps your mind.  Does the story get too detailed for its own good?  Only at the end but it's still enjoyable to see how it unfolds.  Be prepared to get lost and revel in it.

Overall, Inception is multiple must-see!  For obvious reasons.  Christopher Nolan shows why he deserves to be considered one of Hollywood's best directors today.  The material is challenging but manages to get filtered thoroughly for all to enjoy the cinematic dream.

Inception is rated PG-13 and opens in the Tampa Bay market on July 16th.