Movie Review: Inception
Three weeks late. I’m embarrassed, I am. Shame on me. But DUDE, this movie’s still #1 at the Box Office!!! Chris Nolan, how do you DO that? Are you a bajazillionaire now? You’re unstoppable!
Inception has turned into one of those films that inspires adamant and sharp division (but no Fountain-fueled fist fights… yet), among critics, cinéastes and the regular movie-going public. There are those who view the film as an expensive exercise in confusion, while others (namely, ME) were psychically blown the f**k away. Granted, some of my excitement may be due to the fact that this has been one of the least exciting summers in the history of movies, and after being so completely underwhelmed by the roster of films hitting the screen, I decided not to indulge the Beast of Mediocrity by going to see things that looked like utter bullsh** (You can’t bore me into submission, Hollywood. I’m onto you). But mostly, this movie is just super good.
The film’s dialogue is almost entirely expository, which is traditionally the hallmark of bad writing. But Nolan, being a director of the non-hack variety, successfully diffuses all the explaining by grounding the film as a modified heist flick, complete with car chases, nifty equipment, sleep-inducing drug cocktails and job-specific players: The Subject, The Tourist, The Architect, The Extractor (sounds menacing, doesn’t it?). And like any great heist movie, the mission is the thing, you see. What are we doing? Where are we going? How do we get there?
We’re going into your MIND. To plant an IDEA… by way of GROUP SLEEP. Whaaa???
Fear not. It’s awesome. Turns out dreams are like video games. LEVELS! But more usefully, dreams are malleable and without limits, which is both frightening and freeing. The state of wake and sleep is a matter of perception. When we are bound by physical limitations, we search for spiritual reassurance, intangible connections to feed the soul. But in dreams, we grasp for certainties, concrete truisms to anchor the mind. Inception takes place somewhere in the in-between, and it’s a perfect context for that timeless and unanswerable question: What is reality?
The look of Inception is nothing short of visually stunning, which only furthers my belief that it can totally be done (James, Michael… Yeah, I’m talking to you). Modern geometric lines mix with period details that give texture to a world that could really only exist in the mind, but still feels familiar. And I personally love the aesthetic connection to the overarching plot, which is essentially a narrative Rubik’s cube that begs to be solved. Incidentally, that thread is consistent through every layer of the film, including the music, artfully composed by Hans Zimmer. He talks about that here. Seriously, how cool is he???
Inception is a bit more Puzzle than Mystery, a little more Heat than Mullholland Drive. The philosophizing never gets so lofty that it hinders the adventure. And the size and scope (not unlike The Dark Knight) are treated with authenticity so as not to elicit involuntary laughter. There are a few points that might raise your eyebrow, but I’m inclined to be forgiving about that, given the setting. What, do all your dreams make perfect sense? I didn’t think so.
And at $200M + in box-office gross (and counting)… it puts Chris Nolan leaps and bounds ahead of the pack– at least until Fincher ties up the game with The Social Network.
