In a Nutshell: "Inception" (9.5/10)

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2010)

Inception...You think you know about dreams, think again!
8 years is how long it took "Inception" to cook in the head of mastermind writer, producer and director Christopher Nolan. During that time he has successfully served us with things like "Memento", "The Prestige", "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". This picture is one of a kind to say the least and will undoubtedly be noted through decades to come.
Dom Cobb (Leo DiCaprio), a master dream invader, leads a team of thought manipulators each of his own specialty, through the ultimate mission of their craft. After many jobs of stealing corporate secrets, they're now assigned to be creators rather than thieves. They're off to implant ideas rather than taking them away.
A good story could always be a solid foundation to making a good movie, now imagine a story so genuine like almost nothing that's been told before. "Inception" is one of those films that are likely to go wrong, with an idea that could potentially have numerous loopholes unless written by someone like Christopher Nolan. The mind bending thoughts that you get throughout the movie keep you alert, attentive and almost on edge that you may miss something. But then again it's taken him all those years to produce that coherent script, how many times you think he has read and reread every scene?
Needless to say that this movie is likely to be on top of the nominee list for Film Editing at the next Oscars, other areas of film making have been presented in a, more than a world class, layout. Look at it this way, if it hasn't all come together, "Inception" would've gone straight to DVD. You hear a train cutting through a hot pursuit on a side street, and you think of sound mixing and editing. You see buildings twisted and world physics messed up, you think of visual effects. Let alone, the cinematography and the art direction that constantly stand out from the opening scene right through the last minute.
In many ways Inceptions's main feature is simplicity of complexity. More of that is obvious in the movie score. Edith Piaf's "Non, Je ne regrette rien" is featured as not only a song but a main factor in intensifying the story at some point. Take that tune, put it on a very low pitch and you've got yourself Zach Hemsey's Mind Heist which is the main Inception theme. That well distorted trumpet you hear in the trailer and all over the movie is none other than a tempo adaptation of Piaf's music. If time is slower during a dream, so should music. Talk about story coherence. Furthermore, Nolan simplifies the complex even in front of the camera many times, to name one, rather than using visual effect in low gravity scenes, he decides to put the whole set on hydraulics and spin it so that it'll look more real. Wait till you see Joseph Gordon-Levitt walk on the ceiling.
Having all, behind the scene, aspects as tight as they've been, Nolan's following mission was to put a team together in front of the camera. With roles high in diversity, choosing actors had to be anything but an easy task. It is established that Leonardo DiCaprio was Nolan's first and last choice for the role of Cobb, but he's gone through a whole list of names before choosing the rest. The way I see it, he made all the right choices. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was James Franco's contingency to play "Arthur". Ellen Page, our beloved Juno, who played "Ariadne", was considered among names like Emma Roberts, Rachel McAdams and more. And Tom Hardy "Eames", Cillian Murphy "Fischer" together with Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe "Saito" has successfully filled in their characters' shoes in a way that is up to the standards of something as big as "Inception".
More to the list of stars, Academy Award winners Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard each represent an important relationship to Cobb in "Inception". The later plays a very complex role from an acting perspective leading the audience through a roller-coaster of confusion and emotional disturbance; she nonetheless represents a very important side of the story that if talked about more, may spoil much, despite what master critic Rogert Ebert said about the movie being "Immune to spoilers".
From beginning to end, you don't get to turn your head. You're right in the creative hands of a film making genius who knows what your mind loves and feeds it. Exceptional talent surrounds every bit of this journey. Enjoying it is not an option, it's forced upon you.
In a nutshell, Watch it!