What Dreams May Come...

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2010)

For all its flaws (and there are some), "Inception" succeeds as a star-studded blockbuster with a brain. Christopher Nolan has, yet again, crafted a work that manages to inspire both thought and awe: a rare feat, to be sure. As the film opens, the audience is thrown mercilessly into a scene of cascading schemes and chaotic confrontations. We, as audience members, feel uneasy; we don't know exactly where we stand on the characters or the situation at hand, and that's the way Nolan wants it (talk about 'in medias res'). By the time the first wave of tension subsides, another approaches in its wake. This new wave proves to be a tsunami; as the plot unfolds, revelations spring free, character motives come into question, and the film's dream world expands exponentially.
The plot of "Inception," without giving anything away, goes something like this. Leonardo DiCaprio's Cobb, a sort of "dream thief," takes on one final assignment, courtesy of Ken Wantanabe's corporate kingpin. Cobb assembles a team, ranging from Joseph Gordon- Levitt's crafty pretty-boy to Ellen Page's boyish architect. Things get a little crazy as the mission proceeds (certain characters just might be holding back some important information), and a nail-biting spectacle takes the stage.
I don't know how much Christopher Nolan was paid for this screenplay, but I can guarantee that it wasn't enough. The story examines the very nature of dreams; it explores their nuances, their limitations, and their possibilities, while at the same time exploring some of the science behind them. When characters have to choose between their dream worlds and reality, we have to consider which option we would embrace. When characters leap from layer to layer, we consider our own dream complexes. At the same time, a serpentine heist film unfolds on screen. While the plot does require the occasional suspension of disbelief, it plays by its own rules for the greater part of its running time.
In fact, most of "Inception's" shortcomings have nothing to do with the plot. Apart from a few over-explained monologues at inappropriate times, the script succeeds ferociously. However, some problems arise with the characters and their actor counterparts. While Leonardo DiCaprio's performance doesn't hit the wrong notes, it doesn't always hit the right ones either. DiCaprio has a compelling voice and look, especially early in the film, but trouble brews when the emotional turmoil strikes his character. Rather than reach for new dramatic heights, he settles for simply adequate deliveries. As such, it becomes difficult to invest in his character as anything more than "Man 1." Some other talents in the cast, while solid, are given too little to do. Ellen Page is reduced to the classic "angel on my shoulder" stereotype, and Tom Berenger and Cillian Murphy are just asked to look concerned for most of the film's duration. Still, Joseph Gordon Levitt looks spiffy, Tom Hardy makes great comic relief, and no one does all too poorly.
All in all, "Inception" makes for a great time at the theater. It sparks conversation, it moves briskly, and it looks brilliant on the big screen. If Hamlet were to see the dreams put on display here, he might just have shuffled off that mortal coil.