Logical notion given a complete reversal

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2010)

Practical / logical notion given a complete reversal to accommodate inventive storytelling and Hollywood megabucks special effects. Works wonderfully to the fully immersed viewer but leaves the popcorn crowd clueless about what's happening on the screen other than the mind boggling innovative visuals that keep on popping throughout the narrative.
A review I read somewhere said it is AVATAR for smart people. While the basic concept has been exploited to death over the last decade; starting with the first MATRIX in 1999, people living in a dream world where anything is possible (hence the scope for heavy duty CGI hogging significant amount of movie runtime) the uniqueness that sets INCEPTION apart from the rest is the brain behind the project – Christopher Nolan.
Nolan has always made the fantastical premise work in a practical set up. Like most of his movies, except Batman Begins, the plot has to be deciphered as you go along .. therefore for serious movie lovers the movies have to be seen more than once to completely comprehend the story and characters. He almost always has lateral / simultaneous "tracks" as per the non– linear style that has been in vogue over the last two decades of cinema (1990-2010).
For all the inventive brilliance of the project, the "explanations" sometimes get a bit overbearing, but that is an unavoidable pitfall, rather a necessary evil for a movie like this because of the sheer scale and complexity of the plot.
Inception is based on two main branches of a single concept: Mind manipulation/control - (1) Extraction – removing/stealing an idea/thought/memory from a subject's sub- conscious while he is asleep and dreaming, which is considered "easy"; and (2) Inception – planting an idea/concept in a mind to manipulate the subject to accomplish your goal through his mind, which is very difficult, albeit impossible. In the reality of everyday non movie life this entire line of thought is flipped.
The romance between Dom Cobb (Leo Decap) and Mal (Marion Cotillard) is bordering on obsession and psychotic behavior all through the movie. The love is pure but so is the chaos and madness. The lines between being in love and then being so much in love that it hurts yourself and the one you love are completely blurred. The man-woman relationship explored in a sci-fi pseudo intellectual set-up is unique for sure but a bit too over the top for its own good.
Like "The Dark Knight," "Inception's" final forty minutes shoot forward with the authority of a freight train, powered by the conviction of its own greatness. The dream within dreams plot line is taut and convincing if you are immersed in the film completely otherwise just sit back and enjoy a visual feast !!