You Have Just Received Inception

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2010)

Would it have been too apt for Christopher Nolan to insert that title card at the end of Inception? Or just too cheeky? Say what you will about whether you enjoyed the dream or not, you have to admit that Nolan was incredibly clever in how he presents this story. If you've let yourself surrender to the sedative and allowed yourself to believe in what the architect has designed for you, then you will have taken a dream, planted in your mind by Christopher Nolan. In a way, every good film is kind of like that. The filmmaker has created a dream for you. Whether it's a happy dream, a scary dream or maybe a dream that makes you realize something. I would argue that Inception is the last. Inception is one of the dreams that makes you realize it's a dream. And so you can dream along with Christopher Nolan for 2 and a half hours. And Nolan has packed his dream quite densely into a very fast-paced and exciting film, despite how long it may be. I found it could have stood to be even longer. I would have gladly sat for 3 hours or more. The movie begins by introducing us to crashing waves upon a shore, in slow motion. We come upon Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, asleep on the shore as the waves splash upon him. He slowly wakes up. And you are beginning to dream along with him. !!!Spoilers Ahead!!! Because as we discover by the end of the film, if you take the top spinning so long to mean that the whole thing is still a dream, then Dom Cobb is still sleeping and therefore, so are we. The movie then cuts to black, and if you're in the right head space, you experience a catharsis at this moment (ie. You wake up from the dream). Was that ending enough of a "kick" for you? It was for me. I love Christopher Nolan. Easily my favourite director of today. I have seen every one of his seven feature films, and I think they're all fantastic. He hasn't missed a beat with me. His movies are not only smart, but they're incredibly entertaining as well, and he's only getting better. Even if this is his peak, he can be proud of his career for life. This movie really is a masterpiece of modern art and entertainment. Nolan had a very grand ambitious concept and I think he achieved exactly what he set out to do. I hope this movie is successful, and Nolan continues to get the resources to create whatever he wants to for years and years to come. I'll always be glad to receive his inceptions.