From "Inception" to Deception : a Review within a review within a rev....

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2011)

Regardless of my definitive opinion, this is a 'sensational' film and a mind-bending one like I've never seen before. And guess what ? I think I was victim of its own concept since I went through four stages of reviews with "Inception", one within another (naturally) :
REVIEW 1 : Ecstasy in Perception ...
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"This is not a film, This is an experience ... a cinematic "Bohemian Rhapsody" ... This is why I love movies ... why imagination is the greatest human gift ... why I dream to write such creative and intelligent stories ... And still ... I don't know how to feel ... Movies like this should be praised and loved ... I loved it, but I feel something messy now in my mind, and that I can't get out ... I need to watch it again ... this is not a movie to watch once ... definitely ... it's so disturbing it's great, so great it's disturbing ..." 10/10
This is the raw feeling, authentic? sincere? naive? well it was the immediate one, one that couldn't be altered by other viewer's opinions, praises or criticisms. This is how I felt when the movie ended. A second watching transported me from ecstasy in perception to ...
REVIEW 2 : Originality in Conception ...
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"It's a dazzling intelligence-challenging puzzle, but only on an intellectual level, not emotional. Why not? Should all the movies have a 'heart' beating inside ... as long as it makes yours do. Now I understand the film and love it because I decided not to care for the emotion and just try to understand the story. And with this mindset, believe me, "Inception" is an incredible experience. The movie is a fantasy and remains realistic in the same time, it's real because we know it's fake, but the fake world feels so real because we can technically live in. It doesn't say anything about dreams and subconsciousness, because it's all about actual and virtual reality, perceptions and intentions. As a script, it's a very impressive work from Christopher Nolan, not to mention the brilliant editing. Yes, I know I'm watching a film, but this one I value as an intricate puzzle that challenges my intelligence. "Inception" is like a cinematic Rubik's cube." 9,5/10
I was still loving the film, but in the meantime, starting to concede that the enjoyment was more on a technical level, on the construction of the plot and the intricacy of the script ... I admitted that the whole Mal-Cobb subplot was just plot devices to insert a melodrama, necessary to plunge us in Cobb's subconscious and inject it into Fisher's dreams, combining this way two parallel worlds, two narrative structures. In such action-driven films, 'forced' is 'flat' and melodrama must be handled carefully. The movie was perceived as excellent by my humble mind, but more in a cinematographic, geometric, almost pragmatic way ... which brings me to ...
REVIEW 3 : Enthusiasm in Reception ...
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"It's a great film that should grab the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Sound Effects, Best Cinematography. If it didn't, there would be no justice!" 8/10
I knew I enjoyed the movie because as I mentioned before, it featured great thrills, action, script, music, editing, visuals ... hence the word 'sensational' I used in the beginning of this review. But as I titled in another review : "many elements of greatness don't necessarily make a great film". I started to question myself. It's a film about dreams, about subconscious, right? but did I sense a real escapism in those supposedly dreamy settings? didn't those dreams look a little bit like micro-episodes from formulaic action films? could the fights (or anything for that matter) be more imaginative? did the Mal-Cobb subplot make me feel sympathy for any of them? did I really care for Cobb? or did Leo make me care for his character? did I care for the whole mission? did any of the characters appeal to me? So many interrogation marks leading me to the "Limbo" review ...
REVIEW 4 : Realism in Deception ...
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"Wow ... this movie has a really strange power, it leaves me ecstatic when it finishes, and then the more I think about it, the more I realize that the very aspect that made me love the film could've been handled in a better way and with a deeper characterization: less chase scenes and shootings, more imagination and by that, I mean more beautiful settings and creative plot devices ... This movie is a cinematic experience that makes you scratch your head and hold your breath, but does it deserve all the praise? I wonder how I fell for this one, but I think it's time to retract myself and admit my judgment mistake. Yes, the movie is a cinematic Rubik's cube, but I guess I forgot how I used to get quickly bored by this game. How did I change my mind ? ... I don't know ... thinking, reading, realizing, sharing views, using this mind "Inception" tried to twist ... A very creative film, I wish it will win all the Oscars previously mentioned, but beyond the creativity of the concept ... what did I enjoy? I guess only the concept, the rest was just ... all flash and no substance" 6/10
Yep, the rating also fell through 4 "layers" ... what a painful awakening, this movie amazed me so much, I couldn't feel anything negative about it ... and one thing for sure, "Inception" has the weirdest power of attraction when you watch it for the first time, that's why I understand its popularity. It's like my mind had already accepted the idea that the movie would be a masterpiece just because it relied on a particularly innovative concept. Or was I just victim of an "Inception" called Marketing?