Inception provides the kick of the summer

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2010)

When the credits began to roll, the audience groaned and then applauded. It was the opening night of Inception, the latest film from director Christopher Nolan and also the most anticipated movie of summer 2010. Expectations had been sky-high, and despite the excellence of Toy Story 3 and positive reviews for a number of other films, many had dubbed Inception as the picture that would "save" the summer. As people headed out of the jam-packed theater, a buzz filled the air, an electricity of excitement that I had not sensed before. It was the sound of people who had just witnessed something special.
The film opened with possibly the most confusing first twenty minutes I've ever seen. However, before I knew it, I was sucked into a world of intrigue, suspense and wonder. Describing Inception to those who have not yet seen it is nearly impossible: you have to see it to believe it.
To communicate his vision to viewers, Nolan selected an all-star cast that had the heads of some cinema lovers spinning. As our main protagonist Dom Cobb, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a man who uses poise and experience to disguise an underlying tumult of emotions and conflicting motivations. Using minute body gestures and subtle facial expressions, DiCaprio reveals Dom not as the leader we initially imagine him to be, but as someone tortured by memories and regret. Though DiCaprio gets the juiciest character arc with a role that could possibly earn him some awards buzz, he is backed by an ensemble of equally strong performers. Ellen Page proves that she can rise above and beyond a certain wise-cracking, pregnant teen, while indie favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt breaks out with his first major role in a blockbuster, providing a voice of reason and occasional humor while committing regular acts of badassery. Continuing her effort to connect with mainstream America, Marion Cotillard succeeds brilliantly as Mal, Dom Cobb's mysterious wife, alternating between disturbing intesity and heartbreaking emotion; she makes a convincing sometimes-antagonist but we never doubt the relationship between her and DiCaprio. In addition, Ken Watanabe overcomes an occasionally muddled accent and, along with Cillian Murphy, makes the most of a significant though slightly less complex role. Finally, as Eames and Yusuf respectively, both Tom Hardy and Dileep Rao hold their own against their more well-known costars.
Of course, as anyone who has seen the trailers can vouch for, one of the main draws of Inception was the visual effects. Jaw-dropping shots of cities folding in on themselves and men running on walls and ceilings teased audiences, promising more trippy effects should those people attend the actual movie. They did not disappoint; there were times during my screening where people audibly gasped. Technicians worked CGI in with the live-action so seamlessly that, even now, I can't tell which was which. Sets of decaying cities, a chic hotel and others exploded with detail and realism, while the cinematography gave the film a sleek, modern aura that perfectly fit the heist/thriller/sci-fi nature of the movie. Though there is no distinct, hummable melody, Hans Zimmer's score is outstanding, on par with the one he co-composed with James Newton Howard for The Dark Knight. It creates an atmosphere of tension that builds and multiplies through the entire film; it's noticeable without ever distracting from the film itself. The fact that, apparently, Zimmer composed it without seeing a single frame of the movie makes it all the more impressive. He also employs the French song "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" to eerie effect. Not only is it sung by Edith Pilaf, whom Marion Cotillard portrayed to great acclaim in 2007, but it also emphasizes many of the themes within the film.
None of this would have been possible, however, without the architects, director Christopher and writer Jonathan Nolan. Together, they build a reality with the imaginative scope of the greatest fantasy and sci-fi epics without sacrificing the emotional core of the film. They never forget that, no matter how lofty and ambitious the plot and ideas, no matter how mind-blowing the visuals are, no movie can succeed if it loses sight of the characters, of the human element. At the same time, they explore a concept that have enticed film-makers for generations: the nature of dreams and reality. They manage to explain the ideas within the story without ever slowing down the film. Instead of openly approaching issues raised by the illegal but seemingly commonplace occupation of extraction or "dream-stealing", they leave those discussions to the viewers, keeping the attention on the characters and story; every scene is pivotal to one, or both, of those elements. In relation to their previous films, Inception takes the psychological twistiness of Memento and combines it with the more escapist entertainment that was the Batman films.
Perhaps what makes Inception so extraordinary is, beyond the excellent craftsmanship behind it, the confidence it has in its audience. The film-makers, artists and other collaborators, even those behind the marketing and promotional campaign, refuse to accept the cynical myth so often regarded as truth that, especially of late, permeates the movie industry: that your present-day, average movie-goers are unable to recognize and reward good, intelligent film-making, that they enjoy only the familiar and commercial. Coupled with the box-office bang of Avatar (which I found captivating for the story and characters, in addition to the immersive, 3-D effects), Inception proves that movies can succeed without having a built-in fan base or a story based on previous material, that summer entertainment can be intelligent. It shows that originality is not a lost art in Hollywood, and audiences still appreciate smart, skillfully executed storytelling. Nolan and co. never condescend because they know and respect this. With Inception, Christopher Nolan keeps up his arguably perfect record, and after only a decade, proves that he just may be one of the best - if not the best - directors working today. He reminds us of the true power of film-making.