Simply Breathtaking

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2019)

Let's assume the perfect movie doesn't exist. It's not a wild assumption to make, for both the reasons that perfection is subjective, and that it's simply too difficult to achieve a masterpiece with equally intriguing and driven plot, characters, cinematography.
Perfection being subjective is a hard point to argue, but I will gladly contend with those who disagree that Inception is as close as one can get to embodying the masterpiece described above.
Christopher Nolan sets aside Hollywood convention to bring about a film that is nothing short of a work of art. Inception is sci-fi without the gaudy gadgets and flashy machinery, romance without the sappy confessions of love, and adventure without the cliche quest to save the world. What makes this movie work in the mainstream is Nolan's success in achieving the quintessential thriller film. Inception keeps you on the edge of your seats like nothing else, and it's gripping enough to get the audience feeling as though a single intake of breath would shatter the entire dynamic of the movie.
The premise is rather simple: Dominick Cobb is an extractor who steals ideas and information from important people by entering their dreams, but the appearance of his deceased wife in such dreams tends to sabotage his work. The tables turn in Inception, where Cobb is instead tasked with implanting an idea into the heir of an important company, which he must accomplish in order to return to his children.
Viewers tend to be surprised to find the movie itself far from simple, though; in fact, crowds are often turned off by the complexity of dream-share and the many layers that Cobb and his team dive into.
But while understanding Inception in its entirety is rather futile, the beauty of it all is that some aspects simply aren't meant to be thoroughly investigated, analyzed, and questioned. Trying too hard to comprehend every nook and cranny of the film only results in the worst migraine possible (I know from first-hand experience), when most of Inception can and should be appreciated from a distance, so to speak. For a plot that deals with concepts as perplexing as time alterations and the subconscious, Nolan should really be applauded for pulling off Inception as seamlessly as he did.
The originality of the plot is only bolstered by three-dimensional characters who are as flawed as any of us. They bring depth to the film and purpose to their actions, and they manage to drive a movie already so successful without them.
Dom and Mal Cobb's relationship can only be referred to as bittersweet. It was true love while it lasted, but Dom is implicated when Mal commits suicide, and suddenly he's lost both his wife and his right to see his children. We are meant to pity the protagonist and his plight, but it gets dicey when Dom's selfish side shows: he puts the lives of his teammates at risk without warning them. Again, three-dimensional and raw, and like all real people, it's difficult to decide whether Dom deserves to be loved or hated.
Dom and Mal are easily the most emotionally explored characters in the movie, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard deliver fantastically. Yet, the others can't be disregarded, either. From Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy's (Arthur and Eames, respectively) hilarious banter to Ellen Page's portrayal of wide-eyed and curious student-turned-architect Ariadne, Inception's ensemble cast all contribute massively to its success.
And when you think Inception can't get any better, it does.
Films whose cinematography is as beautiful as Inception's have a frequent flaw: they lack substance. Inception's got both, and the cinematography is the one undeniable positive that even cynics can't help but be charmed by. From the repetition of the skyscrapers in the Cobbs' shared dream, to the inverting Parisian street that Ariadne dreams up, Inception is filled to the brim with aesthetics. Pause at any point throughout, and you'd likely get a screenshot deserving to be a wallpaper on your phone or laptop.
What's additionally impressive is Nolan's stubbornness when it comes to using CGI; frankly, he isn't a fan. Just watch a YouTube video of Joseph Gordon-Levitt filming Arthur's iconic hallway fight scene in zero-gravity. Quite literally, Gordon-Levitt jumps from surface to surface in a rotating trailer-like container, culminating in one of the more jaw-dropping moments throughout the movie (kudos to the cast as well, who are so committed to their craft they don't ask for stunt doubles).
This is all what makes Christopher Nolan one of my favorite directors to date: he's first and foremost an auteur, battling deep themes like love and loss in a way that is so him. Like Kubrick and Hitchcock and many more before him, Nolan refuses to relinquish artistic direction of the film just to cater to the box office and the mainstream audience (though he accomplishes both, anyways).
I could go on and on; I could really write a whole other review detailing the themes that Inception explores (i.e. reality vs. dream, etc), or even an essay-long analysis of Hans Zimmer's contribution and how the soundtrack really did it's job. But this is getting long, so maybe I'll leave both of these topics to some other day. But let me make this clear: these are two topics WORTH discussing.
Inception is a masterpiece in itself, one that I've praised quite a bit if it hasn't been enough already. Watch it, and prepare to have your mind torn apart and remain that way, if its final moments provided as much closure for you as it did me.