Watch a world unfold,literally,BEHIND your minds eye!

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2010)

The short review:
A literal, fictitious, thought roller-coaster ride, looping around the premise, of the manipulation of human subconscious mind. An entrancing depiction of what it would be like, to be fully conscious within a lucid dream like state, but in this instance, having the ability to control and have no control, over the experiences we and others might have, before they awake!
The long review:
To begin with, my thoughts on this mesmerising film could never pay true homage to the masterfully crafted, constructed and presented world Christopher Nolan has so meticulously crafted together. The complexity of this visually scrolling, jigsaw like puzzle, is so complex in nature, It has intrigued and captured my interest to the same extent the Wachowski brother' masterpiece did, with their interpretation of the possible latent unconscious worlds, within the depths of our minds, in the "Matrix".
Many people are aware of the existential undertones contained with the "Matrix" such as its subtle references to philosophy, animism and many Christian doctrines. You may also notice the similarities to Buddhist and Hindu faiths when it comes to our understanding of reality and that which we experience during our waking lives, is not really reality at all, but perhaps what we subconsciously manifest to help us find inner peace, by using the difficulties faced in our waking lives to make us stronger as we battle to eventually reach peace within ourselves and others,or neutrality overall.
Much like 'Paprika', 'eXistenz', 'Dark city', 'The Holy Mountain', 'The Lathe of Heaven', 'Altered States', 'Mind Game' 'Jacobs Ladder', ' Waking Life' and obviously 'The Cell' and 'Cube' series, have all addressed the alternative mind universe theme, but with "Inception" it seems to be the most cohesive and concise use of the 'suspension of disbelief' tactic used by 'HOLLYWOOD' to draw an audience in, but in this instance it is used to "educate" as well as entertain and is warranted because within the mind 'NOTHING' is off limits!
"Downwards is the only way forwards"(A bit like a book)
The quote above, (given midway through the film) in my opinion, sums up the premise of its entirety, for both the characters acting out the unravelling story and for the audience to now pay close attention.From this point onwards, I think you literally enter an ethereal world where reality and dream like consciousness merge; creating an ether like experience, that has a seamless beginning and end.
It's here your understanding of the information you've been previously presented is tested to see you through, to what your eventual understanding of this movie is truly about.
To be honest, no amount of CGI is going to keep the average viewers of this film interested unless their prepared to THINK for themselves. If they have the attention span of a goldfish, or a memory like a sieve, this will only frustrate them further.
There are many ways to view this film, obviously taking into account the millions that have done so already, but from my analogical point of view, I use the analogy of a computer to explain deeper my interpretation of how others could see, or at least consider using when watching "Inception". The computer is something the human mind has created to create a virtual yet controllable mind, for us to then better understand and enjoy what the human mind likes to do and instinctively does, and that is, THINK! The computer was created to make our mundane administrative and enjoyable creative pursuits easier to manage and document, through the processing power available from computers without the draw back of EMOTION which, I think, is the reason so many people never fulfil their true potential.This reminds of 'Powder' a fictitious story about the possibilities of full EMOTIONAL use.
However, I think there has to be some latent intrinsic understanding for a computer to be used effectively (a lot like watching a film) for it to be used, or in this instance viewed and understood correctly.
What I mean to say is, that with a computer being an unnatural medium, just like a movie, it's only going to be beneficial and productive to the level of intuition, the viewer, or user has.
Seeing something and understanding it are two very different thought processes and the former along with the other senses lead to the latter which generally, we can't understand without one of senses first allowing us it be aware of it. However, instinct is different i.e. breathing.
This idea, I think can be applied to the film "Inception" where I think you need all of your senses to be fully in-tuned to get a full understanding of the film. There is no need to understand scientific pursuits in neuro science, but I think they could be useful.
I think overall, perhaps, for those of us that are interested in our dreams, maybe this film could be a new portal to make us think about what they really are on so many levels and could lead to further, more insightful revelations as to why we actually do. What I mean is, regardless of whether your aware of it or not, whatever happens between you resting your head to sleep(If you can, that is) and waking up, either enjoying or being frightful of what you'd experienced moments before, then "Inception" could be the key to unlocking why.
Overall though, I really enjoyed the set pieces,cinematography, score and wardrobe used in this film and cant wait to see what future productions are brought to the screen by Christopher Nolan and any other ambitious directors who were inspired by this engaging film.