Plot over content

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2010)

I went into Inception with considerable expectation, in regards to the talent and concept involved. I was expecting something truly groundbreaking: a blockbuster that didn't rely on Hollywood's conventions to wow audiences. Ultimately, all that Inception is, is a complex plot disguising a relatively shallow film, supplemented with your standard chase sequences and mindless gun battles where the heroes gun down scores of thugs, who in turn are conveniently inflicted with James Bond syndrome, where they can fire endless rounds and hit nothing. Nolan disguises this by having the one (and only) bullet connect early in the film.
Let's talk about plot. I think Nolan has driven himself into a hole. He is universally lauded for his complex, original plots, which make people think, while simultaneously entertaining them. The only problem is, as his projects stack up, Nolan seeks to outdo himself in terms of plot and structure, and not in terms of emotional content. Inception is by far his most structurally complex plot, but unfortunately, the plot is so intricate that he spends the entire film explaining what is going on, rather than building any sort of emotional core for the audience. Watch people come out of a Pixar film, then watch people come out of a Nolan film. As people come out of Inception, they will be talking about the mind-bending plot and the cool fight scenes. You'll be hard pressed to find a conversation about the tragedy between Cobb and Mal. Compare Inception to The Fountain, which faced a similar dilemma. Unlike Nolan, Aronofsky sacrificed explaining his complex plot, and instead, focused on fleshing out emotional resonance in the characters and themes. Financially, it was a terrible decision, but Aronofsky's vision was much more respectable artistically. And don't get me started on Inception's ending 'twist,' which was an insulting cheap trick that will be probably be disregarded by most audiences.
The music of Inception was also troublesome. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack was formidable, but did not fit with the atmosphere of the film. Instead of supplementing the film, the music made Inception seem pretentious. Just listening to it, you would have thought that the entire world was at stake. Instead, you were just facing a bunch of people that would have been dreaming for a long time, had they failed. Was being 'in limbo' really that big of a threat? I know that Nolan gave the reasons that their brains would rot and all, but I just didn't buy the danger.
The film still had its merits. It's easily more intelligent than your average blockbuster, and will have you thinking to keep up with it (a friend compared it to playing a game of minesweeper). It has a great action scene or two, and some innovative visuals. But in the end, Inception doesn't have much to say, and unless you count sorting out plot as thinking, it won't leave you with substance to ponder.