Inception marks a new era in film-making. Intellectually engaging and terrifically entertaining.

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2010)

Inception is the new sci-fi movie that has taken America and Britain by storm. In the US alone on it's first weekend of release, it engrossed a staggering $60.4 million dollars and is currently top of the box office around the world. This movie has been hyped up beyond anything I have ever known in magnitude. Plenty of friends I know in America informed me of the same adjectives used to describe this movie "incredible" "unbelivable" "terrfic" and common phrases associated with it like "Christopher Nolan is a god film-maker" and with the film in general "the best film ever" etc. Usually I typically associate these adjectives and "the best film ever" phrase with a lot of movies I have had the pleasure of viewing over the years. But to describe it with the adjectives listed above is an understatement. There are no words that can reiterate how this film is. Just using all the adjectives to describe something you like will have to do. Usually when a film like Inception is hyped, I get swarmed along with it. You just cannot help it, it's like the institution of cinema has an overwhelming attraction to you that you give in to see films like Inception. I would certainly rate Inception in terms of how amazing it is up there with Titanic, Avatar and The Lord of the Rings trilogies.
Christopher Nolan, I knew nothing of his work before he reinvigorated the Batman franchise. With Batman Begins he did this very well but the Dark Knight as those who will know have looked at my review on it, I found it bitterly disappointing to say the least though I was the minority in arguing this. But most directors have their successes and failures and after Inception Nolan truly deserves to join the other Hollywood King of directors like James Cameron, Steven Spielburg, Clint Eastwood and Peter Jackson. This is Nolan's masterpiece.
To start the basic story is that Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCapario) a highly skilled thief at extracting ideas from an individual's subconscious whilst they are dreaming is a fugitive after he lost everything he loved and is given the chance to go back to his children if he pulls off one last heist of implanting an idea in Robert Fischer's mind (Cillian Murphy) to bring down an empire run originally by his dad. Cobb ensembles a team of experts, which includes an architect that designs the world of the dream, Ariadne (Ellen Juno) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon Levitt). The idea to bring the empire down is to pull off Inception, a supposed impossible dream system, which involves creating a dream within a dream within a dream, basically three dream layers, which is impossible to maintain before the dreamer wakes up in real state. Meanwhile a back story that does though come into conjunction with the main plot later on is Cobb's visions of seeing his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) where his memories of her interrupt the dream state.
Watch as events unfold before you as from the first scene, this is truly a movie you need both your eyes, ears and mind to see. It is stunning visually as the idea of controlling one dreams with different layout's and shapes takes effect. Never has architecture seem so fascinating. Watching it is like art, creative, textured and multi-layered exactly like a dream. Trying to make your brain function at trying to understand the complexity of the multi-layered dreams in the story is simplified, but you have to pay attention. This film is literally perfect. The acting from DiCaprio is brilliant and just like the excellent Shutter Island, he deserves an Oscar nomination. Terrific support comes from Murphy, Juno, Levitt and Cotillard who flex out their roles and make the most of it. Sir Micheal Caine gives a superb tiny cameo of only being on the screen for a few minutes.
Nolan appreciates that story and character and plot development is as important as visual style and action, with the action being plenty of and choreographed incredibly making it terrifically exciting. Each character has depth particularly Cobb and there are extremely inventive camera shots and angles that Nolan uses with a gorgeous cinematography, a stunning music score and a cracking ending that leaves you to draw your own conclusions. It reminds me of Mulholland Drive with dreams and reality.
Nolan has created a movie that will have impact on every film maker to come and Inception will become a classic. Film enthusiasts and critics will be analysing this for years. Truly a remarkable and stupendous achievement for Nolan who has come up with an original and refreshing story idea. All film departments perform immaculately like a well oiled machine and I wouldn't bet for me on this being the best film of the year for me. The 9.3 of the IMDb rating is well justified. It's two and half hours this film, but they fly by. One of the greatest and surely iconic and influential film's of our time in over a hundred years of cinema. I can't give it more praise than that except to say I loved Inception!