Nolan and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Movie

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2010)

Well, it's official. I have finally decided to expel film trailers from playing any part in my judgment of a film. This is a case of extreme trailer misrepresentation. The teaser and the theatrical trailer present this as just another crap shoot of a summer blockbuster. All that the trailer implies is the films extensive action scenes. It represents none of the depth of insight and character in this film. I did not go into this film very hopeful. It just seemed like a waste of anybody's time. All that the film had going for it was a very good cast and a pretty interesting title. Well, Inception is neither generic nor pointless. It has something that very few mainstream movies have at this time of the year. It has character. And it has insight. The film knows how to play with the human mind and its fears and desires even more so than the heroes of the picture. Sure, there are several wild and crazy action sequences sprinkled throughout, but there is always a reason for them. Often times with films today, the story and the thrill of the audience depend on the number of explosions. Not so with Inception. This film is a deep, complex character study. Never indulgent and not too show-offish.
The film also thrives on a brilliant story concept: the possibility of sharing dreams. It's such a simple concept, but writer/director Nolan forms one of the most complex and intriguing stories in recent cinema history. The idea is this: Don Cobb (DiCaprio) is a thief, who has learned a way to invade the dreams of subjects and steal ideas from their mind. He can take out anything. He can bring others into the dream as well, creating an artificial world of stunning realism. Then someone comes to him with a job. A risky job, but Cobb has to take it for a very specific reason I will not reveal. The job is not to steal an idea, but to plant an idea into the mind of a dreamer, through a process known as inception. From here, the story evolves into a complex, intriguing drama that you must pay attention to. That is one of the few problems with the film as a whole: it requires an excellent attention span and a crafty mind. If you let your mind wander even for a moment, it is nearly impossible to figure out what is happening. Every now and then the film is a little too convenient. I got worried when I heard the words, "I engineered the sedative to leave the inner ear and balance system unharmed." Come on! Things aren't that simple. But these sort of plot-holes are forgivable.
So Cobb assembles a team of dreamers who will go into these artificial worlds along with him and the subject in whose mind they must plant the idea. He also hires and architect to build the environments for the dreams, a talented young student called Ariadne (Ellen Page). Over the course of the weeks and the hours in the dreams, Cobb and Ariadne form a bond over a deep, dark secret Cobb hides within his subconscious, and haunts his dreams, posing a threat to anyone who shares with him. But now, don't give away too much to your readers.
As the layers of the film one by one are peeled away, an insightful and powerful essay on the human race begins to unfold. The main theme of the film is basically the dangers and the risks of hiding memories inside of you. Memories are—as the film says about an idea—like a virus, highly contagious, and often times deadly. This is the case in the memories of our hero. And only he can keep them at bay, but not forever. At some point the secrets of his past will overflow and either define or destroy everyone involved. Nolan creates a world for us to live in, as should all movies. But lots of movies fall short, and fail to carry us to that other world. This film succeeds more than it should in this department. It takes us on an emotional thrill ride full of thrills from both the action and the insights into the minds of the characters.
But alas, no film is all good. Like anything else, Inception has its faults. Probably the biggest for me is the soundtrack. And by soundtrack I mean the musical score. It could have done without one completely, or at least used less of it. Hans Zimmer's thundering, percussion driven march is possibly the most intrusive thing I've ever heard. A musical score should add, not detract, from the action at hand. Instead of drawing attention to the film, it draws attention to itself, which no artificial force should ever do. In an ideal world, the audience shouldn't even notice a score until its out of the theater on its way to the bathroom. And as I mentioned before, there are a few story points that are either too convenient of downright ridiculous (like the concept of "limbo" later on in the film).
But overall, the film is exceptional when compared to other summer blockbusters. Christopher Nolan is certainly a talented director and writer. This gem of a film, while maybe a little too long, is deep, insightful, infectious, and in a certain sense beautiful. This is truly a cinematic experience like no other. For those skeptics out there, heed not the Inception as portrayed by its trailers. Go and see it with an open mind, and who knows, maybe it will plant an idea in your head as well. I'll certainly never dream the same way again. Now lets pray that they don't get all excited and make a sequel. That would be the ultimate travesty. Especially with the shocking and inconclusive ending which I will not give away. So, happy screening.
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