Inception : An exceptional cinematic experience

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2010)

Few movies leave you dazed and lost in an endless loop of musing. The last time it happened to me was after watching 'Memento', a mind-bender that invites endless sessions of dissection from the viewer. 'Inception', a movie that was in gestation in Chris Nolan's mind for 8 years does what 'Memento' did, but multiplies the intensity by several notches. 'A sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind', Inception is a labyrinthine maze that leaves the viewer breathless and speechless, leaving him begging for more. An ingenious plot which takes a commanding hold of the audience's attention throughout, Inception has Cobb(Leonardo Di Caprio) and team of thieves steal ideas from people in a futuristic world. Faced with a new assignment that will give him redemption from his haunting past, Cobb sets out on an impossible mission of planting a new idea in his victim's (Fischer Jr. played by Cilian Murphy) mind.
After blowing away the minds of audiences and critics all over the world through his radical take on human memories with 'Memento', Nolan shifts into higher gear with 'Inception' and explores the uncharted territories of the power of dreams and ideas. With his trademark non-linear narration, unpredictable plot twists, set pieces filled with grandeur and an ending that spurs a philosophical inquiry, Nolan blends style and substance in the perfect proportion, thus making a movie that warrants several viewings and numerous discussions to completely digest. That Nolan is the heir to Stanley Kubrick's throne might be an overstatement, but it's indisputable that he is genius in his own right. Kubrick was decades ahead of his time, and his films from the 60s and 70s are cult classics now. Fans of 'Blade Runner' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' will love it that Nolan pays tribute to two of the most legendary films, especially through the ambiguous ending that leaves the viewer to his own conclusion. However, unlike Kubrick and Scott, Nolan is a rare gem who has found the perfect balance between box office success and critical acclaim.
As Cobb says in the film, 'An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules.' Like Cobb who infects his victim with his ideas, Nolan infects the viewers with the idea of questioning the very nature of reality. This ability to make movies that change the way people think is testament to the maker's sheer brilliance. If I have it my way, I will have Chris Nolan's brain preserved in a museum after he dies. 'Inception' is this prodigious auteur's master-piece.