Didn't live up to the hype

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2010)

Ah, sadly it looks like I'm going to give a negative review of what seems to be a netbrow movie.
First, I want to point out I gave it an 8 out of 10. Because I didn't like it doesn't mean I'm going to give it a 1. Puleez... anyone giving a film a 1 better be prepared to defend their review compared to "Manos, the Hands of Fate." On to the review.
Next, my wife started to fall asleep near the end of the film. She DOES tend to drift off, so this by itself isn't too bad. However, she didn't fall asleep during such nailbiters as "The Fugitive." This is going to sound like an odd complaint, but the music damaged a lot of the experience for me. Scenes needing a delicate touch (such as the climax) were given the "Flight of the Valkyrie" treatment (and for those reading this with the lack of musical background, that music was blared for the beach battle scene in "Apocalypse Now.") Emotional presence in the first of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was gained in the fight with the cave troll by the total absence of music. Music in movies is about balance. I could say more, but let's stop here as it's simply said that music is "Inception's" biggest failing.
Next, the whole cast does a superb performance. Wow. Good acting. DiCaprio's emotional portrayal's are very believable. I enjoy watching Ellen Page ("Juno" is a delight) and the other supporting cast who never seem trivial. Sadly, a lot of Ken Watanabe's lines were delivered with such a heavy accent I struggled to follow what he was saying. There is no particular reason he should be hard to understand.
But now let me discuss my biggest problem with "Inception." There is a deep point made about emotion and intellect in the film. There's not much to say about the intellect portion. So I move to the emotional parts. Read on.
I cry in movies. I admit it. "Old Yeller" is a given. However, I got weepy in "Toy Story 3." A good cry over characters you have come to love in 90 minutes isn't bad. For all DiCaprio's good acting, I just couldn't give a flying spit-wad at the crux of his emotions. For all the good dialog, special effects, complex and innovative plot, good acting, great writing... go on and on until the Oscar nominations.... the movie's point didn't reach me.
My prediction: "Inception" stays in the IMDb top 250 for the first month as the film/tech geeks support it. In time, it drifts off to join ....hmm... at this point in this review I was going to name films, but I changed my mind. Let's just say there are many good movies that only get watched once. "Inception" is such a film. But there are many films I'll watch over and over: "Amadeus", "Airplane", "Princess Bride", "Galaxy Quest". Pick your film for re-watch. Then tell me next year if "Inception" is among them.