A feast for both the eyes and the mind.

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2011)

Inception was the movie of the summer – and many would probably say, still the movie of the now. It resembles one of those things that remains baffling, remains intriguing, and will probably remain, for a long while, a long-talked-about cinematic masterpiece.
Now, I don't want this review to be another one of those that simply commend director Christopher Nolan on everything he did right for Inception, but I assure you that commending will happen. As this review comes rather late considering the release date of July 16, 2010, my viewpoint therefore comes from multiple sources – the theater, the DVD, the reviews, everything.
Inception follows the dilemma of Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a thief who "specializes in a very specific type of security" - subconscious security, which is in fact only a ploy. Cobb is a thief who possesses the ability to enter his target's subconscious's dreams and steal their innermost secrets – a technique called extraction. After failing an attempt to steal his latest target's (Ken Watanabe) ideas, he is forced to risk himself and his team by performing an extremely dangerous technique – inception – which involves planting an idea inside a person's head instead of stealing one.
DiCaprio grabs you with his acting, going so far as to convince you that his character is genuine and his concerns are real- there's a particularly heartbreaking scene towards the middle of the film where the audience can almost feel themselves yelling inside just as much as he is. As far as skill goes, people have come to expect nothing less from DiCaprio, who is a supremely talented actor, although he's been snubbed for an Oscar many times now. As for the other actors, everyone pretty much brings their A-game to the set- Joseph Gordon-Levitt is slim and slick as Arthur, a team member who gathers information on the targets, and Marion Cotillard is alluring and mysterious as DiCaprio's lost love. Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, and Ken Watanabe are just a few of the other acting treats in the film.
Inception's plot is one of those things that can't be justified through a few simple paragraphs, however. A bare-boned plot summary like the one above probably doesn't do much to clear up the confusion. The concept of infiltrating dreams is about as complex as you can get, but leave it to director Christopher Nolan to concoct a story so immersive that the only way to understand is to watch the film itself. As producer, director, and screenwriter of the mind-bending thriller, Inception reeks of the Nolan touch that made pieces like Memento and The Dark Knight so intriguing. His ambition is quite staggering, and the multi-layered structure of Inception places the audience in Nolan's clever hands.Yet, for some, such a storyline can trigger impatience and confusion in those who don't appreciate the finer points of filmmaking. Even Ellen Page's character, Ariadne, openly expresses her confusion in the movie, going so far as to ask "Whose dream are we infiltrating, again?" The movie takes some thinking to sink in, and some may call it quits out of frustration.
Although the complicated dream sequences and spinning tops and chemistry might be a little hard on the brain, Inception is pretty damn dazzling to the eyes, infusing within its story visuals so intense and mind-boggling that the technical aspects of the film make up literally half of the gorgeousness of the entire thing. Buildings folding upon themselves, mirrors shattering, structures crumbling; a rotating hallway, a van falling in slow motion, endless staircases- the visual effects of Inception are so successful at impressing, The Oscar for Visual Effects went to it without competition. Not to mention Hans Zimmer's moody, chill-inducing score, along with Zack Hemsey's impressively-talked-about track for the trailer. Inception's visual and audio aspects convey to the viewer the sheer power of the setting, the seriousness of the events happening on screen, the sincerity of the characters' emotions. Rolled into one, the film is one to remember- as long as you can keep up with a labryinth of a plot and DiCaprio's brooding visage, Nolan has created a masterpiece- remember when everyone was so puzzled the first time they saw the trailer? Well, the film just spills piece after dazzling piece onto the table- and they'll be talked about for a long, long time to come.