Your Mind Will Be Blown

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2010)

In Plato's The Republic, philosopher Socrates describes his famous allegory of the cave. A man awakens from a stupor in which he believes some images on a cave in front of him are his reality. A bright light leads him to wander out of a cave and there he finds a true reality. But what if that true reality was simply a vehicle to lead that man to another cave, which led him to another reality, and to another cave, and so on. What if these layers of false caves and true realities merged until the man could no longer distinguish between the two. And what if the cave was not as false as it once seemed, and what if reality was not as true as it appeared? This the scenario in which Christopher Nolan, auteur of The Dark Knight and Memento, imagines for us in his sprawling, epic blockbuster masterpiece. To simply describe my sentiments of Inception, Willie Waffle (real name) of WaffleMovies.com simply stated: "This is what movies can be like if you try." Despite the marketing flurry sweeping the world for Inception's release this week, its story remains an enigma. What exactly is about, so many people have asked? Now having experienced the two and half hour roller-coaster ride, it's hard to describe. I could say it's one of those last jobs flicks where Dom Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio), an experienced dream thief, assembles a team to commit the ultimate corporate act of mischief. His team, rather than extracting an idea from a rival, but instead implant one. It's also one man's struggles to overcome his demons and achieve equilibrium in his life. It's also an allegory and analysis of the relationship between dreams and reality. Whatever it is, it will blow your mind.
Much like 1999's classic The Matrix, Inception will present a world that will make you forever question the world you live in as well as deeper explore whatever dreams you may have. Usually, said dreams are throwaways moments that frequent us while we sleep at night. But is something more important embedded in those dreams? And what of ideas, of our inspirations - where do those stem from? Inception completely deconstructs metaphysics and subconsciousness before our eyes, leaving the viewer agape at what unfolds. And this is all happening in a $160+ million sci-fi actioner? And a major studio, Warner Brothers, backed this and gave Christopher Nolan free reign? I sincerely hope America and the world embraces this film as they did The Dark Knight two years ago. This is a monumental work that will push Hollywood to make more films like it - where care went into every frame, where story is indeed king. Inception is a film that reminds us why we go to the movies, why storytelling has been around since mankind's beginning. It is smart, complex, moving, heartbreaking, mind-blowing, mind-numbing, unsettling, exhilarating, wholly original, and devilishly intricate. It is a film all directors should aspire to make, screenwriters to write, and producers finance. If all moviegoers see this film for what it really is, it may well incite a cinematic revolution. We need more movies like this. Thank you Christopher Nolan for doing what so many other filmmakers fail to, care. Mr. Dicaprio, Mr. Gordon-Levitt, and Ms. Page all deserve Oscar nominations. Mr. Nolan deserves a Best Picture nomination finally, and a win for his screenplay. Technically speaking, Inception is awe-inspiring: degrading cities, stunning zero gravity action sequences, and top lensing by Mr. Wally Pfister. Inception is a masterpiece of the highest order. See it, now.
Grade: A+ Best, Francesco