Intriguing premise devolves into same old, same old

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2010)

This film is in the vein of movies like "The Matrix" that flirt with the idea of an unknown but discoverable substrate underlying our ordinary experiences. This one comes especially close to Poe's view that all that we see is but a dream within a dream. The premise used to question our grasp on reality is fairly original: a team of individuals with different specialties has the ability to enter and stage other people's dreams, extract information from their subconscious and, crucially, even implant ideas with the expectation that these will, so to speak, rise to the surface--an original method of suggestion. The film spends quite a bit of time acquainting the viewer with the main characters and the peculiar laws that govern their work before setting them on the mission the plot centers on. While it is not always easy to follow, I found this setup the most arresting part of the film. Unfortunately, the main narrative does not, in my view, live up to the promise of the setup. The film is laden with scenes that would fit into any of a legion of Hollywood action flicks: car chases, hand to hand combat, explosions, shoot-'em-ups. It cannot be said that all of these serve to advance the narrative; the rationale for proceeding from one hackneyed scene to the next is frequently contrived, illogical or murky. Technically, they are well done and should gratify those who thrive on such fare. Visually, I found the scenes that show the generation of dreamscapes most laudable: the effects truly dazzle. I won't say the film entirely neglects the story it sets in motion but I certainly feel the time devoted to car chases and explosions could have been profitably devoted to developing the story and characters. To give a glaring example, I would have liked to have known the aftermath of the heros' intervention in their target's subconscious.