Good film. Slightly short of expectations.

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2010)

Christopher Nolan's latest film attempts to explore its complexity with only modest success. It became instantly one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer when the trailer was first released, many expected it to be a mind bending science fiction film. Instead, the film succeeds largely due to its strong cast and sometimes breathtaking visuals.
Nolan has been one of the shining lights of the film industry directing the brilliant Memento, the imaginative The Prestige and for resurrecting the Batman trilogy. This is Nolan's first original screenplay since his debut The Following. And unfortunately he shows the rust.
The film stars in-form Leonardo Dicaprio, the enchanting Marian Cottilard, and a strong supporting cast including Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The story centres on Dicaprio's character Cobb who through some ill-defined technology could enter people's minds and steal ideas. Cobb is given a proposition by a Japanese businessman played by Ken Watanabe to implant an idea in the head of a rival company's heir, played by Cillian Murphy.
Cobb is haunted by the death of his wife which serves as the central conflict of the film. Inception suffers from a lack of development when it comes to its characters. Ellen Page plays Ariadne an apprentice of sorts who goes along with Cobb on what he hopes to be his final assignment. Nolan's script does not find time to explore Ariadne's character. Nor does it explore Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Arthur who is Cobb's close confident.
The film's highlights are mainly visual. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's floating scenes in the hotel hallway are a highlight in the film. Yet, the visuals seem very scaled back. The trailer includes a clip of Paris being turned on its head which we find out is part of Ellen Page's character's training. If you are expecting magnificent visuals you will be disappointed. Nolan's dream sequences consist nothing more than an empty city of identical apartment buildings, a hotel and a ski slope.
At the Movies hosts Michael Philips and A.O. Scott summed up the position best. The film lacked imagination. Nolan's dream world lacks something like Freudian symbolism found in Alfred Hitchcock or Luis Bunuel films. Nolan creates a dream within a dream concept that just seems contrived.
But why recommend this film? There are enough good action sequences and excellent performances to please the general audience who are most often not interested in looking further than where Inception will take them. In the end, the dream sequences are a ploy to fool you into believing you have watched something more than an above average action film.
Tom Hardy's character Eames tells Arthur in one scene that is applicable to Nolan's vision: "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling." Perhaps Nolan's subconscious may have been trying to tell him something there! Verdict: 8/10