Only in Dreams.

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2010)

Ever since he spun the "Batman" franchise on its head half a decade ago, there's been an increasingly significant level of quality expected from writer/director Christopher Nolan. If his latest creation is any indication, Nolan sure knows how to execute a brilliant idea even when under the most intense of pressure. His latest affair, the mind-bending "Inception," stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a thief who extracts thoughts and ideas from people by entering their dreams. When a job goes wrong, he is offered a chance at redemption. This time he has to introduce an idea into the mind of a subject rather than steal it away. It's an easy enough task, right? Wrong. As he soon finds out, plunging into the depths of uncharted waters is especially tricky when carrying your own personal baggage. To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Total Recall": "It's the best mind**** yet!"
"Inception" boasts an impressive cast. DiCaprio aside, we are treated to some of the finest young talent Hollywood has to offer by way of Ellen Page, Cilian Murphy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The actors – while excellent in their roles – are but a pawn in Nolan's game. Fact of the matter is he could have cast a group of no-names and the film would still be as great as it is. The true star of the film is not only the insanely well-crafted script which will have you second-guessing yourself at every turn, but the stunning visuals that accompany it. Watching this movie is like stepping into an alternate universe where anything you could imagine is possible. Nolan asks us to suspend disbelief as we follow the film's characters through layers of dreams. Because the script is water-tight and the visuals so flawless, we are fooled easily enough. Like children, we believe whole-heartedly in what we see unfold before us even if we aren't quite sure of how it all works.
While Nolan has had a pretty consistent track-record thus far, it still comes as a shock that "Inception" is as good as it is. The term is thrown around loosely all too often, but the film is a heavy contender for best film of the year. More than that, though, this is Nolan's masterpiece. The director's perfectionist streak shows through in a film that truly has no flaws. It may take a few viewings to completely wrap your head around, but there is not an inch of celluloid wasted. There is not a line uttered without importance and not a special effect that looks artificial. To step into the world of "Inception" is to step into another dimension where films can still be magical and blow the minds of even the most jaded of movie-goers. A dream come true indeed.
Oh, and was I the only one expecting to hear Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" during the scenes where the van falls off the bridge? I hope not.