Theme, special effects, and musical score.

Rating: 5/10 (3 November 2013)

Inception (2010), written and directed by Christopher Nolan, takes us through a wild ride of exciting and intriguing action, while at the same time pulling at our heart strings with a confusing and unconventional love story. Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, possesses a unique ability to extract information from someone's mind while they are dreaming. This ability has put him in a compromising position and brings him to one final mission that is Inception. Cobb is approached by Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe), to implant an idea into the mind of Robert Michael Fischer, Jr. (Cillian Murphy), the young heir of a business empire. Upon completion of this job, Cobb will get back the life he has lost. Cobb must employ the help of his partner, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); associate, Eames (Tom Hardy); and highly recommended architectural student, Ariadne (Ellen Page) to complete a task that is thought to be impossible. The crew encounters a barrage of obstacles, but one in particular wreaks havoc they never expected.
The theme of this movie demonstrates a focus on the complexity of human relationships. Not only does it show the yearning and thirst for love between Cobb and his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), but it shows the value and difficulties of having confidence and trust in others. As the crew begins their descent further into the dream world, they soon learn the value of trust. Their journey starts with an ambush by their subject's subconscious. This is their first lesson in trust. The group trusted Arthur to conduct proper research of their subject's history, background, and knowledge of dream infiltration. Not long after, the group is shocked to discover that their mission is even more dangerous than anticipated. Cobb fails to tell them that if things go wrong they could be stuck in the dream world for decades.
Perhaps one of the most valuable off-screen elements of this movie is the soundtrack, written by Hans Zimmer. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2011, the powerful sounds match up perfectly with every scene, intensifying as the drama does. The majority of it intended to mimic Cobb's feelings throughout the film; the viewer is able to connect with the emotional states of longing and desperation that Cobb has.
Nolan also takes advantage of special effects to enhance visual stimulation and to make the viewer feel like they really understand the concept of living in a dream. When Ariadne is first introduced to the dream world, she lets her imagination run wild. We see scenes of a busy city folding in half, moving bridges, and walls made of mirrors representing the metaphor of our dreams having endless possibilities.
Inception is both exciting and intriguing to the viewer. Both cinematic effects and off-screen contributions bring a special addition to the development of the theme. Although slightly outdone by the special effects, the theme represents an excellent example of the complexities in human relationships.