Highly Original Story

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2015)

Movies like this don't come along that often. Hollywood has come to realize that it is too risky to try and make money off an original idea. In their eyes, it is worth it to make a franchise reboot, or sequel, that is guaranteed to make money.
Director Christopher Nolan provides a breath of fresh air in today's movie scene, including an original story, quality performances, and a breathtaking score.
Inception is the story of Dom Cobb, a very skilled thief, who specializes in using a device to break into people's dreams and extract information. He is infamous for his type of crime and is on the run as the film begins. As the film progresses, the audience finds out that Cobb has been separated from his children for quite some time now, and will do anything to see them again. So, when someone offers him a job which could let him see his children again, he cannot decline. Brace yourself for a total mind trip as Cobb assembles a team to prepare for 'Inception.'
Initially, for a film that is about going into someone's dream and stealing information, it is entirely believable. The philosophy behind the film made me wonder, "Is this actually possible?" Nolan intentionally uses practical effects, something that is very rare to find in modern film. Most filmmakers rely heavily on CGI when they want an impossible shot, Nolan finds ways to do the impossible and excels at it. For example, there is a certain hallway scene in this movie that is 100% practical effects and is shocking how believable it is.
Inception is, quite literally, Nolan's dream. He originally wrote the screenplay while he was writing his first feature film, "Memento." The story isn't based off of a book, or any true events, it is imaginative fiction. It is one that has never been told before and that is what made this movie stand out to me. But no matter how good your effects, direction, or story may be, these don't make a movie, right?
Along with a stellar performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, other such as, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page, and Tom Hardy all excel as their established characters. Needless to say, the acting in this movie is very convincing. The movie takes place in multiple different countries; so many of the characters have different dialects. Even with this language barrier, all of the characters still seemed to be coming from the same place and had great chemistry with one-another.
What you hear during a movie is said to be fifty percent of the experience, and Inception's score stands out from the crowd. Composer Han Zimmer and Christopher Nolan seem to always pair up and work together. Han provided the score for all of Nolan's "Dark Knight Trilogy," and 2014's "Interstellar." Zimmer's scores often get negative feedback regarding his 'power chords' and 'lack of emotion.' Despite this, I found his score to fit nicely with what Nolan was going for in the film. There is a very wide range of genre in the score, providing quiet, intimate moments, and all out action sequences.
All in all, Inception is a movie that proves Hollywood can make money with an original story. The performances bring you in, and the score takes you even deeper. You get immersed in the story and that is what makes this one of my favorite movies. Without a doubt, I would recommend this movie for anyone looking to sit down and have their mind blown.