Inception Review – Ocean’s Eleven Goes Matrix

Christopher Nolan has done it again.

There are few movies I would say I am willing to pay to watch again. But the past few years have delivered them. Nolan’s The Dark Knight is the first. Watchmen and The Hurt Locker are the others.

Inception is the forth movie to add to that list. It’s that good.

I should first say, don’t watch Inception if you’re not into intellectual movies. It’s deceptive. Those into action might be lulled into seeing it for the action and stunning visuals. And the visuals are as nice as they are mind-screwing. But Inception is a movie for the intellect. It’s a workout for your brain Dr Kawashima would be proud of, and if you’re not prepared for that you’re going to miss the point.

Imagine Ocean’s Eleven mixed with the reality distortion of the Matrix and you have Inception. But Inception is a masterpiece in how the story comes together. Inception demanded a whole new premise to be created. New rules, a new culture all have to be explained to the audience for anything to make sense. The bigger challenge is giving the audience all this exposition without them zoning out and missing vital information. Inception does it by taking us through the shoes of a newbie, played by Ellen Page, as she learns to navigate the world of Inception. It’s one of Nolan’s few cliches in a plot that was all too easy to cheat with, but it’s carried through by the visuals, little facts about dreams that anyone who remembers their dreams (I don’t) will relate to, and the Dicaprio’s character backstory, which is just interesting enough to matter.

Nolan is aware of all the clichés these plots typically fall for, and he either avoids them or teases you with the possibility of the twist he knows you’re expecting. Intellectually, it’s a movie you will not forget and one you need to see.

Despite it’s length, Inception is fast paced. Unlike Toy Story, it does away with setting up the situation quickly and jumps straight into the planning of the great break-in. The pace only adds to the allure of the story. As you struggle to keep up with it, things slot into place to complete a web of wonders that is executed wonderfully towards the films end.

But that doesn’t mean the movie is flawless. You get so caught up with the twisting story that you don’t even really learn the names of the characters, let alone truly care for them. Me and my girlfriend refer to the characters by the actors, because we never learnt anyone’s Inception name. At the same time, as the whole point is to get Leo home, the success or failure of the mission doesn’t matter. You want to see them succeed, but only to see the puzzle come together. Cobb (Leo’s character) is hired for a mission and is given a 30 second explanation for why. It would have had more resonance if it had all had more importance. As it stands, their failure doesn’t really matter. And it takes much away from what should have been an opportunity to add emotional depth. But this is all played down somewhat by the fantastic acting. You may not empathise with the characters, but they are entertaining and play their parts wonderfully. Tom Hardy, in particular, really steals the show.

Overall, Inception is a visually and intellectually stimulating movie with fantastic acting let down only by a lack of empathy, leaving you with the feeling that this fantastic movie had the potential to be even better.

But Inception is still an awesome movie that I can never really capture with words. All I can say is I will be buying the Blu-Ray on its release. And that says a lot.

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