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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

[9.50/10] Inception (2010)


Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is a labyrinthine maze that leaves the viewer breathless and speechless, leaving him begging for more. An ingenious plot which takes a commanding hold of the audience's attention throughout, "Inception" has Cobb and team of thieves steal ideas from people in a futuristic world. Faced with a new assignment that will give him redemption from his haunting past, Cobb sets out on an impossible mission of planting a new idea in his victim's mind. Cinema is a unique art form, probably the only medium in which complete multi-dimensional worlds can be built from imagination. Christopher Nolan's "Inception" has achieved this in a dazzling, spectacular way! It presents a compelling and novel universe, the mechanics of which have never before been dreamed of. The movie explores the infinite possibilities in which a man's subconscious state can be explored, exploited and in fact manipulated. The consequences can be grim but what's even more fascinating is the fact that such an idea can actually be translated in to a movie and that the movie is believable. The special effects and set pieces are a marvel surpassed only by Nolan's plot. From zero gravity hallways to snow capped mountains and winding Indian streets. Not one scene in "Inception" will have you checking your watch... This is edge-of-your-seat cinema at it's thrilling best! The score is magnificent, dark, deep, suspenseful, and very intense. The cast is exceptional! Leonardo DiCaprio is the lead and emotional center of the entire film. If you don't believe that DiCaprio is one of the greatest actors working today then you must watch him in "Inception"! He gets better with every film he makes, and with "Blood Diamond", "The Departed", and now this film offering his best performances to date. "Inception" rides on his shoulders and DiCaprio carries it regally! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is thankfully developing quite the film career, is great as Arthur, the Point Man. His acting is spot-on and he shines in the action role. Tom Hardy is growing as an actor and in Inception we can see another dimension to this rising British star. Ellen Page shine's as always as the newest member of Cobbs crack team of dream thieves, and Ken Watanabe commanding presence is well received as Cobb's one chance for redemption. The performance that impressed me the most, however, was Marion Cotillard. She commands attention when she is on screen, and the reason is part of her charm but also part of the way she is able to give a fully realized performance that, while short, does need a variety of different emotions. Overall, Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is a groundbreaking, intriguing, exhilarating, super-engaging, and visually mind-blowing sci-fi thriller, that's destined to become a timeless classic! Best film of 2010 so far!

  • My Rating: 9.50/10 [Rating Updated on Dec 3, 2010]
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (8.0/10)
  • IMDb: 9.2/10

19 comments:

Jaccstev said...

Now you know why I love and adore this film so much :) I just love everything in it, Nolan is probably on the top of my favorite director list right now as well as Leo who's turn into an excellent mature performer. Neb where's the 0,25 point left?

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Yes, now I know why you loved it that much, Jaccsy!:) It was so precisely-crafted and so cleverly original, it left me speechless!
I didn't gave it a perfect 10, because I thought the ending could have been stronger, and although I liked the score, there eere times I was annoyed by it. Did I answer your question? :)

Jaccstev said...

Surely yes :) Now I want to know what do you think is happening at the ending? Is it a reality or just a dream?

Dr Blood said...

I completely disagree. I thought it was the worst movie I've ever seen and would give it 0.25 out of 10. Why? I couldn't understand a single word the Japanese guy said, Ellen Page was as annoying as usual and I wanted to slap her - how, for instance, was she able to say that Cobb had lots of problems and be all sassy about it after just 5 minutes? Typical "knowitall teenager" role again! - and I spent the first 40 minutes not knowing what was going on or even caring. Oh, they invade dreams and steal memories. Big whoopity doo, what a stupid plot. And it all turns out to be a dream!!! Bobby Ewing anyone? I've never liked any of Nolan's films and this hasn't changed my opinion. It's a typical overhyped Summer movie which I just can't buy into. And yes, the music was annoying. It never stops! It's just a ripoff of The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor and eXistenz. Nothing original, terrible acting, too much CGI and a total waste of 2 hours. Just my $10... if only cinema tickets were 2c. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I agree 100% - best film of the year and pure genius!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

The ending was kinda tricky, but I thought Nolan was just messin' with us. :) He planted a seed a doubt in our minds and wanted us to question the ending. But it was actually very simple... It was the reality! Cobb's wedding ring was an important clue and it gave all the answers ;) Although I thought the ending was too 'happyendish' for my taste, I was glad that Nolan chose this ending, instead of 'this was a dream too' ending. :)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

It seems we all loved it, and that's great! :) I thought it was million times better that "The Dark Knight" and any other Nolan movie.
Definitely, the best film of the year so far!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Dr Blood, it seems we rarely agree on films. You gave "A Serbian Film" a 10, and I gave it 1! You gave "Inception" 0.25, and I gave it 9.75. That's kinda funny :)

Dr Blood said...

Different strokes for different folks, eh, Nebular? ;) I'm a horror dude though and not a Sci-Fi fan at all really even though I've watched quite a few of them. I probably shouldn't have even watched "Inception" in the first place because it's so not my kind of thing and I was bound to be disappointed.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

I'm a horror buff as well, but it doesn't mean I don't like and respect other genres. You were probably mislead by the hype over "Inception" or what? I'm just guessing! What made you wanna see it? :)

Dr Blood said...

Curiosity. :( I was hoping for an updated version of "The Thirteenth Floor" I suppose. I dunno. I wasn't expecting a total mess that I couldn't follow. There's another one out there with Rhys Ifans in it which I can't remember the title of right now but I'm pretty sure it's going to get the same reaction from me. When it comes to Sci-Fi my brain just rebels.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

I love sci-fi/fantasy almost as much as I love horror:) "Inception" wasn't your typical sci-fi film, but something much more than that. I agree it was hard to follow at times, but I found it exceptionally clever, thought provoking and very, very original. "The Thirteenth Floor" was absolutely amazing, as well!

Midnight Screening said...

I disagree as well, although I think there was also too much hype surrounding this film for me. Sure it was an original concept which Nolan worked years on, but I don't think it worked well as a film - especially with the endless tutorials Nolan used to rationalise a presumably abstract concept that was his dream world. The fact that Ellen Page's character was used as an intermediary to explain this to the audience and not much else was a bit weak as well. I preferred The Dark Knight a lot more to this.

-Adrian

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

I found "The Dark Knight" to be one of the most overrated movies of all time, and I copletely disagree that "Inception" didn't work as a movie or that it's a weak effort. It's much slicker than DK in terms of story, visuals and acting. Period. :) Thanks for the comment, MS.

Midnight Screening said...

No problem Nebular :) Yes it is much slicker, but I don't think that's where Inception lacked. I loved how DK stretched the "superhero movie" genre and actually incorporating depth! Especially through the joker's character, who we learn to sympathise with as well as his "twisted" philosophy - in one of the best yet shortest roles I have ever seen in a movie. Nolan had me in the palm of his hand all the way through and to me the flow of the film was perfect. Inception, on the other hand, felt less consistent and even dull at times. I found it very difficult to focus on the love story (or rather, care for it). But it was definitely an interesting concept for Nolan to explore, I just don't think he pulled it off well enough. Nevertheless, he is obviously one of the most important directors in mainstream cinema.

Thanks for following too :)

-Adrian

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

MS, I partially agree with you. "Inception"'s overcomplicated plot made it seem a bit out of focus at times, but it was never dull.

Don't get me wrong, I liked TDK a lot, but didn't love it. For me, its main problem is that it takes itself way too seriously, and it's completely humorless. If you ask me, TDK doesn't belong to the Superhero genre, as it's too serious, grim and moody and it totally lacks the fun factor.

Thanks for the lovely comment though :)

FilmMattic said...

Well crafted review and excellent take on the film, which is in my top 5 for 2010! The best quality of this film, as you alluded to is the smartly executed exploration of an extremely imaginative and layered "idea" -- benefited by beautiful and immerse visuals. The perfect film vehicle for a tremendously talented director like Nolan.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

MDV, thanks for the compliment, and welcome to CineMarvellous! :) Though I liked "Inception" a lot, I thought it was missing that little something extra to make it the perfect Nolan film.

FilmMattic said...

Thanks for welcoming me! I can definitely understand your contention that something was "missing," esp. if you've seen Memento where everything is so expertly and intricately woven together. My biggest gripes with Inception are it's too heavily reliant upon exposition and some of the choreographed action sequences were hard to follow.