Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)

Movie Review

"....Is all that we see or seem 
But a dream within a dream?" 


Edgar Allan Poe's poignantly evocative poem about a life caught up in an endless tragedy appears to have found an unusual inspiration in one of the central characters featured in the recently released science-fiction blockbuster, Inception. Helmed by critically and popularly acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, the film gathered a considerable amount of hype in the months preceeding its release, which, given the consistent filmography of the director, seems perfectly justifiable. 

Inception stars Leonardo Dicaprio as Dom Cobb ( His name is a reference to the double-crossing crook from Following ), a highly skilled "extractor" who enters people's subconcious and steals valuable information for his clients. After striking a deal with business tycoon Saito (Ken Wantanabe), Cobb prepares his team for one final heist. The film then introduces a sub-plot that has Cobb greiving for his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) and wallowing in his memories of her, and at the same time rooting for his now estranged children. 

In presenting the movie as a science-fiction crowd-pleaser, Nolan leaves no stone unturned. Even before the first frame of the movie presents itself, the blaring horns in the background score set the tone of the movie, foreshadowing its tense thrills and action. In the next hour or so, The film steadily builds up its rather complicated premise with much ease. Here is where one of the few flaws of Inception crops up; Nolan refrains from the use of a creative narrative, and instead uses plain and monotonous dialogue to explain each and every element of his plot, so much so that at times, it almost carries the feel of a college lecture. Still, the pace carries the movie forward and prevents it from becoming anything short of exciting. 

The Cinematography by Nolan regular Wally Pfister, along with.the set-pieces for the dream sequences, is spectacular. Some of the visual detailing in the film seems to have been purposefully left under-rendered, so as to give off a dream-like vibe. Not even close to David Lynch, though. 

Christopher Nolan isn't the ideal choice when it comes to filming action, but with Inception, he makes an exception. The action is gritty ,slick and unusually riveting, unlike the clumsy combat sequences from The Dark Knight. Nolan succeeds in making us feel the thrill and the tension before each operation in the movie. A sequence in the movie where 
Arthur(Gordon-Levitt) engages in an bone-crunching fist-fight with a couple of bad guys in shifting gravity is sure to be remembered as one of the best action scenes of all time. 

Another interesting observation is the time-warping technique. Unlike his earlier films, most of which boast of a non-linear narrative, Nolan creates a linear but warped temporal setting. This comes off as an inventive and refreshing technique, at the same time making the screenplay much more slick and efficient. It also supports the concept of relativity of time and space, which few movies do as effectively. 

Professional reviewers and critics will find that their attempts to establish the film as a philosophical musing or even as an allegory will only be rife with empty speculations. Although Nolan does emphasize themes of regret, lost love and of course, the interpretativeness of reality, it seems more of a been there, done that thing. Nolan had already questioned the nature of truth and what is 'real'with "Memento" and "The Prestige", so this time around, it feels more like a recurring theme than an original idea. 

In the end, however, it's the entertainment that counts (for the Nolanites, at least), and that one finds bucketfuls of in Inception.