Movie Review: Inception

Oh man this is gonna be tough. I watched this film twice in the cinema & I was still blown away when I left the theater the 2nd time. I'm waiting for the dvd to be out because I can't wait to be blown away AGAIN!

The film's fantastic, here's my homage to the film! :) Beware of spoilers though!

Plot

We're introduced into the world of dream espionage, where extractors like Dom Cobb navigates the maze of the mark's subconscious mind to obtain information. Extractor & mark are connected via a sedative administrating device. Dreams are constructed by architects; made to lull the mark into complacency & allowing the extractor access to the deepest archives of the mark's subconscious. We learn that similar to our body's T-cells attacking foreign bacteria invading our system, the mark's subconscious projections can be pretty hostile when they sense a foreign presence around.

Dom Cobb is a dream extractor; along with his pointman, Arthur, they sought corporate secrets from a Japanese businessman, Saito, for their client. Dom has been on the run after being accused of his wife's murder. Saito unravels their plans & offers Dom an opportunity to return home to his children. Desperate to be united with his children again, Dom accepts the offer & proceeds to conduct inception, where he will plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fishcer, the son of Saito's dying business rival. He & Arthur proceed to recruit a team for the mission: Eames, a forger (or shapeshifter in dreams); Ariadne, a talented dream architect; & Yusuf, a sedative chemist.

Dom is often plagued by his projection of Mal, his deceased wife & this projection sabotages his missions. He locks her in the deep recesses of his mind because in dreams, they're still together. The inception process is a difficult one because it involves multiple levels of dream building & as the levels become more complex, the stronger Mal's projection becomes because he has less control over her. He keeps this troubling fact from his team mates, except for Ariadne, who sneaked into his dream & faced a menacing Mal.

An idea is resilient; once it infects the mind of the target, it will change the target & drive him to make the decision wanted by the team. The mission is risky & as the film progresses, we watch how Dom overcomes his guilt & we are further entranced by the power & the danger of the subconscious.

Cast

The chemistry between the actors is amazing; the powerful acting helps us to focus on the idea presented by the film: that dreams are more complex than we can ever imagine. Leonardo DiCaprio has certainly grown up from his Titanic era: this is a man determined to get to his children, skilled at his craft & bound by his undying love for his dead wife. His agony & despair is powerful but not annoying, he emanates the deep love his character has for Mal perfectly. The supporting cast were superb, nothing was out of place & it helped present the idea, a terribly tricky task, clearly & unapologetically to the audience.

Music

You gotta hand to Hans Zimmer. Clever usage of booming low notes drive the film forward, gripping us in the power of the dream. Perfect synchronization with the story & perfect balance of gentle lilts with empowering roars to suck us into the film! Awesome, awesome music.

Conclusion

Christopher Nolan outdid himself; not only did he present a fresh & new story, he did it with impeccable style & appreciating the intelligence of his audience. Leaving the hall had me wondering more about the boundaries of the dream, the line between reality & our subconscious, & the untapped powers of our minds. Cheers to Christopher Nolan for delivering what has got to be the best film of 2010.