It is no over-statement to say Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' will one day be talked about in the same way as Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'.
I expect we will see new cuts and special editions, alongside many an essay about existentialism. In fact, the pedigree of the film's cast and crew secured it a place in the history books before anyone had even seen it anyway, so in a sense the film itself is irrelevant. Nolan, (who in my opinion was the most important director of the last decade) has so far had a flawless career. From his 16mm, low-budget début 'Following' (1998) his career took the ideal path, first through the outstandingly original breakout hit 'Memento' (2000) then into the hugely successful reboot of the Batman franchise in 'Batman Begins' (2005) and 'The Dark Knight' (2008). With critical acclaim and box office success, Nolan is now in the enviable position of being able to make a new, original film with both financial and studio support. 'Inception' is a project that has been worked on throughout the 00's, saved until the money was there to allow it's full scope and vision to be explored.
Unfortunately that vision is too literal and stylised to make any further cinematic statement on dreaming or the subconscious than those made elsewhere in recent years, but the scope is certainly vast and controlled. The highlights of the film are it's explosive, physics-bending action sequences and sharp editing between numerous time-streams. The story follows fugitive Dom Cobb (DiCaprio), an “extractor” who enters the lucid dreams of others to steal their ideas. When a job his team is working backfires his former target offers a lucrative proposition: to attempt a complicated and dangerous plant or “inception” of an idea, the inversion of his usual job. Leonardo DiCaprio works well where he can in the lead role, but his script offers little outside exposition and determined speeches. Ellen Page is given the biggest acting role to work with as the young architect of dream worlds who discovers DiCaprio's haunted past, but is subsequently brushed aside during the action scenes. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is still my favourite young actor at the moment, and he is central to the film's crowning fight sequence which will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest ever filmed. He tries hard to inject character into his scenes, but is given less than anyone else to work with.
The comparisons with 'The Matrix' (1999) are justified, as this film achieves what 'The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions' (2003) could not. It delivers high-concept action with genuine thrills and ideas in a way that takes the lead from the 1999 classic and builds upon it. Unfortunately it lacks an explored antagonist, which leads to the subconscious security forces (suspiciously like 'The Matrix's agents) being little more than faceless figures to chase and die – but with no threat or character. The key ideas in play are far stronger in 'Inception' than anything in 'The Matrix' trilogy, but what the film lacks is the pulp and character that made 'The Matrix' truly stand out. As it stands 'Inception' is more mature but less fun, wiser but less revolutionary; it has more brains but less heart.
****
I expect we will see new cuts and special editions, alongside many an essay about existentialism. In fact, the pedigree of the film's cast and crew secured it a place in the history books before anyone had even seen it anyway, so in a sense the film itself is irrelevant. Nolan, (who in my opinion was the most important director of the last decade) has so far had a flawless career. From his 16mm, low-budget début 'Following' (1998) his career took the ideal path, first through the outstandingly original breakout hit 'Memento' (2000) then into the hugely successful reboot of the Batman franchise in 'Batman Begins' (2005) and 'The Dark Knight' (2008). With critical acclaim and box office success, Nolan is now in the enviable position of being able to make a new, original film with both financial and studio support. 'Inception' is a project that has been worked on throughout the 00's, saved until the money was there to allow it's full scope and vision to be explored.
Unfortunately that vision is too literal and stylised to make any further cinematic statement on dreaming or the subconscious than those made elsewhere in recent years, but the scope is certainly vast and controlled. The highlights of the film are it's explosive, physics-bending action sequences and sharp editing between numerous time-streams. The story follows fugitive Dom Cobb (DiCaprio), an “extractor” who enters the lucid dreams of others to steal their ideas. When a job his team is working backfires his former target offers a lucrative proposition: to attempt a complicated and dangerous plant or “inception” of an idea, the inversion of his usual job. Leonardo DiCaprio works well where he can in the lead role, but his script offers little outside exposition and determined speeches. Ellen Page is given the biggest acting role to work with as the young architect of dream worlds who discovers DiCaprio's haunted past, but is subsequently brushed aside during the action scenes. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is still my favourite young actor at the moment, and he is central to the film's crowning fight sequence which will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest ever filmed. He tries hard to inject character into his scenes, but is given less than anyone else to work with.
The comparisons with 'The Matrix' (1999) are justified, as this film achieves what 'The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions' (2003) could not. It delivers high-concept action with genuine thrills and ideas in a way that takes the lead from the 1999 classic and builds upon it. Unfortunately it lacks an explored antagonist, which leads to the subconscious security forces (suspiciously like 'The Matrix's agents) being little more than faceless figures to chase and die – but with no threat or character. The key ideas in play are far stronger in 'Inception' than anything in 'The Matrix' trilogy, but what the film lacks is the pulp and character that made 'The Matrix' truly stand out. As it stands 'Inception' is more mature but less fun, wiser but less revolutionary; it has more brains but less heart.
****
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