Inception, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard; directed by Christopher Nolan
Rating: Four stars and a half out of five
After producing the masterpiece of his career and arguably the best comic book flick ever, Christopher Nolan is back after only two years with an original piece to trump it.
Inception is an absolutely thrilling mind-bender, and although a tad overwritten in the climax, the film stays with you long after the credits roll.
Set in an alternative near-future where individuals can invade the dreams of others to steal ideas – or even implant them – Inception at its most basic is a globetrotting caper film.
Of course, when the capers take place in epic dreamscapes, where skyscrapers can bend, high-speed trains can appear on busy freeways and the evil projection of your dead wife can show up with a loaded gun, things get a bit more complicated.
The flick is set in its own universe, with its own rules, masterfully mapped out by the genius behind Memento and the recent Batmans. In the early proceedings, protagonist Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his Inception crew recruit the brilliant Ariadne to act as team architect, allowing us to be introduced to this world through her eyes. Necessary exposition and setup never bogs down the story, not just because its essential and organic, but also since it’s so tripping cool, we just want to know.
Without spoiling much, Leo’s crew, which includes the handsome, deadpan point man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and a flamboyant lady’s (slash gentleman’s) man forger Earnes (Tom Hardy) who can shapeshift his identity, all must invade the mind of a big-shot businessman for high-stakes corporate sabotage.
Meanwhile, Ariadne learns that Cobb isn’t as objective as he leads on, forcing the team to deal with the baggage that is the memory of his once-loving, now crazed lunatic wife Mal (Marion Cotillard is creepy as all Hell). While this latter twist provides the story’s much-needed emotional core, it also makes it feel very scripted, like the whole elaborate affair exists just to satisfy the demands of the subplot.
This one minor hindrance aside, Inception is a sumptuous treat. Although set in layers, upon layers of chaotic dreams within dreams (including the dreaded deep limbo, expect at least four!),
Nolan’s script keeps everything grounded, very real and very accessible. Even when he’s intercutting between these different stages of reality, you’ll be on the edge of your seat. Right up to the masterfully cryptic conclusion.
With a brooding score and committed performances giving this spectacle the believable reality it needs, Inception soars above the standard. Inventive genre filmmaking at its finest.
