“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” —Eames
Today’s quick review: Inception. As an extractor, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) breaks into people’s dreams to steal their secrets. Saito (Ken Watanabe), the head of an energy corporation, hires him to do the opposite: to plant a thought in the mind of his business rival (Cillian Murphy). Cobb assembles a talented team for the job and comes up with a plan that could work. But within the dream, the greatest threat comes from Cobb’s own subconscious.
Inception is a science fiction crime thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Leonardo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast that includes Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine. Inception takes place in a world where a machine makes it possible to enter another person’s dreams. What follows is a carefully orchestrated heist that plays out over multiple levels of the dreamscape.
Inception features an intricate and mind-bending plot. The mechanics of the dream are fascinating on their own, and the complications that arise during the heist force Cobb and his crew to improvise some truly clever solutions. The details of the story can be a lot to take in, especially during a first viewing. However, the payoff more than justifies the effort it takes to keep track of what is going on.
The emotional heart of the film is Cobb’s attempts to cope with the death of his wife. The deatils of her death are revealed gradually throughout the film, but the fallout has left him emotionally scarred, unable to control his subconscious, and legally barred from returning home to his children. The journey into his target’s mind also exposes Cobb’s unresolved issues, resulting in a powerful and deeply personal story beneath the heist.
The combination of the dream device and Cobb’s backstory allows Inception to explore a range of meaningful themes. The film delves into psychology and catharsis, the nature of reality, suicide and depression, guilt and remorse, and the intricacies of the creative process. The themes are worked into the film in organic ways, arising naturally from the plot and characters. The outcome is an emotionally fulfilling movie that has a lot to unpack.
Finally, Inception benefits from outstanding execution quality. The performances are excellent, especially from DiCaprio and Cotillard. The direction is artful and precise, with subtle visual details and recurring motifs that amplify the story. The script is nuanced, well-paced, and often poetic. The special effects are seamless, bringing the imaginative physics of the dream to life. And Hans Zimmer outdoes himself with a memorable score.
Inception’s one major caveat is what it is not. In spite of its premise, Inception is not a film about abusing the dreamscape for action or fantasy. The film does explore the mechanics of the dreamscape in detail, and there are some memorable action scenes along the way. But the action is secondary to the characters and story, not something that is pursued to the exclusion of all else. Viewers expecting pure spectacle may be disappointed.
Inception is a masterful movie that works at nearly every level. It represents the science fiction genre at its richest, using a simple conceit to tell a unique story that simultaneously stretches the imagination and sheds light on the human condition. Not everyone will appreciate what Inception has to offer, and its complex plot takes some getting used to. But its vision and its craftsmanship make it a modern classic that’s well worth watching.
For a science fiction drama of similar caliber from Christopher Nolan, check out Interstellar. For a more down-to-earth mystery from Nolan, try The Prestige. For a darker thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, try Shutter Island. For a more surreal trip into the world of dreams, try Paprika. For a darker, more cartoonish trip into the mind, try The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
[8.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/). I give it an 8.5 for a brilliant premise and outstanding quality.