Inception
Intriguing. Ingenious. Inceptional. I bet my friendship on it.
No really, I did bet my friendship on it - and yes, they are still my friends! I watched this movie a while ago (at 9:20pm on July 23rd to be exact - yes I keep movie tickets too, its not OCD if you call it “collecting”) so I’ll have to rely on my memory a lot more than usual for this one…
Conceptually the movie is not the first to explore the notion of Real v. Imaginary. But it’s such an interesting idea that when it’s conceived in a unique and crafty way, the product is a compelling masterpiece that keeps people talking for days, even weeks, after viewing.
Balanced with excitement, suspense, and humour, Inception really delivers as a thriller that tugs gently at your inquisitive side - provoking questions and snaring you until the questions are answered. There is never a moment of nothingness. When something big is happening on screen you are pulled in; and when something small is happening, your brain is either playing catch-up to figure out what just happened, or it is recovering and preparing for the next next big thing. With so much happening in such an intricate and layered plot, the way everything comes together so effortlessly is a huge credit to the minds behind the movie.
Inception is clever. Attending to detail and well researched, it is something I really appreciate and enjoy in movies. Including the impossible Penrose stairs illusion to show the limitless ability of the mind while signalling the absence of reality. Referencing the familiar experience of free-falling to wake you up from your dreams. Having the inner ear functions unaffected by the sedative drug so that the sensation of falling is still possible. Accommodating for the phenomena of weightlessness during free-fall which prevents the “kick” from being felt. Inception is very well thought out.*
The cast have done an amazing job on this movie. You are drawn into the story partly because the characters are believable and true. This is not an easy feat, particularly because having an elaborate storyline sometimes sacrifices character development as more time is needed to build and explain the plot. This is not the fate of Inception. Although there isn’t a great amount of time spent on the characters, there is enough there for you to feel like you know them. Their interactions and dialogue also adds an extra dimension to the movie. E.g. Arthur’s interaction with Ariadne and Eames provide much comic relief.
Ariadne: What’s happening? Why are the projections staring at us?
Arthur: The subconscious is looking for the dreamer, me. Quick, give me a kiss!
…
Ariadne: They’re still looking at us.
Arthur: Yeah, it was worth a shot.
What about the open ending? I like it. And I’m certain it’s roused more than a few google searches and forum discussions.
There’s not much left for me to say. Well played Christopher Nolan, well played. 4 ½ out of 5. At least.
*Although, there is this one loophole I thought about. I’ll do my best to explain it as clearly as possible. When the dreamer’s centre of gravity changes, this causes a change in the dreamer’s world (i.e. changing Arthur’s centre of gravity in the van (Raining City) changes the gravity within his dream world (the Hotel))…
Now, if the gravity in this dream world changes, then shouldn’t the dreamer within this world have their centre of gravity changed? I.e. since Eames is flying around in the Hotel room, shouldn’t this cause a change in his centre of gravity and hence change the gravity in his dream world (the Snow)? Notice also that they never actually show the characters in the Hotel room flying around, only Arthur while he is fighting.
It’s OK if you don’t get me. I don’t get myself sometimes. I don’t know if what I described is what was suppose to of happened. But nevertheless, an inceptional movie.
