Dreams feel real while we’re in them.
It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.
It’s said that Christopher Nolan spent ten years writing Inception. To say the expectations for the film are high is a severe understatement. His last film The Dark Knight went on to become one of the most successful movies of all time and garner the highest praise for any comic book adaptation ever. Nolan succeeded in resuscitating Batman for our generation, and now I must declare he is doing the same with our movies. Creating something this original and on such an epic scale should be praised and sought after. No matter how high your personal expectations for Inception may be, the film deserves your attention for many reasons, everyone should see Inception.
Inception doesn't need 3D, it creates it.
Runtime: 2 hr. 28 min.
Theatrical Release: Jul 16, 2010
Synopsis: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one’s mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan
The Dream: Inception was developed by Christopher Nolan, based on his idea of “exploring the idea of people sharing a dream space – entering a dream space and sharing a dream. That gives you the ability to access somebody’s unconscious mind. What would that be used and abused for?” He thought “being able to extract information from somebody’s brain would be the obvious use of that because obviously any other system where it’s computers or physical media, whatever – things that exist outside the mind – they can all be stolen…up until this point, or up until this movie I should say, the idea that you could actually steal something from somebody’s head was impossible. So that, to me, seemed a fascinating abuse or misuse of that kind of technology”.
He had thought about these ideas on and off since he was 16 years old, intrigued by how he would wake up and then, while falling back into a lighter sleep, hold on to the awareness that he was dreaming, a lucid dream. He also became aware of the feeling that he could study the place and alter the events of the dream. He said, “I tried to work that idea of manipulation and management of a conscious dream being a skill that these people have. Really the script is based on those common, very basic experiences and concepts, and where can those take you? And the only outlandish idea that the film presents, really, is the existence of a technology that allows you to enter and share the same dream as someone else”.
Inception may very well be Nolan's masterpiece. So far.
The Players: One of the most sought after directors of our time pleased us all with his take on the caped crusader in Batman Begins & The Dark Knight. So before anyone could begin to label him as any sort of ‘comic-book’ director, he decides to follow it up with what very well might be the most original movie in years. Christopher Nolan’s greatest influence in filmmaking came from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner he has said. Watching the trailers and clips for Inception it’s not very hard to see that the influence has left its mark. Inception is about to show us that sci-fi can still be great.
Nolan takes a very hands-on approach to making his films; you would think most directors do, but sadly no. Nolan is known to work without a second unit, overseeing every shot of the film by himself. In film, the second unit is a team that shoots footage of ‘lesser importance’ for the final picture, as opposed to the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving actors, or at least the stars of the film. Second unit footage typically includes shots like scenery, close-ups of objects and other inserts or cutaways. Nolan does it all. For those keeping track of ratings, consider this: Nolan has never had a movie fall under a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Never a score lower than 7 on IMDB.
Leonardo DiCaprio, thanks to some fine script choices and directors to work with has become one of the most popular actors today. His body of work includes some of my own personal favourite movies (Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, Revolutionary Road) and he shows no signs of stopping with Inception. His on screen presence doesn’t go unnoticed and at such a young age only getting better with time, it will be interesting to see where he lands years from now, hanging out with Oscar would be my guess.
Two of my favorite actors. With guns. Win.
The players chosen for Inception all bring something to the table in regards to pervious great works. Nolan has worked with many of the actors before and going with who you trust can lead to great things, ask Martin Scorsese. Nolan has rounded up the usual players of his films for inception. Michael Caine (Batman Begins, The Prestige, Dark Knight), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Dark Knight), Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins). I am most excited to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt step up in his first major blockbuster movie (GI Joe not included). Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to “be in good movies” after returning to acting. Since the early 2000s, he has appeared in many independent films (Brick, The Lookout) in acclaimed roles. Ellen Page returns in her first major role since grabbing the world’s attention in Juno and looks comfortable playing alongside such esteemed actors.
What People Are Saying: Critics, bloggers and moviegoers from around the world keep the opinions coming, and in the case of Inception the word of choice seems to be ‘stunning’. Roger Ebert awarded the film a perfect four stars while Richard Roeper called the film “one of the best of the 21st century and Oscar front-runner.”
Rolling Stone magazine’s Peter Travers gave Inception its first positive notice, calling it a “wildly ingenious chess game”, and “the result is a knockout”.
Jim Vejvoda of IGN rated the film perfect, deeming it “a singular accomplishment from a filmmaker who has only gotten better with each film”.
Empire magazine rated it five stars in the August 2010 issue and wrote, “it feels like Stanley Kubrick adapting the work of the great sci-fi author William Gibson…Nolan delivers another true original: welcome to an undiscovered country”.
Justin Chang of Variety praised Nolan as “surely one of Hollywood’s most inventive dreamers” and the film’s use of “mind-bending visual effects and a top-flight cast in service of a boldly cerebral vision that demands, and rewards, the utmost attention.”
Stunning is the word.
Anne Thompson of IndieWire dubs it a “Kubrickian masterpiece” in her title and considers it a strong contender for multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Todd Gilchrist at Cinematical says it’s “a stunning achievement,” but says more about the “amazing” performances. Leonardo DiCaprio gives “some of the most heartbreaking and affecting moments of his entire career,” Gilchrist wrote, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy deliver “star-making turn[s].”
Everyone Should See Inception: This weekend marks the release of Christopher Nolan’s Inception; easily the most anticipated release of the summer due to the director’s well deserved achievements and reputation and an amazing cast. Months of hype come to this; a wide theatrical/IMAX release untouched by 3D, and almost entirely kept secret – a fine rarity in today’s world.
Ken Watanabe. Enough said.
Movies these days often come from the recycling bin of past makers, it’s a tricky business to really grasp and for a long time left this film lover doubtful that we could ever return to the days of new again. New ideas and concepts with new ways of thinking and using it all to go back to making great movies . Sequels, remakes, franchises oh my! Inception does a remarkable thing here, it’s wholly original. Nolan is calling on us all to take this idea and dream.
Tags: christopher nolan, inception, joseph gordon-levitt, leonardo dicaprio
