I was feeling rather let down by this years crop of summer movies.  Iron Man 2 came out way to early and it’s been kinda downhill since then.  Oh sure Toy Story 3 was awesome, but overall it’s been a summer movie season where I have felt let down.  Where is the movie everyone is talking about?  Where is something that I can enjoy and yet have a lively discussion afterwards?  Who can save us from the doldrums and lack of creativity in Hollywood?  No, not Batman, but you would be close.  For the movie gods have listened to our cries and brought us a savior, and that savior’s name is Christopher Nolan.  For the Director who brought us The Dark Knight and Momento has challenged us to rethink how we view movies yet again with his latest masterpiece Inception.  It’s stylish, well acted, incredibly well paced, lots of action, and best of all it makes you think.  For me I don’t know what else I could ask for in a film. 

The film centers around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a wanted thief who enters the dreams of others to obtain information that is otherwise inaccessible.  Cobb and his team, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 3^rd Rock ), and his “architect” (someone who designs the world of the dream) Nash (Lukas Haas) are working a heist inside the mind of Saito (Ken Watanabe), whom is aware of their deception.  Cobb and his team fail the mission, but soon realize that Saito was auditioning them for something greater.  Instead of stealing evidence from an enemy, Saito would like Cobb to plant an idea into his head instead.  Such an activity is called inception, and it is not only very difficult to pull off, but dangerous as well.  As a reward Saito will pay his team very well and provide Cobb what he desires most, the ability to return home and see his children.  

Cobb accepts Saito’s offer and recruits a forger named Eames.  Forgers are capable of shifting their appearance within the dream world and a must for an act of inception.  Cobb must also find a replacement architect as his was captured by Saito’s men in the botched mission.  He finds a suitable student in Adrianne (Ellen Page) and while he explains to her the rules of the dream world, Adrianne begins to suspect that there is something bothering Cobb.  In his dreams she see’s visions of his deceased wife Mel and his inability to let go of what happened to her.  While Adrianne fears that Cobb is a threat to his own mission, she agrees to help him but with a watchful eye.  Can Cobb’s team plant an idea into the mind of Saito’s rival Robert Fisher (Cillian Murphy aka The Scarecrow) or will Cobb’s own insecurities and nightmares be the downfall of them all? 

The first thing you need to know about Inception, is it’s not a film you can passively enjoy.  You can’t decide to run to the bathroom or get a refill on popcorn and expect that when you come back you can just jump right back in.  Every frame in this film has something of value to it, something that can help explain what is going on, or a red herring as to what you THINK is happening.  It is literally a visual puzzle of your mind that Nolan helps you unravel in the span of two and a half hours.  Missing any pieces of this puzzle will inevitably sullen the experience for you.  It’s also an intricate enough puzzle that you may desire re-visiting to pick up on things you may have missed.  So unlike most Summer movies, you’ll WANT to have your brain with you when you enjoy this film. 

The next thing you need to know about Inception is the visual artistry is exceptional.  I’m not just talking about the special effects which are top notch, it’s how they are woven into the imagery itself to make you think or catch you off guard.  Every explosion, twist and turn of the minds eye in this film is painstakingly planted there for a specific reason.  Many times you won’t understand why something just happened until future narrative tells you why it was important.  This visual storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat and your brain can’t help but ask for more.  

The acting in Inception is quite solid, and I am slowly becoming a DiCaprio fan.  He is meticulous about what scripts he chooses lately and I for one applaud his decisions.  We watch as this outwardly stoic and confident thief shows us the turmoil that races in his own mind, especially when he dreams.  In this way Cobb is like so many of us, trying to be tough when he is hurting on the inside.  The supporting cast is also quite good, but they are helped by a script that is extremely well written and mostly glitch free.  And for a story like Inception, continuity is a must.  It reminds me of when I first saw The Matrix and how nail tight it appeared to be.  Over the years I have noticed only a few small things in that film, but nonetheless the script was sound.  

I really can’t go into more detail on the plot or the ending as that would spoil the fun of the film.  All I can say is that as someone who frequents the theater, I am acutely aware of where a story is taking me.  So when a story goes in a direction that I did not expect, I am pleasantly surprised.  I found myself having this pleasantly surprised feeling through most of this film.  Plots would twist and things would happen that I didn’t see coming, and yet in retrospect these twists all felt right and not insulting to the audience.  Again, master storytelling at work.  I even heard that the end of this film was simply fantastic and I will admit that indeed it was.  Nolan ends his story in such a way that it naturally sparks debate, but remains true to the essence of the visual puzzle that is Inception.    

I can’t recommend this film enough.  Christopher Nolan has done it again and you owe it to yourself to go and see what everyone will be talking about this summer.  You can even be like me, and see it a few times, it’s that good.   (Oh and please use Spoiler Tags if you want to get deep into specifics of the film)

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Tags: Chritopher Nolan, Dreams, Ellen Page, Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio, Puzzles, Summer Movies, the matrix, Wicked Cool Special Effects

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