1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Inception

#1128- Inception (2010)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy
Directed by: Christopher Nolan


Plot Summary: Dom Cobb and his business partner Arthur are extractors that go into dreams and perform corporate espionage, with their latest target being Japanese businessman Saito. Impressed by their efforts, Saito hires them to perform inception, the planting of an idea in someone's subconscious, on Robert Fischer, the son of Saito's dying competitor Maurice Fischer. Cobb and Arthur gather a team including a chemist named Yusuf, a forger known as Eames, and newly recruited architect by the name of Ariadne. As incentive to complete their mission, Saito accompanies them in Robert's dreams and promises Cobb that if they succeed, he will use his power to have murder charges against Cobb dropped so he can return home and be with his children. The only thing that stands in their way is a manifestation of Mal, Cobb's deceased wife, living within Cobb's subconscious and sabotaging them from succeeding.


It's been about three years since I had sat down to watch Inception, partially because there's tons of other movies out there to watch and partially because I have needed a break from Christopher Nolan since watching The Dark Knight Rises (putting it lightly: it's one of my biggest film disappointments EVER). Having his style all over Man of Steel (even if he was just a producer) didn't help and it makes me all the more concerned for Interstellar coming out in a few months. I remember that I really enjoyed Inception when it first came out, as did most audiences, so I thought I'd check it out once more with a "less cynical towards Nolan" mindset to see what was good and what was bad. While there's still a lot of good about the film, I started to see a lot of the problems I initially had with it were still there along with some new found problems that were brought out with this viewing.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb. I'm not sure if DiCaprio has spent too much time with Martin Scorsese, but this was one of his roles in a long time where I felt I was watching him act instead of becoming the character. Also, there's one major plot hole that I can't stand with Cobb and unfortunately it's the biggest plot point in the movie. I get that the stuff involving his deceased wife Mal, played by Marion Cotillard, is supposed to be the main dramatic point of the film, but it also leaves Cobb completely unprofessional for their mission to the point where he is literally creating ALL the problems that put their mission and their lives in jeopardy. And we are supposed to root for this guy?

The rest of the team is actually comprised of characters I enjoyed. There's Cobb's business partner Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who spends most of his time informing the audience via exposition about the status quo of going into dreams and has that really cool zero gravity action scene (which drew a lot of comparisons with The Matrix). Mr. Saito, played by Ken Watanabe, is actually a well-acted role that I thoroughly enjoyed once I could figure out what he was saying (it helps to watch the film with English subtitles). Eames, played by Tom Hardy, was my favorite character because of his whit, his charm, his back and forth dynamic with Arthur, and his ability to kick some serious tail in the action sequences. Yusuf, played by Dileep Rao, is the group's chemist who formulates the sedatives strong enough to take them into the multilayered dreams. And rounding off the team is Ariadne, played by Ellen Page, who checks most of her trademark quirky sarcasm at the door and actually offers a surprisingly well-done performance.

Now comes the time where I point out the various "Nolan-isms" that plague this film (and most of Nolan's recent films). The cast itself is a big problem, with Levitt, Hardy, Watanabe, Cotillard, Cillian Murphy (who plays their target, Robert Fischer), and Michael Caine (who plays Stephen Miles, Ariadne's professor and Cobb's father-in-law). With so many Nolan regulars popping up, I thought Batman was going to pop up at any second. On top of that, the movie's cinematography looks eerily similar to some of Nolan's other films (specifically The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and even Man of Steel) and like usual, Nolan utilizes Hans Zimmer for the film's score (which I'm NOT saying is bad for the record).

The biggest factor this film has going for it is in its concept and effects. Obviously, the concept of going into dreams is unique, but delving deeper into dreams within dreams, building those dreams, and fighting forces in those dreams offer many creative opportunities. The effects, in turn, allow those opportunities to bend the laws of physics and reality to be taken to the next level. I'm of course stating the obvious by saying that the idea is cool and the film was nice to look at. It's the kind of concept and visual style befitting of a science fiction or action film, but not necessarily for the epic drama flick that Nolan was trying to create.

This brings me to my final point with the film: that it might be a tad overrated because Nolan was trying too hard. I would have enjoyed the characters and the concept more if it was a bit less complex. This isn't my way of saying that I "didn't get" the film, but rather that the idea is sound, but the execution is overreaching. Take out the drama with Cobb and Mal, and the film becomes a blockbuster sci-fi action film. Inception should be a fun film, but feels too serious for its own good. Nolan should take direction from The Joker and ask himself "Why so serious?"

Oh, and if you've seen Inception and are wondering what I thought about the ending...

*SPOILERS* I think the totem stopped spinning and Cobb got his happy ending.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I understand that at the time Inception seemed groundbreaking, but since its release Christopher Nolan has recycled his filmmaking techniques and his casts to the point where this film's originality hasn't aged well. I still recommend checking this film out a few times, so it might be worth owning in your collection for the large cast, the unique concept of dreams within dreams, and to draw your own conclusions about the ending.

Inception and movie images are copyrighted by Warner Bros.