Hi everyone!
The HBO Queue cleanout continues. Confession time. I have had a DVD copy of today’s film in my possession for about eight years, and had never watched it. Apparently, that’s too much effort now that I have streaming services. Amazing how things have changed, isn’t it? At least in this version of reality. Be sure to check out my throwback review for “Dunkirk” (Episode #468) from earlier this week, and I plan on rotating in more Nolan from here on out.
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “Inception”, the science fiction detective thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a near-future tech thief adept at stealing secrets from people within dream-sharing technology. After being caught for his actions, he’s given at chance at redemption by planting an idea into a CEO’s mind using the same technology.
No spoilers.
I think every film fan has a few blind spots when it comes to their favorite creators. I’m not talking about the hard-to-find short films shown twice in a theater class. I’m talking about feature films that every fan in their right mind should have seen, yet somehow has managed not to see. “Inception” has been one of those films for me, one that I missed in the theater during a theatrical dry spell while I volunteered for the union. I joked earlier about having the DVD and not bothering to watch it, but that was because it was one of my last physical media purchases, as we were building up our Blu-Ray collection, and I started to realize the bottomless well of content that would be available on streaming services. New content, recent content, old content, forgotten content. No shortage of content on any one paid service, and no shortage of content on any advertising-driven services. Oh sure, I thought about popping the disc in and watching it, but either the film would become a popular meme again, or someone would make an Inception reference, and I would want to wait again before seeing it. But now I have seen it, and while I wish I had seen it sooner, I’m glad I haven’t waited any longer.
Prior to being offered the opportunity to reboot and reinvent the Batman franchise, Nolan had two films that I enjoyed seeing very much. “Memento”, the story told in reverse, plays with time in some mind-bending ways, which I discussed in my review for “Dunkirk”. However, “Insomnia”, which is set in northern Alaska when the sun doesn’t set for over two months, plays with reality. Both films are not only insanely well produced, but do a great job of engaging and manipulating the viewer. “Inception” manages to do both simultaneously, in the form of a corporate espionage thriller on the edges of reality, and through some excellent world building that reconfigures the rules behind the somewhat played out “dream within a dream” trope used in many previous movies. Nolan doesn’t recycle the idea, but explores the details and extends the framework, even while adding other limitations.
The manipulation of time opened up even more possibilities. Cobb explains pretty early on within the film that time slows down every time you start another dream within a dream. Nolan then demonstrates this principle as they delve into the target’s mind, needing to move three dreams deep to plant the idea, then uses Cobb’s own experience with this phenomenon to give the viewer a much needed perspective check when one goes too deep and experiences too much time. The time shifts in storytelling would be used later on in “Interstellar” as the astronauts land on planets revolving near a black hole named Gargantua, but the layering would be a feature for telling the entire story of “Dunkirk”, covering three separate timeframes thematically. And it makes me wonder what kind of craziness that Nolan might be bringing to his super-secret upcoming project in 2020.
“Inception” does have some rough spots, despite its incredible concept and structure. I thought the acting worked pretty well, although I thought the cast never really jelled for some reason. Perhaps it was the uneasy feeling to the entire film. Perhaps it was intentional given the different stakes for each character. The ending is famously polarizing, for those who could understand it, and while perfect to cement the feeling of uneasiness that permeates the film, also seemed like the obvious way out. That’s admittedly a personal criticism, though. I wanted something more, but it takes absolutely nothing away from the film as a whole. Insert a respectful slow nod, possibly combined with a single, upraised eyebrow.
“Inception” is a corporate espionage thriller set within the land of dreams, nestled within a well-constructed world which extends the “dream within a dream” concept to exciting new territory. The film builds off the groundbreaking work in his previous films, and echo quite directly into the films which came afterwards. If you haven’t seen this film, and you don’t mind stretching your imagination a little bit, then you should definitely check it out, preferably with a friend to chat about it afterwards.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 74
One Movie Punch: 9.2/10
“Inception” (2010) is rated PG-13 and is currently playing on HBO Now.
