Inception Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A group of dream-technology experts are hired to perform "inception:" the act of planting an idea in someone's mind.

Review: This is definitely one of my favorite movies despite the awkward opening. On the surface this is essentially a heist film, but there is so much more going on in this plot it is hard to tackle it all. There is the sci-fi aspect that goes over advanced technology to bring multiple people into the dreaming mind of an individual; the film successfully creates a believable world where these things would occur. We have a lot of psychological issues brought up regarding reality, what is a dream, depression, love and loss, and much more. The plot can be complicated at times, but it is much more straightforward as long as you're paying attention. At the same time, there are so many deep moments of great philosophical debate as well that I feel many casual viewers will misunderstand. The visuals are beautiful as we see the characters manipulate physics within the dreams and refine their ability to control their perception within said dreams. I absolutely love the soundtrack as Hans Zimmer nailed that fantasy/hypnotic tone; this is probably in my top ten list of soundtracks since there really isn't a bad piece in the entire lot. The acting is excellent from all the characters to which there are a lot of A-list actors here; special credit, of course, goes to Leonardo Dicaprio for his excellent portrayal of the tormented Cobb. There are a few elements I wish they would have delved more deepily into, such as the how do you know you're not dreaming aspect, but I suppose those will be brought up in more detail in sequels; these are minor nitpicks as well and hardly detract from the film's awesome premise and perfect execution of ideas. The action, pacing, tone, and dialogue all have a great flow as everything comes together in an incredibly methodical way. There was definitely an impressive attention to detail in the outlining of the story and how it would progress. I highly recommend watching this film even with so many critics knocking the film due to its growing popularity. It really is one of the most original films I've watched in awhile especially considering all the remakes, prequels, sequels, ripoffs, adaptations, etc. that are flooding the market! This was, by far, the best film of 2010 so don't miss out.

Notable Moment: In limbo, when Mal and Cobb discuss whether Cobb was always dreaming the whole movie. I really wish they played up this angle more!

Final Rating: 10/10