Inception: movie review

Christopher Nolan makes my brain hurt. I mean that in the best way possible. Thank goodness there are still original ideas left in Hollywood. They are so clouded by storms of remakes, sequels and adaptations that when an original script actually appears it is a ray of sunshine in the dark landscape of major motion pictures. Inception is just this, a shining beacon of hope that the money-hungry empire of Hollywood can still produce a blockbuster that is well written, thought provoking and visually stimulating.

Nolan's writing dares to make you think, hard and a lot. I understand that not everyone goes to the movies to be mentally challenged and forced to pay attention, but for those of us bored with formulaic actions flicks and the paint-by-numbers romantic comedies that even a small child could predict the outcome of, Inception is a dream come true. Oh no, is that a spoiler? *wink wink*

If you are at all familiar with Nolan's body of work you know that he is a master of tricks and surprises in his story lines, reminiscent of Hitchcock (ie: Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige). With that said, I'm not really going to discuss the plot other than to tell you it could be called a psychological thriller based on the premise that a human's dreams can be entered by other sleeping beings. The main purpose of this mental invasion is to extract information locked in the dreamer's subconscious, but the conflict of the film occurs when the opposite action is proposed: to plant a foreign idea into the dreamer's mind that will hopefully affect their behavior in real life.

And that's all I'm going to say. I don't think I could possibly do justice to the intricacies of the story line in a synopsis, assuming I could even recount it correctly. I say watching this film is challenging because there are so many twists and turns you will be as lost in the character's subconscious as they are. Inception will need multiple viewings to appreciate all its elements, just as anyone who has seen Memento wishes they could watch it backwards.

On more than one occasion the film uses the imagery of parallel mirrors reflecting off one another, creating an infinite line of replicas. That feeling of surrealism as you look down the row of yourselves is exactly how this movie makes you feel, and is also a perfect metaphor of Inception's theme. Is this a dream within a dream, or the same picture frame within the picture frame within the picture frame?

Speaking of imagery, Inception is also one of the most fascinating visual experiences you will have in today's world of A.D.D. inducing advertising. Who knew that the lack of CGI could produce more creativity resulting in beautiful, artistic, and stimulating views? Oh yeah, only all the great and prolific film directors of history. I was specifically reminded of Fred Astaire tap dancing on the ceiling in the 1951 Royal Wedding. Best yet, the great writing of Inception's screenplay was never sacrificed for its visuals. The script clearly came first, instead of a producer having a revelation mid-bite into his sandwich, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we made a movie entirely in CGI where the dialogue is a total after-thought?" *nom nom nom*

I'm sure that casting trained actors helps bring a good script to life as well. We see appearances from some of Nolan's favorites (Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy, who has the most distinctive cheekbones in the industry) and a few fresh faces such as the wonderful Tom Hardy as Eames and the consistently talented but perhaps under-rated Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur. Ellen Page continues to prove her acting versatility, and may I say how refreshing it is to see Leo in a non-Scorsese film? While Nolan may give Scorsese a run for his money in film running times, that is about all their scriptwriting has in common, except words...

DiCaprio brings his box office name but also his cinematic chops. He gives Cobb the intelligence and emotional fragility he needs to make Inception not only an action/suspense film but a story of healing and forgiveness. Possibly my favorite thing about the concept for Inception is that it not only provides a springboard for amazing spectacles and fingernail-biting action, but is at its heart a tale of loss and growth. I have yet to decide what conflict the movie addresses most, man vs. man, man vs. society or man vs. self. I think it is a terrific blend of all three. No art is really art unless it is based in the human experience, and you can't get much more specific than the human brain and its subconscious.

My only qualm with the film is that the root cause of its entire concept is never really identified. Reference is made to the development and/or creation of "extraction" by Michael Caine's character, possibly for scientific and then military purposes, but it never explains how so many people were trained in the procedures and where all the equipment for it comes from. But since nearly every other question you could have about the premise is addressed in some way, it is a small flaw that you have to be willing to forgive. Since you have to suspend so much disbelief for this film to work in the first place, what's a little bit more going to hurt? Plus, I don't want this movie to get any longer. At 148 minutes we get everything we need without too much drag. Anything more than this would put us back in Martin Scorsese territory.

Considering the depth of storyline and the amount of detail in the world Nolan has created, it is no wonder he needs the screen time to bring it all together for us. Because he keeps you captivated the whole way through, he deserves this time to tell the story, and you are so enthralled that you won't begrudge him the extra length. The plot does get hard to follow at points, but luckily you can bask in the amazing visuals if you get tired of thinking and trust that it will work itself out eventually.

In fact, Inception is so clever that I wonder how the future Batman scripts will be able to compare. Some of the only other original writing in Hollywood that I think compares with Nolan's creativity is that of M. Night Shyamalan. While elements of Nolan remind me of Hitchcock, Shyamalan is the Hitchcock of our generation. Unfortunately, his talents cannot be appreciated by the mass media, and Hollywood's willful misunderstanding of his work has temporarily (I hope) stunted his ability to produce his style of film. Now he is sadly reduced to directing the usual blockbuster remake/adaptation tripe-fare.

I only hope Nolan can and will continue to make movies like Inception and Memento and not let his talents be completely stolen away by the industry for super-hero projects. At age 38 he is already in the canon of great filmmaking history. The artist in me desires to see his gifts come to ultimate fruition, but the selfish filmgoer in me just wants more exercises in mind-crunching to look forward to.

Shenandoah Butterworth is Spero arts reviewer.