Review: Inception

The following is a spoiler-free review of a film that should attain as much mystery as possible before being watched for the first time.

Cinemas light up with digital tedium as the latest and supposed greatest flash brightly on super-sized displays. Frequently handing over precious paper and metal only to be given humdrum and overpriced confectionery in return, your ventures to the silver screen venues are unarguably routine – your subconscious silently yearns for a break in tedium. Christopher Nolan is the epitome of your subconscious: he longs for imagination in a world governed by convention.

His quest for ingenuity with a tired brand five years prior to now proved fruitful for movie executives usually reliant on steady and risk-free film-making; the powers that be granted Nolan freedom and funding to explore and create, to take that risk. The risk was definitely worth taking: the art of inception is possibly Nolan’s greatest achievement, a fantastic and bold concept excellently-realised.

As the cryptic sound of Edith Piaf plays serenely while the credits roll you realise Inception has achieved what the characters in the film are striving to do: an idea has been planted in your subconscious, an idea which leaves you compelled to believe the unbelievable. The kick back to harsh reality is discomforting: an idea incredible is left behind intangible and a phone in a pocket or an empty popcorn box act as brutally real personal totems. Thankfully Inception is a dream that can be returned to at your leisure, a comforting afterthought for those like me who were left smiling when returned.

Inception displays very much the capacity of a dream-world, or lack thereof. Exuding phenomenal visual effects bravura and a disregard for the limit of human capability, Inception encapsulates a state of mind where borders of possibility are non-existent. Phenomenal is a word attributable to both the visual design and the Oscar-worthy performances: Leonardo DiCaprio gets top billing but has his outstanding performance in the limelight stolen by the likes of Tom Hardy (Rock’n'Rolla), Ellen Page (Juno) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer).

Witness a cast mould supremely into a team of charismatic anti-heroes and find yourself awestruck by displays of versatility and a show-stopping, bone-chilling performance from Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose). When all is said and done and you’re left to ponder, you’ll realise the depth these performers reach – it’s near unrivalled acting prowess.

Inception is not just a what-if puzzle for you to solve, it’s far deeper than that. Unravel the layers woven together by Nolan and his crew and you can admire the undeniably golden exhibition of talent below the surface. This film is a hugely ambitious success but the real victory lies with Inception simply achieving its title.

Overall Impressions:

Je ne regrette rien – my mind was expertly manipulated by intricacy but in being so it was immersed in an alternate reality where the impossible is within touching distance. Watching this audacious feature is no trivial affair, one that shouldn’t be approached with a mind looking for the mindless.

Inception is a film asking you to question what is possible while witnessing the impossible  - don’t allow yourself to be incepted and you’ll miss out on a truly extraordinary experience.

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