So I just went to an “Inception” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” double feature today. First, let me get my “Apprentice” review out of the way.
Meh.
Now for “Inception”. After the trip to the movies fiasco that was M. Night’s “Airbender”, I wasn’t expecting much. Yes, this was the guy who directed “Dark Knight”. Yes, Leo DiCaprio has had a string of good movies recently and seems to know his way around a mystery-thriller. Yes, Ellen Page has so much indie cuteness it’s almost overwhelming. But still, movies aren’t have as good as what they used to be, now that they’ll give anyone $100 million dollars to pump out and underwhelming movie.
That’s the thought process, that is, until you sit down and experience the mind bender (literally) that is “Inception”.
I’m not exactly sure which element to pull out of “Inception” to extol, because each part of the movie came together perfectly. The story and plot were complex, developed, and easy to follow; the character development was spot on and each actor did a great job in melding into their role.It operates at a brisk pace and leaves enough mystery at the end to make you gasping with surprise. It risks adding too much complexity that might confuse viewers, but it wins in spades and is easy to follow if you are paying attention.
The special effects were impressive as well. In the manipulation of dreams, if the dreamer begins to reject the dream, then the physics of the dream start to fall apart. Outside environmental forces intrude on your dream as well. For instance, if you get wet, then it starts raining in your dream, or something similar. You know how you feel that falling sensation right before you wake up from some dreams? Christopher Nolan incorporates this, as well as many other aspects of dreaming that we subconsciously experience everyday into “Inception”, and he does it with master storytelling.
Really, Nolan knows how to tell a story using film; I am quickly becoming very impressed as I research his past films, many of them with absolutely memorable and individualistic stories. “Memento” (with his brother, Johnathan Nolan). “The Prestige”. The recent Batman movies. Nolan has become one of the preeminent directors to watch.
Of course the film wasn’t perfect, there were minor details that caught me off guard, irregularities and such, but I choose not to focus on those. They were minor blemishes on an overall superb thriller that leaves me begging for more Chris Nolan and solidified Leo DiCaprio as a above-average actor.”Inception” has finally made me believe in Leo,and I am confident that Chris Nolan’s “Dark Knight” sequel is going to blow us out of the water.
Side note: after you see “Inception”, do you think Michael Caine’s role could be called a cameo? Discuss.
