Reviews : Movie
'Inception' breaks summer movie mold
Stellar cast, special effects make thriller a blockbuster


By Nick Avery,
Features Editor
August 19, 2010

Each summer, numerous movies of different genres, scenes and style are released. Some of these films are quite good, generating millions of dollars in revenue for the people who backed it through the difficult process of movie-making. Others are pathetic, or flops, and generally close after a few weeks of screening.

There is also a rare, third kind of movie which excites audiences and rockets up the box office, remaining there for weeks. Inception, with its spectacular special effects and intriguing story, is this third type of summer movie.

Inception was directed and written by Christopher Nolan, the man behind the brilliance of The Dark Knight, one of the highest grossing films in history. Nolan set a high bar for himself with The Dark Knight, but not only does he clear the bar with Inception, he also adds a few inches to his hurdle of prowess.

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, a man who specializes in extracting secrets from his targets' subconscious through the process of dream sharing, a technology which allows people to enter the dreams of another.

As a fugitive in the United States, Cobb seeks redemption through any means so he may see his children again. He is offered a chance to return home when he is approached by a powerful business man named Saito (Ken Watanabe), who wishes to implant an idea deep into the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), heir to a leading energy company. Saito believes he can persuade him to break up his recently deceased father's company if Cobb is allowed into his subconscious.

With this almost impossible task, Cobb gets to work assembling a group which will aid him in a daring break-in of Fischer's mind. After a few scenes of Cobb locating and convincing the best men and women he knows of to help in his quest, the company is ready to prepare their heist.

However, problems arise as Cobb's memories of his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) begin to invade the dream. Whenever Cobb goes into a dream, Mal follows him, disrupting the pattern of the dream and ultimately compromising the stability of the heist. Because of this, Cobb must learn to control his emotions and let go of the past.

In addition, the team's information has been skewed: Fischer has been taught by extractors to train his subconscious to eliminate any threats against him. Therefore Cobb's team takes drastic measures to ensure the idea is implanted, producing unanticipated results.


With a packed cast including Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy, Inception radiates with talent. Each character is different in attitude and background, yet all the actors do a breathtaking job with the personalities they are given.

The thing which separates this film from others is that the innovation and thought that went into the writing and special effects cannot be rivaled. Whether through fight scenes in suspended animation or buildings rearranged according to the whim of the dreamer, Inception delivers with a passion that is hard to find nowadays.

This feature forces you to wonder, through little hints and subtle nuances, that reality is not all what it seems for the characters. Such a phenomenal idea has not been incorporated into a film since 1999 with The Matrix. Inception not only proposes the notion, but also makes the thought complete with a tight set of rules about the dream world which are put into play throughout the movie.

With a running time of 148 minutes, one would think there would be a plethora of standstills and long-winded explanations. However, with Inception, this is not the case. In fact, the movie was even more interesting the second time I saw it because I was able to catch things I had missed previously.

Altogether, Inception explores the capabilities of ever-changing technology and the power of the human mind.

Inception is rated PG-13 for violence and action and is playing in most local theaters. For tickets and showtimes, visit Fandango.



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