Film Review: Inception

Spoiler Warning: If you have not seen the film do not read what I'm about to write unless you dont care about having the ending spoiled. And trust me, you do care.



Inception is Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. What exactly does that mean? People have been saying it, and I certainly agree, but what does it mean? First off, the film has to fire on all levels, score, acting, directing, writing, originality. Inception gets a check in every box. For a film to be considered an artist's masterpiece though, it must basically be the director's brain on a platter. It has to be personal without alienating the audience. It must have themes that transcend time. It must age well. While we won't know whether Inception will age well for a few years, my bet is on yes.

I think the brilliance of what Nolan has done, and the reason the film will stand the test of time, is that he has made a truly subjective film. Theories have been flooding the internet about whether or not Cobb's spinner fell at the end. People have said that the whole thing was a dream, that half of it was a dream, that Cobb was actually having a Mr. Charlie pulled on him by Saito. They have been all over the place. And they have all, in one way or another been correct. But how can that be? How can all theories be correct? Well because no definitive answer is given, so any guess, as long as it makes sense, could be true.

But here is the thing. Cobb himself didn't turn around to see if his spinner fell. It didn't matter to him. He got to see his kids and be with his kids again. To him his mission was accomplished, his wish fulfilled, whether it was a dream or in real life. Does happiness, or contentment, only exist if other people can see it or experience it? I dont think so. It's all a state of mind. So if he saw his kids in a dream (especially a lucid dream), to him that's just as good as seeing them in real life.

Inception is a film that you have to see to believe. I've never seen anything like it before, and I can't wait to revisit the film. Nolan uses special effects, rather than having the special effects use him. He never let's his visuals overtake the story (which believe me, with these visuals is a feat in it's self). Hans Zimmer creates his best score to date, taking nods from everything from The Dark Knight to Blade Runner. Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic as usual. It's amazing to me the empathy he can draw from his audience. The supporting cast gets just enough character development to move the story forward (which is enough because it's not their story anyways it's Leo's). The structure of the film seems confusing at first, but when you see the characters act out what they were talking about it all makes sense.

I can't say enough about Inception. It's a blast. To me, Inception is perfect. It has everything I look for in a movie.

Also, for all of you who are wondering: I think Cobb was with his kids in real life at the end, I dont think it's a dream. Why? Because it's what I want for his character.