Your mind is the scene of the crime.What it’s about:
“What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm?
An idea. Resilient [and] highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate.”
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a con artist specializing in the fine art of ‘dream invasion’, gets involved in a highly elaborate and dangerous scheme in an attempt to return back to his family.
My take on it:
I love psychological movies, but until now I’d been telling myself that my favorite sub-genres were either psychological dramas or thrillers – movies such as A Beautiful Mind, Memento and Shutter Island. The Matrix didn’t quite capture my interest (although it is my brother’s favorite thing, and I watched it because he forced me to :P) and I reasoned that it was because of all the action. This movie changed all that. Inception is such an incredible action flick, but does not fail to offer a mind-bending storyline and central concept, all at the same time. It delivers. Not only was it splendidly entertaining, but I came home feeling – as expected! – very provoked.
Inception provides a new spin on your regular dream vs. reality theme. Is it possible to not only plant an idea into someone else’s mind, but also be able to disguise it as genuine inspiration? This is the task given to Dom Cobb and his team by Saito (Ken Watanabe). He wants his business rival to be ‘inspired’ to ruin his own father’s empire – a tall order, to say the least. Cobb now begins the complicated process of designing a ‘dream’ to dupe him - a tricky business, especially when your own subconscious is plagued by memories of the past…
…and watch the rest to find out! It’s really a stunning, yet complex, film. My only gripe would be that the first ten minutes were confusing. But, it does all tie up in the end. Well, maybe not everything. But enough. Well, you’ll find out when you go see it! ;) And a recommendation: watch it in IMAX. The striking visuals add even more substance to the storyline! Dreaming will never be the same again. And I just remembered – I once had a dream where I woke up, only to realize that the ‘waking up’ was yet another dream. That was when I realized just how easy it is to get trapped within a dream. The concept explored in the movie though, is the idea of a layered dream – a dream within a dream, within a dream.
Lastly, two words: “in limbo”. *shudder*
Rating: 4.5/5
Links:
Visit the official website here.
Watch the trailer here.
--or--
Learn more about this movie at Amazon.com here.
Your review justifies all my attempts to "encourage" my family to watch "Inception" when it comes out on DVD. Encourage as in FORCE THEM.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your review, Elle! Dreams are such a fascinating subject, and it's exciting to see a movie that tackles the subject so successfully. Your description of it sounds a little like "The Prestige" - have you watched that? - with its layers-within-layers plot. Does "Inception", as it relates to the memories that plagues DiCaprio, resemble "Shutter Island"? I read an article that seemed to suggest as much, and I was curious.
Fantastic review! I adored Inception, and I agree with everything you said. It's too great for words!
ReplyDeleteEntish - hahaha, I've forced a couple of people to go watch it too! Yep, I've watched the Prestige, and yes, Leo DiCaprio does play a very similar character in Shutter Island - a man who is very haunted by his past and family. but, he still manages to pull it off nicely - the sign of a good actor!
ReplyDeleteEmidy - thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed Inception as well!
i have heard nothing but fantastic things about this, and i am determined to watch it! however i just happen to love dance movies therefore im more determined to watch step up!! :D
ReplyDeleteOh I want to watch this now, a great one for my hon and I.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that i'm pretty surprised you loved Inception and not the Matrix. I find a lot of things in common between the two. Well, everyone and their own tastes...
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