The Great Mind**** or: The Inception Review

It has been a few days since I've seen Inception. I didn't feel up to writing an actual review until I'd let the movie sink in a bit. I didn't want to just give some offhand impression to sully the reputation of this film, that by not devoting enough time to a review that it would be an insult to Nolan and company. Or maybe it's just that the movie messed with my mind a bit and I needed the time to clear up the cobwebs. Either way, I am here with the review.

The Summary

Honestly, I can't say much about the summary of the movie without giving away the movie itself. The tagline, "Your mind is the scene of the crime" is probably the most apt and concise description of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, a man with a troubled past (does he ever play any other kind any more?) who leads a team of thieves. The hook? They steal secrets and ideas. And I'm not talking about simple corporate espionage here, like an Enron meets Jason Bourne kind of thing. They steal secrets and ideas FROM YOUR MIND (dun dun dun!). That's really all I can say about the movie. Watch it for yourself to see how it plays out.

The Good

1. The effects - a movie that takes place in dreams should have an appropriate feeling of unearthliness, almost, dare I say, dreamlike. Inception has this in spades and it is pulled off very well. From locations that don't look "quite right" and gravity that doesn't move "quite right", this movie really nails an alternate reality that may look much like our own but does not function by the same rules.

2. The performances - the cast all turned in top notch performances. While this is obviously DiCaprio's show, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, and Ken Watanabe all put in incredible work. Of particular note is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I'm keeping my eye on this guy. After impressive turns in Brick and (500) Days of Summer, and then a really good one in Inception, this guy is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

3. The concept - Nolan hits the ground running with the whole "dream" thing and pulls it off really well. He walks the fine balance of reality and dreamstate and creates a very cohesive world that feels real even when it's not "acting" real. Excellent work.

4. The action - the action set-pieces are all well done and mostly shot using traditional techniques, from the spinning room made famous by Fred Astaire to good old ski chases as popularized in James Bond movies.

The Bad

1. The Dialogue - there were parts in which the dialogue just seemed too cheesy or forced. While the characters did the best they could with these lines, the fact that so much was so good really drew attention to the lines that were bad. Also, there were moments in the first 45 minutes that were packed so full of exposition that it was hard to swallow it all. I know Nolan was establishing the rules of the dreamworld, but large blocks of exposition are difficult to digest.

2. The pacing - this mostly refers to the first half of the film. The pacing grinds to a halt whenever the above-mentioned exposition blocks come up. Once they get to the main job, the main part of the story, the movie hits its stride and runs at a very tense, perfectly plotted pace.

Overall, I loved this movie. While it was by no means perfect, I found the balance of thought, emotion, and action to be well done. I loved that the movie didn't talk down to the audience (even with all the exposition). It wasn't as pretentious as The Matrix (particularly in the sequels) about the concept of reality versus simulation. Instead, the movie takes a very intellectualized concept and interprets it in an emtional fashion, lending it a sense of gravitas. I think if Nolan had trimmed about 10 minutes off the top of the film, he would have a perfect movie on his hands. As it is, he has a great movie and one of the best I've seen in a while.

As an aside, I've realized that I'm really a big fan of Nolan. I loved Memento (which I daresay, was a hair better than Inception simply because it was paced much better). I enjoyed Insomnia. I adored The Prestige. And of course I loved his Batman films. Courtney even asked me if I liked Inception more than The Dark Knight. That was a difficult one to answer but ultimately it came down to the fact that it featured two of my favorite comic book characters of all time, my favorite hero (Batman, duh) and my favorite villain (Joker, double duh). I really need to get around to watching Following, his first film, which I have but has been on the list of unseen films I've been meaning to tackle. But when I do, you can bet I'll review that too.