Inception: (July 16th, 2010): PG-13
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $62,785,337
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $248,469,482
Gross Revenue: $565,401,841
Budget: $160 million
Director: Christopher Nolan
As should be painfully obvious at this point in my blog, I thoroughly enjoy knowing everything I can about a summer movie before it is released, but rather than be frustrated by the lack of information made available about Inception, I was actually impressed by Christopher Nolan’s ability to keep everything hush-hush prior to release. Other than what I could learn from a confusing viral marketing campaign released this past spring, the only thing I could tell you about Inception before the summer started was that it starred Leonardo DiCaprio and that it was considered Christopher Nolan’s ultimate pet-project. Eventually, the rest of the impressive cast was announced, and it was revealed that the core plot element would involve dream manipulation. Given Christopher Nolan’s impressive Hollywood track-record, I must admit that the second I heard “dream,” I saw Inception as being the next Matrix (replicating the success of the original, not the sequels…thank god). Pretty soon, trailers surfaced showing impressive special effects, while mobile games through Verizon and Facebook started introducing the concept of “mind-crime.” Warner Bros. apparently had a budget of $100 million to promote Inception, and given the amount of anticipation they subsequently generated, it appears that they spent the money very, very wisely; I knew I had to see Inception opening night.
I hinted in my “Short and Sweet” review that the plot for Inception is complicated and confusing, so if I were to try and explain the plot in full, you would be reading for a very long time. So, I’ve opted for a bare-bones synopsis. Inception takes place in a reality where it is possible to enter and explore the dreams of others through a process known as “dream-sharing.” Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dominic “Dom” Cobb, a thief-for-hire who has the ability to enter a person’s mind during a dream and remove valuable information without the subject being aware of his actions, a process called “extraction.” The rest of Dom’s team includes Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is responsible for researching the team’s targets, Ariadne (Ellen Page), who acts as an architect by constructing the world of the dream that the team will enter, and Eames (Tom Hardy), a forger who can impersonate other identities within a dream and thereby fool the target into revealing hidden information. Dom is considered the best “extractor” in the world for his ability to remove information, but thanks to a new client (Ken Watanabe), Dom and his team have been hired to perform “inception.” The polar opposite of “extraction”, “inception” involves planting an idea in the mind, but the trick is that the idea must be planted deep enough within a subject’s mind so that the subject believes they formed the idea themselves, rather than realizing that the idea came from an outside influence; the process is notoriously difficult and Dom is the only person known to have ever successfully completed the process. Though Dom himself is haunted by his past and the death of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), he must regain his focus to complete the job. With their target (Cillian Murphy) in place, Dom and his team must enter several different dream levels to plant the idea, continuously struggling to distinguish dream from reality.
Though my explanation of the plot may seem a little confusing, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the story. Throughout the film, I was thoroughly confused, but it was in the best way possible; any confusion isn’t the least bit frustrating, because the viewer actually wants to figure out what is going on during the smart and engaging narrative. The film is also littered with many exposition segments that explain plot elements, thereby helping the viewer gain a clearer picture of the story. As I said before, critical response to Inception has been almost universally positive; the only criticism I have heard has involved the perceived lack of emotional depth of the cast, but I could not disagree more. First off, I’ll admit that I love the fact that a number of the cast has worked with Nolan before on Batman Begins (Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, and a superb Cillian Murphy), but beyond that, the ensemble cast works really well together. Leonardo DiCaprio once again proves his worth as a leading man, and he plays his role as the tortured soul really well, reminding the audience of his gripping performance in Shutter Island earlier this year. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is surprising likable as the second-in-command and Tom Hardy adds considerable humor to some of the more serious situations throughout the film, all while Ellen Page shows how far her acting credentials have come since Juno. The real surprise of the cast is Marion Cotillard as Dom’s deceased wife Mal; because Dom is haunted by her death, Mal’s presence in his subconscious hinders the ability of the team to operate within dreams, making her the film’s primary antagonist (“Mal” is Latin for “evil”…get it?). Marion Cotillard (who we last saw in 2009’s Public Enemies) played her role flawlessly, bringing her character to life with an excellent blend of menace and mystery...making her a truly creepy villain.
The plot and cast are enough to make Inception a must-see, but Nolan’s direction and the special effects present are what make it a truly awe-inspiring film. Apparently, Inception has been Nolan’s dream project (see what I did there?) for the last decade, but before he could get the funding for it, he had to prove to studios that he could deliver a blockbuster film, so he decided to take on the Batman series first...safe to say he proved his worth there. Martin Scorsese will always be my favorite director, but Christopher Nolan is rapidly becoming number 2. Inception has many elements that are characteristically Nolan, from a non-linear narrative to a brilliantly unclear ending, and the best part of this project is that Nolan also wrote and produced this film (without royally screwing it up like M. Night Shyamalan did with Airbender). Slow-motion cinematography and vibrant establishing shots help the viewer really feel like they are watching a living dream, and if that isn’t enough, the special effects more than compensate. Watching Ellen Page bend the Paris cityscape or Joseph Gordon-Levitt kick-ass in a zero-gravity hallway fight are enough to keep anyone on the edge of their seat. Any small criticisms that could be found within the film are all but obliterated but the positive aspects. Even casual movie fans owe it to themselves to see Inception.
From a box-office perspective, Inception’s performance has been impressive on a number of levels. An opening weekend of nearly $63 million for a film that is neither a sequel nor part of any known franchise and runs nearly two-and-a-half hours long is impressive enough, but when you consider that Inception held on to the top spot for a second weekend with only a 30% drop in revenue (summer blockbusters can drop as much as 50% between first and second weekends), you can see that positive word-of-mouth is spreading like wildfire. Looks like Sorcerer’s Apprentice made a wise decision not to go head-to-head with Inception opening weekend (or else it might have done even worse). Another factor working in Inception’s favor involves the fact that the film demands multiple viewings…I had no hesitation in seeing it twice, and many I have spoken to have similarly stated that they cannot wait to see it again. Christopher Nolan will not only get his production budget back, he’s going to help Warner Bros. make one hell of a profit. Inception is an intelligent and engaging thriller that will test your perceptions; you will be challenged mentally, but don’t give up, you will be rewarded with a truly unforgettable movie experience…do not miss this masterpiece
Overall Recommendation: Very High
