Every once in a while a film comes along and changes things. It's innovating, ground-breaking, and revolutionizes the way movies are perceived. Strong words, yes, but accurate when describing this unbelievable film.
If LOST was condensed to a two-hour movie, it would look like this film ... just completely mind-blowing awesomeness.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy
Academy Awards (4): Won Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing (Nominated four more times, including Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Music and Best Art Direction).
Plot: "In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception."
Stock: Holding
"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere."
I guess I should blame Christopher Nolan for sticking Inception into my brain. His film has - without question - been impossible to eradicate from my head since I watched it last summer.
All of the words I used to describe Inception in the intro are apt. And I'm about to embark on the difficult journey of explaining exactly why. Wish me luck.
THE PLOT
Ever since the top ten, I've managed to put together a semi-accurate recap of each film's plot. But I knew I would run into a problem with trying to describe Inception's story-line. I'll do my best to keep it as simple as possible.
Inception is built upon the assumption that people can enter your dreams. Once inside your dream, your deepest secrets are vulnerable and able to be stolen by those who are inside your head. Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is the best extractor in the world, and is able to steal unlike any other.
However, Cobb has been plagued by his past and it's effecting his work more and more with each passing day. In order to rectify that, Cobb is offered a job where instead of stealing an idea, he is asked to plant one. He is asked for inception. Cobb takes the offer, assembles his team, and the movie goes on from there.
MY REACTION
I watched this movie in Madison Wisconsin on an IMAX screen. Even though tickets were $16 a piece, I would have paid twice that much. It was an unforgettable experience.
Sitting there in a packed movie theater I had expected it to be noisy at times, but that wasn't the case at all. Once the movie started it garnered everyone's full attention. No screaming kids. No cell phones. No constant chatting. Inception did not allow for any distractions.
Inception has tremendous acting sequences which polarize the viewer. It has incredible visual effects which will leave you in awe. It has a script that challenges you, forces you to follow along, but also leaves you slightly confused - but in a good way. It has a unique sound that fits perfectly with the images presented. It's damn near perfect.
WHY TOP FIVE?
Inception was in the running for my favorite movie of all-time, but ultimately found it's home here at #3. I'm fairly certain that if you go back through my list you won't find me use the phrase, "a work of art," but that's how I feel about Inception. Inspiration just overwhelmed me when the end-credits rolled, which is something that very rarely happens when you are watching a movie.
Director Christopher Nolan deserves ALL of the credit for this master-piece. Sure the acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy are solid, but their performances are not exceptional. Rather, it's Nolan who shines with Inception.
Nolan directed and wrote the script for Inception. It's his baby. He created this world. He created the images. He created the story. In a world where old ideas tend to be recycled into something new, Nolan's work on Inception was refreshing, inspirational, and pure creation. It was an absolute travesty he was not nominated for Best Director, but something tells me that Nolan isn't losing any sleep over it.
A lot will be made with Inception's highly controversial ending. When I first watched it I thought it was an absolute perfect conclusion, and to tell you the truth, I still think it's the only way this film can end. I wish there was a better way I could explain the ending, but if you haven't seen Inception it wouldn't make any sense at all. Just do yourself a tremendous favor and watch it. Yes, it's a long film (150 minutes), but nothing is wasted and it moves so quickly you will be pleading for more.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
"I'm going to improvise. Listen, there's something you should know about me... about inception. An idea is like a virus, resilient, highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you." - Cobb.
"Downwards is the only way forwards." - Cobb.
"Because building a dream from your memory is the easiest way to lose your grasp on what's real and what is a dream." - Cobb.
"No creeping doubts? Not feeling persecuted, Dom? Chased around the globe by anonymous corporations and police forces, the way the projections persecute the dreamer? Admit it: you don't believe in one reality anymore. So choose. Choose to be here. Choose me." - Mal.
"They say we only use a fraction of our brain's true potential. Now that's when we're awake. When we're asleep, we can do almost anything." - Cobb.
"Great. Thank you. So, now we're trapped in Fischer's mind battling his own private army, and if we get killed, we'll be lost in limbo till our brains turn to scrambled egg." - Eames.
"I guess I thought the dream-space would be all about the visual, but it's more about the feeling. My question is what happens when you start messing with the physics of it." - Ariadne.
"Couldn't somebody have dreamt up a goddamn beach?" - Fischer.
"No, 'cause I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time. We all yearn for reconciliation, for catharsis. We need Robert Fischer to have a positive emotional reaction to all this." - Cobb.
Mal: I'll tell you a riddle. You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you; but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter. How can it not matter to you where that train will take you?
Cobb: Because you'll be together.
"I'll come back and we'll be young men together again." - Cobb.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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