Now before I loose you amongst an attempted explanation of the multiple dream layers, host of symbolic visuals that riddled the various conscious and subconscious arenas involved in planting an idea into someone’s mind or even the ending, which could make a person’s head hurt trying to decipher just what was real, the main point you should take away from this review is that Inception was an amazingly complex, audacious, thought-provoking and original film that is leaps and bounds above any and all movies you will rent from Redbox or Netflix for quite some time. It deserves such high praise because it challenged the audience to think and try to comprehend its labyrinthine story, quite a heady thing to ask in this era of Michael Bay-ish one dimensional Hollywood action film story structures. Add to that the dazzling visual brilliance of the picture as well as some career defining performances by the cast and the audience cannot help but be sucked into the multi-layered dream world.
It doesn’t matter how many times you watch Inception, upon each viewing you are bound to catch something different than the last time, perhaps in the way a certain shot was composed or the way a character said a certain bit of dialogue but that’s the beauty of the film. The fact that you can view the same movie over and over and still find new things, still be thoroughly engulfed in the story of a dream within a dream within a dream is incredible
Grade: A
... but why should we want Cobb and his goons to succeed? Fischer is not a bad guy, and the purpose of the inception is questionable at best (helping Saito to create his OWN monopoly? How is that good?) and reprehensible at worst (Cobb is essentially mind-raping an innocent man and destroying that man's business). If the whole story takes place in Cobb's mind, he's a delusional crook; if it doesn't, he's something of a monster. Layer on all the fake "dream levels" you want: this is a hollow, heartless story.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost thanks for reading my blog. As to your point, I'm guessing you've seen Star Wars and realize that Han Solo can essentially be seen in the same light as Cobb when we first meet him (he's a smuggler just in it for the money, very selfish indeed), however he redeems himself by helping Luke destroy the first Death Star. While Cobb does not do anything that heroic, he does scarifice himself to try and save Saito from limbo. I am willing to forgive his selfishness and root for him as a character because his cause is not strictly for money or power (he just wants to go home to his children) and in the end, Fischer winds up taking steps to become a man in his right business-wise. The thing that I find so amazing is that people are wanting to discuss this film and not just take it at face value as another dumb action film. Hollow story or not Inception was a game changing film which hopefully signaled to Hollywood that people actually want to think as well as be entertained when they head to the megaplex.
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