Inception

Inception, where to even start? Unless you've been living beneath a large rock you will know that Inception is arguably this summer's most anticipated movie. Directed and written by The Dark Night director Christopher Nolan, and starring Leonardo Di Caprio, this movie has received a lot of media attention over the past few weeks. I would like to make clear that I am one of the few people who didn't really like The Dark Night. By the time I saw it the movie was utterly over-hyped and I was slightly let-down by it. On the contrary, Inception lives up to its (admittedly less) hype with ease.

The concept of Inception is highly original. The story is set in a world where dreams can be shared experiences, and thieves (known as extractors) are hired to lure targets into a dream and steal information from their subconscious. DiCaprio and his team are hired to attempt the opposite of extraction: inception. Their aim is to plant an idea in the subconscious of their victim without them being aware that the idea is in fact unoriginal.

Though the concept seems of extremely high intellect it is not too hard to follow. In parts, some of the specifics were a bit beyond understanding but overall the most of it was tangible. An interesting point explained in the movie is that: in a dream world ones creation occurs in tandem with ones perception. Extractors work by controlling the creation of the dream, thus controlling the subjects perception.

The main supporting role is played by Juno star Ellen Page. Something I found throughout the movie was that her character had a similar journey to the viewer's. Her back story is not explained, just that she is an architectural student sought after by DiCaprio. She has little motive to join his team other than her own personal intrigue. As she travels through the movie she is constantly discovering and exploring the boundaries of dreams and extraction with a curiosity and innocence shared by the viewer.

Having watched their review, Jeff Cannata of The Totally Rad Show was quite right when he said that the ideas are the star(s) of the movie. You can come away from other movies with the distinct memory of a brilliantly portrayed character, a wondrous fictional land or inspired feelings within yourself. With Inception, you depart with new ideas and thoughts, and the question: how do you know you're not dreaming?

I whole-heartedly recommend Inception to everyone. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It's unusual these days to see such an amazing movie that is not a re-make, or and adaptation of a book or comic book. This movie, from start to finish, is an original, creative, enthralling work of art.


Inception
5/5