Inception is probably 2010’s biggest movie and definitely an instant classic. I can already sense that it’s going to be relevant for many years and decades to come. As you already know, Subversive Rabbit is a site that recommends movies worth watching. And if Inception is such a big movie then why is it here? It’s a good question dear reader, and I’ll try to elaborate on that. First of all, I wanted to agree with everyone else who saw the movie and say it’s really that good. I mean, Nolan spent nine years developing the script and that tells you a lot. I also think that this is his best movie to date. It’s specifically designed to overwhelm the viewer in every little aspect.
For example, the dream sequences are reminiscent of the works of M.C. Escher, especially his Relativity painting. You must’ve seen this picture making the rounds either on social media or on some documentaries and TV shows. The same goes for other concepts explored here like dreams, consciousness, and subconsciousness. However, the main reason I wanted to talk about this movie is the feeling I have that it symbolizes the beginning of a new era. You know all those old movies from the forties and fifties people used to talk about?
Each decade has its favorites but some periods of movie history are exemplified by certain directors and movies. You might say that the fifties belong to Alfred Hitchcock, an extremely prolific filmmaker when compared to Nolan. I think that Inception is the new modern classic that features everything older but especially younger generations want from a movie. And that’s not just mind-blowingly good and creative special effects.
If you’re wondering what’s THE MOVIE for my generation, I would say it’s The Matrix. Oddly enough, Nolan cites The Matrix as one of the big influences. Moving on, Inception features a believable science fiction story and that’s really important. It concurs with the sober and almost cynical perception of reality, that even my (born in the eighties) generation has. The concept of going into other people’s dreams is not new. For example, the hugely popular eighties horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street uses it as a basis for its plot. Hell, it’s even present in the title.
However, Dreamscape features a story that’s quite similar to the one in Inception. You might want to check it out and see just how rough around the edges it is. And just how far we’ve come since that. Especially when it comes to the cinematography and special effects. This is another aspect of the movie that everyone loves. What, we can get both great visuals and a great story, that’s impossible? And again you can see the effort that went into making these scenes. You can feel the importance of every scene and every little detail in this two-and-a-half-hour movie. A two and a half hour movie that’s going to just fly by.
And just to get back to the main theme of Inception, dreams, I want to ask you a question: what was the last dream you had? Aren’t dreams fascinating? They’re still something we don’t have a full grasp on. We can’t quite explain what’s going on there although we can definitely experience them and describe that experience to others. Dreams are closely related to another concept we’re yet to crack, consciousness. Inception approaches these themes from two very different directions. The first one is the very tangible, exciting, and engaging one dealing with the goals of the characters.
Each of them has a job that’s merging into a bigger narrative and all of this is infused with action, thrills, and everything else you would want from a movie. The second approach is the philosophical and metaphysical at the same time. It just vaguely touches on these subjects without giving any concrete findings. It remains easily understandable without coming off as pretentious. That job is left to the viewer, to steal this pseudo-intellectual approach and use it to appear smarter or anything else he or she wants to be.
Everything I’ve just said has nothing to do with the movie itself. I just noticed it as an appearance in our society. And just to be perfectly clear not everybody is doing this. But I’m sure you’re going to come across at least one Inception fan that’s going to bore into your brain using this gimmick. Here, you should differentiate between someone who uses this movie to further explore his own consciousness and those who are using it to impress someone. It’s hard to make that distinction and it may prove ultimately pointless but I just wanted to mention the fact that things are not that simple.
Finally, I’m not going to bother you with performances or technical details as you know they’re top-notch. I especially loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance here. He has surely grown up since the time I watched him in The Third Rock From Sun. Inception truly has an all-star cast. Daring to go deep into our conscious and subconscious mind, this is not only a thought-provoking movie but also a movie that requires you to think in order to understand it. To understand what’s going on and if perhaps some of the concepts and mechanisms it uses can be applied to other concepts and mechanisms.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, Cillian Murphy
Fun Facts: In Japan, the television broadcasts of the movie Inception include a counter in the corner of the screen telling the viewer on which level they’re currently on, like in an elevator.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/
