ALARIS' REVIEWS

14th August 2010
Inception (2010)

For all the hype about Inception being the coolest sci fi film since The Matrix (1999), I didn’t know much about it aside from the fact that the premise involved dream espionage, and the cast had Clementine extremely excited.

Tom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an outlawed dream extractor, capable of stealing secrets from people during their dream state. Desperate to return home without a bounty on his head, Cobb agrees to one last job for a powerful and canny businessman (Ken Watanabe).

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who brought us the brutally compelling Memento (2000), Inception is another mind bending exploration of reality and humanity.

The plot is smart and intriguing from the word go, and the pace barely slows down through two and a half hours of riddles, explosions, and inverted cities. The world is an imaginative and immersive blend of the familiar and the fantastic, from the bustling streets of Mombasa to ramshackle dream dens filled with bottled concoctions.

Inception is visually exciting for those who like Matrix-style reality twists, and there’s plenty of cool factor in the action scenes. Fortunately, the amazing effects complement rather than overshadow the story.

Inception may have been a great movie even with a cast of unknowns, but the stellar cast is its own spectacle. I always love ‘putting together the team’ scenarios, and the familiar faces cropping up were a who’s who of cult film.

As the complicated Cobb, DiCaprio continues to build on a solid career of intelligent choices and skilful performances. Watanabe brings typical Watanabe gravity to his role as the savvy employer, and Tom Hardy is wonderfully droll as master forger, Eames. Ellen Page always gives a gorgeously natural performance, and she’s lovely as the smart and courageous dream architect, Ariadne. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a long standing favourite of mine, and he gives excellent noir as the straight-faced wingman, Arthur, reminiscent of his role in Brick (2005). I suppose I have to mention one of Clementine’s highlights: Cillian Murphy plays grieving corporate heir and espionage target, Robert Fischer, with his usual effectiveness, minus the extreme creepiness he does so well.

The characters in Inception are likeable, empathetic, and believable, if not deeply developed. While the plot rushes along, it’s not at the expense of charming small moments, daubed with dry humour.

Inception isn’t the most emotionally affecting or cleverly plotted movie I’ve ever seen, but there are moments of real poetry. The themes of perception, forgiveness, and the ties that bind are thoughtfully handled, although the dramatics are a little showy for those who prefer understatement. Thankfully, I don’t.

Inception is brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed. This is iconic science fiction.

Verdict: An intelligent, action packed science fiction film.

If you like The Matrix, you might like Inception.