Inception

[Jonesy]

Was lucky enough to see this last night, and find it difficult to actually conceptualise a response to be honest. Yes, it was visually thrilling at times, and yes, it had the same spine tingling effect that the Matrix did when it came out, but I wouldn't say it was perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

The cast were fairly strong - DiCaprio always plays a reasonably solid leading man, and this was no exception. Gordon-Levitt was the epitome of cool, and for once, Page wasn't her usual irritating screen persona. But by far the best performer was Tom Hardy, who stole the show.

Visually, you're in for a treat. There are tricks a plenty, and they're done well (although I can't help thinking that the walking up the wall trick was done better back in 1951 by Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding), particularly when it involves the cityscape. And there are some genuinely tense scenes which create visual head trips and leave you wishing there was more.

What lets the film down (and this may sound strange coming from me) are the conversations, particularly between DiCaprio as Cobb and Cotillilard as Mal. Whilst I'm aware that their relationship was an integral part of the film, after two hours, the last thing you wanted was yet another conflab between these two characters. I also felt that the very reason that Saito hired Cobb was left unresolved, but I really need to see the film again to decide whether this was really the case. It all seemed too clean and resolved come the end, but it is very likely that the complexity of the concept allowed my brain to go into meltdown.

One step too far? The snow set piece. Superfluous and only there to keep you in your uncomfortable seat an half an hour more.

Over all, it was an enjoyable cinematic experience, and far more intelligent than your average blockbuster - (and arguably the editing was one of the best things about it), but in typical Nolan fashion there were segments that bored me senseless, whilst others left me with my mouth gaping. One day he'll get the balance right.


****Here's a link to Total Film's 4 star review of Inception. Added by Liz. Thanks.****

[Kiba.]

I caught this at the same screening as Jonesy on Friday night (ton of thanks to Liz). Since then I've been trying to gather my thoughts on a complex film. I was anticipating something mega, dynamic and slick and in those aspects Inception did not disappoint. The cast is strong with no glaring weakness. Leo is an old hand at carrying this type of role and even Ellen Page, who I'm not keen on, was passable. I'm fascinated by anything to do with dreams so I was happily carried along for the ride and despite the length, two and a half hours, was rarely restless except for the snow set bits which felt, as Jonesy said, a step too far. It was a necessary piece of the puzzle but compared to the other more involving sequences fell a little flat.

The subplot between DiCaprio and Cotillard, although integral, could have been presented in fewer talky scenes. The music is intense and powerful, Zimmer again who scored TDK. Because it poses so many interesting thoughts and questions, I would like to view Inception again before drawing any hard conclusions on it. It's that sort of film. However I suspect secondary viewing will have the same effect as repeat watches of most of Nolan's other work (aside from Memento which is near flawless), which is the action scenes will continue to hold their own in style and impact, whereas other parts may reveal themselves to be a little plodding or indulgent..perhaps. But as a first impression, it's dazzling and leaves you with plenty to think about.

When you consider the lack of originality offered in the average blockbuster these days, it's not surprising that Nolan has become the darling of film critics. Originality is scarce on the ground and Inception is original and daring, even if it's not the perfect five star experience I'm guessing some will peg it as. Let's hope it gives the intelligence bar for action thrillers a much needed lift.

[Kiba.]

One more thing to add about Inception... it's definitely worth spending the extra for IMAX. It would be stunning in that format.

[MrSilly]

I agree with Jonesy about the inconsistency of the film, particularly the snow sequence, which I place alongside the Hong Kong sequence of The Dark Knight for 'well filmed, but ultimately pointless'.

My biggest gripe though has to be the characters. No doubt they're strongly played by just about everyone, but I can't have been the only one who thought that they were shallow beyond belief?

Take Eames. Tom Hardy delivers a fantastic performance, but what progression is there to his character? He's simply introduced, made his role clear and then that's it. There's little to no development, and this is true of most of the other characters. Ellen Page is the new member of the team.......... and I'm struggling to think where her character went after that. There appeared to be so much emphasis on the concept and on Cobb that everything else faded into the background, which was a shame as I'm still taken aback when looking through the cast list. The pessimist in me believes that cast was assembled so that any shortcomings in character would be overpowered by the charisma and ability of the performer.

But I did like it. And some segments were incredible to watch, Gordon-Levitt's gravity defying showcase quite easily being my highlight.

[Porkchopexpress]

Caught this film today and really enjoyed it, I'm a sucker for Gordon-Levitt, this guy is effortless and the brief interplay between his and Hardy's character were high points.

Giggling like a school girl as Gordon-Levitt demonstrated how to fall off a chair, repeatedly. Screw special effects, THAT was funny.

I liked Cobb for the most part and his final redemption and closing scenes were beautifully played.

Damn if the score wasn't amazing!

It's kind of a cerebral vienetta of a heist movie, unusual in that it doesn't have a 'bad guy' as sorts, Murphy is great as the underplayed mark and his arc is quite emotional, for me anyways.

I do disagree about the validity of having story arcs for the sub characters, Eames, Arthur etc, I think for a heist movie it's not neccesarily needed as the movie is essentially about Cobb's redemption and to a lesser extent Fisher's arc as well.

Although I had to do a doub;e take 'WTF' at Tom Berenger, what with him and Fishburne in 'Predators' in the same week, I've become suddenly aware of my own mortality.

My only criticism is that the film went into deep explanation of the time differences and ratios between layers, it seemed Gordon-Levitt was in the elevator layer for far longer than the explained three minutes of the van dropping.

Although I may just have misheard the times.

Snow top made me want to watch 'On her Majesty's secret service' and/or play 'Goldeneye' on the N64. Enjoyable!

[Kiba.]

After sleeping on it and thinking about it some more, I take back my musing posted late last night and agree with Porkchop. Character development wasn't an important issue for this film. You have the emotional focus you need with Cobb and to a lesser extent, Fischer. You don't normally get much in char development in an action film and that's essentially what Inception is, albeit a complex one.

Originally Posted by MrSilly

The pessimist in me believes that cast was assembled so that any shortcomings in character would be overpowered by the charisma and ability of the performer.

I totally agree that a stellar cast can sometimes be used to disguise certain filmic weaknesses. But with the kind of budget Nolan had to play with, you'd assemble the best cast you could, would you not.

Gordon-Levitt's gravity defying showcase quite easily being my highlight.

That was my favourite part too. The interplay between him and Hardy was fun and provided the film's only light relief.

I was thinking last night that when your mind has to juggle several different levels, one being reality the others being heightened reality/dream states, it stands to reason that a feeling of detachment occurs. When you have that many planes of consciousness to process, reality feels like just another level, rather than the 'important' one. It's not surprising that playing those games messed with Mal's head. It'd take a well adjusted and focused individual not to be swallowed up and have your perceptions completely scrambled. The danger of that would increase exponentially with repeated exposure to alternate states.

[jaykays hat]

Went to the early morning showing this morning and it certainly made me wake up by having to constantly think about what was going on. The action scenes were done very well as were the special FX. I do think that I will have to see it again to understand it a bit more as I didn't get the bit with Saito at the end. Tom Hardy and Gordon-Levitt were great but Leonardo is becoming one of my favorite actors, he was the stand out performer for me. One thing I came away with was that I realised that you never remember the start of your dream you are always in the middle of them as stated in the film.

[vince33x]

A movie solely made as a showcase for special effects. The effects were good; the film sucked!

[Projectionist]

Originally Posted by vince33x

A movie solely made as a showcase for special effects. The effects were good; the film sucked!

Wrong so wrong. watched inception yesterday at work and loved it.

[morris]

Some people are desperate to be ~controversial. It may not be a perfect film but it's a million light years away from being a crap film.

I loved it and can't wait to see it again.