How good is Inception?

I am skipping over some much needed blog time that was supposed to be dedicated to a wrap up of the awesome Disney trip we took to do a movie review.

Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan

Let me start by saying it is not a perfect movie, neither in story nor in craftsmanship. With that out of the way, it is as close to both that I have seen in several years. It is a complete, comprehensive movie that can satisfy an array of tastes and one can affectionately disregard any mistakes or inconsistencies that may occur. What I mean to say is this: When you are dealing with the subject of dreams or of time travel, but keeping all else relatively "normal" or realistic, you tread dangerous ground. Yet Director Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) spent nearly a decade putting all the pieces, or layers, if you will, together to make one heck of summer movie. It has a little bit of everything. Intense action; drama, love, humor, and an engaging story.

Any movie that has people talking about it days after the initial viewing is something to take note of. And please understand; there's no gimmick here. People aren't talking it up because of a one-dimensional intrigue such as The Blair Witch Project, which is about as close to the Emperor's New Clothes as one could get. People are talking up the depth of detail, the intensity, the subject matter, the action, and several of the performances which all coalesce with just enough grit and grace to keep viewers wanting more, thinking more.The movie asks you initially to accept that you are now in a world where technology exists advanced enough that dreams can be hijacked and manipulated by those other than the dreamer. Dom Cobb (played with appropriate caution by a coolesque Leonardo DiCaprio) is an expert in this field, and is looking to steal subconscious secrets from top corporate heads. He's been contracted by their competitors to do so and we soon learn he is trying to find the right amount of money or the right client that holds the power and sway to overturn an unjust charge of matrimonial homicide that has him defected from America, away from his two children. His wife (the lovely Marion Cotillard) begins to appear in multiple dream sequences of his own, as well as the targets he's hijacking-becoming increasingly troublesome for the rest of Cobb's team.

As with dreams, there is more to the story than what we first see. Cobb believes there is a way to supplant an idea within someone's dreaming subconscious so deep that the dreamer believes it was their own idea. This notion proves to be very risky; if it's not deep enough, the subject realizes it's someone else's idea and their subconscious begins to attack the invading dreammakers. If it is planted too deep, the hijackers risk being lost in a permanent state of dreaming; called limbo. Therefore, they must enact dreams within dreams, which become very intricate—plan on asking yourself lots of questions throughout and afterward. Every new twist and turn has a new rule. It’s a weird, wild ride, surreal and astutely so. Give credit to all involved to making a dream come to life, as well as life come into a dream. Look for the "kick". A way to awaken people from dreams, by setting their sleeping bodies off balance, such as falling over out of a chair. This plays a critical role in the timing of when everyone awakens from each dream, which, as we know in real life, only last a few moments, but feel like hours.

Cobb tells his team to carry totems; a small object that can only be distinguished by them. The totem might be a loaded die-that only the holder of it knows which way it will always fall. That way, if they see the die in a dream and it falls the way they designed it to be loaded, they can rest assured they are in their own dream since no one else would have knowledge of the item. I cannot disclose more than this without potentially sacrificing or spoiling the suspense of the film. Simply know that Cobb has his own agenda in all of this, and his initial meeting with an old client (Ken Wantanabe) sets what the both the viewer and the dreamer perceive to be reality into tailspins; it's the most fun I've had at the movies since the Dark Knight. Small wonder it came to us from the same imagination.

Joseph Gordon Levitt, (originally of TV's Third Rock From the Sun) is an absolute treat here. His performance in the underrated "The Lookout" left me wanting more of him on screen, thankful he'd shed his TV moniker as an alien trapped in a teenaged boy's body. He plays Arthur, Cobb's technical assistant as a dry, stuffy, lump, and performs in a zero-gravity fight scene that the Matrix creators are probably gushing about. Incidentally, Levitt did all the stunt-work for that scene himself; a testimony to his dedication to the role. Another fine actor featured is Tom Hardy (Rocknrolla, soon to be released Mad Max remake). Eames (Hardy) is known for being a master of disguise within each target's dream. He mimics and hides himself in people's subconscious, taking on the characteristics of familiar faces and personalities to make the dreams more real, and less suspicious to the dreamer.

Honestly, Ellen Page (Juno) is the weak link among the cast which is surprising, given her phenomenal Oscar nominated turn in Juno. Her character, Ariadne is called upon by Cobb, to be an architect inside these hijacked dreams; to duplicate places, scenery from the dreamer's past to lend to the illusion. For whatever reason, Page cannot deliver the urgency her character needs; it's not a bad performance by any means. It's simply noticeable as less then stellar when compared to the treatment of all of the other characters, devices, action and story. I am willing to forego it and forgive it because there's enough going on to keep the viewer engaged, though she did slow the pace of the film-and I think her character was intended to do so as a voice of reason for Cobb. Sadly, it doesn't translate fully-and I simply wanted to just get on to the next scene.

For all of its opulence in the visual effects department, one realizes these are merely a byproduct of a wonderfully told story-but a necessary byproduct. Inception doesn't get past the first 30 minutes without the stunning visuals; the stunning visuals aren't in the first 30 minutes without a well thought out story. Credit can be given to Nolan for building a strong team around himself. The cinematography is breathtaking. Tom Berenger, the stunning Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine are also featured. Again, it is not a perfect movie. It's just one that everybody will be talking about, that thousands of people will view multiple times, and one for which multiple Oscar nominations are imminent. That's about as close to perfection as one can ask.