Inception

When you consider ‘real’ cinema-goers (without sounding too pompous), and ‘real’ film-lovers (nerds, if you would), the ‘sci-fi’ film-genre has always been one to reside right at the top, and deservingly so, with all other genres appearing as mere sub-genres of its existence. Its ability to broaden your mind, further your imagination and get your heart pumping, in more ways than one, is second-to-none: the reason it has so often produced some of the most original films ever made.

However, over the last decade or so, due to the demise of Hollywood as an inventive force and the dominance of marketing-and-sales over art and creativity, the genre has taken an almighty knock, manipulated into nothing other than a ‘tool’ for devising cheap, quick, tacky offerings - a simple money-maker. Hence with the release of Inception, a film deemed a return to the grassroots of sci-fi, director Christopher Nolan (of the Batman reboot) has left many with high hopes that this would be the one to restore the genre, resetting the standards. But has this been achieved, and what the hell is Inception all about?

Commencing, practically, at a frantic pace, we are immediately hurled into the life of Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled thief whose world of corporate espionage is to invade the minds, the ‘dreams’, of the rich and powerful, via futuristic technology, to steal the very secrets from their subconscious. However, Cobb is an international fugitive due to the actions of his past, costing him all he dears, including being able to return home to see his kids. Cue Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe), a corporate tycoon, who offers him the chance to regain his life via the completion of what appears to be an impossible mission - inception.

The idea, ironically, is to plant an idea inside a victim’s head, as opposed steal one; so the bending of the rules. And this victim happens to be Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the heir to an energy conglomerate that Saito wants rid of so there’s no competition for his own endeavour. Aiding Cobb is a team of assembled specialists: his point-man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the forger Earmes (Tom Hardy), whizz-kid architect Ariadne (Juno's Ellen Page), and the chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao). And adding to the intrigue is Cobb’s own troubled psyche, which involves the seductive Mal (Marion Cotillard), a former love-interest.

Intriguing and high-brow, Nolan has attempted a masterpiece here - one which is so sophisticated and complex it demands the upmost of a person’s attention - never are you allowed the time to rest. The juxtaposition of dream and reality, within its clever narrative structure, is used like never before, and you really are pulled into the world of the film. It’s obvious Nolan had many ideas and his ambition can only be commendable. It’s excessive, revealed in particular when there are four storylines, in alternate realities, going on alongside one another.

Taking obvious influences from sci-fi classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, The Matrix and Total Recall, Inception is indeed an intelligent film (maybe too much for its own good), which, ironically, brings about some of its key problems. Whilst there is a lot of depth, the over-laden story, unfortunately, isn’t that interesting - which is a shame if you consider the concept behind it all. It just doesn’t connect with you personally, coming across as unnecessarily over-complicated and rather flat. In fact, it is so over-complicated that at times you are left yawning, totally uninterested. There’s just simply too much going on, which Nolan does handle well, but as a spectacle it becomes a chore: almost a characterless rendition, with no charm.

There are some expertly filmed scenes, it must be said, but with the exception of Tom Hardy, who adds some British spark, there are no real great performances (and that includes cameos from Michael Caine and Tom Berenger), while the CGI fails to match the sheer visual demands of what Nolan clearly intended.

Something important to note is Inception shouldn’t be overrated due to all the current duff remakes, sequels and reboots, which it no doubt will. In that respect, yes, it’s a good film, and yes, it’s a step in the right direction for the sci-fi genre, but sadly no, it’s not the giant leap you’d have hoped for. It strives to be great, but ultimately falls short, lacking the loveable qualities from films it takes its influences from.



Released in UK cinemas on 16th July 2010 by Warner Bros Pictures.

Reviewed by Jaysen Ramasamy.