Review: Inception

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way. The movie was brilliant. It is by far the best film of the year, if not one of the best films I've ever seen.

Full Review after the jump.

I attended the midnight showing of Inception at AMC Easton here in Columbus, Ohio. The theater wasn't too crowded but there were definitely some eager fans. I attended the screening with my girlfriend and the rest of the Tin Can Cinema team. Before the feature started, we had the opportunity to see trailers for The Town, Dinner for Schmucks, and Due Date.

I haven't been this hyped for a film in a long time. I tried really hard to not be as excited as I was and to distance myself from the film the entire week so that I would enter the theater with a clear head.

I'll try to keep the review as vague as possible for those of you that have not seen it. But I do have spoilers towards the bottom.

The storyline was brilliant. Nolan definitely out did himself and proved that he can hold his own as one of the great filmmakers of all time. Nolan spent 10 years developing the script for Inception; he executed it beautifully.

Leonardo Dicaprio did not fail. He once again portrayed his character to perfection. A lot of people put up the fight that Leonardo Dicaprio doesn't play that wide of characters and he is only portrayed as himself in films. Some people say "He never steps outside of his comfort zone." Even though his portrayals may not have the range that Johnny Depp has played, Leonardo Dicaprio is only cast to play one character, himself. Leonardo Dicaprio has the ability to play a different character in each film he's in, while also being nothing but Dicaprio. He's brilliant.

I really do like the casting in the films as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who was dressed extremely well) plays Aurthur who acts mostly as Cobb's (Dicaprio) partner. Dom Cobb is called an extractor. He is payed to enter the minds of people while they are dreaming to uncover and expose their secrets. Cobb is the best at what he does and find himself working for a man who can finally set him free of all ties he has to his career.

The visuals and sound effects are exceptional. They force you to keep your eyes glued to the screen. I did not see the film in IMAX, but I do plan to take time to see it once again in theaters in IMAX just so that I have the experience. Hans Zimmer, who in my opinion is one of the greatest film/music composers, does a fantastic job with the soundtrack in the film. I really dig it.

This is one of the films that I've been waiting for. There are certain movies that were premiered years, if not decades before I was born and have  become classics. Cornerstones in the industry. I always wondered what it must have been like to be a patron to see it on that weekend night. Inception will be one of the films that future film students will be able to study and say "That's how you do it." I'll be able to explain to people who are passionate about film, that I went to a midnight screening of Inception. I always looked at films and said, "Man, that changed film." Well, so did Inception.

Take time to see it. Even if you're not a huge movie buff, the impact it will have it is worth your 9 bucks.

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!


There a lot of theories out there. Here's mine.

It was all a dream. Everything that happened was not reality and here are my suppoting facts:

1. In the end, when Leonardo Dicaprio reunites with his children, they are are wearing the exact same outfits and are in the same position and placement as they have been the entire movie.
2. The top is continually spinning at the end of the film.
3. In the airport, the team do not even converse with each other. For what they have just been through together, you would expect some type of speaking to each other. (This is contradicted though, because if they were still trying to sell the dream to Fisher, they would need to stay in character and not talk to each other in "reality. You can take it different ways.)
4. When Cobb (Leo) explains his wife jumping off of the ledge to her death, there hast be every bit of a 6 to 10 foot gap between buildings. How did she get over there?
5. Cobb explains that corporations are continually after him, but never have any mention of what corporation is after him. Further explaining that Cobb's "reality" was slightly twisted.
6. In Cobb's "reality", he is running from the 2 men through the town and it so happens that Saito is there to save him. He claims that "I was protecting my investment", but it had to be impossible that he would know that Cobb would be right there even after he squeezed through that tiny alley.
7. When Cobb is in the bathroom trying to spin the top on the sink, Saito interrupts him and you never really see if the top fell or stayed spinning. Saito did that on purpose to trick Dicaprio into believing into the reality that Saito would want him in.
1. Also here, there are claims that in the window of the bathroom, that you can see Mal's (Cobb's wife) face. I cant confirm that this is true, but again, I wasn't looking that hard. I'd like to see it again and check for it. If this is true, it confirms that everything was a dream for Cobb.
8. I honestly believe that it was Inception on Cobb by Saito, to get back at him for trying to steal his secrets.

There are a ton of more hints, facts, and suggestions for the film. I highly recommend going and seeing it.

Any other theories? Does anyone want to debate theories?