'Inception'

'Inception' (PG-13) (4 stars) (Highest Rating)

Written and Directed By Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine

I had to see "Inception" twice because I knew I was seeing something special but I needed a second viewing to make sure. Seeing the movie on the giant IMAX screen transformed me to an unique dream world. The movie looks breathtaking on the IMAX screen, the cinematography is bold and the visual effects are masterful. The story is like a puzzle and it is very convoluted but on a second viewing, on a smaller screen I concentrated more on the story. On this second viewing I totally saw how ingenious the story is. Writer and Director Christopher Nolan has now become one of our best directors and casting the brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio, arguably our best actor now, was smart. I can see the care, the detail and the heart that has gone in this movie by Nolan and his lead actor. You also have one of the most unique and original movies I have ever seen. With multiple viewings and some time this could be a classic and groundbreaking movie even more so than "Avatar". The movie also has one of the best casts of this or any other year and they are all our smartest and our brightest. You have my pick as Heath Ledger's successor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the very intelligent Ellen Page, a wonderful return by Tom Berenger and a scene stealing performance by newcomer Tom Hardy. The rest of the cast is very well put together and it is impressive how great the acting is in a movie that really showcases special effects. What makes this movie special is it's mixture of many film genres seamlessly mixed together. It is a fantasy, heist movie, a brain twister, action epic and to me it is one thing I am surprised no one has mentioned yet, classic film noir. Strip away the huge special effects and you have a beautifully complex movie that could have been made in the 1940's.

The movie's plot is hard to explain and the beauty of this movie is in not knowing much beforehand and discovering every wonderful plot development. The movie is layer upon layer of different dream states and I love how Nolan kept it all together without distracting us. To me this is not a gimmick film like Nolan's "Memento" which was a great movie but does not have "Inceptions" depth and heart. Even after a second viewing I feel you can discover so much more and peel away all the layers and find something new with each viewing. There are so many angles and areas where you think you know what is happening but the movie keeps springing up new surprises. The movie has been knocked by some as not giving us an emotional connection. I think this misses the point because at no time did I feel that Nolan was trying to make that connection. This is not "Steel Magnolias" here and we do not have to have our hand held and told when we should cry and that we should feel something. All I know is that I experienced one of the most intricate, imaginative and smartest movies I have seen in a long time. I didn't care to feel anything, I just wanted to have my mind blown away. If I wanted to feel emotion I would have seen another movie. It is refreshing to have a summer blockbuster that is about something. We have been inundated with mindless, loud, obnoxious movies that are just special effects and dumb stories. With a full slate of t.v. show adaptations, remakes and sequels here is one of the most original and awe inspiring movies in my lifetime. It will have you thinking for days trying to figure out what it all means. It should be mentioned in the same breath as movie classics like "12 Monkeys", "2001" and even Hitchcock. The dream world that Nolan created washes all over you and stimulates your brain. Hollywood always assumes that we need our movies dumbed down for us. I think the majority of movie goers want visceral experiences with stories that are complicated and smart. Some people will get frustrated by this movie and give up which is perfectly fine. Some might hate it, a lot will definitely love it and see it again. What makes the movie a masterpiece is that it will create wonderful discussions among people and inspire and that is what all the best movies do. Again I can't leave out the ingenious story created by a very brilliant artist in Christopher Nolan. Also with a movie that is full of visual delights I can't stress how great DiCaprio, Hardy, Watanabe, Murphy, Page, Cottilard and Berenger are. This is a movie with the best acting by an ensemble cast. You also have a movie that transforms us into another world of wonder and imagination. Christopher Nolan has topped himself again and we now have a film maker that is bringing back the discovery of imagination that is sorely missing from our movie lives lately.