We haven't really been covering Inception here at CBM. But since the announcement of the prequel comic, as well as the fact that Director Christopher Nolan will now turn his attentions to his follow up to The Dark Knight, I thought the CBM community would like to know what has been keeping Mr Nolan so busy for the last while. So has been worth that wait for the next Batman?
Inception has been shrouded in secrecy for a long time. It was only just before its release, and of course now after it, that some details have begun to slip out. I'm going to give you the basic premise, but I'll hold back on revealing much more than that..as tempting as it is! Our protagonist is Dom Cobb(Leonardo DiCaprio). He is an Extractor. Basically he can enter a person's dreams and extract information. But to do so he needs the help of a team. An Architect(Ellen Page) must construct the dreamworld that the subject will enter to ensure that there are some boundaries and familiarity, he also needs a Point- Man(Joseph Gordon Levitt) to watch his back and a Forger(Tom Hardy) in case they need to impersonate someone to help with the extraction of info. Cobb is (of course) the best Extractor in the business, so a very powerful business man Saito(Ken Wattanabe) hires him and his team to attempt an Inception. The placement of an idea in the subconscious of a subject, in this case the head of a rival conglomerate(Cillian Murphy) which Saito wishes to control. An inception is very difficult and aside from one time, never even been attempted. But Cobb is an outlaw, never allowed to set foot on American soil to see his 2 children, something that Saito promises him he can rectify if he is successful. So he agrees and convinces his team to join him. Thats only the simplified version of the basic starting point of the plot...and thats all yer gettin!
The performances are pretty flawless. Levitt and Hardy stand out as bickering (at times) comic relief and also get the lions share of the action. Ellen Page as Ariadne(strange name, means something, there's a lot of that!) basically acts as Mrs exposition, as she is the newest member of the team and as Cobb explains things to her, he of course explains things to us. It works very well though because Page delivers a great understated performance. Wattanabe is good, but because English isn't his first language some of his dialog is a bit hard to catch at first. Cillian Murphy is once again pretty outstanding in a fairly small but pivotal role. And the supporting cast is rounded out by the likes of Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Dileep Rao and Tom Berenger(nice to see you back!), all great too. But of course, this is DiCaprio's movie. His character is our emotional tie to the story. We get to know and like the others enough to care about what happens to them, but Cobb is the only one that has a proper arc as such, with motivations for doing the job aside from the cash. What are they? Well, I'll tell you one more thing which doesn't give too much away since you find out within the first few minutes anyway. The closest thing we have to a "villain" here is Marion Cotillard's character Mal. She exists only in the dreamworld, and she's Cobb's wife....:) Anyway, old Leo delivers what I consider to be his best ever performance. Its not overly showy in any way, its just brilliant. From the first time you see him he keeps you riveted.
There is so much going on aside from what I've told you that I couldn't really even begin to explain it even if I wanted to. So many layers, so many levels. But its not all chin stroking either, anyone that has doubted Nolan's action chops before this certainly won't after. This film has some of the most jaw dropping fights(gun/fist/gravity!), chases, explosions you will ever see. More than enough to keep any action junkie entertained even if they do lose interest with the story. Which is admittedly complex, but not exactly complicated as some reviewers would have you believe. I have read some that think
Inception will be too intelligent or complicated for the average Joe to get much out of. Thats bullshit. Pay attention and don't let your mind wonder and its actually fairly straightforward...mostly! Just don't check your brain at the door, this ain't
The A-Team! Oh and the special effects? So special you won't even notice them. But if I have one complaint about the film it would be that the dreamscapes, while spectacular, are pretty ordinary every day things. Its designed this way of course to aid extraction, but it also means we are never allowed to see anything REALLY over the top: Nightmare creatures, scenarios etc. Its a minor complaint and a necessary plot detail, but I can't help but wonder what type of movie we would have had if all bets were off. Probably a very uneven, disjointed one actually!
Most of the credit though must go to Nolan. His script is top notch, direction assured as ever and the pacing is nothing short of perfection. He knows exactly when to slow it down, speed it up, but ensures we are never sure when he's going to! Thats a master of his craft. So, not only do I think
Inception was well worth a bit of a wait for Nolan's next Bat flick, I think it just might be his best movie yet, and is proof positive that this guy is only getting better as a film maker. Bring on
Batman 3.