"Inception," as defined by the film, is the opposite: instead of stealing, the goal is instead to plant information in someone's mind in such a way that they think the idea is their own. As you might imagine, this is not an easy thing to do. In fact, most of the characters in the film seem to think it is impossible since we as humans usually have a pretty clear idea what are our own thoughts and what are not. But Cobb, our main character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) knows inception is possible. And when offered a chance at redemption, Cobb takes the challenge.
Really, not much more of the plot is necessary to know. The plot is exceptionally far-fetched and implausible. But let me encourage you to overlook that fact and simply accept the movie's premise that it can be done. The rewards of accepting the hypothetical possibility of shared dreaming -along with extraction and inception -are great, both in terms of action and philosophical musings. This is a movie about dreams and how our minds interact with what it perceives, and as such the movie is about reality as well.
After all, one of the great questions of philosophy is this: How do I know? How do we know what is true? Not "how do we perceive?" We can answer that question easily enough. We have our senses, we see, taste, touch, smell, and hear. But how do we know what we perceive is real? Isn't reality much more than what we can perceive with our senses? After all, your senses can be deceived. Would such a deception alter reality, or does reality have a separate existence that is not dependent on your perception of it? No, reality must have a true existence quite apart from us, but this only brings up more questions. How can we know the truth about reality, if all we have to trust is our experience and perception? How do we know that what we experience now is not a dream? To use the old example, "How do I know I'm a man, and not a butterfly dreaming he is a man?" If all your senses are involved in your dream it can seem just as real as reality, and this brings the terrifying possibility of losing touch with reality to Cobb and his friends, who spend so much time in dreams. Moreover, if reality exists apart from our ability to perceive it, then it further stands to reason that reality might include quite a bit that is far beyond our ability to perceive. It is fundamental philosophical ideas like these that help lay the groundwork for discussion of concepts like the supernatural; it is not rational to assume that reality is limited to our senses, thus it is perfectly rational to concede that a portion of reality is something very like popular conceptions of the supernatural. But now of course we have taken ideas raised in the movie and wandered far from the movie itself!
Where the movie goes is simply great, particularly in the concept of dreams within dreams. If you are dreaming, can you fall asleep in your dream and have another dream? How many steps down could you go? This leads to Inception's great distinction; several things are happening at once, in very disparate locations, yet the action has a single narrative unity. Inception is unique, and original, qualities that Hollywood doesn't seem to value right now. In no other movie will you find the main characters involved in a alpine shootout, floating weightless in a hotel elevator, plunging off a bridge in a van, and flying across the ocean in a jet, all at the same time! That the previous sentence makes sense to those who have seen the film demonstrates just how good writer/director Christopher Nolan is at telling a complex story.
On the technical side there are a few things worth noting. First, the picture quality of this film, especially now on Bluray, is astounding. Inception is among the best-looking blurays I own. Second, the special effects are beyond good. There are amazing things that happen in dreams, as they always do, and they all look perfect (aside from one rather awkward part where two characters begin walking on a wall/vertical road).
On the acting side, everything is quite passable. Nothing really stands out as amazing, but the actors hold their own well and communicate the necessary emotion. (by the way, Nolan seems to have a habit of using the same actors in every film he makes.)
This is a movie that holds together wonderfully, with no weak areas. It has several iconic moments, a great buildup, a perfect high-tension climax (that is at the same time sweetly sentimental), and a resolution that is fantastic, complete with a highly ambiguous final shot.
Inception may well go down as one of my favorite films. It is action packed, but with a brain. It is sterling in originality. If it would have been released in 2009 or 2011 it by all rights ought to have taken Best Picture (however, it had The King's Speech to contend with in 2010). And it will keep you up at night (presumably keeping you from dreaming) wondering if the top ever does stop spinning.
Entertainment: 10/10
Artistic value: 9/10
Technical merit: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
(yes, it's that good.)
No comments:
Post a Comment