Inception

And the top keeps spinning... Inception is like, erm, an apricot, perhaps. So many layers, sweet, so rich (in ideas, not in vitamins) and holds together beautifully. I should be economical with the word original, because the “only" unique thing is the combination of all ingredients into a whole that works like clockwork, surprises, innovates and, most importantly, is entertaining without losing any of its cleverness. But there’s no denying that we’ve already seen movies about dreams and really high quality ones. But in the places where The Matrix, for instance, lost its viewers in its complexity, Inception swims along smoothly, and avoids copying it at all. Nolan sticks firmly to the story within clear limits, doesn’t lose control over the world invented for the story and never breaks its rules. Everything works on a strictly logical level and the dreams are depicted accordingly. It doesn’t forget about physics, the manipulation of which creates scenes that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams. You see, dreams usually try to cling to reality and so most of the action reminds me more of Heat than Speed Racer, which suits me. Damn, I wanted to avoid comparison with other movies. Too bad. The main essence of the story, Cobb’s story where we gradually find out what happened (to him) in the past and why he is in the situation he is, is very original. I thought I knew the answer, but in the end it turned out to be slightly different (but I was close, seriously) and better in the overall context. In fact I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about that and about inception, about its potential and how Nolan handled it with such genius, but also so simply. You see, it wasn’t so much about dreams, but about memories, decisions and guilt. A simple story in a maze of dreamlike realities. The cast, headed by DiCaprio who simply must win an Oscar this year, fit their roles perfectly and everybody is given a chance literally to shine. The action scenes are a feast for the eyes, which makes me even more annoyed that the Czech distributors weren’t able to buy even one copy for the IMAX, because the fight in the lobby throws your guts about even in 2D. Quite possibly movie of the year. Cameron played the emotional card last year, this year Nolan gives us reason. I am impressed. (07/26/2010)

It's a good movie, but it has its flaws. I think the most annoying thing was the frantic camera work, where at times I wasn't sure what it was actually trying to show me... When I walked out of the cinema from Nolan's previous film, The Dark Knight, I had a very different feeling. A sense of fulfilment, a feeling that I had really seen something. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't come this time. Yes, I could discuss this film for hours and hours (and during that time, I'd incorporate my knowledge of Murakami's book “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World", which would certainly be nice), but to have to watch it again because of that? Nope. Yes, totally interesting idea, good story, but I have no idea what I'm taking away, if anything. Just the knowledge that I've seen a good movie. And I certainly don't consider it the movie of the year. Still, definitely check it out, because it's worth at least one viewing – preferably at the cinema (even the home one :-)). (08/23/2010)

Inception pretends to be super clever. Through astonishment over the hitherto unseen, it gives the audience a consumerist, comfortable feeling that everything in the movie makes perfect sense. If it had contained any real emotion and some sort of message, drawn its sense of fatefulness and urgency from the story instead of from Hans Zimmer’s awesome, robust music, and enabled me to connect with the characters instead of leaving me in awe of their magical dialogue, I might have succumbed to the tempting feeling of perfection and awe of an extraordinary filmmaking event. But there is no more of these key cinematic values in this film than there is life in the image of monotonous grey skyscrapers in the background of Cobb and Mal’s fifty-year-long dream. Inception thus remains “just” an incredibly spectacular Matrix-like pose. (07/22/2010)

Inception is an incredibly precise film with a cold and detached perfection that reminded me of the Kubrick’s best (more than the oft-mention The Matrix) – that’s how The Killing would look if it was blended with 2001: A Space Odyssey. The way the script works with so many dream levels would be lethal for about 99% of today’s directors and screenwriters, but Nolan no longer needs to prove anything to anyone. This is a class on its own. Thanks to his mastery, the complex plot is easy to understand, at least at the most basic level. After watching it, I couldn’t sleep trying to find inconsistencies. There are films that don’t have an interpretation and will never make sense, no matter how hard the viewer tries, but I think the opposite applies to Inception. There will be several interpretations and all of them could be correct, though I believe it’s pointless to theorise too much, the true interpretation will be the simplest one, and the details (will it fall or not, and why) will remain up to each viewer. Either way, I must watch it again. I can’t tell which place (in terms of quality) Inception takes in Nolan’s filmography, but I liked it a lot more than the over-hyped and straightforward (though also great) The Dark Night. PS: Does it make any sense to talk about how great the performances of the entire cast are? (my favourite were Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy). Edit: So, for the second time, a truly wonderful experience. The film is full of emotions, but you don’t have a chance to get them the first time (because you don’t know the twist) – Nolan’s rule of repeated viewings still applies. (07/23/2010)

Christopher Nolan really nails it! Fantastic direction, perfect music. A film that surely messes with everyone's head. Even in the cinema you could tell how excited everyone was and how would love to see it again. Therefore, I join the opinion that this film is a drug and deserves the highest rating. A full 100% and more. (12/04/2010)