4th Viewing
Inception, to this day, is still one of, if not, the most intricately planned out, and layered story(s) I’ve ever bargained to observe. Christopher Nolan has always been a monstrous hawk when it comes to detail, specifically within the establishment of his most famed, mind-perplexing narratives.
While Inception is without a doubt, personally, a motion picture I find to be somewhat overhyped, I regardless of the matter, continue to idolize just how sharply artistic it is when it comes to pressuring its viewers to question reality.
There are soooo many whip-smart moments jammed in Nolan’s prestige byproduct. The Hallway Dream Fight scene remains to be one of my all-time favorite action sequences to date despite how many times I’ve watched it. The special effects are nearly flawless and are interluded for quintessential reasons. The magic behind the creative terminologies used to explain how to intercept/extract or develop dreams (kicks, mementos, Limbo, subconscious, architects, etc.) add to the movie’s forte. And, the ending is intensity built at an utmost potential.
My piddling issues with Inception are limited, but important. It may be considered by others as “nitpicking” at this point, but it’s frankly what holds me back from getting super emotionally infused in the storyline. While this film’s logistical presentation seems so attached to reality, it’s dramatic appearance often seems so detached from reality. This mainly has to do with how robotic the script is.
Characters like DiCaprio’s and a tad of Murphy’s who both, all though, have decent development, are arguably individuals that most audience members can care for only on the basis of their tragedies. They’re personality’s are written like articles rather than people, and it seems as if their stories are just pieces of the synthetic puzzle rather than crunch points that can make the journey organically empathetic. The stakes will usually appear fraud when the situation you drop-ship doesn’t manifest genuineness. I mean, take Ellen Page’s character for example that I can’t even remember the name of: she’s essentially used as a host to mimic the audience’s perception of the story. Introduced as a plot aider rather than an interesting individual, there’s little to no caring development of her stance of the situation at hand, and she is only in this film to advance DiCaprio’s character. And, if you think she’s the worst of them all, think of the many remaining characters in Inception. Nothing really to them, right?
Yes, this film needs the garrulous amount of crucial exposition to wholly explain to the audience what is occurring but, that in itself is the very deficiency with Inception. Its worldbuilding cortex depends on so many meticulous wires and fragments that it’s almost impossible to devote any additional coatings to its totality that relate to other, more intimate characteristics.
And then again, this movie doesn’t necessarily need those “stirring” moments. The film’s motive is to show off the worldbuilding so, there’s not much you can do to affix an identifiable persona. In a sense, I actually could see Inception working out masterfully if it had been stretched into a mini-series. In a movie with such a prioritization on verbal explanation, it may have been favorable if Nolan had passively revealed key elements in a complex totality through a significantly longer runtime.
And yeah sure, dreams are dandy, and we wish we could all be in them rather than in our own reality and whatnot. And yes, maybe we aren’t really living in reality or, maybe this really is all just a dream… Anyhow, these motifs do work in the movie—I’m not saying they don’t, I’m just giving Inception a hard time today—and to a certain extent, they exceed efficiently. Just…it’s been said and done before and, in some cases, been done before with projects that feature a lot more thematic meat to clutch onto.
Also, I don’t think Christopher Nolan is the best at dispensing out authentic scenarios. For example, the dialogue-based sequences seem so artificial and forceful at times. Just the little moments like when Gordon-Levitt’s character spontaneously kisses Page’s character in the middle of their mission, feel so needlessly bestowed. The out-of-place attempts at humor are immensely cringy, as well.
“Did you see that?”
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling.”
“Yeah, it was worth a shot.”
Okay, I know that I kind of just went off on a rant targeting the issues in Inception but, despite my negative attitudes towards these prospects incorporated in the film, I still cherish it nonetheless. It’s just that every positive withheld within Inception has already been said before, so why repeat it? Why not get into the cruel nitty-gritty instead?
Inception is a labyrinthine, philosophical provocation that all though isn’t oh-so as “deep” or “confusing” as many have made it out to be, is still intelligent and honorable in (most of) its execution, set-up, and efforts to re-establish The Matrix‘s previous ideologies with even more facets. It’s especially sensational during its—dare I say—epic climax.
As mechanical as I may find Inception to be, there’s no point in denying it’s limitlessly unrivaled worldbuilding that arguably, fits its predetermined tone.
Verdict: B+
This Movie is a Part of My List: Ranking Christopher Nolan’s Films From Best To Worst
“Inception” is now available to rent and buy on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, HBO Now, and HBO Go.
Burning the Celluloid 
Published by