Film Review (Edited)
Lately, the movie industry seems to be at a loss for original, creative ideas. Movies with creative and completely new plots, such as “Inception” are gems. “Inception” is genius, in its innovation, complexity, layers and attention to detail. It is the story of a man named Dom Cobb who is an expert at stealing people’s information by going into their dreams. Cobb is accused of killing his wife, and so he is not allowed to travel to the US, where his children live. He desperately wants to see his children, and it seems that he will never see them again, until Cobb receives an offer from a businessman named Mr. Saito. Saito makes a deal with Cobb that if Cobb is able to successfully enter the dream of Saito’s largest competitor and convince him to dissolve the company, Saito will arrange for Cobb to return to the US. There’s a catch though, planting ideas in people’s heads through dreams is far more complicated, difficult, and dangerous than accessing information from them. With the hope to see his children again though, Cobb agrees to the task. He assembles a team to help him out and they discover that the task is much more difficult than they had imagined. Cobb must also overcome his own personal complications in order to stop the mission from failing.
Inception is set in what appears to be today. It is not overly futuristic in any of its elements not does it take place in space. Its fantasy comes from the fact that most of the movie takes place within dreams. Inception’s cleverness makes it believable while also being fantastical. Unlike the numerous science fiction movies about robots and spaceships, “Inception” seems very realistic. “Inception” gets its wow factor from its creativity and complexity, not its high-tech equipment or aliens or rogue AI. Although there is high-tech equipment (the device that allows for dreams to be shared, that is, allows for people to go into others’ dreams), it is probably the least amusing part of the whole idea of dream-sharing.
“Inception” is not a movie that can be watched while working on homework or multitasking in any way. Viewers must keep on their toes as the characters traverse dreams within other dreams. It is easy to get lost in the story, but rewarding when you do not.
Despite all of its non-science-fiction characteristics, “Inception” still passes as a science fiction film because of its unrealistic central idea of dream sharing, and because it attempts to explain the science behind it. Even Cobb’s team and the roles they fill seem very purposeful and functional. Team members include an architect to design the dreams, a chemist to concoct a sedative, and a forger to play characters within the dream. Another scientific part of the dream sharing is the idea of a totem, a small weighted object that helps people figure out whether or not they are dreaming. A spectacular and key characteristic of dreams within dreams is that inner dreams undergo the same gravitational changes as outer dreams. This adds a level of complexity and science and also leads to some spectacular imagery in the film.
“Inception” explores many enduring psychological issues, including dealing with death and loss, perception of reality. Cobb’s deceased wife, Mal, keeps monopolizing the mission and Cobb must learn to deal with his loss in order for the mission to be successful.
I found the ending of “Inception” deeply unsatisfying. Viewers are left questioning whether the last scene is in a dream or not, and the directors purposely made it impossible to tell. Thinking about what happens in the end, though, it turns out not to really matter at all.
The film does not really touch on issues of race or gender or inequality. Most of the characters are white men, but the two main female characters are very powerful. One of them is Mal, or Cobb’s memory of her. When she was alive, was able to create great things in her dreams and came up with the clever idea of the totem. In the end, though, she plays a very typical female role, being a subject of desire for a man. The other main female character is Ariadne an architecture student, who is recruited to design the dreams. She is a very curious and intelligent character and becomes essential when she finds out about Cobb’s inner struggles. She is the only one to figure out what he is hiding and then goes on to help him deal with his struggles and also saves the mission from completely failing due to Cobb’s issues.
I think this film should be watched by everyone at some point because it is a rare film that challenges the imagination and stretches the mind. The creativity and artistry of the film are phenomenal. It also leaves viewers questioning reality and their perception of it. This film takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of reality, consciousness, dreams and imagination and I think it is completely worthwhile.
