Inception: a Film Review

A highly anticipated action-thriller from "the director of 'The Dark Knight,' " Inception has held its end of the bargain amidst the hype and has breathed new life into what has been a lackluster summer in the theaters. Christopher Nolan delivers the same visual brilliance many Americans enjoyed in 'The Dark Knight' and tied in a confusing, yet engaging plot comparable to 'The Matrix.' In all honesty, the concept of inception is explained in a much more far-fetched and confusing manner in the film, which caused plenty of "I don't know what was going on halfway through" responses from several people coming out of my theater. Perhaps they were too focused on the visuals of the film to grasp its meaning. Shorthand: I suggest you simply suspend your disbelief. DiCaprio and his colleagues thrust themselves into the subconscious of others, through their dreams, and attempt to unlock deep secrets within the minds of his targets.
Right right. Sounds a little silly. The plot revolves around gaining a secret from actor Cillian Murphy's subconscious, proving to be a dangerous and complicated process; DiCaprio winds up in a dream, within a dream, within a dream, within a dream at the end of his mission. Judging from its stupendous visual quality and intellectually stimulating plot, I recommend seeing and experiencing the movie for yourself, rather than me explaining intricacies and questions regarding the concept of inception. A few critiques: I will admit DiCaprio was once a handsome young man, but since that time he has added some character to his face and I would rather not see a close-up of his weathered mug every other scene. I sternly believe a significant amount of film stock could have been saved in cutting out at least a few close-ups. In that aspect, I felt the cinematography was somewhat melodramatic. Gripe #2: the script dwelled too much on DiCaprio's inability to stop thinking or dreaming about his deceased wife and estranged relationship with his children. I understand to emotional appeal, but the film clocked in at 2 & 1/2 hours; Nolan repeatedly drilled that side-story into the grounds and there were moments during those scenes when I honestly felt like falling asleep. Lastly, it looked like the extractors were getting rigged to some morphine machine whenever they entered another's subconscious. I mean, that just seemed awkward and bizarre. All personal grievances aside, Nolan birthed another summer blockbuster worthy of any movie-goer's bucket list. Inception is currently rated the #3 best movie of all-time on IMDB and has an ending that will be all the talk at the water cooler this week. Did DiCaprio wake up from his dream or die trying? You decide.