Inception

After the months of hype, years of development and days of waiting to find another time to go to the cinema, I am mightily relieved to be able join the mass of bloggers who are united in the belief that Inception is a very good film. Just in case you've been living in a cave on Mars for the past few months, a plot synopsis: it is the near future and skilled technicians are able to enter the dreams of others, Leonardo DiCaprio is the best at this and is hired to plant an idea into the mind of a powerful businessman. Planting an idea (Inception) is thought to be impossible since the mark is always aware that the idea came from a character in a dream and not their own mind. DiCaprio says he can do it, and claims he has done it in the past, so assembles a crack team for the job.

This is a novel concept as far as I'm aware (I'm happy to be corrected) which opens up a pandora's box of possibilities for the special effects guys. Firstly, the majority of the film takes place in a variety of people's dreams. This means that virtually anything can happen at any time. Secondly, director Chris Nolan tells his story across several people dreams, many of which are buried in the dreams of another - which means that when things do happen, they are subject to entirely different rules to 'normal'. Nolan has come up with a whole set of rules which govern the laws of physics of dreams within dreams. So if a person is asleep and thrown around in one dream, then the world of the dreams they are having in that dream will shake and move around. And if a dream is happening inside another dream, time moves differently. Confused yet? Hopefully not, since the magic of the film is based around accepting these premises and the possibilities they reveal.

The plot involves the creation of 3 'levels' of dreams, in which the protagonists enter the dreams of their mark and generate further dreams within those dreams, each of which moves at a different rate and exists according to different rules. The theory is that by implanting an idea in the deepest of the dreams, the mark will fail to realise that the idea was not his own. Once you put this together it becomes clear why the consensus that ‘Inception’ is a film requiring that you pay attention, lest you lose track of your position in the worlds within worlds.

Cutting through the effects, the film is about the nature of reality and what anyone can be certain is 'real'. DiCaprio’s character wants to implant an idea of reality inside someone else's head, but while doing this he has to struggle with his own perception of reality and what is going on inside his own dreams. DiCaprio has a cryptic relationship with his wife and children, a relationship that has something to do with his work as a dream hacker in the past and means he can never return to the USA. His wife appears in his dreams and the dream of others while he inhabits them, her nature as either a figment of his subconcious, a phantom or an actual presence is a central mystery of the film. It’s a mystery which once revealed generates questions about the of all the film’s ‘realities’.

With the premise that it has, the viewer should expect to question film's presentation of reality at all times and perhaps be unsurprised when characters suddenly realise they are in dreams. The film's final scene is a beautiful moment; one which some may be frustrated by but one which no one can be surprised by given all that happens in the preceding 2 hours. A perfect ending that I will not spoil here.

The whole film has a tremendous soundtrack which is laced with pounding bass notes and booming noises. As we follow 4 concurrent dreams moving at different rates with different rules of physics the music builds up to a thrilling and adrenaline-busting pace. One scene in particular stands out, in which a fist fight takes place in a room where the direction of gravity is constantly shifting. The knowledge that this scene was filmed without the assistance of CGI makes it all the more impressive.

Inception really is arthouse-meets-blockbuster. The fact that a film as densely-layered and intense as this can succeed so strongly at the box office is testament to the fact that the film-going public are deserving of more respect than many (including myself) are often prepared to offer.

Inception is the kind of film that people are going to write essays and doctoral theses about. It's an intense and complex thriller in which the rules of physics have been re-written and the nature of reality is questioned at all times. It includes some amazing special effects, impressive performances (Cillian Murphy, Ellen Paige and Leonardo DiCaprio are all great) and a plot that we'll be discussing the meaning of for years to come. Inception is rightly destined to enter the pantheon of great science fiction films, I feel privileged that I was able to see it in the cinema while I had the chance.