Inception

First of all, I would like to thank James from J&J Productions (link in the header bar above) for all of his help with the blog, it's aesthetic changes, and opinions on expansion. In order to celebrate 100,000 views and the new design of the blog I am officially expanding Rath's Reviews. I now present to you the first ever Retro Rath's Reviews. Also, VOTE in the new poll (right side of your screen) to pick what Retro Rath Review I do next!

I'm sure that by now many of my readers know that I love Inception. In fact, I'm not even sure love is a strong enough word. But up until now I have never really been able to deeply explain why I love it so much. 

What does it mean when I use someone's opinion of this movie to judge whether I like them or not (seriously it's become a problem sometimes)?

What does it mean when I listen to the original score as I write other movie reviews or do homework? 

What does it mean when I try to dream within a dream for several weeks after every time I see this movie?

And what does is say about the movie when I still get insane chills during the last five minutes on my 7th viewing?

It means that Inception is a masterpiece in every imaginable sense of the word. 

"What's the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities."

"Let me ask you a question, you, you never really
remember the beginning of a dream do you? You
always wind up right in the middle of what's
going on."

I'll start out this review by first stating the obvious: Inception's screenplay and plot are the single most original concept that I have ever encountered in a movie (probably tied with Star Wars). Despite whether or not you believe the whole Nolan-copied-an-old-Duck-Tales-cartoon conspiracy, there is still just SO much natural creativity in this movie. Next time you watch it I urge you to listen very closely to the dialogue. Nearly every single aspect of the dreaming universe is explained. I mean how did Nolan come up with this stuff? For example, before you watched Inception did you ever realize that you NEVER remember the beginning of a dream or how you got to where you were? I had no idea, I had just never thought about it, but then Leo spits out those words and I realize how intensely right he is. Kicks, totems, time perception across levels, gravity shifts, subconscious reactions...every time I see Inception I am just as blown away by the originality of it as I was in theaters the first time. This movie was Nolan's 10-year old baby but it has enough creativity in it to make me believe that he fell into limbo and spent 50 years crafting the thing. The script is a thing of absolute perfection: explaining everything it needs to while incorporating a love story, a plot about planting an idea in someone's mind, four different simultaneous dream levels, and even a bit of humor. Most of the time, the spoken words in Inception are just as captivating as the drama unfolding around them. 

"Dreams feel real when we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was
actually strange."

"She was possessed by an idea, this one, very
simple idea, that changed everything. That our
world wasn't real."

Similar to the script, the cast is perfect too. I still kinda-sorta think that Ellen Page was a little bit miscast, but regardless of that notion, she does wonderful in her role. I just don't think she would have been my first choice. But then you have Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine? Nolan knows how to put a cast together better than most and Inception is his finest example of that, just barely eclipsing The Dark Knight's cast in my opinion. Everyone not only serves their role here; they own it. Each one of them is captivating in their own way and I sincerely can't think of one weak link in the bunch. Sometimes Watanabe's accent is hard to understand, but I've gotten used to it by now. 

I love Leonardo DiCaprio and Inception is a huge reason why. His performance, while not particularly challenging, is intense. Cobb is a deeply flawed character, "filled with regret". In the dream world, that gets a person into a lot of trouble and eventually Mal threatens to tear everything apart. Marion Coltillard does amazing too. Her intense love for Cobb is frightening both in the real world and as a figment of Cobb's subconscious. Inception has so many woven facets into it that I wouldn't call it a love story, but it certainly has a strong one not only between Cobb and his perception of his wife, but between him and his children. It's all very tragic and despite it being a sub-plot, I felt deeply invested, especially once we learn what happened to Mal. 

"You're asking me for Inception. I hope you
understand the gravity of that request."

The remainder of the plot, planting the idea inside Robert's mind to break up his father's company, is just as captivating. It's extremely complex, and with any other director I think it would have failed miserably. But Nolan took his time to make sure that we always knew where we were as an audience and that's most likely because of the decade he spent creating the screenplay. At one point in the movie there are four levels of the dream world, each with their own perception of time, and it amazes me every time how not-lost I feel. And all this work to plant one little idea? Once again, the originality blows my mind. Many people claim that Inception has plot holes, but I would beg to differ. At the risk of sounding like a giant nerd here, I have done some studying on the film, the rules it lays out, and the structure of the plot. In my opinion, I think that everything can be explained. That being said, if you have a question or plot hole, feel free to comment below and I'll see if I can address it!

Looking at Inception from a technical standpoint, I also find it nearly flawless. The cinematography is astounding and provides some very iconic imagery. Will any of us ever forget when that city folds on top of itself? Or the fight in the turning hotel hallway? I know I wont. The sound editing and sound mixing are all expertly done as they usually are in Nolan's films. I also found his action scenes to be far better here than they usually are. A lot of times I find that Nolan over edits his action scenes to the point where it is somewhat difficult to tell what is going on, but I never really felt that way in Inception. And I could make a comment about the special effects, but we all know how good those were. 

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger,
darling."

My last praise that I must heap on Inception is for Hans Zimmer and his original score. I've always found his work to be some of the best there is in Hollywood, but Inception was his masterpiece. It's the single most motivating and driving score I think I have ever heard, and even the loud "BWAHHHH BWAHHHH" is effective. Every scene that his music is in is taken to another level. I often say that a solid original score can make a good movie a great one and a great movie a classic one. So what happens when you have a near-perfect film with a masterpiece score? I get chills just thinking about the answer to my rhetorical question. Even better is that there is a masterpiece hidden within in the masterpiece. The song appropriately titled, "Time" is hands-down my favorite instrumental song ever. You may remember it from the ending of the movie? That ending where your entire heart swells in your chest, where you are immensely happy, confused, overwhelmed, and relieved all at the same time. How Hans Zimmer managed to collect all of those emotions into "Time" astounds me, but nevertheless, he did. 

The ending that none of us will ever forget is the ending that none of us will ever really know.

I remember to this day what I felt like the first time I saw Inception in theaters. I was with my dad and my friends sitting almost in the direct center of an IMAX theater. The final few minutes came to an end and we got THAT ending, complete with "Time", and I was overcome with emotion. I didn't know what I was really feeling, I just explicitly remember thinking that this would be a movie moment that I remember for the rest of my life. Before I wrote this review, I watched Inception again for what I believe was the 7th time. I hadn't seen it in over a year. And you want to know what I felt while tears began to well up in my eyes as the movie concluded? The EXACT same thing. On the 7th viewing. I often talk about movie "magic" and at least for me, Inception is the prime example of such a thing. 

People sometimes ask me to rate my favorite movies or give them my Top 10. As someone who likes to review a lot of movies, it's a hard question and really my Top 10 list would change day to day depending on my mood and what movies I remember. But there is one constant. There is always that #1 spot that remains the same. 

So to answer the age-old question of "What is Rath's Reviews favorite movie?": Inception.

Pros:

• The originality is breathtaking. From the grandiose ideas about the mind to the small details that explain the dream world, Nolan not only covered his bases, he invented them
• A plot that would have weighed any other director down is handled expertly here. The decade that Nolan put into this film shows in almost every scene. He creates an entirely new world and rather than just telling a straight forward tale of corporate espionage, he decides to also incorporate a love story about a man and his wife and his devotion to his children. Compelling from the very first frame to that very last one
• Exquisite casting. Skyrocketed the careers of Gordon-Levitt, Hardy, and Cotillard while solidifying DiCaprio even further into classic stardom. While Ellen Page wouldn't have been my first choice for her role, she made me a believer and also did well. No one had a particularly challenging role, but everyone OWNED their role
• Technically near-flawless. Nolan was able to listen to his critics and film action better while all of the other components fell perfectly into place
• A script so well written that it makes me hang onto nearly every uttered word. The movie has A LOT to explain, but it does it so efficiently and effortlessly, and sometimes it even has a bit of fun with it
• Hans Zimmer's original score is his masterpiece. I've heard "Time" easily over fifty times in my life and I still get chills up and down my spine. The movie would have been a classic without a good score, but the perfect accompaniment shot it into the movie classic stratosphere
• That ending. Some hate it, but I adore it. It suits the movie perfectly and the final five minutes is one of my favorite cinema moments ever. Movie magic is defined within that scene

Cons:

• The fact that this world, where we can explore dreams, will never be re-visted again. I don't want another movie but I would love for Christopher Nolan to licence some novels about some of Cobb and crew's other adventures
• This is the movie that killed the Oscars for me. The King's Speech was a great movie (it won Best Picture over Inception), but Inception was on an entirely different level

Retro Rath's Review Score: 

10/10 -- Instant Classic

Check out this neat little infographic I found that lays out the movie and its various dream levels (click for larger version):