Christopher Nolan wowed us with The Dark Knight and so Inception was naturally highly anticipated and, in many ways, it does live up to expectation.
There are some jaw-dropping set pieces and incredible effects in it, almost worth the DVD alone if the behind the scenes extra's are up to muster. And the basic concept of being able sneak around in someone else's dreams with the motive of stealing from them or planting an idea refreshingly original.
But here's the rub, it's all a bit too over conceptualised. It's almost as if Nolan was trying to out-clever himself. The result is that you are left clinging on to the bits of plot you understand while watching the waves of the rest of it wash away. It leaves you feeling almost as soggy as Leonardo diCaprio's character Cobb when he is dunked in a bath of cold water to wake him up.
Perhaps the concept of time increasing the deeper into the consciousness Cobb and his team travel, relative to the 'real time', is a device to help the audience keep up but after a while, you just want them to get on with it.
Indeed for a film that is essentially set in people's dreams it lacks any humour. Maybe Nolan never has dreams that are a little bit silly.
The more interesting storyline is actually the sub-plot set around Cobb and his wife Mal played by Stanley-favourite Marion Cotillard. The revelation there was far more interesting than that of the business empire heir (Cillian Murphy) on who's mind diCaprio and his team are working.
And the music, I have to mention that really dramatic music that I loved in the trailer. Well it is hideously overused and it really starts to great after a while.
It does have a deliciously ambiguous ending which redeems it somewhat but ultimately it doesn't quite satisfy.
The professional view
Metacritic rated it 75%
Rotten Tomatoes ranked it 84%
The Telegraph gave it four stars commenting: "Inception’s not the deep wow we might have hoped for, just the big one
we
needed."
Empire Online gave it five stars and concluded: "With physics-defying, thunderous action, heart-wringing emotion and an astonishing performance from DiCaprio, Nolan delivers another true original: welcome to an undiscovered country."
Not sure I entirely agree about DiCaprio, nothing in his performance we haven't seen before.
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