For my next Genre Grandeur guest review, I present you with a review by Cara from Silver Screen Serenade. Cara has a great blog and whats more, she has great ideas for blogathons. Her Nooovember and Resolutions posts were amazing. Check out her site if you don’t already.
Here’s a review of Cara’s favorite Thriller – Inception (2010).
Take it away Cara….
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” – Eames
Number of Times Seen – Not totally sure. I know I saw it in theaters three times. All in all, this was my sixth or seventh viewing at the very least.
Brief Synopsis – “A skilled extractor is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible.” (from IMDb)
My Take On It – I said it after my first viewing and I’m still saying it today: this is one of the most intelligent and interesting films I’ve ever seen. After writing and directing several awesome films in a row (Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight), Christopher Nolan decided to bring the world something completely different and, in my humble opinion, completely awesome.
For casual viewers seeking nothing more than fun, action-packed fluff, Inception might be a bit too strange and confusing. It’s a great thriller—lots of gun fights and chase scenes and tension, as you’d expect—but at its core it is truly an intelligent, creative film that delves into a realm that is largely a mystery to us: our dreams. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), are our guides into this world; we follow them as they elaborately plan and attempt to plant an important idea into the subconscious of a wealthy businessman. The plan takes viewers through a complex, multi-layered world that is a visual treat and a very exciting ride.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out how incredibly star-studded this cast is. You can never go wrong with DiCaprio as the lead, of course, but Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine all deliver as excellent supporting characters. My personal favorite? Tom Hardy as wonderfully sassy Eames. Inception was my introduction to Hardy, and despite his somewhat limited role, he made quite an impression on me.
However, even the awesome cast might be overshadowed by the incredible visuals in this film. In 2011, Inception very deservingly scooped up the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Affects, and if you watch the film it’s easy to see why. A horizontal street folds up and becomes vertical. Buildings and props quickly explode and freeze in the air mid-explosion. Characters stumble and roll along walls and ceilings as the gravity shifts. A group of people tied together float along in midair. It’s just really, really cool. And the sets are pretty darn impressive, too. Nolan takes us from busy city streets to a classy hotel to a snowy fortress, ending it all on the shores of an impressive island filled with decaying buildings. It’s a thoroughly imagined, stunning world.
Despite the many praiseworthy aspects of this film, there are still a few minor issues—mostly involving the dream technology. Toward the beginning of the film, one character briefly mentions that it was developed for military training, which, I suppose, might make sense, and we get the gist of how the dream world works, but there are still plenty of questions. How does everyone enter the same dream? How is the dominant dreamer determined? How do architects insert their designs into another person’s dream? How can certain characters (i.e. Eames) change their appearance in a dream? Though I can get past these nagging questions, I could easily see how other viewers might get bogged down by them.
Bottom Line – Despite the general disorientation at the beginning of the film and the questions surrounding the dream technology, Inception is an extraordinary thriller. The performances are great, the story is intriguing, and the visuals are like nothing you’ve ever seen. Plus, it has one of my favorite endings of all time—an ambiguous, highly debatable, edge-of-your-seat moment. I can’t recommend this film enough.
Rating – Oscar Worthy
Thanks again to Cara for her amazing review of this incredible movie.
If you are interested in sending me your own favorite Thriller, email me at thriller@movierob.net by 25 March to be included in this month’s genre!
Absolutely love this post Cara! Lovely write up. This is my favourite movie., I almost, almost selected it for this segment! 😛
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And no, you can’t go wrong with DiCaprio! 😀 EVER.
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um, can’t say I agree 100% with you on that. have you seen J. Edgar (2011)? or Shutter Island (2010)?? everything else he has done I think is quite solid tho
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I LOVE Shutter Island (though I see it gets some hate around the net), and never got around to J. Edgar (didn’t release here in cinemas as far as I know). I was planning to do it soon as I have been on a mission to watch any and all movies featuring DiCaprio if I have missed them. I am a ridiculously big DiCaprio fan hahaha, I truly feel he is immensely talented.
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He is very good and most of his performances are great even if the movies aren’t always so great
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Yeah the movies themselves are sometimes not the greatest but watchable, but his performances always sell something for me!
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very true
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Ha! How did I know you’d like the DiCaprio bit, Zoe? 😉 And that is too funny that you almost picked it! I’ve said it before, I’m sure I’ll say it again: we have EXCELLENT taste.
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I have NO idea why you would think that! 😛
We have the most remarkable taste, totally with you there!
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That’s very funny Zoe, cause I also almost chose it for mine 🙂
Great minds….
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Check all of us out here, hanging on to Inception. I must say that film is just amazing, really my very favourite film, right up there! 😀
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One of my favorite for sure. can’t declare a final overall favorite because I love so many movies so much
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I love so many but sheesh, if I really had to pick it would be this. It thrills me each and every time and it never gets old!
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Because every movie and every genre are different, it’s difficult to compare movies like Inception and Shawshank for example. That’s one of the reasons I decided to start this feature 🙂
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Definitely agree with that sentiment! It is a fantastic feature because all movies will get their moment in the limelight!
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hope so. That’s the idea 🙂
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LOL. Great minds indeed!! 😀
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🙂
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Great review, Cara. I don’t like this one as much you (and many others) do, which isn’t to say I think it bad. Just flawed. The visuals are stunning. The acting is strong.
But the Ellen Page/Di Caprio relationship is not good. First, it is too expository, used to explain too much to the audience. Second, why is this woman who has just met the men many years her elder the only one tuned into the man’s rather obvious emotional foibles?
I would still give Inception a B or B-, but it is not, in my opinion, one of the best movies ever made.
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Thanks, my friend! Personally, I’m not bothered by the fact that Page’s character is used in an expository way. It is kind of weird, I guess, that JGL’s character doesn’t seem to be more aware of what’s going on in DiCaprio’s head, but I actually think it’s effective having an outsider jump in–they explain things to her, which explains things to us. But I could see how you think it’s a hiccup. Also, I had to look up “foible.” You and you fancy words…lol.
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🙂
Explaining the mechanics of the dream technology is why she’s useful. It just gets too long winded, in my opinion. Show not tell, and all that. Explaining what’s wrong with Leo? That’s just lazy writing. 1. We already know, because they showed it to us. They didn’t need to tell, as well. 2. She has known him a minute, give or take.
But I recognize I’m in the minority with this complaint. Most people love this movie.
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Personally I liked how Nolan set up the beginning that the dream sharing was an established technology and didn’t delve too far into the details. Ariadne became the connection to the audience for the explanation. This is easily one of my top movies.
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I agree with you Drew.
Appreciate you stopping by and commenting!
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Well, I still wouldn’t mind a few more technical details with the dream stuff, but the movie is much too enjoyable for anything to really get to me. 🙂
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Yeah, this movie is awesome. Saw it on the second night all those summers ago, and it totally knocked my brain sideways. But in all the right ways. Good review Cara.
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It had exactly the same effect on me, Dan. Thank you!
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EXCELLENT!!!! This is a GREAT movie!!!
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RIGHT??
#probos
#dicaprobos
#cantwaitfortomorrow
😀
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Reblogged this on Silver Screen Serenade and commented:
The awesome Mr. MovieRob recently sent out a request for reviews for his cool new series, Genre Grandeur. The series will hone in on the best of the best in a different genre each month, but the focus for March is thrillers. Naturally, I couldn’t resist writing up a little something about Inception. Check it out! Also, Rob is accepting reviews through the 25th, so definitely take some time to write about your favorite thriller and send it his way!
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Superbly done Cara. Big fan of this film, even if it does completely bend my brain. I’m still not sure I’ve completely got it straight in my head what happens.
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Haha thanks, Chris! I’m kinda with you–it gets a smidge confusing. But then, who cares?! It’s just too awesome. 😀
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What a great choice Cara! I freaking love Inception. It seems that everything that worked for you worked for me. This was a truly brilliant film, delivered by one of the most consistent and original filmmakers working today.
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Thanks, Tom! I do love me some Christopher Nolan! Here’s hoping Interstellar is right up there with everything else he’s done. 😀
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Loved this film. Great review Cara
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Thanks, Alex! 🙂
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I could marry you for this Cara! Inception is too good. I’ve seen it loads of times and I even listen to the soundtrack! It has everything in it and blows my mind everytime. Can you tell that I like it? 🙂
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LOL! Did I just get a blog proposal?! Gees, Mikey, I guess you do like Inception a little, huh? Haha. I’m with you though. Easily in my top five favorite films. That’s hilarious that you listen to the soundtrack. All that blaring brass would stress me out!
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You should listen to it on your way to work, it makes every journey really epic!
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Amazing film!
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Agreed. 🙂
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Great movie, but I seem to like it less every time I see it, so I should probably never watch it again.
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Major bummer! I don’t want to tell you to stop watching it, but I also don’t want you to hate it…hmmm…
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