INCEPTION - REVIEW

It has been a while since a film has sparked so many discussions. Inception, whether you liked it or not, most probably already got you to debate about a million ridiculous dream-within-a-dream scenarios. With a film this rich, this dense, there's certainly a lot to ponder.

Philip K Dick meets The Matrix in one of the biggest concept movies ever in which a team of dream...thieves pull their resources to try something different for one last big job and attempt to implant an idea into some guy's head. We are then thrown into multiple layers of dreaming as Tommy from 3rd Rock From the Sun flies around a hotel room, Di Caprio gets hit by a train in a city street and Marion Cotillard goes psycho. This is all great stuff! Great action, impressive special effects, very good cast, a complex and gripping sci-fi story...what more could a sci-fi nerd such as myself ask for?

And yet there is something a tad underwhelming about Inception, a film which, in its trailers, promised the action of The Dark Knight and the groundbreaking visuals of The Matrix. Nolan's film however falls just short of all that. The film feels toned down and its take on dreams is pretty down to earth and tries to be more realistic in its approach. Of course, it has its surreal moments but perhaps Nolan should have gone one step further and offered us even more creativity in terms of the dream-like surrealism. It just never feels like you're in a dream, it feels more like you're in a bunch of different films all happening at once. As for the action, there's quite a bit of it but those sequences are never taken advantage of fully. The Dark Knight this is not. Expect short bursts of action, not extended, built-up, badass, full on action sequences. Damn you trailer and your liiiieeeees!

There are a few other minor complaints but this is mostly nitpicking. Like the way the dreams impact on each other, which isn't always consistent, or Ken Watanabe, who feels slightly miscast and whose old man make-up is far from convincing, or the last shot which translates as a giant question mark shoved up your bum. All these, however, should not prevent you from enjoying this fine sci-fi epic. The sci-fi genre has very little to offer these days and films like Moon or indeed Inception are very rare so should be applauded when they finally pop up.

Overall, although Inception is not the masterpiece I was expecting and the version I'd made up in my sick, twisted head was probably even better, this is a very good sci-fi romp you just have to sit back and enjoy without taking it too seriously. Yes there was way too much to put in one film but I think regardless you're getting your money's worth. Good stuff.