Inception (Blu-ray)

This is an excellent film. It's a daring film too. Like another film, The Usual Suspects, it starts in the present with a scene between an old man and a young one. The old man asks him what he wants and the young man struggles to recall what he wants from the old man. It leads to the start of the story in the past and an extraction job on the train to Kyoto, Saito's offer to Cobb, the assembly of the team, putting together their game plan for putting an idea into a financial rival's mind, the dream shared aboard the jet, onto the opening scene again when the young man why he's here then onto the final scene. The plot is superb. One man, Cobb, wants to find his way home to his family while another one, Saito, is willing to pay a fortune to change the outcome of events with a rival business firm through the inception of an idea into his rival's mind. The cast is also superb. It took more than Leonard DiCaprio to pull this story off. In this case there was some strong writing. Something closer to six or seven characters were needed for the development of the plot. Is it too complicated or just too intriguing? I really enjoy watching a good film again and again and have truly enjoyed Inception. Dreaming by itself was no basis for a story but to the credit of Inception it introduced dream-sharing by way of a new technology. In view of the developments over the past 60 years viewers will find it quite easy enough to suspend their disbelief. Cobb and his wife, Mal, put the learning to use by way of extracting ideas by people. Once they began building dreams within dreams extraction was easier but time moves at a different and slower pace at various levels of a dream. It can also become difficult to distinguish a dream from reality and they finally lose their way into the sub-conscious. After fifty years down there Cobb tries inception on Mal and plants an idea in her mind which leads to their return but Mal suspects that she's still dreaming and wants Cobb to return to reality. One night she tries to blackmail Cobb by informing the police that she suspects her husband will kill her. Dreams can be usually brought to an end when the dreamer runs out of time on the machine or is killed. After she kills herself Cobb leaves the country to avoid arrest but he's still deeply filled with regret and guilt about Mal who is constantly trying to keep him with her. It's interesting how one storyline is affecting the other one and the characterization which results from it. Ken Watanabe plays Mr. Saito. He's heard about extraction and rumours about conception. He's convinced that he will be financially ruined by his rival, Mr. Fischer. Now he's heard rumors about Cobb's skill but before he asks Cobb he wants to make sure that he's talking to the right mind. So he arranges an audition for Cobb's crew under tough conditions with himself as the target. Cobb extracts the information but he realizes that Saito has known all along about the job from start and asks why? Saito was never interested in the extraction but the level of Cobb's skill. While Cobb extracted the information, Saito wasn't impressed with the level of skill that Cobb showed. His opinion of Cobb quickly rises when he realizes that he's still dreaming. Cobb placed him in a dream inside a dream. In the following scene Saito makes an offer to Cobb of financial reward and a safe return to America if he can succeed in planting an idea in his rival's mind. Money is no problem with Saito. So Cobb finds a top-notch crew who will work for him and his partner, Arthur. DiCaprio clearly dominates the first crew but when Saito tells him to put together a better team he becomes part of the team. Michael Caine puts in a strong appareanance as Cobb's father-in-law who finds him another architect in dream-sharing, Ariadne played by Ellen Page. Then it's onto Africa for an interview with an old friend, Eames played by Tom Hardy, who's a skillful thief and forger and introduces Cobb to Yusuf, the Chemist played by Dileep Rao. Fischer, played by Cillian Murphy, puts in another good performance as Saito's rival. What's really interesting are all the contributions everybody makes towards the development of the story. It is a well written story and well performed one. You'll also appreciate the quick pace. While the dream starts on the jet. The levels of the dream can always be identified. The first level of the dream can always be identified by the rain in a city downtown. The primary development is the appearance of projections from Fischer's mind into dream who will defend him against any attempt at extraction. On this level Saito is shot and dying but on the lower levels it will take longer for him to die. Eames attempts to kill him and end the dream but the sedative taken demands their return to consciousness in a particular fashion. If they die they are lost in a sub-consciousness of the dreamer. So they must go onto the next level of the dream inside a van that Yusuf is driving. The second level of the dream is found in an expensive hotel where Cobb plays a figure on this level known as Mr. Charles and poses as one of the projections sent to guard Fischer. Mr. Charles gains Fischer's trust and convinces him that a corporate figure in his father's company is betraying him and the only way to learn the truth is entering a third level of the dream. The third level takes place in winter and the mountains where Fischer fights to learn the truth and the team plants an idea in him.In the meantime Saito dies during the assault. The scenes in the sub-conscicous take place in beautiful weather on the seaside. The final beach scene leads you to an earlier scene from the start of the film: an old man asks Cobb what he wants. The old man is Saito who was killed and has been lost for years. Cobb now remembers the audition for Saito, the inception and his confrontation with Mal. He urges Saito, now an old man filled with his regrets and guilt to come back with him and be young again. Well, the next scene tells you what happen he finds himself waking aboard the jet with Fischer, Saito and his crew. Saito places a call to set things in motion which will clear the way for Cobb's return home. I've seen this film on numerous occasions over the past few years. It just keeps getting better. It only proves the importance of good writing and acting to one another as well as editing and directing. Suspense simply is not a factor. Yet the story constantly grips you. You simply don't realize the length of the film by its quick pace of the story.

I suppose many people have written at length about the DVDs (and/or Blu-ray) discs and all its "bells and whistles" that come with it. For me, I will say this: This film has been a long time in the making. As an artist in several mediums, film included, I can relate to some simple thoughts for those wondering about the movie "Inception" itself. I met Christopher Nolan last century (weird to say) at an international film festival when "Memento" was first screened. I thought that movie was brilliantly presented and unique - as was his less successful, but still intriguing, previous venture "Following". The movie "Inception" was something that was on Nolan's mind for quite a long time. His problem: The trouble with creative ideas, especially when involving such a semi-uncharted realm of "dreams" as your grounded subject matter, is hard for one to convey such unique, fresh ideas into a visually physical and presentable piece. However, Nolan finally succeeded with "Inception". As technology (CGI) had increased exponentially for creative potentials such as bringing artists' dreams into something visceral and presentable, this film became more and more "do-able" for him as a project. In this century, as the art (almost seemingly lost amongst so many writers and directors lately) seems to have turned into massively (almost mindless) "action"-packed, substance-lessness groups of movie re-makes, comic books and consumer entities turned into trite-made-flesh "movies", and the seemingly endless amount of sequels (which most should have ended a few sequels back) and, along with that, the upsurge in "prequels" (have we really started running out of originality?),I personally find it more difficult to even "want" to see a movie in the theater unless its something with possible unique potential as something fresh, new and (at some point in the past) even "unthinkable" as a premise for a movie. Afterall: 2 people seeing a movie these days is a major financial investment at $10-$12+ per ticket... and gods help you if either one of you wants something edible, even simply a $5 bottle of water! And even though I'm only in my later 30s, yes, seriously kids: things were much different - and cheaper - in the 80's and 90's as a movie-going enthusiast. I suppose that's why, when you pay less for something, if it was a "crappy movie", the let down wasn't that bad. Nowadays, if something doesn't impress you, the "investment" you put into hoping to see a movie becomes something that could backfire and "depress" you. So I was very glad to be even moreso impressed than I was expecting when I saw "Inception". It is a fresh story which is artisticly and meticulously woven into a high-quality film which presents the idea of a world (whose time period we aren't really told, but we come to accept as either a future or a possible reality of the "near-present day" realm) where the most precious commodities that exist that we would like to think are not in another's grasp: an idea... a thought... a dream... could become something of a tangible commodity to others with an ulterior interest. The movie presents you with the "what if" premise that some of your most gaurded, personal thoughts and ideas, buried inside your own mind which may emerge in your own dreams, could actually be visited, viewed, experienced... and stolen. It's a disturbing thought on one hand. On the other hand, it makes for something fresh and incredibly imaginative to be explored and presented in a cinematic format. I won't go in depth and throw spoilers and such about the movie, because this is one of those rare movies that I personally wanted to know very little about beforehand... and walk into the theater (of for those of you now: to be able to rent or buy this film) knowing not much about what you are about to see. And that's why I enjoyed it so much when I saw it in the theaters. It is a fresh concept, a movie in this time of regurgitated cinema sparkle and fodder which kept me so engaged. The ideas were new, fresh and imaginative. The premises and layers (literally) of thought involved in this piece that echoes a famous line from Edgar A. Poe's writings: "All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream." From start to finish, this may not be a movie some people will be able to fully absorb and comprehend all its beauitfully creative details and uniquities, as its pace doesn't waver to do a "time-out" for the viewing audience to try and explain it all to you - and some people may find that an irritation indemic of the "I want to know everything explained to me now" generation/group of impatient "movie-goers". However, what makes "Inception" unique is that we find ourselves somehow going along for its ride, like the finality of beginning a long roller coaster ride which, once seated, you are in for many unexpected twists, turns, and thrilling experiences along the way. You find yourself accepting things momentarily as if: "that's ok... this is a dream anyway... right?" You may even find yourself falling deeper into accepting these realms with all their ideas and concepts that defy what we assume are constants - like, oh, the laws of physics, gravity and logic. But hey it's just about a dream ...right? Well hang on, because you most likely will find yourself becoming pulled into the film, catching yourself momentarily uttering, silently, "Whoa, I did not see this coming," and futher down the rabbit hole you go. As with most of Nolan's original works of the 90's, "Inception" is, in my opinion, his shining jewel. And it should be, considering how many years upon years he kept this movie as a work-in-progress in his mind (and a journal or two). Luckily, so far his guarded thoughts weren't something easily up to be stolen while he slept. It's a rewarding experience that deserves to be taken in - because honestly, how often do you see something unique in movies and say to yourself (either during or after the end credits) "I never saw or thought of something like that before... in my life... and I just saw it on screen" ...? It's also an experience that deserves to be watched again, because once you've seen it (like taking the red pill in "The Matrix"), there is no going back. Therefore moving forward is the only option you have. Rewatching it helps you take in more of the concepts: It is truly an amazing feat of accomplishment to bring the realm of thoughts and dreams out with ideas not oft (if ever) explored in past films that somehow work incredibly well together here. The visual beauty of the work of the cinematic art in its entirity (and all its little details). Nolan insisted continually through this movie to physically film things visually in the real-life recording moments themselves as much as humanly (and safely) possible, only ending with astoundingly artiful merging of additions and touch-ups with the usage of CGI to blend in what couldn't be physically filmed in real life... and trust me, some of the things you see make you feel a sense of accepting the unlimited possibilities that can be explored in the future of movies, stories, etc involving the subject matter of our consciousness... and our sub/unconsciousness. And on an extra note (as a person who works in the music industry): the sound engineering was amazing and its accolades and awards were justified - exceeding (and shocking) my own expectations. The Blu-ray 2-disc edition is what I purchased, and I found it to be rewarding enough to see how many of the visually stunning scenes were created and even how the sound engineering was accomplished! It was also shocking to see how many of the scenes were shot - including what I thought was CGI which turned out to be real... etc etc. This would be one of the few movies I own whose "extras" I found myself interested in watching entirely. I believe there is an option to "interrupt" the movie momentarily to view "how they did that scene you just watched" during the movie, but they are just as easily accessible as parts to watch on their own. Again, this movie will inevitably beg for you to watch it again... and you don't want to be interrupting it every 10 or 15 minutes to see some behind the scenes moment DURING the movie. Maybe save that for the 3rd+ time you've seen it, if you're into that. Because hands down, this was one of those rare movies I said to myself: "Finally! Something original, creative, beautiful, imaginative and not wavering and bending over backwards to 'meet' or 'fit' into the seemingly typical Hollywood format of what Hollywood considers the 'proper format' of how a movie 'has to be' in order to make money." Because it worked fine all on its own. I believe the Oscar awards spoke up on their own earlier this year as well. Jason Kraley

Christopher Nolan may be the most brilliant, unconventional mainstream director working in Hollywood today, crafting intricate stories where narrative forms are stretched and twisted. Nowhere is this more obvious than "Inception," which turns into a multi-level Möbius strip -- worlds within worlds, dreams within dreams. Nolan delights in being able to conjure strange worlds that could never exist in real life, but he crafts a very heartfelt, powerful story for those visuals -- a story of love and loss, ambition and power, and a broken man haunted by guilt that constantly chases him through every dream. In the not-too-distant future (next Sunday A.D.), the military has created a technology that allows artificial shared dreaming. Within multi-leveled dreams, architects can create elaborate worlds, and special "extractors" can get information from a sleeping subject's brain. Oh, and there are several layers of dreaming, each with a different period of time passing. The movie opens with Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) trying to extract some information from tycoon Saito (Ken Watanabe). It turns out that this was actually an elaborate audition by Saito, who wants to hire them for an "inception" -- to plant a new idea in someone's head. Cobb isn't interested until Saito offers to clear him of the murder of his wife, which would allow him to return to his young children. Their target: Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), who has just inherited a massive energy conglomerate from his cold, callous father. Saito wants the company dissolved before it can become too powerful, so he wants the idea incepted into Robert's head. So Cobb gets together a gang of the best: clever forger Eames (Tom Hardy), dream-chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao), and the new architect Ariadne (Ellen Page). But only Ariadne sees how troubled Cobb is, and that the memory of his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) is deliberately sabotaging every mission he undertakes. As the team weaves their elaborate web of deception and dreams around Robert, Cobb finds that his demons are threatening their mission. You have to give it to Christopher Nolan: he doesn't dumb down his movies for the masses. "Inception" is a hard movie to even summarize because it's constantly growing more complicated -- the team is spread out over different dream levels, with different time periods passing and different perils attacking them simultaneously. It's half heist caper and half sci-fi meta-thriller... if that even makes sense. And while Nolan sculpts a strange Escheresque dream-world of labyrinths and never-ending stairs, he also crafts some powerful subplots about love and loss. As the plot unwinds, he intertwines Cobb and Fischer's personal issues with the main story of inception. Suddenly the constant firefights, explosions and free-falling elevators/vans aren't the only reason we're invested -- the audience is truly left wanting to see both men work out their issues and find some measure of inner peace. It also has spectacularly good special effects, particularly Arthur's battle in the hotel -- he scampers across the walls and ceilings, grappling with projections as he floats through empty halls. Not to mention the scene where Ariadne turns a whole city upside-down... literally. Honestly, the biggest problem with the movie is that the dreams sometimes make too much sense. Why do Fischer's projections have to actually TRAVEL to attack the team instead of... I don't know, materializing inside the building? Nolan also populates "Inception" with a lot of actors that he's cast in other projects, especially "The Dark Knight Rises." In fact, I can't help but wonder if DiCaprio's role was originally offered to Christian Bale, because we've also got Cotillard, Hardy, Watanabe, Murphy, Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine. There are actually only a couple major actors who haven't worked with Nolan elsewhere. But this is one of DiCaprio's best roles, even if he's not very convincing as a father -- his Cobb is riddled with guilt and numb sorrow, and it's only prodding from Ariadne that finally gets him to confront his issues. All the other actors give lovely performances as well -- Cotillard is particularly wrenching as a strange shallow shade of a madwoman, as is Murphy as the downtrodden son of a powerful man. "Inception" is the kind of movie that we desperately need more of -- a wild Möbius strip of complex ideas, brilliant direction and powerful acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind film, and not one to be missed.

Inception is the kind of film that you either love or hate. Just head over to any movie review website and you will see this first hand. I myself absolutely loved it. The idea of entering people's dreams is certainly not a new premise in Hollywood however, with that being said, this film take the concept to completely new heights. As the title of my review states, very few directors could have pulled this scrip off successfully. It could have easily become convoluted, confusing, and bogged down with exposition. Christopher Nolan does a remarkable job and I have no doubts that is mostly due to the control he had over this film as he wrote, produced, and directed. I don't want to give too much away in this review so ill give just the basic premise and its actually quite simple. People can enter other people's dreams and steal information. Leonardo Dicaprio's character, Dominick Cobb, is one of the best at doing just this and ultimately he winds up being hired by Ken Watanabe's character, Saito, to enter a competitors mind but this job isn't about stealing information, its about planting an idea in this persons mind, a process called Inception. Were led to believe by many characters that such a thing is not possible yet Cobb disagrees and takes the job. That's as far as I will go in regards to actual details about the film as I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. Ill simply say that it winds up being one of the most complex science fiction films I have ever seen yet Nolan never loses control with this film. Everything is masterful sewn together and the experience is second to none. Everyone gives an outstanding performance especially Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Tom Berenger, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom Hardy's performance in particular really blew me away. This film would not have been the same without him. I simply have to mention the score as it was absolutely brilliant and ultimately its one of the best scores I have ever heard. I have to admit I was surprised when I heard Hans Zimmer was the composer. Don't get me wrong Zimmer is a master but his work is usually more predictable and his scores always seem to have a similar feel to them. His work with Nolan on The Dark Knight and now Inception have really pushed Zimmer creatively and ultimately Inception is a different kind of score than I think he's ever delivered before. In all honesty if someone had come to me with this soundtrack a couple months ago, before I saw the film, and asked me to guess who the composer was, Zimmer would have been one of my last guesses. It really is one of his most original compositions. Bottom line - Inception is hands down one of the best films I have seen in years. It has an amazing story, a great cast, some outstanding special effects and one of the best scores I have ever heard. In the hands of most directors this film would most likely have been a blabbering mess but Nolan's dedication to detail makes the delivery of this film practically flawless. 5 stars!!

I don't usually like to write reviews, but very few flicks caught my eye this year, Inception being one of them. This won't be a full-fledged review but rather, a few words shared to those who weren't fond of the movie, with some discussion on those that loved it. Whilst not perfect, the film is solid in the fact that all the elements have come together into what makes films well...films. Think about it. The groundwork is there, it clearly has careful planning. The plot revolves around the interaction between the dream world and reality, the actors are engaged in various sequences and instances to help support said plot, and the special effects assist in viewing pleasure, supporting the actors. It's as if we were writing an essay, with a main idea/theory, supporting and minor details to back it up: Well-rounded. Even if you disliked the film, it shouldn't be difficult to realize that all the elements were in place, and throughout the movie, scenes were implemented with care. When Joseph Gordon-Levitt was trapped in that second instance of the ending dream sequence, trying to get that kick in order for them to wake up in that moment...they kept the physics intact. You see, Nolan managed to bend the rules of physics without breaking them. No gravity, bombs used on an elevator to get the kick, it was truly brilliant. Think outside the box here. It's not a matter of attempting to be intelligent or being too serious/dramatic, whatever you believe the film to be. It's more-so regarding the science fiction bits and pieces placed in the film, and extending beliefs with ideas and experiments (again, without breaking reality's laws). Nothing seemed too out of place in this film, as long as we paid attention, we knew what was the dream and what was the reality. We also knew the extent of these dreams were, how far people realized they were in a dream, that current setting placed, etc.. The only bit that wasn't thoroughly explained was the device used to place everyone within someone's dream. I imagine a Matrix effect here. It's just plugging into the same database/server, through use of a wired device, heh. But that's where the Sci-Fi part comes into play again. I'll agree that the lines were quite intelligently spoken and some parts were rather dramatic, but they believe in this world, in this dream-controlling instance. They are highly indulged in it, which I find to be the best part of the film. You have your try-hard teams such as in The Matrix, all the riddles spoken, etc., when people only gave a damn about the action. You have your try-not teams like with Twilight, piss-poor dialogue, lots of frequent pausing, and a laughable showcase to actors who actually had some talent. Then you have something like Inception come along, make-believe team. Sounds cheesy from the get-go, true, but that's what they did. They tried their best to make us believe their world, and whilst some things could have been explained further, such as the device, there was still that sense of realism involved in the film, as mentioned with the zero gravity sequence, keeping science intact. That's just how I look at the film. Most of you have your personal preferences and biased opinions, which is ultimately fine, but if you're trying to force your thoughts onto others, that's where these reviews start to get out-of-hand. I wish most would include both pros and cons with this film (and all films for that matter), but I look at the five-star ratings and the one-star ratings noticing the mass amount of bias. It's either "best film ever" or "overrated film," respectively. But what people don't realize is that...best film ever only applies to you, overrated film only applies to you in a sense. People who claim things to be overrated...it's as if you lack the ability to accept others opinions. Something becomes popular, you want to see what all the fuss is about (without a clear head, mind you, you're likely not interested going in because of the set bandwagon), and begin to nit-pick beyond belief. It's amazing yet depressing how this race reacts sometimes. Yes the film is "seemingly intelligent-sounding" to the point where the actors talk in a persuasive manner, but that's the vibe of the film. I honestly didn't see it as half-assed, I saw it as supporting the main idea more than anything. I admit some bits seemed to try too hard in explanation, but overall no one ended up being really confused. That's another piece to divulge into. The fact that this was more of an 'everyman' film. What do I mean by that? Simple, it wasn't difficult to follow, tried to go into as much detail as possible in order to help anyone understand, from casual movie-goers to the huge fans of the sci-fi/thriller genres. But the latter tends to this film as too easy, the "trying to be intelligent" argument is immediately thrown in for attempting to appeal to everyone. It's understandable. But I mean, Shutter Island, a great psychological thriller, wasn't entirely well-received because it was more for fans of that genre, the everyman wasn't into it overall, they couldn't decipher it. I've had many debates involving that film this year, good ones discussing the plot and it's ending, but only to those that really understood Shutter Island. With Inception, I wasn't limited to my discussion on the film, for those that saw it can reflect back and better understand the movie. If I seem too harsh on you, well then I apologize for hurting your opinion in any way, but that shouldn't happen because...at the end of the day, this is for entertainment purposes. Films, music, games, it's all entertainment, and we each have different tastes and preferences. I'm not starting a war on you, believe me that's the last thing I want to do, I really just wanted to explain the film's style and goals. Yes, I have my opinion as well and did favor the film, but I know it's far from perfect. Want an example? Fine by me. I wasn't sure what the architect's role really was at first. I thought they could have explained how that person manipulated another's dream world, but I eventually assumed that they were there to keep the person within their dream...to keep their conscious on low-priority. They tried to make the dream seem like a reality as best as possible, and I believe that the device used to put them in the same dream world also had to do with the architect. Still, would have loved a more clearer analysis shown in the film, but I suppose that, like the unclear ending, is up to us. In regards to my title of the review. All of you screaming Prestige, Memento, etc., must know that Christopher's brother, Johnathan Nolan, was not involved in this film. Most also believe that it's because of that, that the film fell flat on it's face, but I think otherwise. I think this film showed what Chris could do without John, and the end-product turned out to be something special. Sure Memento was more engaging, The Dark Knight was highly entertaining, etc., but this film had elements that mixed well together, too, and we need to realize this before ripping it apart. One scene in particular comes to mind that blends in nicely: When DiCaprio was talking to Murphy about the dreams, I thought that was brilliant...why? Because you could see DiCaprio struggling to maintain his feelings and emotions, and the dream sequence coming to realization of his actions the moment he was slipping. It's what I like to call the human side effect, a human flaw in films to show that...even though it's a film that has many possibilities, it's goes on without showing a Superman move. You have films such as Accepted where Long is everything, and I really disliked the film for that. He's a rock star, a motivational speaker, deceiver, etc.. He barely had any bad moment, which we all know is impossible in the real world, heh. All in all, I just wanted to get a few responses out because...I'm seeing the same exact arguments being re-worded with each extreme-rated review. I'd rather look at films and judge their core. Some films focus more on the action whilst the acting and story are sub-par (which I felt Matrix was). Some films spend more time on the special effects, with everything else seeming tacked on (Avatar, to me, fits this bill). Then there are those that keep the story as it's central focus, though the acting simply doesn't live up to it's standards. To me, this is a more well-rounded film, again the plot is the main idea, with the actors being the supporting detail, the score and special effects being the minor details. The little touches were carefully put in, which I commend Nolan for.

My teen boys and I enjoy movies that keep your brain moving and this fit the bill perfect. We really enjoyed it for our family movie night. It was nice to have a relatively "clean" movie that kept your attention without overloading you with profanity or sexual content.

A film like Inception only comes along once a decade, and it's no surprise it took Writer/Director Christopher Nolan over ten years to polish the screenplay into its final form. The loud and frenetic visuals in the trailer all fall into place when you see the film, which represents a masterful blend of genres and ideas, some of which have been attempted before but never in this combination. Unlike so many Jerry Bruckheimer visual onslaughts or the recycled franchises that use continuous split-second cuts to replace plot, the major set pieces in the film leave the audience literally on the edge of their seats, and it's one of the few blockbusters in memory that can be enjoyed as both a top-notch action movie and a deeply cerebral experience. In fact, Inception is a perfect film on so many levels that it's breathtaking to watch. Apart from the technical wizardry of bringing some of the mind-bending visuals to the screen, the real triumph is in conveying its complex, layered concepts and plot lines in a way that never lectures or loses the audience and never takes a break from the action to lay down exposition. Unlike the sequels to the Matrix, where the attempt to develop the alternate reality of the first film became convoluted and ludicrous in the second and third installments, Inception has enough fresh ideas to feel like an entire trilogy perfectly woven into one coherent and gripping movie. And with a running time of 2.5 hours, it's remarkable that it never once drags or lingers on unnecessary scenes to reach the conclusion. For fans of Memento, it will seem like that film was just Nolan was warming up to getting Inception just right. Roger Ebert made an interesting observation when he said it's a film that defies spoilers, in that even if you know the ending, it's meaningless without knowing how you got there. For film-buffs and screenplay enthusiasts, the richness of the dream-within-a-dream reality and the effortless jumping between different timelines and dreamers' worlds will be studied for years. And even though the film happens primarily in dreams, Nolan avoids the temptation to use the weirdness of the the dream world just to show us something different that ultimately doesn't make sense. And yet despite the tight plotting, fastidious direction and pitch-perfect score from Hans Zimmer, it's the performances of a flawless cast that pulls the whole thing together. Leonardo DiCaprio once again shows us he's one of the finest actors working today, and any one of the supporting cast creates an Oscar-worthy performance. Amongst a remarkable cast, the real star is Marion Cotillard who, in playing the subconscious projection of Leonardo's deceased wife, is both warm and completely terrifying, and grounds the challenges of the hero to chilling effect. She provides the darkness of the theme in the same convincing way that Heath Ledger epitomized the black undertones of The Dark Knight. With Inception, Christopher Nolan underscores himself as one of the best Writer/Directors in Hollywood, and continues to develop not only his own storytelling but the capabilities of his crew, many of whom we've seen in previous films. I don't think you'll see a better film this year, and seeing this was the first time in a long time I walked out of the movie theater thoroughly entertained, intrigued and inspired.

Great movie

I managed to see this for a second time a couple of weeks ago, after I was unsure of my initial feelings of it upon first viewing. Thankfully, a lot of the issues I had with it are cleared up after this second watch. Nolan's mind-bending marriage of science-fiction, Bond film and heist movie livens up a nigh on awful summer blockbuster season with a dizzying, breathtaking combination of visual bravura and rich thematic depth. Upon first viewing, elements of the plot felt more than a little dense and convoluted (the opening confrontation between Cobb and Saito left me utterly lost as to who's dream was who's), but now, after seeing it again, all the pieces fit together. DiCaprio gives for my money what is his best performance, one which marks the culmination of his maturity as an actor. He really gets to grips with his character, expertly conveying great emotional depth as well as carrying the entire weight of the narrative of his character's journey on his shoulders. He's aided by a fantastic supporting cast, all of whom are utterly memorable in their own way (Tom Hardy is fast becoming one of my favourites nowadays), and in between the dream jumping, it's ultimately a very personal, human tale of family and redemption. Nolan here has almost outdone himself, exploring questions of guilt and regret within a wonderfully surreal, reality-altering world that swells with imagination. The only real stumbling block in his direction, and this is something that he's always had trouble with, is his handling of action sequences: the zero-gravity set-piece is absolutely terrific, with truly jaw-dropping choreography and stunt work, but when it comes to more conservative sequence, he's nowhere near as sure-footed, with the final product lacking clarity and feeling awkwardly artificial and episodic. That's really only a minor complaint however in the long run of things. It remains a truly excellent film, bordering on real greatness. At the moment I still think it's not quite the masterpiece some have claimed, but that may change upon further viewings. It's vying for the top spot just now in my top 5 films of this year. Great stuff.

Mit "Inception" hat Regisseur Christopher Nolan ein Meisterwerk geschaffen, wie es kein anderer geschafft hätte. Mit Darstellern, die auf der ganzen Linie überzeugen, einer Optik, die jedem Grafik-Designer das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen lässt, und mit einer Story, die verschachtelt und gut durchdacht ist. Ich widme mich lediglich dem Film und der Qualität des Films, nicht dem Bonusmaterial. Zur Story: Dom Cobb, gespielt von Leonardo DiCaprio, stiehlt als "Extractor" die Gedanken, Geheimnisse und Ideen von Menschen. Dazu versetzt er seine Opfer in einen Schlafzustand, um so in die Träume einzudringen und die gewünschte Information zu entwenden. Diese Form der Spionage ist eine sehr komplexe Technik, und Cobb ist der beste seines Fachs. Doch sein Beruf birgt Gefahr: Da er ein begehrter Industriespion ist, ist er ständig auf der Flucht. Und nun bekommt er einen Auftrag, mit dem er sein Leben wieder ins reine rücken kann: "Inception". Dabei wird kein Gedanke gestohlen, sondern der Zielperson wird ein Gedanke eingepflanzt. Dies ist jedoch ein immenses Vorhaben, da so der Charakter der Person komplett verändert werden kann; die Person könnte den Gedanken auch garnicht erst annehmen. Daher wird ein Team aus Experten benötigt, um die Inception richtig zu erfüllen. Dabei wird nicht nur das Team von Cobb auf eine harte Probe gestellt, sondern auch er selbst: den Cobb, um Genau zu sein seine Vergangenheit, wird zu einer echten Bedrohung. Die Geschichte des Films wird dynamisch erzählt und nach und nach wird der Zuschauer in die traurige Vergangenheit von Dom Cobb geführt. Der Film hat eine Menge Actionszenen, u.a. Schusswechsel und Verfolgungsjagten, die den Spannungsbogen stets auf hohem Niveau halten. Die Schauspieler setzten die Ideen von Nolan grandios um vor allem Leonardo DiCabrio und Ellen Page glänzen in Paraderollen. Die Story ist tiefgründig, aber nicht zu komplex. So geht die Geschichte des Films nicht in der bombastischen Visuallisierung und dem genau so bombastischen Sound unter. Optik & Sound: Hier glänzt der Film auf der ganzen Linie. Die Effekte, die Kameraführung und der Ton sind Punkte, in denen Inception der Konkurrenz nicht nur davonläuft, sondern schon in den Zug steigt und allen davonrauscht. Schließlich gab es nicht grundlos Oscars für visuelle Effekte, Kamera, Ton und Tonschnitt. Schon in der ersten Traumszene zeigt der Film, dass er ein optischer Gaumenschmaus ist. Der Soundtrack zum Film ist ebenso Perfekt wie die Optik. Doch dieses Feuerwerk an Effekten muss man selbst gesehen haben. Fazit: Inception ist ein Film, dessen Idee grandios umgesetzt wurde. Mit einmaligen Effekten, einer Runde Spitzenschauspieler, bombigen Sound und einer komplizierten wie genialen Story ist es durchaus ein Film, der das Prädikat "besonders wertvoll" verdient hat. Doch der Film ist nicht perfekt. Man muss dem Film die ganze Zeit folgen, um nicht von der Story überrumpelt zu werden. Somit ist es kein Film, den man sich ansieht und währenddessen ein Sudoku macht, da man so keine Freude mit dem Film haben wird. Auch wurde häufig schon gesagt "der Film ist schlecht, da er viel zu kompliziert und die Handlung wirr und unsinnig ist". Dies kann ich nur verneinen. Der Film regt zum nachdenken an und ist in keinster Weise "unsinnig", sondern nur keiner dieser "0-Prozent-Hirn-100-Prozent-Action-und-schöne-Frauen"-Filme. Statt dessen bekommt man einen "100-Prozent-Hirn-100-Prozent-Action"-Film, der trotz seiner bahnbrechenden Story verkannt wird. Meiner Meinung nach: Ein Film, der die Latte für gute Filme deutlich anhebt und mit einmaliger Qualität ind Bild und Ton brilliert.

Qualità del bluray ottima, il film è un cult sia per gli appassionati di fantascienza che di Christopher Nolan.

Un Blu-ray eccellente: la qualità video in 4K HDR è fantastica, colori vividi e dettagli nitidi, mentre l’audio è chiaro e pieno, davvero coinvolgente. Il packaging è semplice e classico, come ci si aspetta da un Blu-ray, ma l’esperienza complessiva di visione è ottima. Perfetto sia per collezionare che per guardare il film in alta qualità.

Mind-bending and visually stunning, Inception is a masterclass in storytelling and action. Christopher Nolan blends high-concept science fiction with emotional depth, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The performances are strong, especially Leonardo DiCaprio, and the layered dream sequences are both thrilling and thought-provoking. A film that rewards multiple viewings and sparks endless discussion—truly a modern classic.