Director: Christopher Nolan
UK release: July 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine
IMDB page
He said:
This is one of those films that when you leave the theatre you'll be debating with your cinema-going mates about their ideas of 'what really happened'. Helen and I both have interesting ideas on this film but as we are spoiler free we will leave that for another time!
The characters in Inception are very well developed though at times some are under used. I think Christopher Nolan has an incredible talent at telling a tightly woven story and, regardless of how much you must suspend your disbelief, he makes each and every world he creates a reality. As fantastic and outlandish as this film is - at no point did I think "...that would never happen."
If I had any complaints at all about this film it is the underdevelopment of Ellen Page's character; I felt she had a little too much insight for an undergraduate architecture student. In no way does it take away from the film but it is something that I found a tad odd.
This is really a definitive summer blockbuster (something that this otherwise lacklustre summer has had short supply of). Be warned this is a thinking film and if you miss the first 10 minutes the rest will be very hard to follow.
I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to any fans of cinema. I give it {{{4.5 out of 5}}}
She said:
If this film doesn't win Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards I will be very much surprised. I was, in short, blown away by the technological scale and ambition of this film, let alone the philosophical implications of the narrative. I personally enjoy films that make you think, and that require the audience to contribute in some way (as James said, you will probably be debating the meanings behind this film for a long while after you leave the screen).
I think the casting for this film was spot on. Leonardo DiCaprio, I've felt, has always spent his time trying to get rid of the shadow of Titanic and remind people of his raw talent. His performance in Inception, along with his last film Shutter Island, has solidified his place in the 'psychological thriller hall of fame'.
The best thing about this film is the social commentary; it almost adds a new chapter to the Big Brother legacy that hangs over modern times. Indeed as James said Christopher Nolan (who also directed The Dark Knight and Memento) expertly makes the notion of entering another person's mind through a dreamworld actually seem believable.
Perhaps excluding people who can't follow complex plots, this film caters to pretty much everyone: it has crowd pleasing - read mind boggling - special effects, coupled with a intricately weaved narrative with back story and meaning. I give this film {{{5 out of 5}}}
They said:
This is a film that we highly recommend watching. As Helen's mother said: "Think of The Matrix.... but times ten". Keep an eye out for this during awards season. We give this film {{{9.5 out of 10}}}
QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: What is the most confusing film you've ever seen?
Love the write up. Oh and the odd thing you had with Ellen Page, I think it's purposely done. Wild theory I have. Damn your spoiler free site
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you both said. I never thought about the development of Ellen Page's character, James, and you bring up an excellent point. And I agree, Helen. Leonardo DiCaprio has definitely done great work post-Titanic with these past two psychological thrillers, and I think this film has definitely solidified his talent post-Titanic. I think my only disagreement with you both is how highly you rated the film overall. While I appreciate a movie that makes me think, a part of me just felt that Inception was trying too hard to be deep. I don't know. It may just be that it lasted too long for me or maybe I missed a major plot point along the way, but I just found myself turned off after awhile. I guess it just didn't disrupt my world in the way that so many of my friends seemed to think it would. To be fair, that isn't the fault of film, though, and is only in my expectations that were drawn up from friends' recommendations. Great write up! I appreciate you guys' reviews.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen this yet. Any reason I shouldn't wait for it to come out on DVD? I intend to see it, and your almost 10-point rating is compelling, but is it one that NEEDS to be seen on the big screen?
ReplyDeleteMost confusing film I've ever seen? Donnie Darko, in a good way. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, in a YOUR SCRIPT IS SHIT way. That's off the top of my head, anyhow. I see a lot of confusing movies.