Inception (2010)

[Ryan Scott]

This is the latest release from writer/director Christopher Nolan (who brought us Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight). It's a sci-fi thriller about a group of people who can inhabit the dreams of other people and either steal ideas or plant them. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead character, an internally tormented idea thief and the leader of a group hired to plant an idea in the mind of an energy mogul to break up his company. Ellen Page (of Juno fame) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer, Stop-Loss, Angels in the Outfield) play his compatriots. Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai) is the rival energy mogul who hires them.

The movie is full of twists and turns, as might be expected with a thriller. There is the danger inherent in messing with dreams, along with the internal and external struggles of DiCaprio's character, all of which can derail their plans at any moment. Tons of really cool special effects and some great action scenes.

I came into this movie with a ton of expectations and left entirely satisfied, which is a huge accomplishment. The acting is solid and believable (Marian Cotillard, who won an Oscar for La vie en Rose, has an outstanding supporting role) and the story moves well, with few, if any, continuity problems. Just a fantastic film and hopefully one that will get some award recognition.

Just a warning, if you go, you will probably have a hard time not going again. It's the sort of movie you're going to want to see a few times.

[Billie Goodson]

I saw it Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not a movie you could miss a part of and probably be ok, it really requires you to keep juggling several factors and looking ahead for the next twist. I guess I would equate it to a good park ride where you can't really see what is ahead of you so you kind of hold and lean into it. I liked the characters and how they interacted.

Good summary Ryan! I would say I came in with lower expectations but was pleasantly surprised. i found the movie more realistic than many other action-type movies lately (like Knight and Day) which is kind of comical given the premise of the movie.

[Ryan Scott]

Good summary Ryan! I would say I came in with lower expectations but was pleasantly surprised. i found the movie more realistic than many other action-type movies lately (like Knight and Day) which is kind of comical given the premise of the movie.

I think the real genius was that Nolan never attempted to explain how they got into other people's dreams. It's just sort of assumed at the beginning that it happens. Many sci-fi films get side-tracked trying to create plausible explanation for their fantasy elements. Inception is just a straightforward psychological thriller that happens to be set in a world just a tad different from reality.

[Billie Goodson]

I think the real genius was that Nolan never attempted to explain how they got into other people's dreams. It's just sort of assumed at the beginning that it happens. Many sci-fi films get side-tracked trying to create plausible explanation for their fantasy elements. Inception is just a straightforward psychological thriller that happens to be set in a world just a tad different from reality.

Agree...you see the "machine/case" and see them use it, but never see enough to even begin to be able to understand how they use it or what it does. That keeps you from being able to pick it apart. Any explanation would probably have been too unbelievable, so just ignoring it really was the best option. It was interesting that you even saw the machine in the dreams.

[Mike Schutz]

Have been looking forward to this, primarily because I am a fan of Nolan. Hope to see it this weekend, if I can convince Esther to go - she was not a fan of any of the three Nolan movies mentioned above, even though her husband and children forced her into watching them.

[Ryan Scott]

Have been looking forward to this, primarily because I am a fan of Nolan. Hope to see it this weekend, if I can convince Esther to go - she was not a fan of any of the three Nolan movies mentioned above, even though her husband and children forced her into watching them.

My wife loved it, if that's any help in persuading.

[Jason McPherson]

I saw the movie this past weekend. While I enjoyed it, I think it is going to be a movie that I like more the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc, time that I see it. I am sure there is a ton that I missed.

[David Pettigrew]

Would it be worth it to pay the extra to see this in IMAX? This is a time sensitive question!

[Ryan Scott]

Would it be worth it to pay the extra to see this in IMAX? This is a time sensitive question!

It might be too late, but I don't think IMAX would drastically improve the movie. The effects are cool, but not "Transformers" cool, more like "Matrix" cool. No extra-giant screen needed.

[David Pettigrew]

Yeah, I saw the regular version, which was 5 bucks cheaper, and was glad I did. I couldn't imagine what IMAX would have added.

[Paul DeBaufer]

It might be too late, but I don't think IMAX would drastically improve the movie. The effects are cool, but not "Transformers" cool, more like "Matrix" cool. No extra-giant screen needed.

I agree, Inception isn't going to win any post-production effects awards. While they did a decent job with the effects I think they relied more on concepts than effects.

[Billie Goodson]

I agree, Inception isn't going to win any post-production effects awards. While they did a decent job with the effects I think they relied more on concepts than effects.

Actually, I thought they did bring in a lot of effects, but they blended them well into the story. In a movie about dreams, they had every right to open up the whole can -- but they held back and kept the effects not as the point of the movie. I loved that actually! Too many movies lately are trying to wow us with the effects meanwhile, the script/acting is so minimal that we have nothing to enjoy but the effects. As much as I enjoyed Avatar for its effects, the other factors were pretty bland to me.

[Andy Mistak]

Saw this last night. I think it was the best movie I've seen in a while.

[Paul DeBaufer]

Actually, I thought they did bring in a lot of effects, but they blended them well into the story. In a movie about dreams, they had every right to open up the whole can -- but they held back and kept the effects not as the point of the movie. I loved that actually! Too many movies lately are trying to wow us with the effects meanwhile, the script/acting is so minimal that we have nothing to enjoy but the effects. As much as I enjoyed Avatar for its effects, the other factors were pretty bland to me.

I agree that they had a lot of special effects yet not so much as to interfere with the content. What I was saying is that compared to something like Avatar the effects in Inception were simpler and not done as well, not to say I didn't like what they did. I just think that story was more important than the effects.

[Billie Goodson]

I agree that they had a lot of special effects yet not so much as to interfere with the content. What I was saying is that compared to something like Avatar the effects in Inception were simpler and not done as well, not to say I didn't like what they did. I just think that story was more important than the effects.

I wonder what it could have been if it had been in 3D with the avatar-ish visuals? That may have been too much for me to process! I do agree with you, just don't want to overlook what they did do. The movement of the "bundle of folks" in the hallway was pretty eye catching to me. The only time I really thought the graphics paused was once when Decaprio and the female transitioned from a floor to a wall. I think I left Avatar thinking "wow, great CGI" I didn't think that when leaving Inception, and I think there was more than initially I picked up on...that is what got me to thinking that the effects are actually better.

[Ryan Scott]

Christopher Nolan got a little burned by 3D during Dark Knight shooting. Apparently he was trying to shoot either part or the whole movie in IMAX-3D - with special 3D IMAX cameras (as opposed to showing a 3D movie on the IMAX screen, which is how Avatar and some others have done it). According to one story I read he had every 3D IMAX camera in the world on his set, but apparently broke one during shooting, which messed up the schedule and ultimately cost them the chance to do it how he wanted.

Again - another sort of odd story, but I do think he does better with a smaller stage. He's very good with the details. I thought Inception had a lot of the same vibe I liked so much in Momento.

[Mike Schutz]

Saw it last night. As I expected - I loved it, my wife did not. Based upon what she said during both the previews and as we were exiting the theatre, I am afraid that her joining me to see Inception will cost me - the cost will likely be my joining her to see Charlie St. Cloud.

[Mike Schutz]

UPDATE: My wife and I went to see Inception for a second time last night. Our son has returned from a summer of traveling in a ministry team and wanted to see it. My lovely wife actually liked it. That's good. Perhaps I will be spared "Zac" whatever his name is.

[Shea Zellweger]

UPDATE: My wife and I went to see Inception for a second time last night. Our son has returned from a summer of traveling in a ministry team and wanted to see it. My lovely wife actually liked it. That's good. Perhaps I will be spared "Zac" whatever his name is.

Nah, that movie's set in Quincy. You have to see it for Nostalgic purposes.

[Billy Cox]

i found the movie more realistic than many other action-type movies lately (like Knight and Day) which is kind of comical given the premise of the movie.

The only thing that didn't quite jive with me was how much trouble they went to just to split up some mega-corporation. It would be kind of like Superman risking life and limb just to prevent the theft of a trainload of scrap metal.

[Julie Reed]

Excellent movie. We talked about for hours after we saw it.

[Leon McCaffrey]

agree, mentally stimulating movie!

[Cam Pence]

i saw the movie last night and loved it. all my friends told me the ending was confusing but i did not think so. however now i am second guessing myself and if no body wants the thread to go this way then just ignore me, but what is your take on the ending?

[Jeremy D. Scott]

I saw it recently too. Liked it. Wasn't blown away. Could need to see it again.

[Rich Schmidt]

i saw the movie last night and loved it. all my friends told me the ending was confusing but i did not think so. however now i am second guessing myself and if no body wants the thread to go this way then just ignore me, but what is your take on the ending?

We just saw it on DVD last week. We (my wife and I) both enjoyed it. I didn't think the ending was confusing. They cut before the top fell, so I suppose there are folks wondering if he's back to the real world or still stuck in some kind of dream... but I think it's pretty clear that he's back in the real world.

I watched it a second time a few days later... but I don't know that I'll need to watch it again. Not for a while, anyway.

[Rich Schmidt]

The only thing that didn't quite jive with me was how much trouble they went to just to split up some mega-corporation. It would be kind of like Superman risking life and limb just to prevent the theft of a trainload of scrap metal.

That was only the motivation of the guy footing the bill, Saito (Watanabe). Cobb's (DiCaprio's) motivation was to finally get to go home and be with his kids -- and I think we'd all agree that was worth just about any risk. The others did it for money or, in the case of Ariadne (Page/Juno), for the thrill of creating new worlds and then out of concern for the rest of the team -- though she probably was paid well, too.

I suppose it didn't hurt that the mega-corporation they were helping split up was about to dominate the world's energy markets. Most of us would see that as "probably a bad thing."

[Cam Pence]

We just saw it on DVD last week. We (my wife and I) both enjoyed it. I didn't think the ending was confusing. They cut before the top fell, so I suppose there are folks wondering if he's back to the real world or still stuck in some kind of dream... but I think it's pretty clear that he's back in the real world.

I watched it a second time a few days later... but I don't know that I'll need to watch it again. Not for a while, anyway.

rich,
i thought the end was pretty straight forward too except i did not the top begin to fall. it wobbles a bit at the end but nothing to solidly make me believe that he was not still in "limbo". i'll have to watch it again because i like your ending better.

[Rich Schmidt]

rich,
i thought the end was pretty straight forward too except i did not the top begin to fall. it wobbles a bit at the end but nothing to solidly make me believe that he was not still in "limbo". i'll have to watch it again because i like your ending better.

Whenever he was dreaming, the top spun smoothly and forever. At the end, you can see and hear it starting to falter before they cut. At least, that's what it looked and sounded like to us.

[Jon Twitchell]

Didn't the totem end up in somebody else's hands at one point? If so, then we can't consider the totem as reliable. But it was a while since I saw it, so I simply don't remember.

[Rich Schmidt]

Didn't the totem end up in somebody else's hands at one point? If so, then we can't consider the totem as reliable. But it was a while since I saw it, so I simply don't remember.

Yep, Saito had it (as did one or more of his guards) in limbo.

So I suppose one of them could have modified it to falter whether he was dreaming or not... but why?

[Stu Weber]

rich,
i thought the end was pretty straight forward too except i did not the top begin to fall. it wobbles a bit at the end but nothing to solidly make me believe that he was not still in "limbo". i'll have to watch it again because i like your ending better.

On my list of movies to watch.....don't tell me the ending

[Bradley Grinnen]

i thoroughly enjoyed it more with each viewing. would recommend watching it a few times on dvd... or on vhs if you're 80.

[Bradley Grinnen]

Saw it last night. As I expected - I loved it, my wife did not. Based upon what she said during both the previews and as we were exiting the theatre, I am afraid that her joining me to see Inception will cost me - the cost will likely be my joining her to see Charlie St. Cloud.

mike, i didn't drag my wife to inception and i still had to watch the st cloud movie. yes, i could feel some testosterone evaporating from me while enduring that movie.

[Chris Easton]

Really great movie...I did find myself really becoming aware of my own dreams fro three or four days after watching... Weirdly cool.

[Scott Moseley]

Just watched this movie again after about a year. Funny i found my self not nearly enthralled as gee whiz super cool... but rather this time i found it a bit tedious and wishing it was little shorter and for the book if there is one. I don't plan on viewing #3 for quite some time if ever.