Hot New Movie Review - Inception

So, I went to my local Cineworld to see Christopher Nolan's Inception last night, hailed as THE best movie of 2010 (even though it's only July!), and I have to say, it was everything it's pimped out to be.

I won't go into too much plot detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it! Basically (and that's not the correct word to use when talking about this movie trust me!), Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, who is exceptionally trained and skilled in the art of 'extraction' - stealing information from someone's mind when they are in a dreamstate, which is when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb is the best at what he does but being the best has cost him his life, he is permanently on the run, never able to return to his home or family in the USA. So it's no surprise that when he is offered one last job that could give him his life back he grabs at it like me and T at a L.A.M.B. sample sale. However, the job is not extraction, but 'inception' which is the reverse of what he normally does. Inception involves planting an idea in the mind which will then influence the dreamer upon waking, a very dangerous and complex task, as we soon see as he takes his team of skilled extractors (played by Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe and Dileep Rao) deep into the mind of the target (Cillian Murphy).


The movie is nearly 2 hrs 30 mins long but it doesn't seem that long at all. You never stop thinking and questioning what you are seeing or hearing and there is a good balance between action and dialogue, boredom is not an issue here! From the trailer, I was already expecting crazy special effects and although the effects were amazing, they settled into the movie and the story seamlessly, so much so that I didn't even really notice how good they were at the time! It's really refreshing to be able to watch a movie with such amazing effects but not have them look gratuitous or seperated from the story itself.


Leo is, as always, outstanding but it was great to see the talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a big role like this, he plays Leo's extraction partner, Arthur, a really cool, calm and collected guy (yes I swooned). I also loved Tom Hardy as Eames, who seems to have all the best comedic lines, delivering them with they type of suave gentlemanly charm that makes you smile to yourself like you're the only one in on the joke. And yeah, maybe I swooned again. Just a little ;)

So that's all I'm going to give you - I liked it. A lot. If it sounds like your type of movie, or you are a Leo fan, then you need to see this. Yes, concentration is required but the best movies always do. If you just want to stare at effects then you might be better going to see Shrek 4 in 3D because you need to follow Inception closely, this is not your Avatar style effects driven movie. It asks A LOT of questions, and the end will probably blow your mind. It sure blew the mind of the guy sitting behind us.

Best movie of 2010? Well, I'll come back to you on that next January, but it has to be up there ;)

JC - looking for my totem.....