Nolan's New Film Captivating From Its 'Inception'

July 21, 2010

Ryan Maddux & Andy Stuckey Greensburg Daily News The Greensburg Daily News Wed Jul 21, 2010, 08:55 PM EDT

Greensburg — With Andy in our Nation's capital, I'll be flying solo this week with Christopher Nolan's latest cinematic endeavor, Inception (PG-13).

In the film a team of dream thieves decide that instead of stealing an idea from an unsuspecting victim they will instead plant an idea in the subject's subconscious. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the film and is joined by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe and Marion Cotillard.

Ryan: Can one movie save a summer movie season? Probably not but Inception sure does its best in redeeming a dreadful summer. For a summer movie, Christopher Nolan's Inception is as engrossing of a film that one can watch. It stimulates one not only at a visceral level but on an intellectual level as well. Much of the brilliance of the film is how it balances its stylized action and drama (typical of a summer movies) with the depth of a more sophisticated film. Now I'm not suggesting that the movie is one big brain tease. In fact I'm willing to bet that the film isn't as deep as some moviegoers are going to want it to be. Nonetheless Inception is the atypical summer spectacle that resonates long after viewing.

Like all Christopher Nolan films Inception is grounded in reality - especially with regard to its look. Now I realize a movie about people stealing and/or planting ideas in other people's dreams sounds about as unrealistic as it gets. But it needs to be said that Nolan creates a dream world that is devoid of the visual absurdity that normally plays out in a typical movie about dreams and dreaming. That notion is important because Nolan alone dictates the rules of the game of Inception. If one doesn't buy what Nolan is selling then one isn't going to appreciate what the movie is about.

Christopher Nolan always puts his actors in ideal situations and Inception is no different. While DiCaprio exercised some psychological angst earlier this year in Shutter Island, he's much more in tune with his performance in Inception and showcases yet again that he's one of the best actors of his generation. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues his strong work - from last year's breakout hit, (500) Days of Summer - and is quickly becoming a star in his own right. Now while Inception is loaded with solid performances, the role that really stood out for me is that of Marion Cotillard's. Inception blurs its genres together but at the heart of the film is a love story and Cotillard's character and subsequently her performances cements the film together.

Part heist film, part sci-fi thriller, part action movie and part psychological noir, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what Inception is. And I have absolutely no problem with that. While the film will remind film-goers of other movies, I have to give Nolan loads of credit for creating a movie that's refreshingly original. With a film narrative that involves reality, dreams and dreams-within-dreams (times two) it's safe to say that Inception brings a lot to the table. I'm not suggesting that every moviegoer will like Inception but at the very least the film will stay with you and that in and of itself is noteworthy. Final grade: A-.

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