Inception

Review by Sean Lynch

Set your mind to "Blown", sit back, relax and forget what you know about what constitutes as a "Hollywood Blockbuster" - because Christopher Nolan's Inception has arrived.

And here's hoping Hollywood never looks back...

From acclaimed writer / director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento) comes a truly astonishing feat in Hollywood film making :  a genuinely complex, compelling, lush film that is epic in every sense of the word yet never gets lost within it's own sense of self importance (Avatar) or intelligence (The Matrix).

Most importantly, Inception is 100% original, and while that may not sound too important, when the only movies that are currently offered to us are reboots, remakes, prequels and sequels - the idea of a big budget, completely original film is the storytelling equivalent of James Cameron's "technological industry game changer".

Inception follows the plight of Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction (the art of stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious while the mind is in it's dream state). 

Cobb's rare ability has made him an in-demand commodity in the world of corporate espionage, but it's also lead to him becoming an international fugitive.

However Cobb (who, interestingly enough, shares the same name and themeatic ideals as the lead character in Nolan's first feature Following) has one chance at redemption left on the table, the old "One last job", which could give him his life back.

The mission : inception (the near impossible concept of PLANTING an idea in someone's mind, not steal it).

In the simplest terms possible : what follows is a two hour, gorgeously shot, perfectly orchestrated, intricately complex, gloriously paced, mind bending mirror-world Oceans 11.

Much like The Dark Knight, Nolan manages to unravel some fairly intelligent ideas here (without ever getting over complex to cover up the holes in the story like The Matrix movies did) while keeping the audience on edge with a constant sense of danger thanks to Hans Zimmer's ground-trembling score.

The cast, too, is top notch. DiCaprio leads from the front, but it's ensemble members like Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard that really hold this thing together.

However, it's Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) who really comes out of Inception with the most momentum - he owns every second he's on screen. Don't be surprised if the former 3rd Rock From The Sun star walks away with one (of what will be many) Oscar Awards... and a major role in Nolan's next Batman  film.

The visuals are just as sublime as the rock solid script - and unlike the similarly budgeted Prince Of Persia , The A-Team or G.I Joe (upwards of $150M), every cent can be seen on screen.

It would be stupid to wax lyrical about the hidden meanings and deeper motives behind the film in this review, it'd only cheat you of one of the most satisfying cinema experiences (and subsequent week long discussions with friends) you'll encounter this decade.

The term "Must See" has never been more deserved.

4.75 out of 5

Inception
Australian release: 22nd July, 2010
Official Site: Inception
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page
Director: Christopher Nolan