INCEPTION
by Michael B. Druxman on 12/07/10
December 8, 2010
I finally saw INCEPTION the other night. Here's my take on it.
Despite all its impressive trimmings, writer-director Christopher Nolan's Inception is, essentially, a caper movie. But, instead of robbing a bank or an art museum, the crooks in this film are planning to insert an idea into their victim's subconscious.
On the plus side, in our world of never ending sequels and remakes, this is a fascinating, extremely original premise for a film. On a technical level, it deserves to sweep the upcoming awards season. The CGI special effects are, indeed, breathtaking, like none you have ever seen before, and I include AVATAR in that assessment.
The cast members, which include Leonard DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Berenger, Tom Hardy and, in a very small role, Michael Caine, are all at the top of their game.
On the other hand, the movie does have several problems, one of which appears to be very common with directors of CGI action movies (i.e. they let their action sequences run on too long, far after they have served their purpose for the story).
For example, in one of the movie's dream sequences, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bouncing off the walls and the ceiling as he fights some of the bad guys. Aside from the fact that this sequence overstays its welcome, I couldn't help thinking while watching it that, back in ROYAL WEDDING (1951), Fred Astaire danced on both the walls and the ceiling in a far less frantic and much more entertaining way.
That's not the only action sequence that goes on far too long. The picture could have easily lost 15-20 minutes that would not have been missed.
The fact that the plot of the movie involves dreams within dreams within dreams makes it a bit convoluted and, at times, difficult to follow. We're never quite sure at any particular moment if we're watching a dream or reality.
And, despite the best efforts of the cast, none of the characters seem very likable. They are all rather "cold," thus you find yourself "watching" this handsome movie and marveling at its sights, but you never become emotionally involved.
What do you think?
Have a creative day.
Michael