Inception

Wow! I think that is probably the simplest saying for this movie. Inception is a great mind thinking thriller, with amazing visual effects and cinematography. Just when I thought that Nolan couldn't get any better  than "The Dark Knight" he outshines himself once again and delivers a great new masterpiece. This movie is so powerful and is really rich in the themes that have not been seen in theaters for a few years. Typically films that question illusions vs. reality make them weird and strange to watch, but Nolan is able to grip us in such an iron claw of the storyline that our attention is kept and I could not help it but find myself wanting to know what happens next with me sitting on the edge of my seat.

Christopher Nolan not only shows that he is a great director with Inception, but that he is one that will definitely go down with the great directors of years past. He has an amazing ability to seduce our eyes, ears and most importantly, mind, and then delivers everything to us with full force and impact. Rarely have blockbusters been daring enough to deliver films with such doses of imagination and intelligence at the same time. Not too mention it is a rarity that a movie brings intelligence and visuals/action together. Usually it is either all visual a la "Michael Bay" films or the exact opposite. In this film the excellently directed action sequences combined with immensely groundbreaking and jaw-dropping visual effects are combined smoothly with a heavy dose of intelligence and believability.

Of course, a film is not complete without the actors. Leo DiCaprio delivers an Oscar worthy performance. He shows glimpses of a flawed, grim, fragile man, who has knowledge about everything else but yet can't seem to come in grips with himself and his demons. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, Marion Cottilard, Pete Postlethwaite, Lukas Haas... Nolan really brings out the best in this unusual yet extremely talented group of supporting actors who make their roles their own.
 
The visual effects within this movie are simply breathtaking and yet they do not overwhelm the audience or take away from the story, but simply enrich the story. The simplicity of the visuals is very unique when compared to a lot of the different films that come out nowadays. There are slow-motion shots, but no impossible kung fu fighting sequences. It's especially interesting when the film gets into the architecture of certain dreams, and impossible sequences are filmed in a way I've never seen other than in drawings.
 
No matter how great the visuals are it would all be for naught without the great storyline and all the layers that are laid out before us by Nolan's writing. There are many twists and turns in this film, but Nolan never loses his focus in the process of telling the story. A lot of directors could learn from Nolan's ability to still keep his film focused no matter the twists and turns.  Ideas have never felt more interesting and put to good use than in this film. This film is NOT for the popcorn muncher, rather it is a film for thinkers. Honestly I can't explain the plot for fear of spoiling the movie for you readers. Even the slightest hint will ruin the experience. The viewer will walk out of the cinema feeling dazed, confused and ultimately breathless. It's like a puzzle, both physically and mentally, and you have to pay attention throughout the film for the clues. However Nolan controls the spectacle of the film and is careful not to let it overwhelm the film's humanity, and this is where Inception shines. It is a very deep film that will have one thinking and asking questions for many years to come.

This is definitely a movie that will have the viewer wanting to see over and over again. Obviously with a movie that makes you think so much and really pay attention you are going to see something new every time. This is a film that requires multiple viewing for someone to truly comprehend the film's ambiguous themes, and will be discussed by many in the future.

It is definitely interesting to note that there are really two types of films out there: the crowd pleasing blockbuster and the intelligent indie/art film. Yet somehow Nolan gives us a meld of the two types into one brilliant film. This movie did not disappoint in any aspect, I left the theater and I do not think there was one thing that I was disappointed in from the movie. I am going to give this movie four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely a movie that will be added to my collection. This movie is one that everyone will have to see in the theater and that I know I will see again so I can catch all the little nuances the second time around.

-The Movie Man-