Friday Film: Inception

In Nolan's latest film, he takes the audience for the roller coaster ride that he was made famous for, but returns to the intellectual realm as well.

The Story:
If you haven't heard from all the hype, Inception is about dreaming and the power over that "reality" certain people have. Nolan takes that basic premise and builds a complete universe with a history and laws. So, what is inception? It's a process of entering another person's subconscious and acting. Without giving too much away, the film falls within the heist/rescue mission genre...barely. Either way, this is the reason to see the film as Nolan's real craft is telling the story.

The Cast:
Nolan put together a cast of heavy hitters including his favorites in Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine. Leonardo di Caprio provides the same, reliably compelling performance as the protagonist Cobb. Every actor gives a likeability to his or her character and makes each one unique and memorable.

The Effects:
You may think you have seen the major stuff in the previews but those were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Nolan does in Inception. Furthermore, the big set pieces may draw you to buy the ticket, but it's the subtle imagery that will stick the most.

The Duration:
Now, a lot of reviewers don't talk about duration of movies as a whole topic but this is important to me. Whereas Nolan's previous work The Dark Knight felt about thirty minutes too long, Inception only feels about ten. Even so, Inception kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat for the entire film. I rarely, if ever, had to adjust in my seat.

The Verdict:
See it in theaters. When Nolan said he worked on this screenplay for 10 years, all I could think was that this was going to be another Avatar. However, this is not only a visual rival to Avatar, but a far superior film.