The irony of this film is that many who see it won’t realize that one of the themes is how easy it is to manipulate what we think and feel by governments, businesses, advertising, religions and so on. The technology used in the film to take it all to a much higher level doesn’t exist yet, and may never exist as portrayed, but that doesn’t mean other means won’t be just as effective in trying to control us.
I’m not going to talk about the plot: the less you know going in the better. Be aware that the trailers only hint at the depth of this film. And that’s one potential problem for the filmmakers. This is a film for intelligent people with multiple levels of things going on, often at the same time. While there are plenty of explosions, gun battles and car chases for those less inclined to brain usage, even they serve the story in ways you aren’t used to. And what a story. Reality is what you make it. Literally.
If all you want is a popcorn film that requires little more than turning off your brain, go watch crap like Sux and the City or Transformers XII or whatever other remake or marginal TV show is playing this week. But if you want something that will stretch your mind and is truly original that haven’t seen before, Inception is the film for you.
It’s hard to imagine that writer/director Christopher Nolan (Momento, The Dark Knight) won’t win the Oscar for best screenplay because it’s hard to imagine there being a more original idea and execution of one this year. I don’t praise films often, but this time, Uncle Dave says go see it!
“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi.”
I saw it, too. A fair review.
The less you know going in, the better. Yes.
id give it a 5 or 6 out of ten. all the cool scenes are shown in the trailer. dicrapio plays the same role in every movie. the dreams werent dreamy enough and relied on physics too much.
and than
*POSSIBLE SPOILER*
using a machine to go into dreams…ok, thats cool. but than when you are in the dream, you have another machine to go into another dream? that is flawed in soooo many ways in my opinion.
sure i can just ignore that and try to ejoy the movie, but it became just a long long longggg movie wih a few shooting scenes.
BUT, i must say, its the kid from 3rd rocks best movie.
meh, wonder what JCD thinks of it
Def going to see it if it’s rated NS (no sheeple). I’m not crazy about dicaprio but he has indeed matured a bit.
I didn’t care for the matrix though.
My wife dragged me to the movie last night. She loves DiCrapio.
The music was horrendous. It was so loud and overpowering, you couldn’t pay attention to the movie (as the plot jumped spasmodically from one scene to another and to another, over and over again). I wish I had brought along some earplugs to dull down the music track. My ears are still ringing today.
jbenson2…
I think that was a problem with your theater, not the movie. Was perfect at my theater.
Saw it. Good movie.
Don’t leave to go to the bathroom though, or you’ll be lost.
People being manipulated in their dreams, huh, must be just a “Dreamscape”.
I’m an intellectual and i found this movie quite boring and just not good.
Maybe because it felt too much like a wannabe Dark City/ Matrix/ James Bond flick?
It felt like i’ve seen it before and i thought the action scenes were just stupid. The psychological aspects with his ‘dead wife’ were much more interesting.
So he was really patient 67 all along?
I can sum the whole plot in one sentence:
“I’m Dom Cobb, I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me.”
What a mind fu*k. But if you want to be entertained see something else.
I saw it last night, and as usual – being a science geek – had to hang disbelief on the wall.
A bit like Jurassic Park – where one Little Thing is possible – and seemingly easy – you accept it, and the plot / story is great.
Fast action, however too much gratuitous violence, great Motion effects. The CGI did not look like CGI.
In a nice surprise – the ending – I actually thought it was great, in character with the movie.
Scores an extra point for being original, 7/10.
Ditto, #6 and #10. Has all the earmarks of a great script or at least treatment that was mangled by studio notes and/or testing. At least they pilfered some of the production design from some great movies. Echoes of James Bond, 2001, even expected a Groundhog Day moment. Maybe this flick will bring some to notice how few people notice or care about the distinction between real and imagined (and I ain’t just talkin’ ’bout the TV).
What a snobbish review.
#5 Pedrito, I’ll tell u how it was. Do they show first run American movies in your village yet or still those unlicensed John Wayne movies?
“but that doesn’t mean other means won’t be just as effective in trying to control us.” //// Future Tense? ==== Haw, Haw. Can we count how many ways we have been manipulated?
In a meaningless universe, everything we believe ((showing my bias: “outside of our mother’s love”)) is created for us by others, which we come to accept.
Several films play to the same theme. One I have watched a few times and still don’t follow is “Jacob’s Ladder.” A feww others I can’t recall the name of. Difficult films because like Fantasy Films, once “reality” is not providing a reference point, and anything can happen at any point, then even in a meaningless world, what does it mean? I mean – you know what I mean?
Pedro==best post in months. Even YOU calling Dallas a sheeple works once a year. Ha, ha.
But seriously folks, google “Active Dreaming.” I have experienced it and failed to direct my dreams in certain ways because I wasn’t sure if I was awake or asleep. Then when I woke up, I was pissed I didn’t do it. I can’t will myself into it by thinking about it before going to sleep. Maybe I should think longer, or buy those glasses? Yes, move that up on my bucket list.
Looks entertaining. I’d almost attend a theater to watch it.
I was entertained. The sound was overbearing in my theater also. Did it seem like Shutter Island just because of DiCaprio?
great movie IMHO, definitely see it if you have the chance
“I’m an intellectual and i found…….”
If you say so.
Easily the best move of the year, so far. I have a feeling it’s going to be very successful and eventually start earning some of the late game negativity that The Dark Knight did. You know, when fanboys start picking apart the film because they want to seem cool for seeing how it really was not as good as everyone else says it is.
If you want to see DiCaprio do an excellent job of acting, watch “Blood Diamonds.”
If you want a mind fuck film you can go past Santa Sangre. Jacobs ladder meets Psycho.
VERY good movie. Loved it.
However, it is very much like the Matrix.
For example:
– You don’t know which reality you are in
– There are multiple levels of “reality”, occuring at once
– Reality is what you perceive it; reality is a dream
– We can forget or be fooled about which level of reality we are on
– We enter these levels through advanced technology
– You need training to function properly on these levels
– Old tech combined with advanced tech
– Others can infiltrate our minds. We can control other’s minds
– Fights occuring without gravity
– Key scene done by blowing brakes on elevator
– Whole thing is like a video game
However, I did like the movie….
– Others
Row Row Row Your Boat,
It’s been done!
Paprika 2006.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/
http://chud.com/articles/articles/24477/1/NEVER-WAKE-UP-THE-MEANING-AND-SECRET-OF-INCEPTION/Page1.html
Interestng review with spoilers. Easier to read if you change the page style to none in “view”