Inception Review

When we fall asleep, it can be astounding at how convincing the world of a dream can be to us. Christopher Nolan’s Inception shows us exactly that, but with a bit more of a practical atmosphere.

Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is both a scientist and a thief. With a group of co-workers, certain technology allows them to enter into the dream of a subject and discover secrets from their subconscious. But a new mind game is about to be played. Confronted by a man named Saito (Ken Watanabe), Cobb needs to use his technology to plant an idea into someone’s head instead of taking it. Inside of a dream world where even the unrealistic can be fooling, Cobb begins to face the terrors of his own mind while dealing with the survival of his teammates.

Nolan shows in his film that dreams can be analyzed scientifically, using laws and psychological imagery to make the world something to be understood. The dreams could be best described as an onion, with every skin being peeled back into something new but similar at the same time.

The explorers of the dream world are brought to life by a cast that dives straight into Nolan’s style of filmmaking. The script is made for a somewhat basic guide to “dream-walking”, with the writers hoping viewers will follow it with as minimal difficulty as possible. Audience members will have to have sharp sight, hearing and memory while watching the film. They could get easily lost in some of the psychological “mumbo jumbo” dialogue.

Many things that would be common questions from a dreamer will be explored, but not necessarily answered. The viewer will see the mind as something both mysterious and maybe even a little dangerous, but that’s where the fun in Inception begins.

The visual effects, cinematography and action are intertwined beautifully for this picture. The use of optical illusions and bending the laws of physics is something that makes it both head-spinning but intriguing. Inception’s style of music is a fascinating score, with heavy brass and strings giving the world an intricate and almost constructive feel to it.

For a dream world, don’t expect the atmosphere to get too imaginative. Granted, you will be dazzled by what you see, but the dreams stand on almost realistic ground. There are no psychedelic vortexes or kooky cartoons, it’s a world very similar to our own except with a much wider design of reality. Nevertheless, Inception is something you will very likely rest your head on at night and hope to remember before you wake up the next morning.