Inception

As a huge fan of the work of Christopher Nolan, I was genuinely excited about the release of 'Inception'. With an enormous budget, an excellent cast and a director whose work somehow seems to improve with every film, this should undoubtedly be a contender for film of the year. Given the staggering commercial success of 'The Dark Knight', Nolan, it would appear, has been given free reign to make 'Inception' with no studio interference, allowing the director to create a film purely of his own vision, free from any constraints. So, it is with a hint of disappointment that, for me, 'Inception' does not deliver in the way I hoped so dearly that it would.

By no means is it a bad film. In fact, had this been the work of a director I wasn’t such a fan of, I may have enjoyed the film considerably more, as the weight of expectation and anticipation would have been far less. 'Inception' is on many levels, an absolute success. Visually, it sets a new standard in how to use CGI both intelligently and innovatively, creating dreamscapes in which buildings and whole streets can literally be folded and manipulated at the command of the dream ‘architecht’.

The scenes played out between DiCaprio and Page, in which she learns how to alter her dream surroundings are as immersive and spectacular as any special effects blockbuster I have seen. Furthermore, there are some superbly choreographed scenes created mechanically, allowing the film to flow without being wholly reliant on CGI. The fight scene in the hotel, in which the character of Arthur appears to be floating and fighting in zero gravity through the corridors, is particularly worthy of mention. The cast also play their part, with each of the core members providing flawless performances, DiCaprio once again furthering his credentials as one of Hollywood’s finest contemporaries.

With such a combination of excellent cast, director and engaging subject matter, why is that 'Inception' doesn’t quite deliver on all fronts? It is my belief that while it is great to see an intelligent, complex, big budget blockbuster in our cinemas, its feels as though 'Inception' slightly over-stretches itself in terms of complex and highly convoluted ideas and plot threads. As we move with the characters through various layers of dreams, the lines betweens each become increasingly blurred, at times, running the risk of alienating its audience. Some may argue that this is the very purpose of the film; to immerse the audience so deeply into the worlds and layers of the dream that they become lost in the world of the characters.

For me, however, the resulting feeling was merely one of uncertainty as to what was really happening. While I was able to understand the overall plot clearly enough, it is the somewhat convoluted explanations that prevent 'Inception' from being a complete success. The idea of unconventional narrative structure and exposition is not new territory for Nolan, as we have seen in his superbly constructed thriller 'Memento', a film which I believe achieves a superior balance between conceptual complexity and narrative exposition. However, while it may not be perfect, 'Inception' is certainly a huge step in the right direction for thought-provoking, intelligent blockbusters.