Inception

Original Rating: 5/5 What better film to review for my first rewatch log than my number one favorite film of all time, Christopher Nolan's mind-bending sci-fi action thriller, Inception (2010). I've watched this film over four times now, and it is one of those films that never gets old. Each time I watch it, I understand concepts and ideas surrounding the story even better, and every time I watch it, I feel like I'm stepping into a new dream, unwilling to wake up from it. In short, this film is perfect. Here's are a few reasons why: Firstly, it's because of the concept. Coming up with such a mind-blowingly inventive concept feels practically impossible, yet somehow, Christopher Nolan managed to pull it off. Moreover, turning this concept into a brilliantly cinematic story capable of captivating audiences for a full two-and-a-half hours is even more impossible. Yet Nolan still somehow did it. His exposition scenes were packed with quick dialogue and even quicker action scenes, making them feel urgent and important, and as every minute ticked away, more secrets were revealed, one by one, as if locked in different dreams inside dreams. Giving this story so much emotional depth and so many intelligent ideas was crucial to creating this film, and Nolan perfected that to an impossibly flawless degree. Secondly, this film would've been great with its extraordinary concept, but what really turned the concept of inception from an idea to a story was the emotional depth this film had. It shaped Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his character in peak storytelling fashion, and made the audience root for him. It justified his actions and gave otherwise bland moments some reason for the audience to care about. For example, if Mal (Marion Cotillard) had just been his dead wife with no emotional background, Cobb's refusal to believe she was a projection would've felt very odd and forced, but because she was so connected to him, when they were in limbo, when they were out, and even when she was dead, made his actions feel real and the stakes feel higher. Additionally, Nolan's amazing way of showing the moral of 'moving on' is something that is often overshadowed by the other aspects of this film even though it is one of the most important things to come out of this mind-bending story. It shows how a memory of a person that you forcibly hold on to, that you refuse to make peace with, becomes infected and corrupt, leaving you with an unnatural and changed version of the one that you once loved. Thirdly, even though I give full credit for how beautiful and exemplary this film is to Mr. Nolan himself, I think some credit should also go to one of the greatest music composers of our time, Hans Zimmer. His epic sound design and theme entitled, 'Time' really powered the whole film, especially the ending. The sheer brilliance and emotion packed into that theme is one of the things that makes Inception perfect. Another thing that contributed to this film's perfect status was the unique, edge-of-the-seat action sequences. This is an aspect I don't really like about most films, because it's very repetitive and unoriginal in those cases. However, when it comes to 2010's Inception, things are different. Most notably, I'm referring to the rotating and gravity-less hallway fight scene with Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). I remember the first time I saw this film, being instantly blown away at how excellent and innovative this scene was; my jaw down to the ground, while I was glued to my seat, and my eyes were refusing to blink, to prevent missing even a quarter of a second. It was one of those amazing cinematic experiences I've ever experienced to this day, and something that proved once again, that this is a perfect film. Obviously, I can't prove that this film is a perfect masterpiece in every way without acknowledging the fantastic performances given by almost everyone in the film. Acting is what brings stories to life on the big screen, and I could instantly tell that the two actors who really brought this film to life were Leonardo DiCaprio (who plays Dom Cobb), and Cillian Murphy (who plays Robert Fischer). Leo's performance in this was beyond impressive and really detached me from the image of him as Leo DiCaprio. Instead, I always saw Dom Cobb because Leo brought so much realism to his character and blended in incredibly well among the plot and emotion, that it was impossible to differentiate between the actor and the character. Cillian Murphy, on the other hand, gave an even better performance in my opinion. He mailed the realism and the blending into his character part, but he went a step forward and doubled down on the aspects of true emotional range. In fact, his final scene, when he's sitting beside Fischer Senior, clutching his hand, and crying, is the reason I was truly convinced he could play the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan's most recent film, *Oppenheimer* (2023). Lastly, I think I should address the ending. The ending of any Nolan film, may it be the recently reviewed *The Prestige (2006), or 2014's Interstellar, is always mind boggling and really amazing, but no matter how fantastic those endings are, there's no better ending to a film than the ending of this film: Inception*. The real relief I felt when Cobb woke up with Saito (Ken Watanabe) on the plane was something that I cannot express in words, but it was a feeling I've never felt while watching a film. That feeling perceived through the airport scene, all upto the scene where Cobb finally meets his kids. Then, when the camera panned to the top still spinning, a whole new feeling took the place of the relief, and suddenly, I was thinking. Thinking whether this was all a dream. It's one of the greatest endings to not just a film, but a story too because of how many debates it can spark, without being decisive. It's a topic that had kept people talking about this film even today, over fourteen years later. So, I think it's pretty clear to see how this is a perfect film in so many ways, and why I'm going to keep this film's five star rating. Don't you want to take a leap of faith? Nolan Ranked 5/5 **24 August 2024 *chymp*