Inception

🔥 8th Watch | Top 100 | Christopher Nolan Ranked I wouldn't be lying if I said my appreciation and love for the film hasn't dwindled slightly over the years. Though it used to be one of my favorites of Nolan's in the past, Inception for me is the weakest of his movies that I "love." Nolan spends a lot of time setting up the rules for dreaming, diving deep into the math and science behind the process, only for those rules to end up nullified in the actual mission. I understand its purpose for the narrative: It questions the crew's competence, adding heaps of tension to the sequence. However, it only stuffs the film with even more exposition, something which Nolan was already pushing the boundaries (quite impressively) with. Though Inception won Best Cinematography, I'm not as impressed with its cinematography as Nolan's other films. I get what Pfister and Nolan were doing with Inception. It was intentionally naturalistic and visually consistent across the different dream layers and reality, highlighting the blurred line between dreams and reality. The cinematography didn't want to draw attention to itself with rich colors, long takes, and striking shots. Instead, it was more muted. However, I wouldn't lie if I said it didn't take away the wonder of some shots like the rotating hallway and the collapsing skyline. It feels odd having to be partly critical, especially to a film I've rated five stars, but Nolan's resume is so stacked that it's kind of meaningless to only acknowledge his praise. There's always an opportunity cost to movies. There are always alternatives that the filmmakers could've made in the production process, and I do think those alternatives are worth recognizing. There are films that I've loved but spoke mostly negative in my review because I felt there were missed opportunities. I love Inception, but the reason this film isn't among my top favorites of Nolan's filmography is because Inception had the most of these missed opportunities, or at least the most significant. However, before I end this review, I do want to focus on one thing I heavily admire about Inception that I don't think is quite talked about enough. When people praise Inception, they often highlight Hans Zimmer's revolutionary soundtrack, the characters' emotional resonance, or the narrative's complexity and depth. However, I believe Inception's pacing is unparalleled to any movie. Inception flows so well. The film feels more like one massive sequence than a collection of small scenes. For a movie that's two and a half hours, it only feels like one. The movie starts and then in a matter of no time, it feels Fischer and the team just boarded the Boeing 747. But the impressive thing is that it never feels rushed. Inception just transitions seamlessly from scene to scene. Before I actually end this review, I want to share that I have started watching more shows recently. You might have noticed with my diary entries of Black Mirror, Squid Game, and Band of Brothers. However, recently I have just watched The Boys, The Last of Us II, Severance, and I'm now in the process of watching Game of Thrones. Once Letterboxd finally supports shows, I'll most likely solely use Letterboxd. However, in the meantime, if you wish, you can follow my TV journey by checking out my Serializd. And now to truly FINALLY end this revie— ⬅️ Previous Review: The Thomas Crown Affair