'Inception' conception demands attention
Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing a little dream-arguing. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Inception
Running time: 148 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 (sequences of violence and action throughout)
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"Dark Knight" filmmaker Christopher Nolan dreams the impossible triple-level deep dream with "Inception."
At least the usually innovated filmmaker is dreaming when it comes to entertaining the masses.
The impressive list of actors include Leonardo DiCaprio ("Shutter Island," "Blood Diamond"), Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("(500) Days of Summer").
Unfortunately, the sci-fi action thriller turns out to be an original idea that somehow scrambles the senses; a collision between "Avatar" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
Most disappointing from this aisle seat is that Nolan joins the ranks of the overly indulgent A-list filmmakers, like Steven Spielberg has done on more than one occasion (but especially with the "War of the Worlds" remake). Peter Jackson did as well to some extent earlier this year with "The Lovely Bones."
Nolan, an Academy Award nominee for his groundbreaking "Memento" script in 2002, may be dreaming himself if he believes weekend popcorn-munching moviegoers will wait patiently for two and a half hours for "Inception" to, well, incept.
Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) and his co-conspirator Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) are extremely high tech corporate thieves. They don't shut down alarm systems and dodge laser beams to steal diamonds or valuable artifacts like James Bond, Indiana Jones or even Cary Grant. These guys invade the vaults of the human mind while their targets are in an induced dream state.
The similarity to James Cameron's Oscar-nominated "Avatar" emerges because the sleep thieves must be asleep themselves to pull off their dangerous capers. So Nolan, who pens the script himself, must spend at least some screen time showing his crew of sleep thieves snoozing, like the humans who inhabited space alien cloned bodies in "Avatar."
The plot here involves triple-dipping the process to a third level dream state. That left me struggling to make sense of what was going on much of the time. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," which also opens this week, requires attention to set up what is to come. But that's all up front. "Inception" requires strict concentration at every turn.
I don't know how you'll react, but I enjoyed rising star Page much more as the quick-witted teenager in "Juno" than I do here as a gifted architect of dream worlds. Cobb, the master extractor of info, is no longer able to construct the fantasy worlds himself. That's basically because his dead (or not dead) wife Mal (Marion Cotillard, the best actress Oscar winner of "La vie en rose") tends to pop up and foul Cobb's dream state.
The Cobb/Mal relationship is the element that conjures up memories of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the moody on-and-off love story featuring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet of 2004. That one involved total erasure of the mind.
The idea here is to pop in and pop out with deep-dream role playing; a little like a 21st century "Sting" operation with DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt as New Age Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Without the fun element. And that's my main concern with "Inception." Not only do we study this cinematic oddity for two and a half hours, the only fun is watching walls collapse or city skyscrapers bend over backward to form an upside-down pedestrian maze. The special effects showcase dazzles for a while, then becomes more tedious and a little boring.
The acting is there. And so is the story. But Nolan, who'll no doubt return with another "Batman" adventure, shows signs here of not being willing to leave parts of spectacular action sequences (one in and around a snowy frozen tundra fortress) on the cutting room floor. That lack of confidence, willingness or ability to tighten up this high tech, mind-numbing albatross pays disservice to movie fans and Nolan's talented actors.
There is one word that ultimately dominates the phrase noble failure. That word is not "noble."
Sorry, Mr. Nolan, but someone should have fired up the Bat Signal.
At least the usually innovated filmmaker is dreaming when it comes to entertaining the masses.
The impressive list of actors include Leonardo DiCaprio ("Shutter Island," "Blood Diamond"), Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("(500) Days of Summer").
Unfortunately, the sci-fi action thriller turns out to be an original idea that somehow scrambles the senses; a collision between "Avatar" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
Most disappointing from this aisle seat is that Nolan joins the ranks of the overly indulgent A-list filmmakers, like Steven Spielberg has done on more than one occasion (but especially with the "War of the Worlds" remake). Peter Jackson did as well to some extent earlier this year with "The Lovely Bones."
Nolan, an Academy Award nominee for his groundbreaking "Memento" script in 2002, may be dreaming himself if he believes weekend popcorn-munching moviegoers will wait patiently for two and a half hours for "Inception" to, well, incept.
Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) and his co-conspirator Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) are extremely high tech corporate thieves. They don't shut down alarm systems and dodge laser beams to steal diamonds or valuable artifacts like James Bond, Indiana Jones or even Cary Grant. These guys invade the vaults of the human mind while their targets are in an induced dream state.
The similarity to James Cameron's Oscar-nominated "Avatar" emerges because the sleep thieves must be asleep themselves to pull off their dangerous capers. So Nolan, who pens the script himself, must spend at least some screen time showing his crew of sleep thieves snoozing, like the humans who inhabited space alien cloned bodies in "Avatar."
The plot here involves triple-dipping the process to a third level dream state. That left me struggling to make sense of what was going on much of the time. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," which also opens this week, requires attention to set up what is to come. But that's all up front. "Inception" requires strict concentration at every turn.
I don't know how you'll react, but I enjoyed rising star Page much more as the quick-witted teenager in "Juno" than I do here as a gifted architect of dream worlds. Cobb, the master extractor of info, is no longer able to construct the fantasy worlds himself. That's basically because his dead (or not dead) wife Mal (Marion Cotillard, the best actress Oscar winner of "La vie en rose") tends to pop up and foul Cobb's dream state.
The Cobb/Mal relationship is the element that conjures up memories of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the moody on-and-off love story featuring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet of 2004. That one involved total erasure of the mind.
The idea here is to pop in and pop out with deep-dream role playing; a little like a 21st century "Sting" operation with DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt as New Age Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Without the fun element. And that's my main concern with "Inception." Not only do we study this cinematic oddity for two and a half hours, the only fun is watching walls collapse or city skyscrapers bend over backward to form an upside-down pedestrian maze. The special effects showcase dazzles for a while, then becomes more tedious and a little boring.
The acting is there. And so is the story. But Nolan, who'll no doubt return with another "Batman" adventure, shows signs here of not being willing to leave parts of spectacular action sequences (one in and around a snowy frozen tundra fortress) on the cutting room floor. That lack of confidence, willingness or ability to tighten up this high tech, mind-numbing albatross pays disservice to movie fans and Nolan's talented actors.
There is one word that ultimately dominates the phrase noble failure. That word is not "noble."
Sorry, Mr. Nolan, but someone should have fired up the Bat Signal.
Hey Larry. I saw "Inception" twice (the second time for only clarity reasons) and during my second viewing, the movie's greatness solidified. I think Warner Bros. has a viable franchise with the concept and I hope they ask Nolan and Leo to return for a sequel. It's sort of like "The Matrix", but abit more complex. The story possibilities are great and I can see a sequel entitled "Extraction" with Leo back with his children and the U.S. government approaching him with a risky proposition.
I thought "Inception" was on even ground with "The Dark Knight" in terms of its ambitions. The only thing lacking was a villian, but Leo's troubled character made up for it. He gave a great performance. Overall, I thought "Inception" was a great movie. Certainly the summer's best live-action blockbuster.
Posted by: Alex O. | 08/17/2010 at 01:10 AM