This weekend I saw Christopher Nolan's new film Inception. I was lucky enough to see at an IMAX theater which probably added to the overall power of what was already a VERY powerful film. My friends Leif and KMO sat on either side of me, with all three of us silent through the entire 148 minutes. The only sounds I made were frequent utterances of "wow". There is not much to say about the film that wouldn't spoil the brilliant way that the plot is revealed. Suffice it to say that if you're interested in the movie, avoid as many reviews as you can. My only exposure had been through the trailers and the astounding review score that is mounting on IMDB.As far as, non-spoiler information goes, the performances are consistent and excellent. The effects shots are seamless and fantastic. I left the theater, once again, in awe of Christopher Nolan. He has yet to disappoint ( The Prestige was good but not great to me ) and consistently proves that he is a filmmaker to watch and an artist with a unique and important vision.
The themes in the film of dream-worlds, and the deliberate altering of what goes on within them, was very interesting in light of my own experiences with lucid dreaming. If you have never had a lucid dream, I urge you to read about them and the various recommended techniques for cultivating that skill. The feeling, when you are in the dream-world, and you decide that you want a thing to be, and summoning it physically into existence...that is a feeling that is hard to beat, and hard to imagine if you've never done it.
One thing we did speak of after the movie is the question of who we would recommend this movie to. It is challenging in a way that I don't think the typical film-goer would appreciate. It doesn't guide you into its world or its ideas. When the film starts, it is up to the audience to piece together the world, the characters, and the ideas. The script does this all brilliantly, but I wonder just how large of an audience the film will attract. I will be impressed if a sizable mass of humanity appreciates the film.
Would I recommend "Inception" to my grandmother? no...but to those three people reading this? I totally would urge you to see it, and see it soon, before some sucker spoils it for you.
-Marty
