How does one even begin to review a film as complex as Christopher Nolan’s latest work Inception? As my friend Jason Spitzer, who saw it before I did, said, “I could tell you the ending, but it wouldn’t matter.” So what does one say about a film like that? Let us start with the basics. Inception is brilliant. The story is one of the best pieces of science-fiction on film in years, though I hesitate to place it in a single genre. It is utterly original and not a rehash of familiar tropes. It is a piece of confident filmmaking. Inception is not afraid to keep the audience in the dark, but the reveals and payoffs are wonderful. Nolan has written a maze of a script that reveals to members of the audience what they need to know at the exact time they need to know it. It is extremely well-acted by the entire cast. Along with writing difficult yet accessible movies, Nolan has emerged as a top-rate director of action. The visual effects are wonderful, organic to the story, and seamless. Watch for the scene of a city folding in on itself. Inception is quite simply, one of the best movies of the year and Nolan deserves way more accolades than he receives — I for one think he was not adequately congratulated for his work on The Dark Knight.
Inception reminded me of films from ten to fifteen years ago in which the nature of reality and truth were constantly being questioned and played with — films like The Usual Suspects, Dark City, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Fight Club, or Nolan’s own film Memento. I love those movies and welcome their return.
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The Space Between the Arts 