INCEPTION review

23 July, 2010 1:38PM AEST

Movie Review: Inception

Review by Gabrielle Rumble

A sci-fi movie with a complex plot that’s meant to confuse and leave you guessing.

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Film Details

* Season: July 2010

* Actors: Leonardo di Caprio, Ellen Page, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite

* Director: Christopher Nolan

* Duration: 140 minutes

* Classification: M

* Rating: 4 stars

It’s a tricky premise and really after leaving the cinema you’re still not completely sure what’s what.

Leonardo di Caprio plays Cobb who is set the task of subconsciously planting an idea in the mind of a businessman. To do this he assembles a team of dream hackers who all link themselves in sleep to perform the task. Got it?

Although this film is tricky to explain, it actually joins a long list of films I’ve enjoyed that have been a bit weird and difficult to explain. One UK company have compiled a list of films that have left punters confused and I found a few of my favourite films on the list – Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, Donnie Darko, The Matrix, Memento. All of them involve dreaming and switching from dreams to reality which causes the confusion, but also creates a fascinating place to play.

Christopher Nolan directed this film – he also directed Memento and has created an avid fan base for himself after The Dark Knight. He works well with special effects which are used to great effect here. In a dream landscape the impossible is possible the world he creates is quite amazing. I particularly like the zero gravity sequence.

There is a star studded cast here – Leonardo di Caprio, Michael Caine, Ellen Page, Marion Cottiliard, Pete Postlethwaite, Tom Berenger, Cillian Murphy… the list goes on. All of them do a pretty good job, but Leonardo di Caprio is definitely the star of the show. His boyish good looks are definitely fading, but the acting chops are still there.

I think a second viewing of Inception is required to get all the ins and outs and the pieces you missed the first time. Watching a film twice does require commitment, but that won’t be a problem for my fellow movie companions last night – a packed theatre with lots of chatter after the closing scene.

Strong fans of the sci-fi genre will give this film 5 stars. I’m a moderate fan, but it was very well done.

4 stars

via Movie Review: Inception – ABC Canberra – Australian Broadcasting Corporation.