Inception, Chris Nolan (dir.)

Christopher Nolan must have been sweating a little prior to the release of his latest film, Inception, perhaps most crucially because its not Batman 3 - the film that everyone (from die-hard comic book fans to just about anybody who saw The Dark Knight) is waiting in anticipation for. So, when we heard that Nolan's latest was an epic, action-packed and mind-boggling thriller that wasn't a Batman movie we couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. However, that was before we had seen Inception's trailers.

Stunning shots of crumbling cliffs and a whole city folding in on itself promised the public an experience of epic proportions that only Nolan can bring to a film. On the other hand, there was always the risk that Inception would fall into the trap of promising more in its trailers than it could really offer. Thankfully for Nolan (and the rest of us) Inception delivered. Nolan's creation can only be described as masterful - he manages to produce a film that is deceitfully clever, moving and incredibly gripping. Not only that but he sets all this in not one but four different 'dream realities'.

The story, though it takes for granted that the procedure of trespassing on peoples dreams is possible, takes the viewer through baffling moments of collapsing dreams, scenes of anti-gravity (possibly the best scene in the film with Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and introduces us to an interesting cast of characters. Leonardo DiCaprio is strong once again (in his second notable lead role this year after Shutter Island) as Cobb; the man who has been employed to perform the procedure of Inception, but who also carries a dark past alongside him throughout. The supporting cast, though they lack depth at times (we learn very little about Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy's characters) bring solidity, humour and a degree of warmth to the movie - Michael Caine more so than anyone with his relatively minor but nonetheless important role as Cobb's father-in-law.

From the moment the first dream sequence of the film collapses to the tantalising final shot, Inception does not fail to keep its viewers' eyes, ears and brains honed solely on the screen. It is a film that will linger in one's mind for days afterwards, as you attempt to work out whether in fact anything you just saw was actually set in reality. Therefore, when you tell your friends you saw a great film the other day, you might be left wondering 'or was that just a dream?'

Etep
Image courtesy of www.senseofcinema.com