Tuesday, July 20, 2010

INCEPTION: The Jack Sack™ Movie Review

In the meantime...

A lot has been and will be written about the new Chris Nolan film INCEPTION. I've read a few reviews before sitting down to write my own, and none of them have really matched my take on this film.

To me, INCEPTION is about being unable to let go of a loss. People suffer losses all of the time, many caused by their own errors. Pain and loss can define a person too, and that's something INCEPTION explores in a fairly honest way.

Yes, this film has action, dizzying special effects and lots of talk about the human mind- but the spine of this film is about a person trying to correct a mistake that he's never been able to accept. It's a compelling hook for an already engrossing film.

The main character, Dom Cobb, is a man who lost his wife, Mal, to suicide prior to the film's beginning. Mal took her own life not to leave her husband, but to lead him out of the maze that they both constructed for themselves in the dream world. Mal believed that they never returned to the real world from their various dreams and the only way to resolve this was to kill themselves and "wake up."  Dom could do nothing to tell his wife otherwise.

When two people, truly in love, cannot agree on something as basic as "is this life real?" that leads to some gut-wrenching conflict. The film presents this situation in its own, unique sci-fi/action manner, but you could swap out any number of real-life problems for this relationship-- drug addiction, mental illness, the loss of a child, etc. Whatever the cause, the result is what's poignant. The strongest love two people can share will sometimes lead those two people apart. That, my friends, is some deep stuff!

But don't get me wrong- the movie is entertaining, even funny in many parts. It's a thriller throughout, but like I wrote earlier, the mass of reviews out there gloss over what I think is the story's main theme. Go see INCEPTION and then we can get into the details, which are very thought-provoking.

To discuss INCEPTION in any further detail is to ruin it for those who have yet to see the film. I will, therefore, hold off until a couple of weeks and return with a full review.

12 comments:

Spencer said...

Nice review. I haven't seen this movie, but I'd like to.

Alex Getts — Art & Illustration said...

I've seen it twice now, and I felt it was better the second time. It's so enjoyable and makes you
think. I'd recommend catching it at least twice.

Dietcoke said...

Interesting take on the film. I saw the film as perception vs. reality and what a fine line it is for those perceiving it.

I gotta run but I'll be back to talk more.

B said...

He he he.

To discuss INCEPTION in any further detail is to ruin it for those who have yet to see the film. I will, therefore, hold off until a couple of weeks and return with a full review.

Thanks for being considerate of those of us who are powerless to resist reading your reviews, no matter how damaging or spoiling they may be.
;) :)

The Colonel said...

A fine review yourself, my good man.

The emotional impact of a film is relative to the viewer, I guess. Sure, many critics may have agreed with my take about the emotional component of Inception's plot, but that takes nothing away from what you felt, your satisfaction.

I'm glad to see we largely agree on the film, though. It really is a virtuosic piece of slambang, mind-bending entertainment. Top notch production values all around.

Rickey said...

Great point about "Inception" being at it's heart a movie dealing with tragic love affair (Rickey, like most others, got wrapped up in the whiz bang heist stuff).

Oh, and Marion Cotillard can live in the basement of Rickey's imagination anytime she wants.

Maxpedition said...

Like Jack Bauer, Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in Inception also used a Maxpedition brand Gearslinger backpack. His choice is the Kodiak Gearslinger in Black used in the zero-gravity hotel scene.

Product:
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/Kodiak-Gearslinger-2p938.htm

Screenshot:
http://josephgordonlevitt.org/photos/albums/movies/film_Inception/trailer2/inceptiontrailer2_10.JPG

TheJackSack said...

@Maxpedition- thanks for the comment and the links. You guys make great products and I support the product placement messages.

Anonymous said...

A spoiler tag or warning would have been in order... I read your review and then went to see the movie. The fact that Cob's wife comited suicide because she didnt believe the world was real is something we learn more than half way into the movie!

¬¬

Sally Jo said...

Truly brilliant. Leave it to a 24 fan to get the gist of a movie. Without that whole theme, this would've been a nifty, gimmicky film. but Nolan took it to a whole other plane.

I would also argue that Shyamalan employs the same device. Signs wasn't about aliens, The Village wasn't about a town, etc. His movies are always about a condition of the human spirit, usually grief or loss or second chances.

Ish C said...

This was a really nice review, I also like the Maxpedition Monsoon Gearslinger

Gramjen said...

This film did center around a theme regarding the ability to move forward after a loss or mistake. In some ways it's a lot like survival films where the character may have nice tools like the Maxpedition Monsoon Gearslinger, or none at all, but the point is how they continue working and acting even when things go terribly wrong and people get hurt. http://www.bladehq.com/cat--Maxpedition-Gearslinger--381

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