Inception

Nolan has failed in the most difficult cinematic discipline of filming “the reality of a dream" (although it is true that I always imagined lucid dreaming like this); Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thus remains the only film that has succeeded at it. Nolan's dreaming is deprived of randomness, surprise, absurdity, and surrealism, and, thanks to its coldness, depersonalization, and pragmatism, it is more interchangeable with virtual reality. Which is not a criticism, just a statement. From the beginning, a complex, detailed, multilayered world is created, where a simple but not stupid plot unfolds (a classic heist movie format about a cunning plan where everyone has a fixed role). Moreover, it is perfectly crafted; it is admirable how well he works here with five (or even six?) scenarios at the same time. What I really applaud Nolan for is the final shot lasting several seconds, which in its simplicity is more perfect (and timelessly Blade Runner-like) than the best shocking punchline. And the best part is, it's built to work the same way for both theories. P.S.: I only realized after multiple viewings that for me the most attractive thing about it is Cobb's personal catharsis through the form of Mal aka the materialization of an un-self-acknowledged act that haunts Cobb and does not leave him in peace (although it may be otherwise, but for me the magic of Inception lies precisely and only in this interpretation, so thank you in advance for not taking away my illusions, however captivating and viable the “movie illusions" are). (22.07.2010)

Inception pretends to be super clever. Through astonishment over the hitherto unseen, it gives the audience a consumerist, comfortable feeling that everything in the movie makes perfect sense. If it had contained any real emotion and some sort of message, drawn its sense of fatefulness and urgency from the story instead of from Hans Zimmer’s awesome, robust music, and enabled me to connect with the characters instead of leaving me in awe of their magical dialogue, I might have succumbed to the tempting feeling of perfection and awe of an extraordinary filmmaking event. But there is no more of these key cinematic values in this film than there is life in the image of monotonous grey skyscrapers in the background of Cobb and Mal’s fifty-year-long dream. Inception thus remains “just” an incredibly spectacular Matrix-like pose. (22.07.2010)

We wish to make our dreams come true. We can't really materialize them unless we use film technology to do so. Inception is a perfect example of when dreams become reality and we can escape from reality into a dream. Unfortunately, we perceive it as exactly the opposite of the characters in the film. Two and a half hours go by like only a few minutes. (25.07.2010)

Inception is an incredibly precise film with a cold and detached perfection that reminded me of the Kubrick’s best (more than the oft-mention The Matrix) – that’s how The Killing would look if it was blended with 2001: A Space Odyssey. The way the script works with so many dream levels would be lethal for about 99% of today’s directors and screenwriters, but Nolan no longer needs to prove anything to anyone. This is a class on its own. Thanks to his mastery, the complex plot is easy to understand, at least at the most basic level. After watching it, I couldn’t sleep trying to find inconsistencies. There are films that don’t have an interpretation and will never make sense, no matter how hard the viewer tries, but I think the opposite applies to Inception. There will be several interpretations and all of them could be correct, though I believe it’s pointless to theorise too much, the true interpretation will be the simplest one, and the details (will it fall or not, and why) will remain up to each viewer. Either way, I must watch it again. I can’t tell which place (in terms of quality) Inception takes in Nolan’s filmography, but I liked it a lot more than the over-hyped and straightforward (though also great) The Dark Night. PS: Does it make any sense to talk about how great the performances of the entire cast are? (my favourite were Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy). Edit: So, for the second time, a truly wonderful experience. The film is full of emotions, but you don’t have a chance to get them the first time (because you don’t know the twist) – Nolan’s rule of repeated viewings still applies. (23.07.2010)

I'm honestly glad for that light doubter prickle I went to see the film with. The beginning is undoubtedly a great, complex and ambitious work, but from my point of view it did not overcome Nolan's two previous masterpieces. Unlike The Prestige, it is strictly linear and lacks the great narrative finesse that will make me feel good even after watching it many times, and unlike The Dark Knight, it lacks that monumental fatefulness. The idea is brilliant, but the script says everything important from the very beginning, explains too much, and surprises too little. Jonathan would definitely help. And the other thing - DiCaprio plays exactly the same character as in Scorsese's Shutter Island. In exactly the same way. Regardless, these two things pulled me out of the sweet dizziness that so many people had succumbed to. (23.07.2010)