
I can honestly say that I've never experienced—and it is most definitely an experience—a movie with a plot as complex as Inception's and still felt like the movie was enjoyable and comprehensible. The plot is so fantastically convoluted that you feel like a champion when you get to the end of the film without your brain slowly seeping out your ears.
I don't want to give any spoilers here (even though by now I'm sure most of you have already seen it), so the best I can do here is provide a couple of tips about going to see the movie.
First off, you should treat going to see Inception like it's a game. The objective of the game is to leave the theater understanding as much of the movie as possible. A good portion of the film is, in fact, learning the rules of “dream sharing,” and there are quite a few rules to remember. If you, the viewer, lose focus, if you blink...you lose. Maybe it's not so dramatic, but if you go to the bathroom, you will almost certainly miss an important explanation of how dream sharing works or a plot point, and it will leave you in a state of borderline panic and confusion.
Second, maybe take some ginko, or a 5-hour, or some kind of ADHD medication before you show up. Inception runs to about 150 minutes, which is a long time to keep yourself focused. You'll need that brain of yours to be as sharp as a tack because there is some heavy story layering and more than a few threads to keep track of. Which leads me to the next tip:
Don't bring small children; it's wasted money.
I don't mean to make Inception sound all cerebral with no boom-boom. There is plenty of action spread nicely throughout this movie. One scene in particular featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) will have you feeling like you've just watched an amazing filmmaking magic trick. Inception may also be the birth of a new badass in Tom Hardy (Star Trek: Nemesis) who plays the role of Eames.
The acting is outstanding all the way through by mostly the entire cast. Leonardo DiCaprio deftly plays Cobb, a man tortured by deep loss, and Marion Cotillard (who in my dreams I'm also married to) coolly, yet insanely plays Cobb's wife. There were a few points here and there where I felt like Ellen Page (Juno) was overdoing it, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt played a little too cool a cucumber for my liking, but for the most part I enjoyed their performances as well.
If you want to see a movie that respects the mind of the moviegoer, rather than delivering mindless sexplosions, this movie is for you. If not, it is still for you.
Inception is a must-see.
I wanted to talk about it for three days after I saw it, so what did you guys think? Best movie ever? Overrated? I need to talk to someone about this movie!
-Andrew