Well, again we have Hollywood bringing about a ’Somethin New’ idea to fetch eyeballs across the world. Inception, by the name does sound like a Sci-fi thriller in the typical Hollywood style, except this time, its’ No ordinary one’ - I mean not the ones we’ve been exposed to for the past 2 decades of conventional film animation & graphics in Hollywood .This time, its an absolutely new concept altogether.
Directed by internationally reclaimed director and multi award winner Christopher Nolan, the film stars an ensemble cast and has something in store which no ordinary or amateur viewer would ever expect.
Plot :-
Dom Cobb(Leonardo DiCaprio) is a specialised spy and thief whose primary work is to secretly extract valuable data from the subconscious(or unconscious)minds of his victims, while they dream. Partnering him in this project is his business partner Arthur(Joseph Gordon Levitt). They use a hi-tech "Dream within a dream" technique in doing so. Those involved in the project carry a specialised Totem, which determines whether they are in another person’s dream. However, Dom struggles about getting dreams of his dead wife Mal(Marion Cotillard) who tries to sabotage his efforts within his dreams.
Later, Cobb is approached by Mr. Saito(Ken Watanabe), Cobb’s latest extraction target, asking him and his team to perform the act of "Inception"; planting an idea within the person’s subconscious mind without them knowing. He does so to break up the energy conglomerate of his rival, which also serves a double purpose of clearing Cobb of charges of murdering his wife. Cobb then decides to assemble his team consisting of Eames(Tom Hardy) who is an identity forger, Ariadne(Ellen Page) a young architectural student who assists Cobb in designing the dream landscapes and is also one playing a pivotal role in the movie and finally Yusuf(Dilip Rao), a chemist who creates sedatives needed for the mission.
The mission sets off with Cobb and his team creating the dream landscapes as a trial for the actual mission. In the meantime, Saito’s rival Maurice Fisher(Pete Postlethwaite) dies and his son Robert Fisher(Cillian Murphy) accompanies his father’s body from Sydney to Los Angeles. During the journey, Cobb sedates Robert Fisher and the entire team enter into the planned dream project. What sets off is a 5 state "Dream within a Dream" or "Matrix within a Matrix" where the team enters into 5 consecutive dreams, one after the other, to finish off the planned mission.
Later, after completing the "fantabulous" mission, Cobb reunites with his family in Los Angeles and checks the totem to test the reality but never knows the truth.
Locations/Special Effects/Performances/Other features :-
Among all the elements which goes into making a Master-Blaster Hollywood flick, the concept itself in this case, steals the title. The idea of entering a dream within a dream with others, each experiencing what the other would, as if in a real life situation was virtually unthought of in the past(with the exception of these ideas in Novels or Video Games).
The film was shot in locations worldwide starting from Tokyo, Japan where Saito hires Cobb during a helicopter flight over the city. It then moves on to the UK where it was filmed in a converted airship hangar as well as the University College London Library . The sets then moved on to Paris, France where Cobb trains Ariadne to recognise her mind’s potential in a dream. It then moved on to Algiers, Morocco where Cobb hires Eames and Yusuf as well as a chase sequence in the Grand Souk.
The final scenes were filmed in Sydney during the bus sequence and then to Alberta, Canada during the action to complete the mission, before finally moving on to Los Angeles.
Cinematography, is the next best defining feature of the movie. The film was shot in anamorphic format on a 35 mm film.A typical scene where Cobb trains Ariadne in a dream simulation sequence is a stand out. Also, the zero gravity fight sequences were quite impressive.
Coming to the performances, Leonardo Di Caprio has done full justice to his role as a mature young heist professional(far from the Titanic days where he was loved for his chocolate guy or Romeo kind of looks)His professionalism was displayed throughout the movie, specially in the action sequences in the last 30 minutes of the movie or while planning the mission along with his team.
Ellen Page as Ariadne, the young Architectural student deeply interested in Cobb’s concept is an added attraction. She debuted as a child star in 1997 and since has worked in many Hollywood flicks such as X-Men :The last Stand, Juno, Hard Candy(each of which has been acclaimed several awards mainly Critics awards in various categories or Performance based awards) besides other such as The Simpsons, Trailer Park Boys, etc.
Joseph Gordon Levitt who earlier worked in the Golden Globe Award winning film 500 days of Summer as well as many other acclaimed movies too has done a great job as Cobb’s heist partner Arthur.Other actors include Indian origin actor Dileep Rao as Yusuf who earlier worked in James Cameron’s - Avatar.as well as Cillian Murply, Tom Hardy and Ken Watannabe too have done quite well.
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