80

Inception (2010)

I've had a really difficult time rating this...an 80 seems about right considering the acting, originality of the script, score, Tom Hardy's accent. But part of me isn't sure that the story, while intricate and interesting, is really as intelligent as it seems on it's surface.

Comments (8)

  1. ross Wasn't the spinning top at the end the equivalent of asking "Was it all a dream"?
    February 10, 2013
  2. jordan Not "Was it all a dream?" but "Is it all a dream?". Big difference.
    February 10, 2013
  3. ross Sure, you're right, but that doesn't make the question any more interesting. We still end up asking ourselves if we believe what we just spent two hours watching was "real" or not. And I don't know if it makes any difference. Does it affect the meaning of the film?
    February 11, 2013
  4. jordan I think not only is it more "interesting", but I think it makes it far less offensive. We're not wondering whether or not what we've seen is real, we're wondering whether or not our hero has given up. Which is still sad and upsetting, but on a completely different level. In the end, I'm not sure if the answer to that question even matters.
    February 11, 2013
  5. ross Right, okay, so giving up means living "happily" in the dream world forever with his kids instead of returning to the not so happy reality? (I'm dipping into the wikipedia article to jog my memory). I'll agree that that part is just as significant in a dream world as in a "real" world, so I think then, it was the tone of the ending scene that felt inappropriate. If we really are being asked if Leo has given up, it's *incredibly* sad and upsetting, but I remember it feeling like a tacked on M. Night Shymalan twist.
    February 11, 2013
  6. jordan Anytime a plot twist (or in this case, something that resembles a plot twist) is presented at the end of a movie, people automatically have this sort of reaction to it. I think the tone of the ending is only shocking in that it doesn't provide a clear definition of what the future holds for these characters (and it's done in a way that isn't just teasing a sequel). An ending like this is very rare and more than a little unsettling, but it shouldn't be lumped into the "but it was all just a DREAAAAMMMMM!!!!" category.
    February 11, 2013
  7. ross Haha, alright I'm with you. I definitely felt that "it was all just a DREAAAAMMMMM!!!!" feeling when it ended, but there's no way I would lump the entire movie into that category. I'd probably end up giving it something like an 80 as well because even with the flashy Nolan-esque tricks that bugged me, there are plenty of others things that worked really well. But given Nolan's reputation for flashy twists and camera tricks, I couldn't help that gut reaction - I assumed I'd missed something important and immediately started rethinking what I'd seen in an attempt to find the "answer". And that's all fine and well, but I think it took away (or at least diverted *attention* away) from the impact of Leo's rather tragic story. It's ultimately a minor point, but there's no denying it affects how we're supposed to read the film. It's almost like Nolan's asking us not to focus on the part of the story with the most substance.
    February 11, 2013
  8. smitty jordan i agree with you completely re: your review; after hearing everyone talk about this film and then finally seeing it, i was disappointed--i was expecting complexity where there really isn't that much. ok, so there's five levels and time slows down the further down the levels you go. wow. what a concept.
    April 11, 2013

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