The CHIEF April 2024

Movie Review

By Tyler Drechsel

Inception (2010)

Who is the greatest director of all time? If you were asked this question, a few names may come to mind. Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, and my personal favorite, Quentin Tarantino. These directors are all fantastic and known for their unique artistic vision and style. Christopher Nolan however, is a director who’s maintained a very good reputation and all of his films have managed to find success. Some way more than others. Christopher Nolan is responsible for many masterpieces such as The Dark Knight , Interstellar and his most recent film, Oppenheimer . His films feature incredible performances, unique concepts, original stories, and most of all, mind-blowing visuals. He has made a huge name for himself and a huge impact on the world of film. And while all of his films are either good or perfect, there’s one movie that sticks out to me as his magnum opus. That movie is Inception, which is the most creative, intelligent, and unique movie I’ve ever seen. For those who don’t know, Inception is about a man named Cobb. After being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Cobb is forced to leave the United States and his children behind. He is able to make a living, however, since big corporations pay him to do jobs for them. Cobb is a thief, but not the traditional kind. Rather than stealing cash, jewels or any physical items, Cobb infiltrates the dreams of others and steals their ideas and thoughts. As dreamers explore the world of their dream, they subconsciously create more and more of the world as if they were actually discovering different parts of it themselves. The people who inhabit the world of the dream are reflections of the dreamer's subconscious, and if one falls asleep and has a dream while already in a dream, then time goes on for longer periods of time. If one dies in a dream, he or she wakes up. Cobb is able to steal the ideas of others by designing the worlds the dreams take place in, as well as create specific scenarios. He then uses these scenarios to trick dreamers into giving away information either verbally or subconsciously within the dream world. After one of his heists goes bad, he gets a different job offer from a man named Saito. Rather than stealing an idea, Saito wants Cobb to PLANT an idea into the head of one of his business competitors. A concept known as inception. At first, Cobb refuses since inception is borderline impossible. However, when Saito tells Cobb that he can bring him safely back to America with his kids if he does the job, Cobb accepts. However, the mission is threatened by Cobb’s subconscious, which has been infected by his dark and tragic past. Throughout the dream sequences in this film, some of the most stunning visuals in all of cinematic history can be seen. Buildings are flipped upside down, gravity becomes non-existent, and staircases are optical illusions. The effects are beyond stunning. The acting is also incredible. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a great performance and truly embodies the emotionally scarred character that he is. As different characters go into many different dreams within dreams, the film jumps back and forth between perspectives. The editing makes it easy to comprehend what’s going on in all of the different scenes. The rules of the world are unique, complex and very well thought out. The story also has a lot of emotional themes of trauma, loss, and facing one’s past. The ending of this movie is one of my personal favorite movie endings of all time. An emphatic 10/10.