Plot: What’s it about?
I’ve become such a rabid fan of Christopher Nolan over the years I think I’d watch pretty much anything that he directed. Yes, he could probably film water doing nothing more than water does and somehow it would seem more interesting than what a lot of directors come up with. About a decade ago, “Memento” came out with critical acclaim and I was an instant fan. His follow-up to that film, “Insomnia” was good, though nowhere nearly as well-received as the prior. But all of that is child’s play because in 2005 Nolan took over the rejuvenated “Batman” franchise and, well, the rest is history. To date, both of the “Batman” movies helmed by Nolan have not only been critical hits, but commercial as well with “The Dark Knight” being the second highest-grossing film of all-time (just behind “Avatar”). It goes without saying that Christopher Nolan knows what he’s doing and now with “Inception”, we see that he’s not a one hit wonder. Not that we thought he was to begin with.
Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief of sorts. But he steals secrets from your mind while you sleep. Cobb’s the best there is at what he does, but his success has come with a price. He’s been given one chance that might not only redeem his life, but only if it plays out. We meet Cobb and his team of “inceptors” if you will that include Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page) and Eames (Tom Hardy) to name just a few. Their mission is to infiltrate the subconscious of one Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and implant an idea in Fischer’s head. The brains behind this particular plan is done by Saito (Ken Wantanabe), who is Fischer’s rival in the corporate world. By successfully doing this, Cobb gets his life back and presumably lives happily ever after. Sounds simple, right? Think again. To say that there’s more to “Inception” than meets the eye is one of the biggest understatements ever uttered.
“Inception” delivers on many levels and once you see it, you’ll no doubt chuckle at my deliberate pun. I’ve often said that my favorite movies are ones that really make you think. Yes, it’s fun to sit back and watch aliens or shoot-’em ups, but movies that really make you utilize your brain are among the most rewarding (to me, anyway). What “Inception” does is it creates, literally, a virtual world within a world and manages to explore the depths of the subconscious. Imagine, if you will, if we really could see in someone’s mind during their dream state. Fascinating. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the cast as Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are among two of my current favorite actors. The script, also written by Christopher Nolan, is sharp as a tack and the film is executed with pristine excellence. I’m going to call it right now, “Inception” will take home the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2011. You heard it here first. If you’re sick of all the crap that Hollywood puts out week after week and month after month, check out “Inception.” You won’t regret it.
Video: How does it look?
“Inception” is presented in a 2.40:1 VC-1 HD transfer that’s nothing short of spectacular. Obviously this is Warner’s marquee title for the year and anything less than perfection isn’t an option. The palette used is a bit muted, with the main characters wearing greys and blacks but this doesn’t deter from the overall clarity of the transfer. Detail is amazing, consider the architecture in some of the dream sequences, you can make out each window. Amazing. Contrast is right where is should be and flesh tones look fresh and natural (even for some of the more “pasty” actors like Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard). “Inception” delivers visually, which is yet another area in which it excels.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also right up there. I’m in adoration of Hans Zimmer’s score for the film, it manages to create a mood and inject suspense during the last 45 minutes of the film. It simply resonates throughout all the speakers immersing you into the film (as it should). Dialogue is crisp and sharp and the LFE make their presence known early and often. There’s plenty of action, gunshots, car chases and the like. It all sounds amazing. I don’t think this soundtrack is quite as impressive as the movie is visually, but it’s right up there. An amazing soundtrack and one that will give your system a workout, for sure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This two disc version of “Inception” is most likely going to be followed by a more robust version, much like “Avatar”. However, for the time being, this is what we have. We start off with the “Extraction Mode” in which some of the film’s key sequences are explored and how the cast and crew adapted to the film and how they physically filmed the scenes. That’s it for the first disc and bearing in mind that the movie is nearly three hours long, the remainder of the supplements are located on the second disc. ” Cinema of the Subconscious” is hosted by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt as he and some scientists delve into the physics behind dreams. We get an animated look at the prologue of the movie with “Inception: The Cobol Job.” We also get some isolated segments from the aforementioned score by Hans Zimmer as well as some conceptual artwork and the original trailer. BD-Live is utilized as well with ” Project Somnacin–Confidential Files” with some exclusive looks at the impending dream-share technology.
