One of my favourite films. A film i've watched numerous times and will watch again. It isn't confusing granted but it has a great central premise which interests you immediately. The idea of making someone believe they have created their own idea is inherently intriguing and then the execution of this is top notch. The subplot of Leo's grief over his wife's death and how his projection of her gradually interferes more and more is beautifully structured in how subtle it is and Marion cotillard is the best thing in it in my opinion. Such a lovely range that leaves you heartbroken and relentlessly frightened all at the same time. It just works as as a complete experience for me.
@@WildFungus Given that his filmography is about a million times better than the Wachowskis, I'd say he already has. They've done nothing but bullshit since 1999, while in that same timeframe, he has made several hits in a variety of genres.
@@blaisetelfer8499 yeah which is why he should stop. because he has. that's what I meant. Tenant is such a self indulgent thing. Its not bad, but that audio mixing and the reason for it, completely unacceptable, especially since it's just a weird thought experiment turned into an action movie with nothing else to offer. It's incredibly well constructed, and that's it.
Cobb's totem is not the top. The top is Mal's totem, which Cobb figured out in order to manipulate her. Cobb explains to the others how her totem works, which is something we are told repeatedly you are not supposed to do. Cobb can because his real totem is his wedding ring. He keeps her totem because of his obsession with her and his guilt. The ending only seems ambiguous because it doesn't matter if the top falls or not. Cobb walks away without checking the totem because the obsession and guilt are gone; it doesn't matter any more. I think Inception is a brilliant movie and Nolan a brilliant director. Inception makes many subconscious suggestions about the nature of reality: we are trapped in our own paradoxical perception, repeating behaviors over and over, believing the shadows on the cave wall are real. People hate this movie because they are unconsciously resisting these ideas while intuitively fearing that they may be true. It is a hostile rejection of how inception works, much like the projections that attack any foreign object that can potentially disrupt the dreamer's dream. I am now ready for the barrage of sarcastic hate.
Robert Tangren I agree, very perceptive interpretation. But then again, I would. As you are just a projection of my subconscious mind, and nothing I’m typing is really real ...
I totally agree with Kermode. I absolutely love this film. I love the fact that Nolan took this complicated plot but still managed to make understandable. Great sci-fi are the ones that managed to not go over people's head. Looking forward for TDKR
Sort of. But I think Memento is more deliberately confusing in the first place and if you had missed a minute it actually wouldn't matter that much in the long run. With Inception I think it's pretty easy to keep up with it as long as you simply pay attention. But missing something specific might turn the rest of the movie into a what the hell is going on.
Nolans is such a genius He films independet movie screenplays on a 180 Million Dollar Budget and still making more money than most of the Blockbusters in the year because his film are just so good. Hollywood need way more directors and aspecially Screenwriters like him and his brother
People saying this movie was bad completely annoy me, it's one of the best and most unique narratives ever seen in a movie... and it's portrayed PERFECTLY, the best actors, one of the best directors, the best visual specs and the best film score.
***** I don't want to sound like a pretentious arrogant twat, but a movie's quality is not just because of how many people like it, it does go beyond opinion. There's plenty of factors that can pretty much factually describe it's quality. But when people start writing down analysises of a movie, based on nothing but the movie, you just have to give credit and admire the movie. Getting a proper taste in anything also means that you have to accept that a movie can still be good without you enjoying it, or you enjoying a movie while knowing it's not that good, and simply knowing there are certain things, that may be beyond you.
PauL van der Burgh YES, exactly my point. The technicality of the movie and strength within that is what makes the movie, in my opinion, one of the best ever.
He's more successful than ever. Backlash like always when somebody is hugely successful and praised. Don't understand why anybody would call Inception bad because of "too much exposition" and the Dark Knight Rises bad due to "plot holes", both are obviously good.
Its the Nolan fanboys who've made him out to be a god!! They are the ones to blame!! Nolan's just a guy who wants to make immersive movies utilizing practical filmmaking
iamsuperbatman1993 I think he's a really good director but I just can't stand it when some people say he's the best director of all time. Apparently better Kubrick, Tarkovsky, Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa and so many more.
It's typical backlash that happens at the height of someones success, same thing happened to Spielberg, Lucas, Tarrantino, people rag on them for being hugely popular and critically acclaimed. It will die off after a while as he settles into living legend status.
I hate how people complain about the expository dialogue. If Nolan tried to just visually explain this story it would’ve been way to hard for an audience member to break down what was truly happening. People still didn’t understand inception so I completely understand why the rules and layers of the dream are so thoroughly explained.
I love that Mark Kermode can explain why something is brilliant in 10 minutes. I agree with him about how Inception shows that would people like is never as dumbed down as producers and film companies think.
It's very clear people just nit pick Nolan or dislike him biasly because of how much acclaim he's gotten, a hipster move. Entertainment is subjective so people like and dislike what they do, but with Nolan people just hate him because of how much he's loved, it couldn't be more clear.
@marleymike2 It was visually stunning you're right, honestly that's all it had for me. No real depth to the characters at all, for a film that many claim to be an intelligent film this seemed a large omission for me. It wasn't a bad film, but it certianly wasn't as amazing as many of the critics have claimed it is. I thought the ending was very predictable and weak. I'd give three stars, entertaining but nothing special. I really can't get over the way Mark gushes about this film.
The only character it fleshed out was DiCaprio. They couldve added characterization instead of (imo) unnecessary explanation, in the 2nd half of first act, about the opening scenes. We could've understood a lot more from actions than what the movie thinks we could've.
Heh. How ironic is "the getting lost is purposeful and you'll always find your way despite being labyrinthine in construction" when a labyrinth is specifically a maze with only one path all the way through it.
This film does split the audience down the middle. I loved it. It takes a clever mind to create that kind of a labyrinth story, and Nolan seems to have that right now. And that one quote just summed up the feeling of dreaming; "Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realise something was actually strange."
So I'm pretty sure all the people in the comment section that says the movie was simple and not complicated simply don't get it. They understand the surface and think that's all there is while missing everything else. Dunning-Kruger effect in action.
There is alot of flaws in this film, but honestly I'm not sure this could have been done without them. Its very very ambitious and even though there are problems, I just really enjoyed the fact that it fully engaged me like no film had in a long long time and I really enjoyed the action. This really is a very good film and its a solid favorite with me.
If you're a Chris Nolan fan, here's a little inside info. One of the main character in his first film FOLLOWING, which he shot for next to nothing, was a thief named Cobb. Leonardo Dicaprio in Inception played a thief, his name was Cobb.
In my humble opinion, the Batman films are Nolan's "B" work. It's all about Inception, The Prestige, and of course, Memento. Sure, each of those STORIES do have some issues...especially The Prestige. However, Nolan's storytelling in those three movies is absolutely top notch...ironically, especially in The Prestige (where Nolan repeatedly slaps you in the face with the "truth"...and yet the end is still a surprise).
Director Christopher Nolan delivers his best film in this very original, well acted, effective & stylish masterpiece that is one of the best films made. (100%) (5/5 stars) (positive)
charlie brooker described in his review of the year 2010 as a movie with ideas "above, below and beside it's station" haha I liked this film, I think it's an enjoyable peice of [very] mainstream sci-fi. It's really a showcase for Nolan and nobody else though the South Park episode "Insheeption" may be the best review of the film, actually lifting quotes from it. "Visions of my dead wife manifest themselves as trains" hilarious :)
Loved he film immensely, gave me faith in the future of an intelligent blockbuster - but it really wasn't that difficult to follow. The plot is fairly linear, the dreams work logically, the explanations of the concepts are pat and accessible. Don't get me wrong, it is a brilliant, inventive thriller, but I think the people who bang about how complicated it is are really looking for an excuse to pat themselves on the shoulder for 'getting' it. It's not exactly David Lynch.
I have often wondered if the screenplay for Inception is based upon the writers dreams while under the influence of Sertraline, which is a very powerful antidepressant that induces a hyper real state of deep phantasmagorical consciousness that is utterly convincing. It’s a fantastic film.
Christopher Nolan actually wrote and came up with Inception around 2000, and the only reason as to why he did not release it around the time he created the story was because he thought he need more experience in film and also wanted to polish the film and finally made the movie nearly a decade ago, so it actually did not rip Paprika at all
Well you could have easily anticipated this question, but okay, which part of the movie did you find dreamlike? The action sequence in the hotel? The action sequence with the van? And I choose the snow shootout because it was the third level of dreaming (OR FOURTH?!?!?! OMG MIND BLOWING) so one would expect it to be the most "dreamy", but nope. Please see the anime Paprika to see how dreams should be done.
this film truly made me feel that we were heading into a better future of cinema...makes me feel glad that there are still directors out there like nolan next to shit like miachel bay and james cameron for avatar alone
It's usually described as being complex 'compared' to other typically brainless CGI blockbuster summer fare...It actually made a point of engaging the audience by not treating them as idiots. It was very refreshing.
I feel Momento is still his best & that film has way more interweaving legs than Inception, but doesn't feel cluttered either. I thought Inception was certainly a well made film, but it kind of felt as if it was made for the typical crowd of people who think they are smarter than they really are. it did bring about an elitist attitude of "Well, if you can't keep up with the plot maybe Transformers is more your speed". I do like it, though it certainly ISN'T as intelligent as it wants to be.
The heavy exposition was only in the first half of the film, and it's not like they didn't come with visual confirmation. Some people argue that Nolan in general shows more than tells, but at the same time they hate that certain plot points are merely alluded to rather than shown in earnest. Nolan is meticulous, and even then, he's not perfect. But when the overarching presentation is this dedicated, this fascinating, this thoughtful, I can forgive plot inconsistencies.
@notnek011 but at that point of the movie it did need an explanation, i understood what they were doing, not why they were doing it, the reason why she was confused is they'd just said out load they were going into (not gonna spoil it's) mind, however he was a projection, they said that to trick the target as they were going into his mind, so he was seeing what he wanted to see believing it was what the thoughts of the guy whose mind it was.
@hanshotfirst1138 I don't think these themes, motifs or ideas are nearly distinctive enough to qualify him as an auteur. What themes, motifs and ideas are you talking about?
Probably the one complaint that bothers me the most, people still left the theater confused so how the hell do you go off of solely visuals and still appeal to the masses?
On the outside yes it is not supremely complex. But things get very murky when you start analysing whether any of the things in Cobb's 'life' are real or in a dreamworld. The beginning and ending are the same, so we could be in entirely different dream layers and this 'job' performed by Cobb and his team could actually be an inception upon Cobb's mind.
You may find the characters uninteresting but I was invested, I wanted to see Cobb reach his emotional catharsis, I wanted to see the team succeed, because I bought the magnitude, the gravity of what they were trying to accomplish. I think the films complexities lend itself to this, the job was sufficiently complex and therefore I bought the difficulty of it. It's clear you didn't feel Nolan achieved that and that's fine. I don't think the film will be easily forgotten as you insinuate.
I think they actually discussed that with the emails,with the difference wether the movie was actually clever of just more look at us being clever.But I think that's a common thing with Nolan movies.
@how is it you know i made an incorrect judgment about the plot when i did not mention any details bout it. yes it was a good popcorn movie but not particularily smart.. i walked in 10 min late and had no problem piecing it together.
@hanshotfirst1138 I should also mention I haven't seen the Prestige and I believe that it also has a "puzzle box narrative form" from what I hear so I do accept that but I still don't think that represents a fulfillment of Truffaut's initial hypothesis or whatever you want to call it.
I disagree- the biggest problem is how talky it is and how much expository dialogue there is. It takes more than an hour before you get the rules explained to you and can finally have some fun with it. I like the movie, but I find it incredibly frustrating at points.
@hanshotfirst1138 I would also question some of those as distinctive traits. The puzzle box narrative structure I think can only really be attributed to Memento and to a lesser extent Inception (which I found much less complex than people had claimed). Flashbacks are an extremely common narrative technique and his slightly sterile aesthetic was only truly realized in Inception
@IceCreamSuit Not a particularly big criticism, I enjoyed the movie, I appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it and I think it deserves praise for daring to be unique as a major studio blockbuster but it's not the trailblazing masterpiece a decent number of people see it as.
...u just cant please some ppl. Besides CN which director of late have distinguished themselves on such a consistently MASSIVE scale? Pleasing both the audience and critics alike. He must be doing something right. For ppl to comment that its all pretentious and daft and self important is essentially saying the VAST majority that came out liking this are gullible, monumental idiots who couldnt see through the facade. Sry, I refuse to believe that. If we're all idiots and the minority's depth of perception is so deep then they should be in charge of Hollywood and the world. Are they?
I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why this movie is somehow average or bad, aside from two things: first being that there was no explanation about how the contraption that they use to insert themselves in the dream works, which I'm actually glad was left out because there was enough exposition as it was, and second, the debate whether it was "all a dream", in which I certainly wish he would have just let the top fall at the end. No need for ambiguity IMO.
This is a somewhat difficult film to review. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it when I saw it in the theatre back in in 2010 but when as I read some of the comments on here below, I find myself agreeing with a lot of the criticisms aimed towards the film. I do think that the film doesn't have any strong characters, most of the supporting characters are very poorly developed and I didn't care about any of them. And the film does, for long sequences, play out as a somewhat sophisticated heist film. And Kermode is showing double standards here. He has constantly criticised films for having characters who stand around and explain the plot. The first half of Inception is all about characters who stand around and explain the plot, it's exposition in excess. And then when the film ends, you ask yourself "What does all of this add up to?" And the answer is nothing. It's purely a stylistic exercise that doesn't have any genuine thematic depth. But that's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable watch. Nolan's greatest film is still Memento, which is a film about a very simple idea - a human being's inability to be honest with himself about himself. It was interesting, challenging, innovative and was something approaching profound (but not quite). In Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, he used the comic book abstractions to present an allegory for the war on terror and how sometimes in order to preserve democratic values, you must betray them. I don't think Inception is in the same league as these films. Inception, like The Prestige, is I suppose a great example of all surface and no depth. It's just an entertaining heist film set in a world with obscure rules.
@Feyd01 I do hope your not alone in the world, but I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion of Inception. For me, it has marked Christopher Nolan as the greatest working director after Martin Scorsese. To give some perspective, could you name two or three movies that you think are excellent. PS-I didn't find it hard to follow either.
Nolans best films. 1= Memento 2= TDK 3= BB 4= Inception. Memento genuinely hard to follow, incredibly clever and a brilliant lead performance. I really don't understand why Inception was that hard to follow. Either way Memento is a truly astonishing film.
If I remember correctly, there was a peacock crowing in the background during that week's wittertainment whom listeners suggested sounded rather uncannily like Kermode's impersonations of certain people in the movie industry. I propose that we christen the peacock Danny McGEEE.
@hanshotfirst1138 Hmm, I see where you're coming from and you do have a point but I think treating a recognizable style as the only qualification for the "auteur" is a bit reductionist and ignores the rest of Truffaut's theory (and the further developments). If I'm being perfectly honest I never really liked debates over auteur status and I probably regret using the term initially, what I was opposed to is the suggestion that he could be the greatest director of our generation which is crazy.
I don't think this is Nolan's fault - the Batman franchise side, his films are not meant to be explorative. He IS a fantastic narrative acrobat, and to tell a story of that level of structural complexity (to borrow your apt phrase) is a considerable feat. Thriller writing might be dismissed next to 'high' dramatic narrative, but it requires a formidable set of story-telling skills. It's not a difficult film, but it is by no means unintelligent.
@RobTangren Children of Men - Alfonso Cuaron Mulholland Drive - David Lynch Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky These are the three greatest directors working today. I am a pretty big Christopher Nolan fan but I had too many problems with inception. The soundtrack is not that good so everyone needs to get over that (Clint Mansell eats Hans Zimmer alive), the fighting is so over-the-top just for the sake of it, and the plot is fed to you on a spoon. Memento still holds up as Nolan's best.
@DannyBoy777 Completely and utterly agree with you there... even if someone doesnt like it, there is no way they can say it is a bad film, its a mainstream blockbuster that doesnt insult your intelligence. You are never going to have a mainstream film better and less insulting than Inception.
I do think it' s very complicated.But if you watch it for the first time and just pay attention it is not really hard to keep up.But the movie is filled with details and it's really hard to find out what the actual truth is.The more you think about it,the weirder and complicated it gets.
Making the dreams as real as possible was not the glue that held it together as ppl think. The amazing thing about it was how the editing and the level of how it was presented to the audience. How I keep thinking almost 3 or 4 times I thought he was delievering the mcguffin, and it turn out that he hit you with another. I dont think any other movie has ever done that. The fact the dreams were so real even though nothing is connected to there heads is to funny not to say its a plot hole.
of course it's a study. just because it's not a novel doesn't mean it can't be an exploration of psychology. no people don't dream in levels but most people have had dreams of themselves dreaming. it's proven that people's minds work faster when dreaming. i love it, im sorry you dont because it's a great film.
Really thought I'd enjoy it but I absolutely hated it. I found it wasn't that complicated as ling as you listen to the endless, boring dialogue from the characters basically explaining stuff to each other. Visual effects were great and obviously the idea behind the story was interesting. My main problem with it was the absolutely appalling character development. Because I didn't give a shit about ANY character in the whole film I really didn't care what happened to them which made me incredibly bored. Not only this but your just left with so many questions about why these people went on this mission - they have absolutely no back story. And I know some people will say this is purposefully done as they could be just the subconscious, but I highly doubt that as it causes you to not care about the outcome of the film.
Sophie Jordan I don't know that the backstory of much of anyone in the film is really all that relevant to the overarching narrative besides the protagonists. That's not to say I found it complicated, I didn't, it's not as straightforward as some flicks mind you but at no point did I feel lost at all. Overall though it's a story about Dicaprio's character, it's HIS motivations and HIS story that are really of consequence save in the spots the others backstory is requisite to playing out his tale (like Cillian Murphy's story with his father) and overall Dicaprio's story is pretty thoroughly mapped out for us. We understand why he's doing what he's doing, how he gained the skills to do what he does, why he needs to do it, what obstacles make it a challenge for him and so on. Now they could go on and bloat the film up, painting huge portraits telling us the other characters motivations, but ultimately they're side characters, their entire role in the narrative is to act as proxies in bringing us an individual's story and it would wind up bloating a film that's already extensive and large in length and scope as is. Look at Dark Knight, I don't need to know what experiences brought Joker to do what he's doing, hell, we never even learn his actual name because it's irrelevant to the impact it has on his interaction with the protagonist of Batman. *shrug* I loved it, I don't know that I'd go saying it's the greatest film ever or anything, but it was an intelligent, gripping personal drama that told a concise, tight story about it's sole protagonist and I thought it did it quite admirably.
The charm of early TH-cam videos and their wildly variant volume levels
When Leo wakes up on the plane, it felt like i woke up aswell
Know what you mean! 😎
Hello in 2024. I miss these good old days (2008-2012). Movies were so exciting during this time.
Love that first image.
One of my favourite films. A film i've watched numerous times and will watch again. It isn't confusing granted but it has a great central premise which interests you immediately. The idea of making someone believe they have created their own idea is inherently intriguing and then the execution of this is top notch. The subplot of Leo's grief over his wife's death and how his projection of her gradually interferes more and more is beautifully structured in how subtle it is and Marion cotillard is the best thing in it in my opinion. Such a lovely range that leaves you heartbroken and relentlessly frightened all at the same time. It just works as as a complete experience for me.
I think Nolan has an obsession with trying to outdo the Matrix personally...
@@WildFungus Given that his filmography is about a million times better than the Wachowskis, I'd say he already has. They've done nothing but bullshit since 1999, while in that same timeframe, he has made several hits in a variety of genres.
@@blaisetelfer8499 yeah which is why he should stop. because he has. that's what I meant. Tenant is such a self indulgent thing. Its not bad, but that audio mixing and the reason for it, completely unacceptable, especially since it's just a weird thought experiment turned into an action movie with nothing else to offer. It's incredibly well constructed, and that's it.
I recently watched A Scanner Darkly and that genuinely felt like a film that has to be watched again and again to absorb everything it offers.
its very good.
@@WildFungus
So long ago now I barely remember it save for that incredible visual style with the rotoscope.
@@PurushaDesa it is that kind of movie. its mostly a bunch of scabby drug addicts stealing abicycle. haha
All I remember from that is the bugs in that guys hair and Keanu Reeves
how can you be confused by a film that dedicates half its runtime to explaining everything to you
Cobb's totem is not the top. The top is Mal's totem, which Cobb figured out in order to manipulate her. Cobb explains to the others how her totem works, which is something we are told repeatedly you are not supposed to do. Cobb can because his real totem is his wedding ring. He keeps her totem because of his obsession with her and his guilt. The ending only seems ambiguous because it doesn't matter if the top falls or not. Cobb walks away without checking the totem because the obsession and guilt are gone; it doesn't matter any more.
I think Inception is a brilliant movie and Nolan a brilliant director.
Inception makes many subconscious suggestions about the nature of reality: we are trapped in our own paradoxical perception, repeating behaviors over and over, believing the shadows on the cave wall are real. People hate this movie because they are unconsciously resisting these ideas while intuitively fearing that they may be true. It is a hostile rejection of how inception works, much like the projections that attack any foreign object that can potentially disrupt the dreamer's dream.
I am now ready for the barrage of sarcastic hate.
The trolls read it and fell into a vegetative state.
This ^. It took me a few years until I realized that Cobb's totem is the wedding ring.
Robert Tangren I agree, very perceptive interpretation. But then again, I would. As you are just a projection of my subconscious mind, and nothing I’m typing is really real ...
... there is no spoon ...
Inception is quite overrated, didn't age well
I totally agree with Kermode. I absolutely love this film. I love the fact that Nolan took this complicated plot but still managed to make understandable. Great sci-fi are the ones that managed to not go over people's head. Looking forward for TDKR
this movie is much easier to keep up with than memento
Sort of. But I think Memento is more deliberately confusing in the first place and if you had missed a minute it actually wouldn't matter that much in the long run. With Inception I think it's pretty easy to keep up with it as long as you simply pay attention. But missing something specific might turn the rest of the movie into a what the hell is going on.
If you would miss a minute in Memento chances are high you won't understand it by the end...
Mr0strich
Really depends on what minute.
+PauLtus B Sure, same with Inception.
Teddy.
Nolans is such a genius
He films independet movie screenplays on a 180 Million Dollar Budget and still making more money than most of the Blockbusters in the year because his film are just so good.
Hollywood need way more directors and aspecially Screenwriters like him and his brother
Respect for recognising his brother
People saying this movie was bad completely annoy me, it's one of the best and most unique narratives ever seen in a movie... and it's portrayed PERFECTLY, the best actors, one of the best directors, the best visual specs and the best film score.
Don't fret, it's all just opinions. Personally to me it was just ok, but if you love it that's cool of course. Not everybody is going to like it.
***** I disagree, it's such a unique and complex narrative which makes it genius which should be recognized not just as 'Ok', same with Memento.
Ben Jauncey that's cool. Again, to me it was just ok.
***** I don't want to sound like a pretentious arrogant twat, but a movie's quality is not just because of how many people like it, it does go beyond opinion. There's plenty of factors that can pretty much factually describe it's quality. But when people start writing down analysises of a movie, based on nothing but the movie, you just have to give credit and admire the movie.
Getting a proper taste in anything also means that you have to accept that a movie can still be good without you enjoying it, or you enjoying a movie while knowing it's not that good, and simply knowing there are certain things, that may be beyond you.
PauL van der Burgh YES, exactly my point. The technicality of the movie and strength within that is what makes the movie, in my opinion, one of the best ever.
Wow what is it with people all of a sudden hating on Nolan nowadays?
He's more successful than ever. Backlash like always when somebody is hugely successful and praised. Don't understand why anybody would call Inception bad because of "too much exposition" and the Dark Knight Rises bad due to "plot holes", both are obviously good.
Hipsterism.
Its the Nolan fanboys who've made him out to be a god!! They are the ones to blame!! Nolan's just a guy who wants to make immersive movies utilizing practical filmmaking
iamsuperbatman1993 I think he's a really good director but I just can't stand it when some people say he's the best director of all time. Apparently better Kubrick, Tarkovsky, Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa and so many more.
It's typical backlash that happens at the height of someones success, same thing happened to Spielberg, Lucas, Tarrantino, people rag on them for being hugely popular and critically acclaimed. It will die off after a while as he settles into living legend status.
I saw it three times (maybe four?), until I finally understood all of it.
It was a very good movie though
"Because you're a fool." Lol
Awesome movie .......... ! It's taken me this long to see this and it BLEW MY MIND ........ awesome, awesome, awsome
why does this video open with his hairline?
I have actually had a dream within a dream, when I woke up from both dreams I was freaked out.
I hate how people complain about the expository dialogue. If Nolan tried to just visually explain this story it would’ve been way to hard for an audience member to break down what was truly happening. People still didn’t understand inception so I completely understand why the rules and layers of the dream are so thoroughly explained.
I love that Mark Kermode can explain why something is brilliant in 10 minutes. I agree with him about how Inception shows that would people like is never as dumbed down as producers and film companies think.
Amazing scifi movie. So many things get picked out upon rewatching
Insomnia is still his best movie
So underated
It's very clear people just nit pick Nolan or dislike him biasly because of how much acclaim he's gotten, a hipster move. Entertainment is subjective so people like and dislike what they do, but with Nolan people just hate him because of how much he's loved, it couldn't be more clear.
it aint about entertainment. its entertaining sure, but its flawed. witness the snow scene. dream within a dream within a dream? please.
Immediate upvote after seeing the first image.
@marleymike2 It was visually stunning you're right, honestly that's all it had for me. No real depth to the characters at all, for a film that many claim to be an intelligent film this seemed a large omission for me.
It wasn't a bad film, but it certianly wasn't as amazing as many of the critics have claimed it is. I thought the ending was very predictable and weak. I'd give three stars, entertaining but nothing special. I really can't get over the way Mark gushes about this film.
The only character it fleshed out was DiCaprio. They couldve added characterization instead of (imo) unnecessary explanation, in the 2nd half of first act, about the opening scenes. We could've understood a lot more from actions than what the movie thinks we could've.
im pretty sure my brain just bled reading that shit
Damn straight.
This is as close to a film version of Neuromancer as I could have ever hoped to see.
Inception was brilliant...that's all.
it is crap
Heh. How ironic is "the getting lost is purposeful and you'll always find your way despite being labyrinthine in construction" when a labyrinth is specifically a maze with only one path all the way through it.
This film does split the audience down the middle. I loved it. It takes a clever mind to create that kind of a labyrinth story, and Nolan seems to have that right now. And that one quote just summed up the feeling of dreaming; "Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realise something was actually strange."
So I'm pretty sure all the people in the comment section that says the movie was simple and not complicated simply don't get it. They understand the surface and think that's all there is while missing everything else. Dunning-Kruger effect in action.
Inception is awesome!
lol did Mark really just say Inception doesn't have too much exposition? Did we watch the same movie?
There is alot of flaws in this film, but honestly I'm not sure this could have been done without them. Its very very ambitious and even though there are problems, I just really enjoyed the fact that it fully engaged me like no film had in a long long time and I really enjoyed the action. This really is a very good film and its a solid favorite with me.
And the fact that it completely and utterly forgets its own rules later on.
If you're a Chris Nolan fan, here's a little inside info. One of the main character in his first film FOLLOWING, which he shot for next to nothing, was a thief named Cobb. Leonardo Dicaprio in Inception played a thief, his name was Cobb.
Grossed $800m. Still won't change much though. It will just enable Nolan to make more movies like this. No-one else.
In my humble opinion, the Batman films are Nolan's "B" work. It's all about Inception, The Prestige, and of course, Memento.
Sure, each of those STORIES do have some issues...especially The Prestige.
However, Nolan's storytelling in those three movies is absolutely top notch...ironically, especially in The Prestige (where Nolan repeatedly slaps you in the face with the "truth"...and yet the end is still a surprise).
Director Christopher Nolan delivers his best film in this very original, well acted, effective & stylish masterpiece that is one of the best films made. (100%) (5/5 stars) (positive)
charlie brooker described in his review of the year 2010 as a movie with ideas "above, below and beside it's station" haha
I liked this film, I think it's an enjoyable peice of [very] mainstream sci-fi. It's really a showcase for Nolan and nobody else though
the South Park episode "Insheeption" may be the best review of the film, actually lifting quotes from it.
"Visions of my dead wife manifest themselves as trains" hilarious :)
Uh what I wrote was almost line for line the scene in The Matrix when Morpheus tells Neo about how humans are used as batteries.
@HuxleyWasRight thank you...a man with sense
I love Inception. Simple
Loved he film immensely, gave me faith in the future of an intelligent blockbuster - but it really wasn't that difficult to follow. The plot is fairly linear, the dreams work logically, the explanations of the concepts are pat and accessible. Don't get me wrong, it is a brilliant, inventive thriller, but I think the people who bang about how complicated it is are really looking for an excuse to pat themselves on the shoulder for 'getting' it. It's not exactly David Lynch.
I've just realised that Kermode looks a bit like Christopher Nolan.
Wtf? Did we watch the same fucking film? It reads exactly like an essay!
Great film - great review...
@booster330 What would you say was a truly great film ?.
in the end the studios went back to dumber films.....my one complaint with Inception is the dream worlds look more like video game levels.
I would say it was written very well, but most of what you say I agree with.
I have often wondered if the screenplay for Inception is based upon the writers dreams while under the influence of Sertraline, which is a very powerful antidepressant that induces a hyper real state of deep phantasmagorical consciousness that is utterly convincing. It’s a fantastic film.
Chris Nolan did write it based of his experiences on lucid dreaming
@@Prodbyjah464 I felt that Nolan encapsulated my own experiences completely. It has become one of my favourite films.
@@williamcurwen7428 that’s awesome, inception is my favourite film
Christopher Nolan actually wrote and came up with Inception around 2000, and the only reason as to why he did not release it around the time he created the story was because he thought he need more experience in film and also wanted to polish the film and finally made the movie nearly a decade ago, so it actually did not rip Paprika at all
That basically summarizes my opinion of Nolan.
Well you could have easily anticipated this question, but okay, which part of the movie did you find dreamlike? The action sequence in the hotel? The action sequence with the van?
And I choose the snow shootout because it was the third level of dreaming (OR FOURTH?!?!?! OMG MIND BLOWING) so one would expect it to be the most "dreamy", but nope. Please see the anime Paprika to see how dreams should be done.
I love Nolan, but he reminds me of Harry Enfield's 'Tim nice but dim' character.
This is one of the funniest comments ever, you win the internet!
this film truly made me feel that we were heading into a better future of cinema...makes me feel glad that there are still directors out there like nolan next to shit like miachel bay and james cameron for avatar alone
Since James Cameron made Terminator 1 & 2 and Aliens he is forgiven for Avatar.
It's usually described as being complex 'compared' to other typically brainless CGI blockbuster summer fare...It actually made a point of engaging the audience by not treating them as idiots. It was very refreshing.
I feel Momento is still his best & that film has way more interweaving legs than Inception, but doesn't feel cluttered either. I thought Inception was certainly a well made film, but it kind of felt as if it was made for the typical crowd of people who think they are smarter than they really are. it did bring about an elitist attitude of "Well, if you can't keep up with the plot maybe Transformers is more your speed". I do like it, though it certainly ISN'T as intelligent as it wants to be.
The heavy exposition was only in the first half of the film, and it's not like they didn't come with visual confirmation. Some people argue that Nolan in general shows more than tells, but at the same time they hate that certain plot points are merely alluded to rather than shown in earnest. Nolan is meticulous, and even then, he's not perfect. But when the overarching presentation is this dedicated, this fascinating, this thoughtful, I can forgive plot inconsistencies.
@notnek011 but at that point of the movie it did need an explanation, i understood what they were doing, not why they were doing it, the reason why she was confused is they'd just said out load they were going into (not gonna spoil it's) mind, however he was a projection, they said that to trick the target as they were going into his mind, so he was seeing what he wanted to see believing it was what the thoughts of the guy whose mind it was.
Nolan stated he was inspired by Paprika.
@thedroogfulable The most metaphorical-minded movie. Literal-minded and unimaginative is the opposite to that.
Should i watch Momento before this?
U should watch it one of the best screenplay of all time.
@@bookeblade I have. 7 years ago. lol
@hanshotfirst1138 I don't think these themes, motifs or ideas are nearly distinctive enough to qualify him as an auteur. What themes, motifs and ideas are you talking about?
LOL..so did he like it?
I loved Inception but come on Mark, the first hour was pure exposition!
and?
vorjay He said it contained very little exposition.
and?
Kind of needed it though to flesh out the technicalities of the dream worlds
Probably the one complaint that bothers me the most, people still left the theater confused so how the hell do you go off of solely visuals and still appeal to the masses?
On the outside yes it is not supremely complex. But things get very murky when you start analysing whether any of the things in Cobb's 'life' are real or in a dreamworld. The beginning and ending are the same, so we could be in entirely different dream layers and this 'job' performed by Cobb and his team could actually be an inception upon Cobb's mind.
Great soundtrack
You may find the characters uninteresting but I was invested, I wanted to see Cobb reach his emotional catharsis, I wanted to see the team succeed, because I bought the magnitude, the gravity of what they were trying to accomplish. I think the films complexities lend itself to this, the job was sufficiently complex and therefore I bought the difficulty of it. It's clear you didn't feel Nolan achieved that and that's fine. I don't think the film will be easily forgotten as you insinuate.
I think they actually discussed that with the emails,with the difference wether the movie was actually clever of just more look at us being clever.But I think that's a common thing with Nolan movies.
@how is it you know i made an incorrect judgment about the plot when i did not mention any details bout it. yes it was a good popcorn movie but not particularily smart.. i walked in 10 min late and had no problem piecing it together.
@hanshotfirst1138 I should also mention I haven't seen the Prestige and I believe that it also has a "puzzle box narrative form" from what I hear so I do accept that but I still don't think that represents a fulfillment of Truffaut's initial hypothesis or whatever you want to call it.
I disagree- the biggest problem is how talky it is and how much expository dialogue there is. It takes more than an hour before you get the rules explained to you and can finally have some fun with it. I like the movie, but I find it incredibly frustrating at points.
@hanshotfirst1138 I would also question some of those as distinctive traits. The puzzle box narrative structure I think can only really be attributed to Memento and to a lesser extent Inception (which I found much less complex than people had claimed). Flashbacks are an extremely common narrative technique and his slightly sterile aesthetic was only truly realized in Inception
@IceCreamSuit Not a particularly big criticism, I enjoyed the movie, I appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it and I think it deserves praise for daring to be unique as a major studio blockbuster but it's not the trailblazing masterpiece a decent number of people see it as.
...u just cant please some ppl. Besides CN which director of late have distinguished themselves on such a consistently MASSIVE scale? Pleasing both the audience and critics alike. He must be doing something right. For ppl to comment that its all pretentious and daft and self important is essentially saying the VAST majority that came out liking this are gullible, monumental idiots who couldnt see through the facade. Sry, I refuse to believe that. If we're all idiots and the minority's depth of perception is so deep then they should be in charge of Hollywood and the world. Are they?
Still haven't seen it yet, but many of the people who said it is clever also said Donnie Darko was clever,
I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why this movie is somehow average or bad, aside from two things: first being that there was no explanation about how the contraption that they use to insert themselves in the dream works, which I'm actually glad was left out because there was enough exposition as it was, and second, the debate whether it was "all a dream", in which I certainly wish he would have just let the top fall at the end. No need for ambiguity IMO.
This is a somewhat difficult film to review. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it when I saw it in the theatre back in in 2010 but when as I read some of the comments on here below, I find myself agreeing with a lot of the criticisms aimed towards the film.
I do think that the film doesn't have any strong characters, most of the supporting characters are very poorly developed and I didn't care about any of them. And the film does, for long sequences, play out as a somewhat sophisticated heist film. And Kermode is showing double standards here. He has constantly criticised films for having characters who stand around and explain the plot. The first half of Inception is all about characters who stand around and explain the plot, it's exposition in excess. And then when the film ends, you ask yourself "What does all of this add up to?" And the answer is nothing. It's purely a stylistic exercise that doesn't have any genuine thematic depth. But that's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable watch.
Nolan's greatest film is still Memento, which is a film about a very simple idea - a human being's inability to be honest with himself about himself. It was interesting, challenging, innovative and was something approaching profound (but not quite). In Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, he used the comic book abstractions to present an allegory for the war on terror and how sometimes in order to preserve democratic values, you must betray them. I don't think Inception is in the same league as these films. Inception, like The Prestige, is I suppose a great example of all surface and no depth. It's just an entertaining heist film set in a world with obscure rules.
dont forget the prestige.
@Feyd01 I do hope your not alone in the world, but I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion of Inception. For me, it has marked Christopher Nolan as the greatest working director after Martin Scorsese. To give some perspective, could you name two or three movies that you think are excellent.
PS-I didn't find it hard to follow either.
Did Kermode call this in from the funfair?
Nolans best films.
1= Memento
2= TDK
3= BB
4= Inception.
Memento genuinely hard to follow, incredibly clever and a brilliant lead performance. I really don't understand why Inception was that hard to follow. Either way Memento is a truly astonishing film.
If I remember correctly, there was a peacock crowing in the background during that week's wittertainment whom listeners suggested sounded rather uncannily like Kermode's impersonations of certain people in the movie industry.
I propose that we christen the peacock Danny McGEEE.
@hanshotfirst1138 Hmm, I see where you're coming from and you do have a point but I think treating a recognizable style as the only qualification for the "auteur" is a bit reductionist and ignores the rest of Truffaut's theory (and the further developments). If I'm being perfectly honest I never really liked debates over auteur status and I probably regret using the term initially, what I was opposed to is the suggestion that he could be the greatest director of our generation which is crazy.
I don't think this is Nolan's fault - the Batman franchise side, his films are not meant to be explorative. He IS a fantastic narrative acrobat, and to tell a story of that level of structural complexity (to borrow your apt phrase) is a considerable feat. Thriller writing might be dismissed next to 'high' dramatic narrative, but it requires a formidable set of story-telling skills. It's not a difficult film, but it is by no means unintelligent.
me too actually....because i was more emotionally attached with batmans begins not so much with dark knight but i felt it was waay cooler than begins
@RobTangren
Children of Men - Alfonso Cuaron
Mulholland Drive - David Lynch
Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky
These are the three greatest directors working today. I am a pretty big Christopher Nolan fan but I had too many problems with inception. The soundtrack is not that good so everyone needs to get over that (Clint Mansell eats Hans Zimmer alive), the fighting is so over-the-top just for the sake of it, and the plot is fed to you on a spoon. Memento still holds up as Nolan's best.
better than not knowing
@DannyBoy777 Completely and utterly agree with you there... even if someone doesnt like it, there is no way they can say it is a bad film, its a mainstream blockbuster that doesnt insult your intelligence. You are never going to have a mainstream film better and less insulting than Inception.
I do think it' s very complicated.But if you watch it for the first time and just pay attention it is not really hard to keep up.But the movie is filled with details and it's really hard to find out what the actual truth is.The more you think about it,the weirder and complicated it gets.
Making the dreams as real as possible was not the glue that held it together as ppl think. The amazing thing about it was how the editing and the level of how it was presented to the audience. How I keep thinking almost 3 or 4 times I thought he was delievering the mcguffin, and it turn out that he hit you with another. I dont think any other movie has ever done that. The fact the dreams were so real even though nothing is connected to there heads is to funny not to say its a plot hole.
Watchert18 - Dreamscape (1984) is not a show - it's a film
@itachiroxs Wow you got me there. I'll run out and buy a David Lynch boxset...
I was hopping that Nolan make The Dark Knight Rises and get finally nomitated.
of course it's a study. just because it's not a novel doesn't mean it can't be an exploration of psychology. no people don't dream in levels but most people have had dreams of themselves dreaming. it's proven that people's minds work faster when dreaming. i love it, im sorry you dont because it's a great film.
Really thought I'd enjoy it but I absolutely hated it. I found it wasn't that complicated as ling as you listen to the endless, boring dialogue from the characters basically explaining stuff to each other. Visual effects were great and obviously the idea behind the story was interesting. My main problem with it was the absolutely appalling character development. Because I didn't give a shit about ANY character in the whole film I really didn't care what happened to them which made me incredibly bored. Not only this but your just left with so many questions about why these people went on this mission - they have absolutely no back story. And I know some people will say this is purposefully done as they could be just the subconscious, but I highly doubt that as it causes you to not care about the outcome of the film.
Sophie Jordan I don't know that the backstory of much of anyone in the film is really all that relevant to the overarching narrative besides the protagonists. That's not to say I found it complicated, I didn't, it's not as straightforward as some flicks mind you but at no point did I feel lost at all. Overall though it's a story about Dicaprio's character, it's HIS motivations and HIS story that are really of consequence save in the spots the others backstory is requisite to playing out his tale (like Cillian Murphy's story with his father) and overall Dicaprio's story is pretty thoroughly mapped out for us. We understand why he's doing what he's doing, how he gained the skills to do what he does, why he needs to do it, what obstacles make it a challenge for him and so on. Now they could go on and bloat the film up, painting huge portraits telling us the other characters motivations, but ultimately they're side characters, their entire role in the narrative is to act as proxies in bringing us an individual's story and it would wind up bloating a film that's already extensive and large in length and scope as is. Look at Dark Knight, I don't need to know what experiences brought Joker to do what he's doing, hell, we never even learn his actual name because it's irrelevant to the impact it has on his interaction with the protagonist of Batman. *shrug* I loved it, I don't know that I'd go saying it's the greatest film ever or anything, but it was an intelligent, gripping personal drama that told a concise, tight story about it's sole protagonist and I thought it did it quite admirably.
True. You get lost in good company and to a purpose. That's what cinema is all about, isn't it?
@MarkSkidMcCormick More tears plz.