Checked out the sci-fi masterpiece that is Inception?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Just got back from watching the two & half hour long sci-fi flick of Inception. Just a mere four worded sentence sums up this cool film: What a fucking trip!

You might recall some other sci-fi flick that dealt with the world of dreams, none other than Dreamscape with Dennis Quaid and Kate Capshaw from 1984.

Director Chistopher Nolan is a master at telling a new-fangled sci-fi classic...one that requires multiple viewings to get the full story. Bonus points if you can grasp "the basic concept/premise" on your first viewing. Lots of twists and spins leading the audience to wonder what happens next.

This is definitely one film worthy of buying on Blu-Ray format on day one...I'm sold!

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[neorichieb1971]

It was about 5 months ago I downloaded the HD trailer and thought to myself "That looks a bit different, and good". I have not seen the movie yet but I can imagine from the rave reviews its getting that its a bit special. Its nice for a director to take a movie into unknown territory and make it successful. Its been ages since something really fresh hit the scene.

It reminds me of Dark City in a way. All that distortion of gravity and mind control business. Looking forward to it.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The film trailer of Inception only merely hints of what is yet to come. You'll be blown away. This new film really does elevate the sci-fi genre to new heights indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Damocles]

It reminds me of Dark City in a way.

I'm sold. Inception looked interesting, but I'm very leery of Leonardo Dicaprio. ...especially after Shutter Island.

[Warp_Rattler]

I didn't see Shutter Island, but DiCaprio--the entire cast, in fact--delivers a stellar performance. "Best movie of the year" is a little premature and a little hyperbolic, but I think Tron Legacy and Scott Pilgrim are going to have to work really damn hard to impress me more than this one did.

[t0yrobo]

It reminds me of Dark City in a way.

I'm sold. Inception looked interesting, but I'm very leery of Leonardo Dicaprio. ...especially after Shutter Island.

I liked the move. I have plenty of issues with it, but it is good. I think a large part of my problem with it is that it spends a large amount of time dealing with dicaprios character who is very similar to the role he played in Shutter Island.

[Limbrooke]

Just saw this and I learned about the actress Ellen Page. Nuff said.

The movie was well worth it (free coupon) and I'll gladly see it again on DVD a few months down the line. It's nearly 2.5 hours but to me it seems like Nolan needed more time for character development. Otherwise, it's an entertaining movie and probably one of the better movies I've seen in a few years.

...I think Tron Legacy [is] going to have to work really damn hard to impress me more than this one did.

Shit isn't coming out until December. Good grief. I'm probably not going to see the new Tron but the trailer before Inception definitely perked my interest beyond 0. The scene in the arcade definitely helps.

[ROBOTRON]

The film trailer of Inception only merely hints of what is yet to come. You'll be blown away. This new film really does elevate the sci-fi genre to new heights indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Happy you liked it...I was alittle afraid of going to see it...I instantly thought "2012" when I saw the trailer. I feel a little better about maybe checking it out now.

[emphatic]

Apparently Nolan got the idea for this movie back when he was done with Memento and has been doing "easier sells" to get the studio's confidence to be able to do some batshit crazy stuff like this. Good thing Nolan's "streamlined" stuff is Batman Begins and The Dark Night. You know... batshit crazy.

[1up]

its on my list. been looking forward to its release for a long time

[kengou]

Just got back. Wow! Nolan never fails to disappoint. Seriously, I've watched all his movies, and they're all masterpieces in their own way. I'm going again tomorrow with a group of friends, to catch all the stuff I missed the first time around. How about that ending? The entire audience let out a collective moan and laugh.

My only slight annoyance is DiCaprio, he was good at times but some scenes felt a bit wooden.

[sjewkestheloon]

Superb film.

[KindGrind]

I need to go see this... Been looking forward to it, but I've got so much stuff to do.

That and Malick's "The Tree of Life" are the movies I have been looking forward to the most recently.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Just learned that this Inception film earned a whopping $60.4 million dollars during it's opening weekend debut across the USA. Quite impressive figures indeed for a sci-fi film.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[boagman]

I liked it quite a bit, yes, but still prefer Memento. Really, though, to my knowledge, Nolan hasn't made a bad movie yet, as they've all been really, really good.

[mannerbot]

It's enjoyable but I would have been disappointed if I expected anything more than a summer action flick.

[CMoon]

Just got back from it. Think its the best sci-fi film since Children of Men. Glad to see it is still possible to do good science fiction.

What I am really hoping is that there is no singular, solid interpretation I'm supposed to get out of the film. I can see a lot of ways to interpret it, and am really happy with that right now. Hopefully Nolan never spills the beans.

Incidentally, this is the one thing I hate about Blade Runner, namely that there is one correct interpretation of Deckard being an android. I really liked it being open instead of a required twist.

[Skykid]

Jesus, filmgoers these days are easily pleased.
What's with all this Nolan love. Never made a bad film?

The guy's no great shakes:

Memento was good.
Insomnia was sleep inducing. Actually this was just a really awful movie.
Batman Begins was half okay (the second half) but pretty average throughout.
The Prestige was farcical.
Batman: Dark Knight is his best film despite being full of silly flaws and plot holes. Ledger made it.

I've been told already not to waste money on Inception, apparently it's badly mis-cast, full of dodgy dialogue and probably only worth a DVD rental.

It's enjoyable but I would have been disappointed if I expected anything more than a summer action flick.

Bam. And that's why I'll watch it on DVD.

Now, a picture of a man who thinks he's a great director, but actually isn't:



EDIT: I always get questioned by people whenever I rag on overrated films/film makers, so just to throw a counter measure out there.

"What modern sci-fi movie do you like then Skyfig?"

Moon.

Thought that was really good. Good story, good substance, very well directed and Sam Rockwell turned in a top notch performance. Pleasantly surprised.
I'm not sure if it's better than Inception, cos I haven't seen Inception. But I'd put money on it.

[CMoon]

If you can promise not to go in hating it, you should probably go see it.

I thought Moon was so-so, but I'm glad an independent director could still make a movie like that.

[mannerbot]

Don't get me wrong, Inception's far from being a bad film. It's good! Just manage your expectations.

[Dragoforce]

Can't say I'm that hyped, but my girlfriend is and she got two free movie tickets from some dude that hypnotized her so there's nothing to lose. Looks a little bit too much like Matrix to fit me.

Moon.

A friend of mine called it 2001 for dummies, a little harsh but almost true. Decent film though. Actually, I can't really think of any sci-fi movie that was produced after Blade Runner that I really enjoy.

[Skykid]

Moon.

A friend of mine called it 2001 for dummies, a little harsh but almost true.

No offence to you or your friend Drago, but that's a pretty stupid appraisal.

It shared certain similarities to 2001 and the director probably drew some influence, but it was a totally independent story and completely its own film. 2001 for dummies?... That just makes no sense.

It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was well written, well acted and well directed, and those three qualities are what I usually look for in a movie.

If you can promise not to go in hating it, you should probably go see it.

Ah, I can promise not to do that. The hating only starts when I begin to identify a host of glaring shortcomings and then it all unravels. Seriously, I wish I could block it all out and still live in a world where Nicolas Cage is a good actor and most Hollywood movies aren't trash. Then I'd have so much more fun.

When I was a kid, everything was great. Even Con Air.

[Dragoforce]

I think what he meant was that the plot was pretty straightforward after the first 20 minutes or so. I had rewatch some scenes from it since you brought it up. The photography is awesome, especially the scenes outside the base got this wonderful modern old-school feeling to them.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Skykid,

Yep, the glamorious 1980s and the super-big budgets that came with making those summer blockbuster action films have had their due to bask in the limelight that got started with Die Hard (circa 1987) and it's ilk. It seems the last action film to end all action genre films is the upcoming Stallone produced and directed flick of "The Expendables" with it's all-star studded cast including the Guvenator himself as a special cameo appearance.

I lke how in one key scene of Inception, it pays tribute to a certain PSX game indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Skykid]

I think what he meant was that the plot was pretty straightforward after the first 20 minutes or so.

I'm grasping to see out how that has any similarity to 2001 (has this guy even seen 2001? It's the least straightforward plot evah. )

I had rewatch some scenes from it since you brought it up. The photography is awesome, especially the scenes outside the base got this wonderful modern old-school feeling to them.

I just thought it was a good, small (low budget) sci-fi movie, very much in the vein of some of the older classics in the genre. It didn't need to imitate to achieve that, it was just nicely handled and the plot kept me guessing as it unfolded (I definitely didn't know exactly what was happening for a while.)

Like Fight Club, the movie is screwed after one watch - when you know the twist it's a very different film.

Anyway, more films with a bit of food for thought are always welcome. An intelligently written narrative usually goes a long way in a movie.

I have a feeling Inception is probably classic Nolan: style that thinks it's substance.

[kengou]

Jesus, filmgoers these days are easily pleased.
Memento was good.
Insomnia was sleep inducing. Actually this was just a really awful movie.
Batman Begins was half okay (the second half) but pretty average throughout.
The Prestige was farcical.
Batman: Dark Knight is his best film despite being full of silly flaws and plot holes. Ledger made it.

"What modern sci-fi movie do you like then Skyfig?"

Moon.

Thought that was really good. Good story, good substance, very well directed and Sam Rockwell turned in a top notch performance. Pleasantly surprised.

Wow.

Memento was INCREDIBLY original, creative, clever and thought-provoking. I can't take anyone seriously who doesn't understand the massive praise Memento receives.
The prestige was also brilliant. Again, well written, well acted, great plot, very original screenplay.
Insomnia was probably his worst movie but still well made. It's not fantastic but there's just not much wrong with it.
Same with his lesser known movie Following. It's a really creative plot, and well written.
His two batman movies are awesome, and the Dark Knight was brilliant.

Moon was just... dumb. I mean it was mildly entertaining but the plot was just way too simple. I was really let down.

Yeah yeah, it's just your opinion, just like this is just my opinion. But I'm just baffled by yours. Really, really baffled.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Skykid,

Or the phrase could be re-worded as "Stylized substance at it's best" in regards to the Inception film.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[CMoon]

Skykid> All I can tell you here is that if you like the idea of a thinking man's film where nothing is stated in certain terms and (like the idea of inception itself) you are meant to walk away from the film with your own ideas, making your own reality out of it, then you will probably enjoy the film. It is well written, well acted, well executed, etc. Special effects are nothing short of fantastic. Pacing is amazing, such that you never question it's 2 1/2 hour running time. Best of all is that nothing ever flows in a way that it feels too convoluted, even though I can't say I really understand the film. It feels very accessible while still being a challenging film. How does that sound?

[neorichieb1971]

Plot was silly. Risking limbo for 8 or so people for the sake of changing a mans decision? I am sure in the real world a bullet to the head would have been more pursuasive. The other thing about such movies is that when it ends it sends the message that there is no certain conclusion therefore you could argue the whole movie was a waste of time. Failure I can take, resolve I can take.. limbo I can't. Simply put the movie was a metaphor for itself.

Example... It could have been the wifes dream and it could be Dicaprios intrusion into her dream that made her life a convoluted mess which caused her to commit suicide. In other words, what we watched could have been anyones dream. The rulebook doesn't state anything conclusive at all. At least in the Matrix the real world was graphically different to that of the unreal world. In Inception you can turn the story inside out and it still makes perfect sense

The end was a dream. Weather, kids positions, same grass, same everything... But perhaps the ending was an oversight on the directors part keeping everything identical to the visions we saw earlier in the movie.. I've yet to see a Nolan movie I actually thoroughly enjoyed. At best he hits about 7/10 for me.

[Skykid]

I've yet to see a Nolan movie I actually thoroughly enjoyed. At best he hits about 7/10 for me.

This is what I mean. He's not a good enough director to make a great film, just a good one - and I won't take that away from the guy. I enjoyed the Dark Knight (moreso on repeat viewings) but it's no masterwork. His other films revolve around some very good ideas that probably could have come to more if they had been better executed and had a little re-writing.

He's not as useless and overrated as someone like Michael Mann and he's leagues above the Paul Andersons of the world.

The problem for me @ Kengou is that (and not meaning to sound like a film snob) is that there are levels of appreciation for film that come from being able to identify basic errors. It's not a mystery that useless actors receive plenty of work, praise and respect from filmgoers because the media device is such a well oiled machine. Hollywood gloss is an efficient enough engine to swallow most cinemagoers no matter how bollocks the movie is, no matter how absurd the script or how throwaway the subject.

They can take something like Isaac Asimov's I Robot and turn it into a stupid, farcical vehicle for Will Smith. It dumbs down the audience and they love it, a kind of false education.

I kind of imagine Hollywood to be a sweet shop churning out sickening confectionary. Lots of brightly coloured wrappers full of sickly sweet shit inside, and almost completely disposable.

At risk of writing an essay, I don't write the industry off entirely. I can still get lost in a good no-brainer and appreciate it for being well-handled. My biggest problem is more with the ones that take themselves totally seriously and fail constantly at doing justice to the subject matter.

I end up watching a lot more foreign movies these days because I just can't take being disappointed by the filler anymore.

Moon was just... dumb. I mean it was mildly entertaining but the plot was just way too simple. I was really let down.

Completely entitled to this opinion mate, but for me it's one that proves that you've missed the point entire.