GENRE: THRILLER/DRAMA
RATING: PG-13
STUDIO: WARNER BROS.
THEATRICAL RELEASE: JULY 16, 2010
DVD RELEASE: OCTOBER 2010

Christopher Nolan is a master storyteller. After reviving the Batman franchise, he delved into the world of mystery with the perfectly executed The Prestige. He wowed us again with the grandeur of The Dark Knight, garnering a posthumous Best Supporting Oscar for Heath Ledger. Somewhere in there, he managed to make viewers forget that he can tell a mind-bending, time-warping, psychologically-deep tale that never lets up until the last frame has rolled by. Even then, the questions remain. Remember, this is the same man who gave us the trippy film that is Memento. Inception is a return to form for the director and is quite possibly Nolan’s best work to date. He’s the anti-M. Night Shymalan. His films are like fine wine. They only get better over time…and childish minds will not appreciate it.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a man who specializes in stealing secrets hidden within a person’s subconscious while they dream. But, as with any great flawed character, Cobb has a secret threatening to ruin his soul. When he is offered the chance for redemption and absolution, Cobb is skeptical. He is eventually convinced and embarks on one last mission. But, things quickly spiral out of control and Cobb must race against time to save his friends, those he loves, and his own sanity.

Per usual, DiCaprio is phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve seen him in a bad film since The Beach. Every time I experience a DiCaprio performance, I am absolutely riveted. His acting is so rich with nuance and passion. Here, he infuses his character with the appropriate confusion, paranoia, guilt, regret, and severity that was required. Ellen Page’s star continues to rise, too. I was a bit skeptical when I heard she had been cast in a Nolan film, especially besides an actor of DiCaprio’s caliber. But, she provides a wonderful foil. Where DiCaprio’s character is losing his grip on reality, Page’s character is in touch with things “as they are.” She is his anchor. Marion Cottilard provides DiCaprio’s emotional complication in the form of his deceased wife, Mal. I will not speak much of her part in the plot, but this former Best Actress Oscar winner* does great things with the little screen time she is given. When she and DiCaprio interact, especially at the tail end of the film, the viewer cannot help but feel the weight of the years these characters have shared together. Ken Wantanabe, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Jospeh Gordon-Levitt round out the cast with great effect.

The only downside to the film is that the soundtrack is sometimes relentless and overpowering. There were several times throughout the film where I could not hear what certain characters were saying and it seemed to be important dialogue. When it was not overpowering dialogue, it would be droning on and “creating suspense” when unnecessary. Maybe this was intentional. Given that things can be muddled in dreams, Nolan could have chosen the soundtrack as yet another bit character in this morality play. We may never know.

Ultimately, Inception is a film about the meaning of ideas, what is reality and what is fiction and where does one draw that line, the power of love over time, and how far a person will go to be the ones they love. Even as the film ends, we’re not quite sure what is what. Was the ending happy or not? Is hope found in the worlds we create for ourselves or is hope found in the harsh reality of the world we find ourselves in? Like every great storyteller, Nolan provides no easy answers for the viewer. He provides us with questions to ponder embedded within a visually stunning canvas…like an idea that grows like a virus.

Inception is not just Christopher Nolan’s finest hour, it is the best film I have ever experienced.