Mind-blowing

Both literally & figuratively.

Spoiler warning: If you haven't watched Inception, don't read any further. ;)

The Plot

Inception's plot can be described as a Penrose staircase - no matter how much you keep climbing, you still end up at the same place.

Inception is a typical heist film, where the mind is the scene of crime. The PASIV (Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous) device is a machine which allows people to share their dreams in the Dream-Share while they are sedated with a substance called somnacin. Once the Extractor enters someone’s dream, he can extract any information from that person’s mind. The reverse is adding information, essentially planting an idea, i.e. inception.

The story starts in a dream, follows the assembly of the dream-infiltrators team, the planning of the job, then the multi-dimensional act of inception & ends with the wake-up. But does it really end? No one knows...
At the end of the film, all viewers ask themselves the same question - am I dreaming?

I couldn’t have imagined that Nolan could pull the same trick twice. A film more convoluted than Memento, Inception initially appears to be mind-boggling. It will require more than one viewing, but once you grasp the plot, you realise that Inception is a great film - an original story that really captivates your mind.

The Cast

Di Caprio finally has a film where he can be proud of his stand-out performance. After Blood Diamond, The Aviator & The Departed, & now Inception, one can safely say he will no longer be remembered only for his role in Titanic.
In fact, the entire cast of stars have brilliantly performed their roles - Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the Point Man, the beautiful Marion Cotillard as the Shade, the cute Ellen Page as the Architect, Tom Hardy as the Forger, Dileep Rao as the Chemist & Ken Watanabe as the Tourist. Not to forget Michael Caine in his usual Alfred role. :)

The Score

Although I resent that Mind Heist wasn't included in the film, Hans Zimmer masterfully crafts an extra-dimension to Inception with his compositions. Some subtle hints of TDK, & that spine-chilling trombone - an absolutely brilliant score. Definitely an Oscar-contender.

The Visuals

Imagine a world of dreams, where buildings & landscapes are created & manipulated by sheer thinking. That's the work of the Architect. Inception's dreams are similar to reality for a very specific reason – any manipulation of the laws of nature causes the projections of the subconscious to attack the intruder(s).

However that didn’t prevent Nolan from dreaming up of those fantastic action scenes, including the most impressive one with shifting gravity involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Awe-inspiring stuff.

Verdict

Rubbish.
That's what most other films I've seen in 2010 (excluding 3 Idiots) feel like after watching Inception.
Christopher Nolan has a knack for delivering the goods. Each of his films never fails to amaze, mystify & entertain the audience. With every non-Batman release, there is a trend that each is designed in such a way to reflect its plot & the title. Memento had a non-linear flashback. The Prestige kept its secret until the very end. Inception did not stray from this rule. Inception keeps you guessing even after the film has ended… so much that it can give you headaches.

When I first watched the film, I didn’t comprehend what I had just seen. It was like having a mental overload with all the possibilities devised by the film. A second viewing (in English) helped in clearing the mist & convinced me beyond doubt that this is a masterpiece. Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus.

Rating – 9.5/10

PS. The non-batman one at least, because the final film in the Batman trilogy is coming in 2012. :)

• Wired - How Inception’s Astonishing Visuals Came to Life
• NewScientist - Inception: peering into the science of dreams
• Wired - The Neuroscience of Inception
• Inception Infographic
• The 5 Levels of Inception 
• INCEPTION: Wait.. What happened?
• Did Inception's costume designer just give away the secret of the movie's ending?
• Inception Music Comparison