Inception

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio

If you don't know who Christopher Nolan is by now, SHAME! Shame on you. Not only is he an excellent director, but each of his notable successes are attributed by his amazing writing. Does Inception change this trend? Of course not. It actually further proves his genius.

Cobb (DiCaprio) is an extractor of the subconscious mind. He breaks into people's dreams, tricking and shooting his way into getting secrets that the dreamer has locked away. He works with his close partner Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) and after certain events they must expand the team.
This is where the whole reason for the movie takes place. Cobb must perform "inception" by implanting the most resilient type of parasite, an idea, into the mind of a wealthy successor. If he does this Saito (Watanabe), former extractee of Cobb, will make it possible for him to see his children. He accepts this mission only because there is no other way for him to get back home without being arrested for a crime he may or may not have committed. This ultimately leads to creating a team. First off they need an Architect who is capable of imagining large cities that are seemingly so real to the dreamer. Cobb's father (Caine) introduces him to Ariadne (Page) who quickly learns the ins and outs of being a dream architect. Next they need a Forger, someone who is able to appear as someone else in the dream state. Cobb is familiar with a man, Eames (Hardy), who understands the complexities of extracting and also believes that inception is possible. The last part of the team is Yusuf (Rao) who primarily is the overseer of the team members while they are in dream world. He also initiates the important role of "kicking". In order to wake someone who is sleeping, the feeling of falling is used to shock the system. They formulate a complex plan involving dreaming within a dream where they must go into deeper "levels". This is very well the most entertaining part of the film. Cobb and Co. get themselves onto the flight with the target, Fischer (Murphy), and heavily sedate him and the whole team so they can go into his mind. Here is were the movie really starts to take flight.

I made this comparison to myself and saw someone else make the same remark so I decided it was relevant to write; the movie feels like a much more thrilling Ocean's Eleven in a Matrix world. The dream world begins to create it's layers where certain key players are left on different levels to initiate kicks through there system.  The reason this works so well is because no matter what scene you are watching it is all relevant to the next scene. This dream is within this dream which is within another dream. It pieces together seemingly different scenes into wonderfully woven quilt. Gordon-Levitt's hotel fight scene is among the greatest scenes to marvel at because of this movies' theme.

The entire movie looks amazing and folding Paris onto itself is among one of these great illusions.The cast is great and the characters are so charming. You can't help, but enjoy what each brings to the table. This will easily be the best movie of the year and possibly of the last decade. The Internet buzz for this movie is insane and it deserves every bit of that hype. The story delves way, WAY deeper than I described. I went in expecting huge things and I received much more. Watch the trailer and imagine how great it could be. Then go see the movie and realize how you still underestimated it. Perfect example of what movies need to be doing.

Rating: ★★★★