Inception

I feel like a complete hypocrite. I always tell my students not to procrastinate, but I’ve been putting off writing about this movie for days. It isn’t because I didn’t like the movie; I did. I just have no idea how to explain it because I’m not 100% sure I understood it all. I’m no slouch in the brains department, so that should give you an idea how convoluted Inception is.

Inception begins with us meeting Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). Cobb is a master thief and his skilled are utilized by corporations around the globe. However, he doesn’t steal like the average thief. He enters the minds of his marks and manipulates their dreams. Once they dream about the information he needs (passwords, combinations, hiding places, etc.) he delivers the information to his clients.

This line of work is called “extraction,” and it’s lucrative, but in the process of developing his craft, Cobb has become a fugitive. He is not allowed to return home and longs to see his children. He is given the opportunity to start over if he can accomplish a task that is thought to be impossible: inception. Extraction merely removes information from a person’s mind; inception implants ideas the person never had.

This work involves constructing the dream from the bottom up, making it realistic so it can be familiar to the subject, but with new elements inserted from the thieves. Cobb enlists the help of a young woman played by Ellen Page. She has a talent for constructing the dream architecture, but it seems the “enemy” is always one step ahead, distracting Cobb with visions of his dead (?) wife. As if this weren’t enough, achieving inception requires the team to use increasing amounts of sedatives to produce a deep sleep. Taking too many drugs may mean plunging into a coma

I give Inception four solid stars. During the movie you have no idea if things are real; if it is a dream or reality. It’s visually stunning and I loved every minute of it. The acting is superb and the writing and pace keep you on the edge of your seat. So why only four stars? Because I have no idea if I actually GOT IT. I think Inception is a movie you could watch over and over and have a different experience each time. It kept me off kilter and I could learn to like that.

Michelle D. Kieffaber