As the post says, I saw the much anticipated Inception, and my verdict: good, but not great. I wouldn't begrudge anyone who thinks this movie is fantastic, but in my opinion the glowing reviews it has been receiving are overblown.
One review for instance said Inception was a "Kubrick film with heart". I'm not sure I'd agree either with it being Kubrickian or having heart. Certainly, it tries to have heart, but it doesn't really succeed. In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, the world's best "extractor": a thief who specializes in going into people's dreams and accessing their most guarded secrets. He's also a fugitive trying to get back to his kids. So, when an employer comes along promising to clear his name if he can perform inception--planting an idea rather than stealing it--he can't refuse.
OK. Makes sense. He's trying to get back to his kids (and deal with some issues relating to his wife). Very heartrending. But DiCaprio almost plays it too straight. Sure, he conveys that mix of vulnerability and intensity that he does so well, but in my opinion that's become too one-dimensional. It doesn't help that we don't emotionally connect to anyone else in the film. Hell, there isn't time to connect to anyone else. The film moves too quickly for it's own good, jumping from one mind-bending action scene to the next without leaving time for us to understand who these character's really are.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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