“Inception”: Your reactions?
So unless you’ve been on a walkabout in the Outback, you must know that Inception opened this weekend. It did whopping business ($60.4M) and is creating quite a bit of buzz, mostly good, some negative.
Elizabeth O. sent me a note on Friday which I thought I’d use as a frame for a discussion of the movie:
Scott,
I have yet to see “Inception” but something has been bothering me about the reviews. Essentially, I’m reading that the dialogue is expository, the emotional center is cold (even though Marion Cotillard is hot), the plot is confusing and the characters one-dimensional (particular Page’s). But, it’s still being hailed a great achievement with great technical aspects.
Doesn’t this just make Nolan the Michael Bay of “cineastes”? How can one film be described as failing many of the basic tenets of storytelling and be praised as one of the best movies of the year? Can you remember any past “classic” films who seemingly failed on such basic levels but yet was wildly praised as “Inception”? Should I just forgo my pen and pray for a great cinematographer and editor?
What did you think?
Was the dialogue expository?
The emotional center cold?
The plot confusing?
The characters one-dimensional?
Bear in mind, these are not Elizabeth’s observations — as of the point she emailed me, she had not seen the movie — but her assessment of some of the film’s negative reviews.
Inception currently has an 84% rating on RottenTomatoes. Here are a few of the negative comments there:
If you recall the scene in Dahmer (2002) where Jeremy Renner as the deranged killer drills holes into his victims’ heads, you’ll know what watching this Freudian claptrap of a thriller is like.
It’s hard to connect with a movie when it tries so hard to fool you; is this a dream, is it not, is it a dream within a dream? Who cares? Just commit to something and get on with it. A crushing bore.
Inception is a nightmare for audiences looking for coherent fiction.
On the other hand, a majority of comments there are like this:
This is a drama built around ideas and images; it is a cinematic maze that Nolan makes his audience traverse in order to follow, understand and appreciate his world.
This is not only the best movie ever made about dreams, it is also one of the best films of 2010, and certainly one of the most entertaining pictures I’ve seen in a decade.
Nolan has basically done the impossible. He’s taken $200 million and, instead of coming up with a highly generic product, he’s made a real movie.
Me? I thought it was brilliant. But before I weigh in with more thoughts, I’d like to hear what the GITS community has to say? What do you think of Inception?
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen Inception, do not enter comments as plot details are being discussed there!
UPDATE: Original prediction for Inception weekend domestic box office was $60.4M. The actuals are in and the final tally is $62.8M. Great to see it and Despicable Me, two non-remakes / non-sequels atop the box office.
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