Oh, so you thought that just because I titled my last post “Part 1” that there would be a follow up? You thought that just because I mentioned that a second devil’s advocate post was on the way that I meant that literally? And you figured it would come within a few days if not a week, certainly before Inception started leaving theaters? Wow… how do I say this… It’s a big world out there and I don’t like to see naive kids like you getting hurt. Be careful out there.
The last couple weeks were spent shutting down shop at work and moving from SF to NYC. Now I’m getting settled and figuring out the big city. That’s for another post. Let me close out this saga first…
Inception: The good stuff
It’s a lot easier for me to pick at the specific stuff that bugged me about this movie than it is to wax poetic on all the things that were amazing about it. Let there be no doubt, it’s an milestone film with terrific production value. I’m sure it will be a smash at the Oscars and will probably enter the library of classics for many. A few reasons why…
Presenting a good idea and NOT ruining it with a twist
Christopher Nolan’s ambition in creating an epic delving into multiple levels of reality in such a smart, specific way is admirable. None of his past blockbusters have had a plot as gray-matter-heavy as this one, nor have many films for that matter. In fact, the overwhelming majority of today’s theatrical films have predetermined conclusions. They’re formulaic and stereotypical and often try to escape it by adding a “twist” at the end. But most of the time viewers expect that too, and what kind of twist is it if you know it’s coming?! Nolan started with a complex idea and didn’t distill it down. True, it’s so complex it takes the majority of the movie to lay out all the rules, but the end result is a film that viewers haven’t stopped theorizing, writing and talking about for weeks. We should celebrate a filmmaker who takes that kind of risk on a high budget film. The primary thing I was worried about was the twist at the end ruining everything I had just seen. But again, there, he didn’t go for a cheap trick. Lots of folks think they know the “correct” way to read the story. However, in my opinion, Nolan smartly designed it to be ambiguous — there is no right answer. Thus, guaranteed discussion and debate.
The music
The soundtrack may have played a bigger role in the film than any other feature or character. Go ahead and press play now (I hate pages that autoplay, though it did cross my mind to go all MySpace on you. You’re welcome). Hans Zimmer masterfully created a theme that was both fast-moving and big enough to support the film’s complexity. Epic scores almost always use repetition to iterate upon a theme throughout several hours (Enter any Philip Glass soundtrack). Zimmer’s arrangements manage to keep their freshness and intensity throughout the film. Much of the time, I wasn’t even aware music was playing. It did its job of sweeping me into a higher emotional involvement with the scene. Like my grandfather used to tell me about playing drumset in a jazz band, the soundtrack’s job (usually) is to provide backbone for the film, a foundation upon which to build character and scene. It’s by not drawing attention to itself that it succeeds. Zimmer succeeded.
I’m calling it here: Hans Zimmer will win the Oscar for Best Original Score.
The visual composition
What can I say that you don’t already know? Even if you haven’t seen the film. The best effects are displayed in the preview. Everything from the zero-gravity fight scene in the rotating hallway to Paris folding in on itself to the barren dreamscapes of the 4th (or was it the 5th?) level of reality are shockingly cool. Especially on an IMAX screen, these effects are currently unparalleled in their luster and getting your blood pumping.
The camerawork and set design are striking. Everything maintains a dark and often gold appearance. Other scenes appear drained of their original color and then polished to a rich shine. This all helps exacerbate the question of what is real and what is dream. Do you dream in gold?
Soon (really) I’ll write about my experience in NYC so far.
Cheers,
Colin
Fill the screen 