Movie Review: Inception

By Michael Vass | August 10, 2010

Leonardo DiCaprio just gets way too much hype. Given that he is a decent actor and that he brings in the money at the box office. But 1 person does not make a great film, though in a quality film 1 person can make a huge contribution.

From that initial point we delve into the remixed world that is Inception. A film that counts as it’s bread and butter the absolute fascination of the audience with DiCaprio. So much so that the plot uses him to cover holes and logic gaps, not by acting but just by being on the screen.

There is little new in Inception. The concepts in the film have all been done before, often far better. The hope of the director was that the audience is too young to have seen films like Dreamscape to notice the rip off, or that they wouldn’t care about the similarities to say The Matrix. At least until DiCaprio fans had pour their money into the film. They got their wish.

Inception is basically about theives that are looking to put something into, instead of out of. Kind of like a heist film in reverse. And set in a surreal scifi world where CGI can command the attention of the viewer.

There is certainly lots of CGI goodies to occupy your eyes in this film. Things that can’t happen or exist in the real world. Which is great as the audience needs to be distracted for the idiocy of what is going on.

Obviously I really was not impressed with the film. Infact I was bored. Massively. But then again I watch a lot of movies, and I pay attention to the details. I’m not the average viewer.

If you just want to blankly star at the screen and oogle at the pretty colors, then Inception is a decent film. Not great, just decent. The acting is good, there is a touch of action, and everyone seems rather busy and nervous. There is even a love story in the middle of it all that will jerk tears from someone I’m sure.

If you pay attention then this film loses all the luster. Things just don’t add up. The love story is a waste of time. And DiCaprio is not enough to make it all better.

My problems with the film’s story? If this was a militiary project then how did a science teacher get his hands on the equpment and technique? How did it get out, worldwide, though no one knows about it yet there are people beside our intrepid heroes that use it? Weren’t our heroes supposed to spend 10 years on the 3rd level of the dream? How do they enter the dream of a person they don’t know, or even they do (there is no tech connection to the person)? I could go on.

Fine, I’m a geek. Plot is meaningless. Does DiCaprio act well? Decent if not a bit wooden. Does the CGI look good? Great actually. Is this film on par with the Matrix or other groundbreaking films? Not even close.

If you are not an uber-fan of Dicaprio don’t see this film in theaters (which you probably haven’t yet). You can also skip the DVD unless you really want to see how they made the CGI which undoubtedly will be part of the bonus material.

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)