Number one: *Insert Drum Roll*... Inception.

Inception follows the work of master thief Dom Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio), who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology. However, in a desperate bid to return home to his family, Cobb must assemble a team to attempt the impossible, plant an idea in the mind of a CEO. In simple terms, Inception is a masterpiece.

When I first went to see Inception I was only 13 and I was held spellbound for the entire two hours and twenty minutes. I went to see the film out of recommendation from my dad, he said to me that it was the only film he had experienced where at the ending the audience clapped in admiration. As the credits rolled I understood why that reaction was created. However, still being 13 my mind was very much overwhelmed, I had to watch it a further two times in cinema and ask persistently to ensure that Inception would be a christmas present the same year. It’s safe to say that I was obsessed. Even today Inception resonates on so many wonderful levels for me that it could be in no other place than number one in my top ten.

In my previous review I had listed the Dark Knight as my second favorite film, however what I had saved for this review was to discuss in depth the inspiring director Christopher Nolan. Nolan is my most admired director, not a single film in his roster (trust me I have exhausted all of them) I dislike. From The Following to The Dark Knight rises, his work has never fell below fantastic. In this instance however, Inception is truly perfect. Being credited with both writing and direction, Inception is truly the renowned filmmakers most original, ambitious and terrific work to date. It took ten years for Nolan to formulate Inception: a fact that truly explains how massive in scope this intellectual thriller is. Every aspect is faultless with the director choosing to go for wonderment at every available opportunity. No expense seems lost in this film, with the opting to build in real life instead of using CGI, really shows a director firmly entrenched in creating  realism in the most unrealistic and wonderful scenarios.

At it’s heart, Inception is a heist film. Be it the most complex of it’s kind, every trait of the genre remains. Cobb is the man with the plan and he still has to assemble the best team to pull off the impossible task. Along the way there will be twists and turns, but it is how Nolan embraces these formulaic genre conventions and completely makes them his own original way of allowing the audience to enter this beautifully complex world of dreams. We are engaged from the offset to come along for this illustrious plot that seems like the amalgamation of James Bond, 2001: Space Odyssey and Memento. It is only fitting that for a film about layers, be it layers of the subconscious, that the film succeeds on bring so much depth to every element that the picture aims to deliver. Depth is key to Inception, and Nolan ensures that his masterpiece never loses it’s way, and delivers on emotion, witt, scale and relevance.

The cast is outstanding with every actor pulling his/her weight and there is no room for tourists on this film. Notable stars such as Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe all star, but it is only fitting to start with the leading performance delivered expertly by Leonardo DiCaprio. The task at hand for DiCaprio was not an easy one: Cobb is a character who needs to maintain professionalism whilst solely being motivated by guilt and determination to return to his children. But the devilishly talented DiCaprio delivers every aspect of this master extractor convincingly with the necessary depth for the audience to feel invested in his cause.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt also knocks it out the park with his role as the more straight point-man who basically acts as Cobbs number 2. His character of Arthur would be, in the hands of a less gifted individual, rather dull and predictable, however Levitt through his interaction with other characters really does feel in place and at home in this film. The teams dynamic really does excel with the chemistry between Arthur and Eames who is portrayed by Tom Hardy. For me, this is one of Hardy’s finest performances, often providing the comic relief necessary through his onscreen charisma as well as adding to the thriller elements of the film. His dynamic with every member of the team is wonderful to witness.

In my eyes though, Inception’s cast really does succeed through the use of Ellen Page’s character Ariadne, as the new architect exposed to the world of the dream for the first time. Many a film critic upon it’s release hounded Inception for being overly complex, and that many people felt alienated by its intelligence. Despite this I still see the film to be widely accessible as long as attention is payed, but for moments where anyone feels lost it is the Inexperience of Ellen Page’s character who comes to the rescue. Page flawlessly acts as the companion to the audience and through her expert realisation by Nolan we are allowed to venture down the rabbit hole without any blockades.

Nolan however is the VIP of this film, his story and his direction are the main driving force that sustain the sheer existence of this picture. It is hard to envisage a director who could dawn a project this bold let alone succeed. The narrative is the most perfect I have ever witnessed with every twist and development serving a purpose to drive the audience forward in a unjarring seamless fashion despite being at a phenomenal pace. Every aspect is branded with directors trademark style and we, the audience can’t help but step back and gasp in awe at this stroke of genius.

In this review I aim not to give away any plot details for reasons that I will divulge later, but there is one scene that I would love to discuss which I think is fairly safe in terms of spoilers. The famous zero gravity which featured in the trailers. This scene for me perfectly encompasses everything about Inception. The back story is that Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has to fend off the projections from finding Cobb and company who are resided in a hotel room dreaming. However, as this is the second dream level, the swaying of the car containing the dreamers on level one causes gravity shifts on the lower level. Thus what unfolds is my favourite scene ever to be put on screen.  The on screen spectacle is enough to captivate any audience member but as you delve deeper into the mechanics of shooting the scene you can’t help but be truly impressed with Nolan and his team for creating such genius. The crew actually assembled a one-hundred foot corridor that would actually revolve. Whilst in rotation a camera would be fixed to the supposed floor of the room, giving the effect that it was actors whom were falling from side to side. This Kubrick-esque technique provided an experience never before seen by me on a cinema screen. I was gobsmacked, and that scene must have been the topic of conversation to anyone who asked me how the film was.

But in retrospect, I feel that this particular scene connotes a more in depth insight into what makes Inception my most praised film I have ever seen. This scene shows the commitment of the filmmaker and studio to really go above and beyond to make an otherworldly scenario possible, not only possible but real. This scene could have easily be added post production with the use of CGI, however being the Director he is Nolan chose to actually create that effect in real life. No shortcuts, no budget control, just pure filmmaking.

Inception really is a film that anyone be it aspiring filmmaker, long term lover of movies or casual viewer should watch. I wanted to refrain from spoilers as I know that there are still few who have not witnessed this film, and Inception truly is a movie that the audience member benefits from knowing as little as possible about. The plot is truly unique, mind blowingly original in many ways secures Nolan as one of the best directors working in Hollywood today. It is some what satisfying to know that in a Movie-machine that is Hollywood, that a film can stand out and not be formulaic. That a film can demand its audiences attention and strive to push the bar of intelligence we see in cinema. Nolan, for me, has made the perfect film. I am very proud to say that I was one of the first generations to witness Inception, because I feel in around twenty to thirty years it will be discussed as the masterpiece of its time.

My Score: 10/10

IMDB: 8.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Did You Know?: If you take the first letters of the main characters names; Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur, Mal and Saito, you will spell out the phrase dreams.