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Ben
We just watched In Time, a movie that had a terrific premise that could have been great if it had a decent leading man. The very next movie we watched was Inception. Which also had the terrific premise, but managed to not only add the great lead actor, but also surround him with one of the finest casts that I can remember. Inception is one of the smartest films I have seen, directed by Christopher Nolan, who can’t seem to put a foot wrong with the films he makes.

Inception is the story of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is in the business of dream thieves. He and his crew break into people’s dreams to steal information they could never get if they were awake. This business is illegal, so Dom cannot return home to America as he is wanted for these crimes. He is promised to have his record wiped clean if he can pull off one job for Saito (Ken Watanbe), a Japanese businessman. This job is unlike any other though: Cobb must implant an idea into the head of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the son of one of one of Saitos’s rivals. Implanting an idea is far harder than just extracting information because the subject needs to believe they are having this thought themselves. If they know they are being incepted, that is not possible. Cobb and his team (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy) must enter Fischer’s mind and plant this idea in his head, without him realising they are in there. This proves difficult when they realise that Fischer has had training in how to detect dream thieves and is ready for them. Complicating things further is Cobb’s wife (Marion Cottilard), who turns up in all of Cobb’s dreams, which normally alerts the subjects to his presence.

This is such a good film. Christopher Nolan was under so much pressure making this film. He had just made The Dark Knight, the most successful comic book film ever made, and rather than follow it up straight away, he decided to make this film. It was a big risk for him, but one that absolutely paid off. Inception has a terrific story and a cast that is phenomenal. DiCaprio is one my favourite actors and combining him with one of my favourite directors was always going to leave me with big expectations. Inception delivers, every time I watch it, it leaves me on the edge of my seat.

I don’t really like the ending, which is a bit of a cliff hanger, but everything else about this film is top notch. Inception is one of my favourite films, it has an exciting story and one of the best casts in recent memory. Every member brings their A game to this project and the final result is an enthralling fun ride through the world of dreams.

Rating: A

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Sally
Every time I watch Inception I’m amazed at how well it is made. Every detail was thoughtfully crafted, from the sets to the musical cues. Most importantly, the cast assembled is superb. After watching In Time— a film with a great idea but a not so great cast– I can’t stress how crucial it is to have excellent actors selling a script to the audience.

Inception is definitely a film that is all about the visuals created. And why wouldn’t it be? This is a film about dreams, it needs to be realistic and perplexing, vivid and fuzzy, familiar and strange. This film so perfectly presents the contradictions inherit in dreaming, there are a number of scenes that will stick with you long after the movie has ended. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s zero gravity fight, Ellen Page bending reality within Leonardo DiCaprio’s dream, that damn spinning top at the end– they’ve all become iconic in the short four years since Inception‘s release.

But visuals alone are not enough to make a movie great. Luckily this film presents an intriguing story that is backed up by a cast that contains no weak links, in my opinion. Inception is essentially a heist movie, or perhaps it’s better described as a “reverse heist.” DiCaprio and his team typically steal information from another person’s subconscious, but are challenged by a businessman (Ken Watanabe) to instead plant an idea into a rival’s mind. It’s such a simple idea– being able to share and manipulate dreams– but the execution is brilliant, providing complex layers for the characters to wander through. What’s even better is that every actor involved in this movie is at the top of their game. DiCaprio obviously shines (I don’t think he’s put in a bad performance in the past 15 years), but even those with smaller roles (Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard) give memorable and moving performances. I was most surprised by Gordon-Levitt, who I hadn’t seen since his television days, but who manages to outshine even DiCaprio on occasion.

I really can’t say enough good things about Inception. I love nearly everything this film, even the sort of vague ending that Ben hates (mostly because I don’t think it’s vague at all). This is such a beautifully made movie, full of amazing visuals and an intriguing story.

Rating: A