The tricky thing with hyped movies is that you go to the cinema with the definite expectation to be blown away by an utterly impressive production. Why? Because the world of film has turned us into spoilt brats who always expect something bigger, something faster, something more impressive. That might explain the (questionable) revival of the 3D technology that unfortunately often sacrifices plot for eye-candy. But hey, why not? The movie-goer doesn’t want to be challenged intellectually, they want to be entertained. So screw an innovative idea, screw creativity if you can have some pretty special effects instead. I was left with that feeling the last time I watched a massively hyped movie in cinema, which was Avatar. The visuals were great, no doubt about that, but I kind of felt trapped in a weird mixture of New-Age Pocahontas and Star Wars. The same thing happened to Alice in Wonderland, in which the title enhancement “Wonderland” seemingly accounted for not quite logical plot twists Lewis Carroll surely wouldn’t have approved of. Consequently, I have become critical regarding hyped movies. It’s not that I don’t like commercial movies, but I manage to differentiate between brainless crap that pulls money out of people’s pockets, and decent entertainment. In this time and age, it has doubtlessly become more and more difficult to come up with an innovative, a creative idea. Adaptations invade the movie screens wherever you look, things that have been there before (books, biographies) are reheated again like a tasteless Tesco ready-meal.

I apologize – this has been a way too long rant serving as introduction, but I consider it necessary to explain my opinion first: I am not easily impressed when it comes to movies.

The more surprising it is that I spent two and a half hours of last night in absolute awe. After arriving at the cinema at 7.30 to find out that the following two showings were already sold out, leaving Greta and me waiting for two more hours to see it, and after freaking out about the fact that the stupid kid at the ticket counter mistakenly sold us tickets for Karate Kid, I finally managed to see Inception. And every single minute of extra time I had to spend was definitely worth it. I actually don’t remember the last time that I was so blown away by a movie. I think it’s not necessary to provide you with an explicit plot synopsis, imdb.com offers a quite nice one as follows,

“Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.”

Sounds fancy, right? And it is. The cast has been chosen really carefully and is convincing throughout. Although there are movies out there that deal with the manipulation of the perception of our reality (the most prominent example may be Matrix), none actually manages to be as credible as Inception. Nolan constructed a what-if scenario that leaves you with the wildest thoughts pacing through your head while the credits roll over the screen. What if someone actually could enter your dreams to mess with your thoughts, secrets and ideas? Not in a gory Freddy Krueger manner, but in a far more frightening way?  What if you can no longer be sure that your ideas actually ARE yours in the first place? And worst of all: what if you don’t realize all of that because all of it happened while you were sleeping?

Inception is the most clever and complex brainwash in cinema history and the best thing is: it is not too far-fetched, not too abstract. It all seems possible, the perfect make-believe. When I went to bed last night, I spent two more hours thinking about the movie (and its very mean twist at the end). Believe me, that doesn’t happen very often.

Nolan managed to plant an idea in my head. Yet, I’m sure that I wasn’t dreaming all of this after all. Or was I?

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