When I was younger I delved into the idea of lucid dreaming. Through some trial and error, I eventually mastered it. Too well actually. Imagine have complete control of your dreaming state. It's like being a God. Anything you want can be gotten at the speed of thought. I'll never forget the ability to change houses, women or the landscape at the blink of an eye. At one point I had an epic dream which had something to do with a war on an alien planet. I was the king to be, fighting for freedom, in what appeared to take a lifetime to accomplish. The dream took decades it seemed and when I awoke the next morning, I felt very old, even though no time out of the ordinary had passed. I stopped lucid dreaming soon afterward, realizing that my dream life was becoming more real than the waking state. That is what this movie is about. If dreams are all you have, is reality even possible to go back to?
This mindbender of a film is yet another fantastic film from the always reliable Christopher Nolan. Notice that the only good films coming out this year are from seasoned directors like Scorsese or Nolan and both having DiCaprio in it. Leo plays Cobb a dream thief for hire who now needs to implant an idea into someones' subconscious rather than extract it, thus the title. Like any other heist movie, Cobb pulls together various others needed for the job like the newbie Architect Adriane (Ellen Page), and cohorts Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, and Tom Hardy. Inserted into Robert Fischer Jr.'s (Cillian Murphy) head during a long flight, they attempt to implant info that will destroy his empire. Of course, things don't go as planned and they are forced deeper and deeper into his subconscious, which results in longer and longer time it will take to get out. We also come to learn that Cobb and his wife Mal, Oscar Winner Marion Collard were once trapped in Limbo for over fifty years and once they escaped reality, it was more than she could bear. Her death haunts him and plays havoc with the subconscious world they are stuck in. Part Matrix, part 2001, part On Her Majesties' Secret Service (you read that right) this tour de force is filled with unbelievable imagery. Finally CGI used for the wow factor and not as a cost cutting measure to avoid building sets. This movie pops with a terrific screenplay, haunting imagery, and the "It's about time" factor of finally seeing something on the screen that doesn't leave your mind the minute you walk out of the either. This film stays with you. I can't wait to see it again to pick up on the things I missed the first time around (much like Shutter Island).
Not to be missed. This is only the second 5 star movie this year (again Shutter Island) that I have given. News on Nolan's next Batman should be coming out any day now. Can't wait for that on whatever Leo's got coming down the pike. These two are on fire.
5 stars out out 5
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