Inception so good, it must be a dream

   After months of hype, on July 26, 2010, Inception was released and quickly became the smash hit movie of the summer. Directed by Christopher Nolan, it is no surprise that the movie was a success.     

   Nolan has directed such films as Memento, The Prestige, and the The Dark Knight, which all met great success with both fans and critics. In addition to directing, Nolan also writes the screenplays for most his films and has become known for hit twist endings.

   Inception explores the mind while dreaming and the story literally travels into the depth of the mind. The story begins while in the dream of a dream. The main character Cobb, brilliantly played by Leonardo Dicaprio, is an expert at corporate mental espionage. He infiltrates the mind while sleeping and extracts information. He is considered the best at what he does.   

   Like any good espionage or heist film there is usually a team to backup the main character.  Cobb's team consists of Arthur, Eames, Ariadne, Saito, and Yusuf.  Arthur who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a specialist. He is Cobb's go to guy as he assists him with each mission. Another recognizable face was that of Ellen Page who plays Ariadne. Ariadne is a college student that Cobb hires to be the architect of their mission. An architect is a person that creates a world within their dream in order to earn the trust of their target.  

   Next is Eames, played by Tom Hardy, whom gets hired to help design the layout of their plan. Next there is Yusuf, played by Dileep Rao, who plays the stereotypical wise cracking nerdy science guy and lastly there's Saito, Ken Watanabe, who first introduces the term Inception.

   After a failed mission at the beginning of the film, where Saito was the target, he tracks down Cobb and Arthur and offers them a job.  He asks them about Inception which is exactly the opposite of what they do.  

   Instead of extracting a secret or idea from someone, Inception is planting an idea within somebody's subconscious.  

   Arthur is quick to dismiss the idea claiming that any idea planted would not work because the subject would be aware that the idea was put there, contradicting the idea.  

   Cobb however says that he has done it before and that if they were to go deep into the subconscious of the target, it could be done.  Thus the team goes into the dream of a dream, of a dream.  Confusing enough?

Inception's riveting story line has pulled in its viewers and once there keeps them on the edge of their seat throughout the two and a half hour journey. Inception is not just a movie, it goes places that movies have never previously gone. In a time where original ideas are so rare, and remakes, sequels, and reboots are all the craze, Nolan creates a film that is entirely original. He had been working on this film since he made Memento back in 2000, and after ten years, technology is now at a place where entire cities can bend completely in half and actually create a dream world where anything is possible, very much like an actual dream.  Inception's originality, terrific script, and earth shattering effects have made it the summer blockbuster that it is today. So now we must wait until the next Nolan film much like people wait for the next Scorsese or Tarantino movie. Fortunately, Nolan is already working on his next movie due out in the summer of 2012, which stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and his more famous alter ego, Batman.