A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to be invited to join Warner Brothers' Blu-Ray Elite program. Myself and small group of film writers were sent WB Blu-Rays for discussion and review. This series of posts will include thoughts on a film, its picture and sound quality on Blu-Ray, and its special features. I reviewed Contagion first. Then The Matrix. Now, I'm onto Christopher Nolan's Inception. Enjoy!
The biggest thing that struck me rewatching Inception on Blu-Ray (my fourth go-around with the film in total) wasn't the crystal-clear picture quality, jaw-dropping action, top-notch editing and cinematography, or Hans Zimmer's thumping-good score. It was, in fact, the realization that I didn't care one iota about the film's ending. Seriously. Not a bit. And that's not really a knock on the film. On the contrary, the two hours that precede Nolan's final head-scratcher are so clever and well-plotted that (despite a few smallish plot holes) introspection is encouraged.
But the film's cliffhanger of an ending was all folks talked about upon the film's release in the summer of 2010. Maybe it's just burnout, then, regarding speculation of Inception's conclusion. The film as a whole, on the other hand, is one I could watch and discuss forever.
Expectations surrounding Nolan's The Dark Knight follow-up were gargantuan (something we're experiencing again with his Inception follow-up, The Dark Knight Rises, set for release in just weeks). Things weren't helped by the brilliantly cryptic teasers showing cities folding over onto themselves and men fighting in a hallway without gravity.
And with the exception of Toy Story 3, the summer of 2010 gave the film world little to talk about leading up to Inception—which had suddenly become one of the most anticipated original properties in years. And excepting a a few cranky newspaper critics who, some would argue, were excessively negative in their reviews because the online community saw the film first, Inception was worthy of its hype. Audiences ate up the film's trippy, "What is reality?" story, as well as Nolan's experty staged action sequences.
Technically, this is Nolan's best effort. The editing in the film's final hour is something students will study for years to come, and Wall Pfister's Oscar win for Best Cinematography was incredibly deserved. Story-wise, Inception is a lot of fun. Holes are there—Nolan's explanations for why anyone other than Cobb would do this job are flimsy at best—but they are mostly forgivable.
The film's fine acting almost gets lost in the shuffle during discussions of Inception, but they shouldn't. Marion Cotillard, for my money, was robbed of an Oscar nod. She's the heart of the film, and frankly, she carries Leonardo DiCaprio through some of the film's more emotional scenes. Dear Leo is good, especially when he's toned down a bit, but his work suffers when compared to his other 2010 movie, Shutter Island. Tom Hardy was a revelation here—so witty, so charming, and such an expert ass-kicker (next James Bond, anyone?). While Joseph Gordon-Levitt stays effectively low-key throughout the film, providing Dom Cobb with a much-needed ally with a level head.
The Blu-Ray disc includes a small series of featurettes detailing how Inception and a few key scenes came into being. The Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack includes a third disc full of special features, perhaps the most exciting of which is Hans Zimmer's full original score. If you're rocking in surround sound, that shit will blow your ears off. The set also includes a documentary by Arthur himself, Joseph Gordon-Levitt about the science of dreams. If you're an Inception fan, it'll be right up your alley.
It's been two years since the film's release, and for a lot of people, I think, the sense of wonder felt toward Inception is gone. Maybe it's the transition to the small screen or tendency to find faults when you know what's coming next, but this is still a film and Blu-Ray package worthy of your video library. Though it hits a few broadly familiar notes, Nolan's film is truly original, very ambitious, and a lot of fun.
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