Finally saw this today. I had sky-high expectations and was not disappointed.

Going tomorrow.

I though it was amazing. I COUNTED ABOUT 9 REALITIES/LAYERS.

Absolutely fantastic, it was a ton of fun and really left itself open to a lot of speculation on the audience's part depending on how much attention you paid to things. I'm sure this is a movie that would be rewarding to see more than once.

I loved this movie, I was thrilled to finally see a movie that actually made me think. I've gotten tired of seeing most movies because they are, as GR mentioned in another thread, just combinations set up by the producing
companies of A + B + C= $$$.

Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page .

[b]some spoilers[/b]

A few things
1) I'll have to watch this movie again, when I can pause, and ask questions. Movies like this make me feel stupid sometimes (though I followed most of it). I guess I'm just not good at following super complex narratives.
2) Naming Ellen Page "Ariadne" was a fucking crime. Yeah yeah, mistress of the labyrinth, greek mythology, I get it.

But the big one:
3) I felt Inception was sort of heartless or soulless, because really - why should we be rooting for Cobb (DiCaprio)? The entire reason for the big project, for the movie, is that Cobb fucked up while in the dream-state with his wife, accidentally Incepted her with the idea that her reality is a dream, and accidentally "killed" her because of this. His own personal issues, his mistake, his desire to return to his family, is the entire reason he risks the lives of the entire team involved. We don't really care about the electrical companies, the monopolies, or the inheritance. His wife is depicted pretty coldly - yeah she's pretty, but really she's just a muse, a wildcard, a bull in the China shop ready to screw the entire show up. Why should we care if Cobb is reunited with his family? Risking the lives of the chemist, Eames, Ariadne, Saito, and Arthur for his own selfish benefit is...well, just that. Selfish. He's not really a likeable character.

Anyway, that's just my take on it. I feel that the whole story could have been simplified a bit, or at least edited way down. The snow dream-level was just littered with way too many snowmobiles and skiing, and shooting, and yadda yadda yadda. And it seemed like 50% of all the dialogue in the movie was really just about explaining what is going on. "Why is everyone looking at us?" "What's a kick?" "Who are we jacking into?" "What happens if you die in a dream while under heavy sedation?" "How do you escape from limbo?"

Perhaps the third level, the dream-within-a-dream-[i]within-a-dream[/i] was a liiittle excessive, cluttering up the movie a bit too much. I'll sure see it again though. Some of the effects were really killer too, and I'm usually pretty jaded about special effects. The entire shifting-gravity hotel fight with Arthur was amazing, and really made me think "Wow - how the HELL did they accomplish this?"

To be perfectly honest, I didn't feel that much compassion for Cobb throughout the whole movie, but his story is an interesting one. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think anyone needs to completely relate to his situation, be behind him 100% or be on the verge of tears to have interest in a character's story.
I could use a more extreme example, would you be completely uninterested in a biopic of Hitler because he's unlikeable? Of course you don't fucking like him, he's Hitler, possibly the most hated figure in the history of mankind, but to disregard everything else in the film because of this seems a bit shallow. Everyone has their reasons for doing the things they do, no matter how absurd or selfish those reasons may be. I'd personally find it uninteresting if he was some boring, innocent, good ol' boy, vanilla "I just want my family back" (see just about EVERY Harrison Ford movie ever) protagonist. Oh yeah, he pretty much got himself into the situation he's in, but to feel no compassion for his situation because he was the direct cause of it seems a bit cynical to me.
Leonardo Dicaprio is known for playing pretty complicated characters, so it's sort of a given that the protagonist is gonna be pretty messed up when you go to see a movie he's starring in. I personally found the film pretty engaging, definitely a lot more challenging and thought provoking than any film released this year, that's what really matters to me. I don't have to have an underdog to root for to enjoy a movie.

What's this jib jab about $10 movie tickets? Even the awesome theater in Clarion is only $7.25 for adult.

Ya'll shood move inta da woods now.

Going to see it today

[quote="Cloudy_One"]What's this jib jab about $10 movie tickets? Even the awesome theater in Clarion is only $7.25 for adult.

Ya'll shood move inta da woods now.[/quote]
Hahaha, I was tempted to post something similar.

Inception was a great fucking movie. Great acting, great story, great development, and great turn of events. It is a must see and has the potential to become another classic in Film history. If you liked Memento, or Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, you will absolutely love Inception.

It is definitely worth the $7.25

SPOILER:



Coming away from the movie, I think Cobb was the dude who was getting Inception'd.


also:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnoth ... 59535.html

I saw it. I have nothing new to add.

Saw it tonight. Beautifully done and quite thought-provoking. Best movie I've seen in a long time.

[b]SPOILER SECTION[/b]

[quote="GoldenRhino"]3) I felt Inception was sort of heartless or soulless, because really - why should we be rooting for Cobb (DiCaprio)? *…snip…* He's not really a likeable character.[/quote]

Eh. I'll get to the heartlessness aspect of it in a bit, but first, I just want to say that didn't feel a need to "root" for anyone because I didn't see that as the point of the movie. While skool makes a good point in that a character need not be likable to be interesting, my take on it is that Cobb and his situation was more of a vessel to reveal the intricacies of the relationship between the mind, dreaming, and the perception of reality. In other words, it's not really people-centric film—it's more of an abstract, concept-centric film.

Nevertheless, even on the people side of things, I still wouldn't call Inception soulless. Cobb's character may not be very sympathetic in retrospect, but his story lends a very human aspect to the abstract nature of lucid dreaming. And I think it's because of that that we're trying to unravel his backstory and his character as the film progresses—not because he's a likable guy, but because his story demonstrates how this otherwise exciting new concept of alternate reality can have a pretty significant personal impact on the people who choose to muck around in this arena.

In general, I'd say that Inception works really well because not only does it create that sense of curiosity and need for resolution, but it also constantly maintains that throughout 90% of the film, both in terms of plot and character development. A concept that was not only intriguing, but also just executed very well.

[b]/SPOILER SECTION[/b]

SPOILER****

1) Cobb wasn't meant to be liked, his back story is the reason the movie played out the way it did. No shit.
I agree mostly with GR, but I have to say that the movie wasn't very hard to follow. I've gone into movies and have been able to interpret and understand them easily simply because they help explain the movie.

2) Naming Ellen Page Ariadne was very clever and most people simply let her name pass because they have no idea of the reference. When I found out I was like oooooh, haha good one.

3) But the big thing GR mentioned.. Why should we be rooting for Cobb?
I don't think we were suppose to root for him, the story was simply revolving around his world. Without his story there was no movie. So we need to just look at his character as just a vessel that allows the watcher to view the plot develop. And thank you so much for summarazing what we all already understand. Yeah he incepted his wife, yeah he is doing this for selfish gain, yeah its not right for the team to go through with this dangerous operation without knowing everything. WE KNOW.

The only reason the team involved themselves in the project is because the pay was $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
They understood the dangers of Inception and went with it. Also without the explanations the movie would be more complex and hard to understand. There obviously had to be some sort of explanation. I'm sure there are people who critique and condense the movie into what they need in order for it to flow well. You should understand that there are reasons for the directors decisions in a movie on what needs to stay or has to be cut.