Movies

Roger Ebert’s Top Tom Hardy Movie: Inception

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Christopher Nolan’s intricate yet exhilarating 2010 production, “Inception.

Ebert gave the movie a flawless four-star rating, praising it in his review as uniquely original and innovative, something not many directors will try to replicate. He also described the film as a complex maze without a straightforward plot, guaranteeing to spark extensive discussion online. Over the past 15 years, this prediction has proven accurate. However, what makes Inception so captivating for Ebert and countless other viewers?

A Dream Within a Dream (Within a Dream Within a Dream)

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, let me tell you about my favorite flick, “Inception.” In this mind-bending adventure, I, as Dom Cobb, am a master of infiltrating dreams and pilfering thoughts. This time, I’m tasked with delving into the subconscious of a young tycoon named Robert Fischer to implant an idea—a concept known as “inception.” The goal? To dismantle his father’s corporation, which would benefit Fischer’s business adversary, Saito. Here’s the kicker: Saito is offering me a chance to reunite with my family in America, who I’ve been separated from due to accusations of murdering my wife, Mal—a haunting presence that often follows me into these dreamscapes.

Besides Saito, Cobb has two companions on his journey: Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a friend and fellow dream extractor; Ariadne (Elliot Page), an architectural student; Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist specializing in pharmacology; and Eames (Hardy), another dream extractor who can mimic others in dreams. However, their task is made challenging by Fischer’s subconscious resisting them, along with the persistent and risky manifestation of Cobb’s mental projection of his deceased wife.

Inception is widely recognized for its intricate storyline, as it merges science fiction themes with the style of ensemble heist movies such as Ocean’s Eleven (2001). What sets Inception apart is that its characters not only share dreams but also dreams nested within other dreams. As you descend into deeper dream levels, time seems to move slower, so a mere few minutes in the topmost dream level may span several days or even years in the lower dream levels enclosed within it.

The movie features multiple scenes happening simultaneously in diverse dream realms, a complex and uncommon narrative style that is characteristic of Nolan, who is known for his non-linear films like “Memento” (2000) and “Dunkirk” (2017). This intricate storytelling makes it challenging to distinguish between the characters’ wakefulness and dreams, especially in the film’s initial scenes and the controversial ending.

In Ebert’s words, the movie “Inception” resembles the world for the character Leonard from “Memento,” who has a story told in reverse due to his amnesia, as we are constantly experiencing the present moment. We’ve jotted down some notes on our journey here, but we’re not entirely sure where ‘here’ is. Ebert also points out that the film’s structure makes it resistant to spoilers: Knowing the ending doesn’t reveal anything unless you know how it got there. And explaining how it got there would only lead to confusion.

‘Inception’ Has Incredible and Innovative Effects

The visual effects in Inception, which won an Oscar, were richly deserved. It features a variety of complex and masterfully crafted scenes that brilliantly convey the illogical and shifting environments of dreams. Some of these sequences include dramatic, slow-motion explosions happening around a Parisian café, a train moving through a city’s streets without any tracks, and an intense fight scene in a rotating hallway. The film also references famous artists like M.C. Escher and Roger Penrose, showcasing a never-ending staircase that seems impossible. Among the many stunning visual displays, Roger Ebert particularly admired the moment when “the city of Paris rolled back on itself like a roll of linoleum tile” as Cobb educates Ariadne about designing dreamscapes.

In the movie “Inception“, Ebert found that Nolan’s exceptional special effects, captivating characters, and storytelling made even typical action sequences feel fresh and unique. He went as far as saying he got hooked on one of Nolan’s chase scenes, which he thought he was immune to due to their common occurrence in many films, because he genuinely cared about who was pursuing and being pursued.

‘Inception’ Is an Intellectually Stimulating Blockbuster

Though Roger Ebert doesn’t explicitly discuss the movie’s themes in his critique, these elements likely contributed to his profound appreciation for Inception. The film centers heavily on dreams and their impact on our existence, offering a profound exploration of how dreams shape our daily lives and raise questions about reality. For instance, the uncertainty surrounding whether any of the events depicted in the movie actually occurred (as illustrated most vividly in the film’s concluding scene) echoes the widely-held belief that life might be a simulation. Inception suggests that it is futile to constantly question the authenticity of our surroundings, and instead encourages us to embrace life as it unfolds, irrespective of its true nature.

I found that Inception offers a richer thematic depth than merely dreams. For one, it delves into the intricate connection between memory, dreams, and sorrow, as evidenced by Mal’s spectral presence persistently haunting Cobb’s consciousness even beyond death. Additionally, the film can be interpreted as a thought-provoking self-commentary on the art of filmmaking, drawing parallels between the dreamlike nature of cinema and the experience of watching movies, which often feels surreal.

Viewing it from different perspectives, Cobb assumes the role of a director, Eames becomes an actor, Ariadne takes on the task of a set designer, Saito represents a studio, and Fischer stands for the audience in the intriguing film Inception. These roles are merely a few examples of how this movie can be interpreted and understood. The diversity in interpretations is one of the key reasons why Inception is often considered a masterpiece by both Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio, and it even earned a perfect four-star rating from Roger Ebert. If you’re intrigued and would like to watch Inception, you can stream it on Max.

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2025-05-11 17:54

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