<p>First off, let me say that I like Leo Dicaprio, I enjoy well-done science fiction, I appreciate intricate plots that make me think, I thought Minority Report and Matrix were highly entertaining. So I was prepared to love Inception. But I hated every minute of its endless slog. The vast majority of the reviews were superlative, though a few respected critics have my back. I won’t spoil anyone by discussing the details of the movie’s many failings, but I’ll just say I considered more than once abandoning my party and waiting out in the lobby where the posters for coming attractions and the smell of popcorn had far more appeal than what was happening on the screen. And this happened just a day after I finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, wondering what in heaven’s name all the hoopla was about. I’m starting to wonder whether I just have odd tastes or have become an impossible to please old geezer.</p>
<p>Interesting. I was wondering if I would like the film- both my son and his gf did.
I may find it a bit too much—not sure.</p>
<p>I just read a review which said you’d fall asleep yourself before the first dream sequence.</p>
<p>Well, be specific. What did you dislike about it?</p>
<p>It’s “an intellectual movie”. You have to prepare to process massive amounts of information to actually comprehend the movie and enjoy the story.</p>
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<p>I think that people are way too superlative, as the OP said. I love being challenged to think.</p>
<p>But if the thinking involves something concrete – the intricacy of the plot, for example, then it better be internally consistent and not without problems. I have asked questions that no one I’ve talked to about Inception can answer, that to me seem pretty basic to the plot.</p>
<p>So, I really enjoyed it the first time. But I am not yet convinced that the plot is airtight, and, if it is not, then the “intellectual” exercise has simply become the product of shoddy psuedo-intellectualism. That would be disappointing, so I hope that it comes together more clearly in the second viewing.</p>
<p>^^Since when is an airtight plot a requirement for a good Hollywood movie? Inconsistencies, discontinuities, and just plain errors in movies are legion.</p>
<p>So totally agree…so much so that I walked out. I just couldn’t take another second of it and the thought of sitting there for another hour and 15 minutes was too much for me.</p>
<p>Believe me, it wasn’t a comprehension issue. I just thought it was an enormously stupid movie that was trying to convince people that it was intellectual.</p>
<p>I spent an enjoyable hour in Border’s instead. My husband and D were astonished that I had actually asked for the car keys in the middle of the movie, but after sitting through it, they did not exactly say I had made a mistake by leaving.</p>
<p>This happened today, so I had to laugh that this was posted.</p>
<p>I thought it was a great movie. One of only a few that actually made you think.
But, to each their own.</p>
<p>I actually just saw it and hated it. I fell asleep during the beginning of the movie and when I woke up (right before Ellen Page’s character is introduced) I found myself more engrossed with details such as the wrinkles on the character’s faces and their fingernails. When Ellen Page’s character was introduced, the story began to pick up, and the movie finally caught my attention. There were definitely some great moments in the film, but overall I’ve definitely seen better movies.</p>
<p>Also, I hated Mal’s performance. I just wanted her to go away. And interestingly enough, Ellen Page didn’t wow me either. It’s a shame too because the only two female characters had such lackluster parts.</p>
<p>Also, at certain points in the movie, I found myself recalling similar scenes from previous action movies. The Matrix definitely popped into my head. And I also don’t think the ending was original at all. The SAME thing happened in X-Men: The Last Stand, except with a chess piece instead of a top.</p>
<p>The acting was fine though (for the most part) and the cinematography was great. I just didn’t particularly like the story, however, I know that I am in the severe minority.</p>
<p>Oh, and who else found the fall of the van painstakingly slow??? 20 minutes? Seriously?!</p>
<p>I didn’t understand The Matrix so there was no way I would even contemplate seeing Inception. ;)</p>
<p>We (the four of us) thought that it was incredible. It did what good movies are supposed to do: make you think about it/what happened and why. We thought that it was sheer genius.</p>
<p>An interesting split of opinion! I feel better now. I didn’t want to be too explicit about what I disliked, because I think it’s better to see a movie without too many preconceptions. I will say that I thought it was bloated, pretentious, manipulative, and painfully contrived, with plot points that seemed to be there solely to show off the capabilities of the FX people. (If anyone can explain why one of the dream levels was a snow fortress with shooters on skis, I’d love to hear it.) The dialogue was really weak–laughable in spots. Michael Caine’s appearance, a virtual cameo, was so pointless as to be jarring. And yes, I saw a number of plot issues–in fact the more I think of it, the more I find, and while plot holes and inconsistencies are forgiveable in a typical Hollywood movie, in one like Inception, where a cleverly convoluted plot is the entire raison d’etre of the film, they’re just stupid. The “Cinema Blend” website has a long “Inception explained” section (which should only be viewed by those who have seen the movie or intend to never see it)–it is part explanation and part speculation about some plot elements that seem to defy explanation, and looking it over I realized that the very need for such an exercise pretty much defines failure in my book.</p>
<p>USKoolfish–wish I had been with you in Borders rather than in the theater–great decision!</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with you OP. Personally I loved the movie because it is the first one that my fiance and I have ever gone to that I didn’t guess the ending 1/4 of the way through. This is actually the first negative review I’ve heard of it. So teach his or her own :)</p>
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<p>No, an airtight plot is definitely not a requirement in a good Hollywood movie.</p>
<p>Except that most of what made Inception anything other than an action flick was the intricacy of the plot. Take out all complexity in the plot, and imagine it was straightforward. Would people like it as much? No. Most of the reviews now are saying, “It made me think, blahblahblah, intellectually stimulating, blahblahblah.”</p>
<p>Fine. Battlestar Galactica was an amazing TV show that DID make its audience think, but not because of the complexity of the plot or the realism of the TV show, but through the decisions of the characters and the themes presented – religion, reality, nature of humanity, etc.</p>
<p>Now cf. Inception. None of those things, or anything that would have a purpose outside of the plot, really came up at all. As MommaJ stated, the entire point of the movie was to stimulate people through the plot. If the plot is incoherent, then the movie becomes idiotic. In this case, an airtight plot is necessary unless the inconsistencies are lampshaded or justified. Otherwise, the director insults the audience by trying to pass crap off as polished jewelry. </p>
<p>So I will refrain judgment until I confirm that there is ANYTHING thought-provoking about this movie at all.</p>
<p>Recent college grad D literally just got home from seeing it and is raving about it…we’ll have to see for ourselves I guess.</p>
<p>The movie was already 150 minutes people, how the hell was Nolan supposed to explain EVERYTHING to the audience. For me, part of the fun was piecing some of the details together on my own.</p>
<p>As for inconsistencies that some of you mention, perhaps you could provide some examples?</p>
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<p>That’s not the point – some things can be unexplained, so long as they are noted and/or not contradictory to everything else in the movie. There should not be plot holes or problems with the movie that aren’t mentioned. If X is impossible but the characters note that it is impossible, that’s fine. If X is impossible but nothing suggests that the director notices or cares, that’s not so fine – part of the thought-provoking aspect is acknowledging what cannot be explained by the framework in which the characters are operating.</p>
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<p>I still need to consider by watching it again; I made this very clear. I need to make sure that there are no inconsistencies; I’m not asserting yet that there are.</p>
<p>But I am still shaky on whose dream it was at each level, whether the time worked out, why certain characters’ projections could appear in any dream but other characters’ couldn’t, how everyone ended up alive, etc.</p>
<p>^I think you’re way over thinking the movie.
It’s a movie. Enjoy it and move on.</p>