Movies have, of course, always been things that I have loved and looked forward to ever since I was a kid. From Monsters Inc. to Spider-Man, I grew up with dozens of movies that I found myself constantly re-watching. One movie in particular stood out apart from the rest. Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, is undoubtedly my favorite movie of all time, and is a movie that I find myself constantly learning more and more about after every viewing.
Nolan has directed numerous other well-known works including the Dark Knight Series, Memento and Dunkirk. Inception can be seen as a synchronization between the two different directing styles of Nolan, the action style featured in the Dark Knight and Dunkirk, and the cerebral style featured in Memento. In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, who is a corporate thief, specializing in a very specific sort of heist.
Similar to movies of the same nature, DiCaprio assembles his team including brilliant actors such as Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page. Cobb and his team infiltrate the dreams of others in order to steal their ideas.
The title of the movie, Inception, revolves around the concept in the of placing an idea in one’s head rather than stealing one, a feat thought to be impossible. While the concept on paper sounds somewhat simple, the execution and the movie itself is a tantalizing web of puzzles and dreams that can easily lead to a feeling of confusion upon first viewing.
Inception requires further viewership to encapsulate its full story and design. Nolan provides us with various emotional and intellectual threads to help keep us engrossed, even upon many consecutive viewings. The cerebral world of dreams is combined with spectacular action sequences to create something truly special.
As a viewer, you cannot help but feel emotionally tied to the characters as they learn more about themselves, and what it means to be a team. What I love the most about the movie is that it doesn’t feel the need to explain itself to the audience.
It provides the viewer with subtle details and dialogue that shine a light on the details of the world of Inception that we, the viewers, are meant to pick up on. The sort of “aha” moment one may experience when new information clicks happens frequently throughout the film.
Fantasy movies aim to pull you away from reality into a world that is refreshing and captivating. Alternate universes and realities featured in fiction such as Game of Thrones and Lost seek to take us away to a world full of meaningful experiences, while also mirroring things found in reality. Inception achieves this fully in the world of the unconscious, which we all have experienced before.
Dreams, to this day, still remain an enigma to us and the scientific world. If you have not yet seen Inception, I encourage you to do so. Better yet with a friend! Inception is a film that can easily be discussed for hours with others. It will keep you up at night, as you think about what the film means to you personally.
Josh Steen 
Grace Nealy 
Ethan Goonewardene