Blu-Ray Review: Inception

INCEPTION is a film that’s initial billing was a story based on the architecture of the mind. That was all that we were told of Christopher Nolan‘s $150 million + action thriller when it was first announced by the director of THE DARK KNIGHT and its studio, Warner Brothers back in 2009, a full year after the release of the hugely successful, and indeed Oscar winning Batman sequel. After winning over audiences and critics alike, and bagging a truck load of cash for the WB, Nolan could choose his next project, and so was born INCEPTION, a film that has sat in the mind of the British filmmaker for more than a decade.

In the spring of 2010, INCEPTION started to gain momentum as its release date approached, and fans started to receive more and more info on the film as WB amped up their publicity campaign. I remember being intrigued about the film at the time and I tried my best to avoid any spoilers, plot points and even trailers associated with the flick until I was able to get to the local multiplex to see it. I wanted to go in with my anticipation high, but my knowledge low. It turns out that this was the perfect position to be in, and to get the most out of the experience. I will try and describe as little as possible about the film to keep in line with my above point, but the film basically revolves around dreams and the subconcious of the mind. Our hero, Dom Cobb played by Leonardo DiCaprio has developed an ability to enter people’s dreams and get into dreams within dreams, or different levels of dreams and extract information, interact and influence people in said dreams. Get it? Well, it’s hard to explain as there are indeed may different layers to the Nolan’s original film. There are so many themes and issues explored and so much to take in in one sitting, which is how I felt when I saw on the big screen. I only managed to catch the film once in theaters, so must excited when I was able to revisit Nolan’s creation on the Blu-Ray format.

Indeed, a second viewing enhances the INCEPTION experience, and you gain a lot more and can get into the little details and reveals that you may have perhaps missed the first time around… and the film looks amazing on the home high-definition format. I just sat in awe as DiCaprio sat in that Parisian cafe with Ellen Page explaining the concept of the architecure of the dream when their surrounding started to explode. Then there’s the breathtaking visuals of the ‘limbo world,’  slow-motion van scenes and the awesome anti-gravity hotel sequence with Joseph Gordon Levitt. Amazing.

As you tell, I really enjoyed the film and have done since I first saw it in the cinema in the summer. Sure, it’s flawed in some places, but in all it’s a fantastic visual feast of a very original concept that most film lovers will no doubt lap up.

So, onto the extras. What delights does the Blu-Ray come packaged with. In the finished product that I reviewed, which was the triple play BD release, you get a copy of the film in three formats (across three disks); the Blu-Ray, the DVD and the digital version so that you can plug in your PSP or iPhone and view  it on the move. The release comes packaged with ‘Inception: The Cobol Job,’ the comic book prequel that actually debuted online before the film;s original cinema run (you can still view this online for free). What’s different here is that you can view the cmic in full animation and motion, and all of the content takes place just before the start of the main movie. Additionally we have the Extraction Mode, which you can either switch on as you view the movie, or play it seperately. It basically equates to a 45 minute long ‘making of,’ and if ever there was a movie where a behind the scenes featurette was called for, this is definitely it. The problem is that while a lot of topics are covered, not many are covered in that great a depth. We get to see how they did the anti-gravity hotel sequence, we see how they managed to do the Parisian sequence and we get interviews with all of the main crew and heads of departments, including Nolan. The film really did call for something a little more detailed, and I for one would have gladly sat in front of a series of seperate making of segments, and while there are a few on offer here, I walked away a little unsatisfied. I also found watching these extracts away from using the in-movie mode a little annoying. Lastly, there is another extra that is entitled ‘Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious,’ a feature that touches the more scientific side of dreams and parallel realities.

In all, despite its 3 disc span, INCEPTION felt very vanilla, which makes me think that a special edition could be on the cards at a later date. However, for such a remarkable film, the purchase of this edition is a must for any fan, and I urge those who didn’t manage to see the film in cinemas to venture out and see this amazing piece of filmmakingvia the home formats as very few will be disappointed.