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8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 2591 Ratings

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  1. JaneC
    Jul 18, 2010
    4
    I was hoping to give it a better score. I'll need to see it on Blu Ray later. It's one of those films that if you don't like it people think you're not cool. I'm not thick but I kept losing the plot.. Charactors had no depth. Film too long. Music too loud [although good] and you could only hear about 20% of the dialogue, so it was easy to lose your way. You couldn't hear ONE word that the Japanese chap said! Looked good with good actors but to be honest it left me cold. It became a' nightmare'. I will give it another go because Michael Cane was in it and Leonardo, two greats. By the way I thought Dark Knight was crap. Nolan seems to be a pretentious, self indulgent, up his own dark place, kind of person. Bring back the good old psycological 'Hitchcockian' thriller. I've just realized I'm overful of 'special effects'. This is just bilge dressed up, isn't it? Dissolusioned, yet again. Expand
  2. JonathanP.
    Jul 16, 2010
    1
    This film has made ma lose my faith in humanity. I thought movie goers would be intelligent enough to see through this drivel.
  3. AlexN.
    Jul 16, 2010
    1
    Funny how people think complex equals smart and intellectual. This movie was a big bag of hot wind. Matrix was better.
  4. JoelF.
    Jul 18, 2010
    1
    Toy Story 3 is way better.
  5. Aug 17, 2010
    2
    I thought this movie was not as good as people are saying. Because we knew it was dreams inside dreams the over the top fight scenes had no bearing. Who cared? As a result the movie became boring and repetitious. I would be very hard pressed to recommend this movie to anyone. Stay away.
  6. PaulJ
    Jul 30, 2010
    2
    Overated and over complicated. Never has such a talented cast gone to such waste.... none of the characters had any depth and the story telling was non-existent. Its hard to fathum what people enjoyed about this movie and how Nolan has gained such a big reputation. I went to see this movie with friends - had I been alone I would have left the theatre 50 mins into the film. Never have I been so disinterested in the outcome of a movie. The hero (Di Caprio) explains that you can never remember the beginning of a dream, and that dreams that seem to cover hours may only last a short time. Unfortunately, this nightmare last a full 2 1/2 hours!! Expand
  7. Aug 28, 2010
    2
    We went because we enjoyed Memento, once we read a 3 page analysis of it; and Metacritic's high "score". But it was a disappointment. Where Memento was confusing but clever, and, once comprehended, brilliant.......Inception is confusing and boring, and way too long. The entire Alpine dream could have been eliminated with affecting the story line. Who was shooting who, anyway, and besides, who cares? I actually dozed off during this sequence. The chases scenes were also overdone and relatively uninteresting because it didnt much matter who got hit and who didnt. It is a dream, after all. The CGI is clearly clever and the links between the physical world and their effect on the dream world, amusing. But visionary? No. Entertaining? Only briefly. Expand
  8. LisaM.
    Jul 18, 2010
    0
    If this movie makes someone think, they probably haven't had many thoughts before. Basically recycled ideas wrapped in some boring nonsense ("exposition") intercut with action sequences that aren't even that spectacular and quite boring CGI. Whoever thinks these ideas are fresh, needs to read more and watch better movies -- Existenz, World on a Wire, Dark City, The Thirteenth Floor, Matrix, even something like Last Year at Marienbad which manages to have complex ideas about memory and human mind and complex arresting visuals before CGI even existed. As to the originality of the visuals -- the New York Times reviewer was too kind to the movie but he was right -- dreams and the subconscious aren't that literal and obvious. If the subconscious was so literal, it wouldn't be the subconscious. And the visuals in something as crappy as "The Cell" were much more interesting. Expand
  9. tomM.
    Jul 16, 2010
    0
    What a waste of time & film. As we left the movie we asked what did the people understand about the movie - confusion is probably the best reply. Your critics' review system "blew" this one - bummmer.
  10. RoganK.
    Jul 29, 2010
    2
    Was looking forward to watching this movie so got me a ticket. The movie is about people working for an organisation thalt go into other peoples dreams to steal data. Movie goes on forever and is both boring and confusing and full of filler, only gave it a 2 for special effects.
  11. MikeD.
    Jul 16, 2010
    4
    I suppose if I didn't know anything about movies or science fiction, this film would be spectacular. I'm glad Nick Pinkerton of the Village Voice had the cajones to call this movie out.
  12. JackR.
    Jul 29, 2010
    4
    My friends: this is not an intelligent film. This is just basic action flick with embarrasing plot, bad dialogue and absolutely nothing to tell us. The ones that feel that they have seen a "masterpiece" are seriously fooled by the shining surface and "witty" dialogue of this nonsense. But that's only human, isn't it?
  13. Carmela
    Jul 17, 2010
    1
    Would have given this a zero, but gave it a 1 since I was able to catch a good nap during it. What a wanna be metaphysical bunch of crap! The only way to enjoy this movie is if you were dreaming while you were watching it.
  14. TonyB.
    Jul 29, 2010
    4
    Extremely well-designed, filmed and edited and more thsn sdequately acted, "Inception" is nevertheless essentially hogwash. We've been told that to really understand this film, we need to see it several times, but once is enough... If anything, a repeated viewing will more fully expose its nonsense.
  15. AmyC
    Jul 29, 2010
    2
    Was expecting a lot more from this film. My overall feeling is that Nolan has intentionally and pretentiously complicated the whole plot, forcibly added a lot of unnecessary elements and scenes in order to make it a "big" movie. Would have been much better if kept simpler. The role played by Ellen Page was a total mis-cast as she seemed to be completely out of place. My 2 stars go to DiCaprio. Expand
  16. Sep 8, 2010
    4
    Watching Inception is like watching an episode of the A-team or Hart to Hart. You find the same scene in all three things, a car in slow motion falling into the water. The shame is that when in those tv shows it lasts 3 minutes to the max, in Inception it lasts 1 hour and a half. One could think Chris Nolan did it on purpose and was giving us his thought on pop culture... Alas, C. Nolan doesn't reflect on his art at all... He only wants to entertain and impress us with a cheap special effect from the 80s... Nothing will be as deep as your deception when you'll watch Inception.
    If you want a good and fun summer entertainment movie go see piranha 3D, if you want a beautiful and thoughtful film about dreams qo see Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
    Expand
  17. JudithR.
    Jul 17, 2010
    1
    One note movie-- mostly an unvarying level of all- out action throughout, and loud, bombastic soundtrack too, so it gets more and more boring to sit through. Not all dream sequences needed to be like Nazi horror dreams; but the few scenes in which Nolan introduced less noisy interactions were short and not very engaging. Not for thoughtful viewers.
  18. JesseB.
    Jul 17, 2010
    4
    I think I've finally had it up to about here with Christopher Nolan. If you have ever seen a photograph of him, you might come away with the impression that his cranium is a tad larger than the rest of polite society (literally). This is not to speak badly of a person due solely to a physical quality which one possesses (as I have a gigantic boulder of a bald noggin) but to make the point that every inch of that fabled dome seems to be filled only with himself. Nolan, with the aid of his screenwriter brother, Jonathan, gave to us what many consider to be the grand achievement of the super-hero genre film to date, "The Dark Knight". I know what we are all thinking, "it doesn't take much to be the best of the bunch in that arena of film making." You are probably right, although there have been those rare exception, such as the aforementioned "Knight", which have exceeded the expectations of the viewer and brought us somewhere else rather than the local comic books store. With his latest directorial effort, "Inception", Nolan takes us on a trip through the imagination... literally. The story is of a man named Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio) who works as a kind of secret agent for hire. He does all of the same task which would be called upon by any other spy, accept his playing field is not that of a world landscape, but that of the subconscious, and the men which chase after him do not belong to any organization, but are the projections of the host mind's subconscious which one deploys in order to guard one's self from mental harm. You see, Dicaprio, and crew, have the ability to dive into a sleeping person's dream and thus wade around their subconscious, extracting information which somebody else thinks it's important enough to pay someone off to steal. This may all sound rather confusing upon glancing over a simple synopsis, but I found the story all very decipherable-- perhaps too decipherable. "Inception" refers to the idea (you get it, "idea") that one would, in theory, be able to penetrate the sleepers mind and, instead of stealing an idea from the dreamer, one plants an idea in his head, making it as if the idea generated itself organically without the aid of any outside source. But who would want a skilled spy, such as Dicaprio, to a thing as that? Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Batman Begins), who else. To get into the plot is just what this film would take the pleasure in having me do, because really, this film is nothing but plot. I don't necessarily have a problem with that, a film having a heavily plotted structure, but when the plot is the only thing that matters in the film, neglecting to develop characters and anything else beyond that which brings you from point A to B, I tend to get a little cranky. I got especially cranky while watching this flick. When you watch as many movies as I have (and I am sure that some of you have seen many more) you tend to learn things about the standardized structuring of a film which is used almost as a blueprint while a screenwriter crafts the tale which he wishes to weave. This is particularly true in a mystery-- nothing is discussed in the film unless it will have some sort of payoff in the end. This unfortunate blunder causes one to immediately catch on to the wool which the director would wished to pull over our eyes. Don't worry, I'm not going to give anything away. What is extremely tiresome is when one catches on too this little ploy, this ruse, and spends the rest of the time in the theater counting down the minutes until he or she is either proven correct or incorrect. I was correct... that is, I was correct ten minutes into the movie. I had many issues with this film, some having to do with what Roger Ebert calls the "idiot plot," a term which refers to the characters having to be somewhat dim in certain situations in order for the truth of the mystery to pass them by. For instance, upon exiting the dream of a failed mission, Dicaprio and crew wake up only to have the man whom they were attempting to steal from wake up as well and pull a gun on them. Now, imagine for a moment that you are undertaking this potentially dangerous mission with a group of your friends. The person that you are thieving from is asleep right next to you and, if by chance he finds out that you are doing him wrong, he may well become rather upset with you. Would you not take the two seconds out of your busy schedule to pat him down and make sure that he is not packing heat? Of course if you take away the gun before he wakes up there will be no fight and suddenly Hollywood execs begins to see those dollar signs peeling away from their eyes. Another problem that I had was that I did not like Dicaprio in the role. I found my eye much more attracted to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a very appealing and intense young actor who has real star quality. I could have watched him for two-and-a-half hours, no problem. And yet another issue I take with the movie is the use of actor Pete Postlethwaite,one of Britain's finest Shakespearean actors, used only in two scene and in both he is confined to a hospital bed and is rendered practically useless as he is little more than a vegetable. If you are going to hire an actor as good as Postlethwaite than at least give him something to do. But them main villain in this whole mess is the use of plot itself. I knew I was in trouble when the film was ten minutes in and they already started explaining the plot to us. Don't tell me about the movie, guys. Just show it to me. I think Nolan is often times too preoccupied with the concept of control. He seems to think that he is the supreme magician who carries all of the secrets to a great show within his own self containing head. He condescends to the audience, making futile attempts at diverting our eyes thus perfecting his "masterful" illusion. Yet in his arrogance he forgets that his audience comes equipped with a fully functioning brain which is made curious by the attempts at diversion and looks past the unfruitful wavings of the wand only to discovers that what they are witnessing is not magic, but a man who thinks that he is one step ahead of the rest. This, of course would sound very familiar to those aware of Nolan's work, as it seems very close to a synopsis of his 2006 film "The Prestige". In fact this is Nolan's true artistic obsession, going all the way back to 2001's "Memento" a film which tells itself in reverse, from end to beginning, and would seem an amazing achievement, but when examined closer, it is only found to be a cheap gimmick which does not hold up. "Inception" is not the worst movie ever. In fact, a great many people may very much enjoy it. There are some fantastic visuals and... well... the visuals are good. The story-- rather, the various plot points which have been strung together in order to make some semblance of a story, is not as revolutionary as everyone seems to make it out to be. It is definitely no "2001: A Space Odyssey" or whatever great film which this has been compared to, it is a popcorn flick which would have you think that it is more intelligent than it really is because it introduces topics which are somewhat out of the ordinary, but have been addressed multiple times in far better movies movies and in literature. If you really have a hankerin' for movies about dreamlike realities, try watching "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or even "The Matrix". I know while I was in the theater today, I was wishing that either of those movies were rolling instead of this one. Expand
  19. DavidB
    Jul 18, 2010
    0
    Lisa M is spot on. For a film to depict dream content in such a prosaic and visually unimaginative way -- especially given the budget available to Mr. Nolan -- is a major failure.
  20. JoshuaC
    Jul 19, 2010
    3
    Inception is nice enough to look at; the DP is Wally Pfister, who frequently collaborates with Nolan, and he makes those Parisian streets, in particular, look very pretty and bright. But the deeper you get into the movie, the more its polished visual surface feels like a deception. Nearly every moment in Inception is so big, so fattened-up, that nothing has any weight; because every little thing is of the gravest importance, there Expand
  21. Aug 8, 2012
    0
    The story of this movie is one that is not realistic whatsoever and it's not interesting in any way either. The movie itself is so boring it made me hope it would end soon. I think there is one joke in this movie and there are 2 smiles. It is a complex story partly because everything takes so long to explain itself. I really had a bad night at the cinema,. Nolan's style is really horrible if you ask me. That's my honest opinion. Expand
  22. MaryB.
    Jul 17, 2010
    0
    I thought the plot was boring and gimmicky. The characters lacked depth. The whole movie felt like a collection of trite special effects.
  23. DustinN.
    Jul 17, 2010
    0
    This movie was utter garbage. If there were no Dark Knight, none of you would care a lick about Nolan or Inception.
  24. DanJ.
    Jul 17, 2010
    0
    You guys are nuts. You really want to believe this is the best movie ever? This movie was shallow as a kiddie's pool.
  25. JamesS.
    Jul 16, 2010
    3
    Boring. Boring. Boring. This movie didn't have enough action. The action scenes aren't even memorable. Parts of the film, such as the use of mental time dilation, are ripe for parody already. I kept thinking... haven't I seen this film before? Stupid.
  26. JimboG.
    Jul 16, 2010
    0
    Warning: this movie is basically two-and-a-half hours of talky, pretentious exposition intercut with boring, generic summer-blockbuster-gunfight/car-chase action scenes. (Also, the good guys here are armed with the same Magic Hollywood Bullets that enable one nearsighted cowboy to singlehandedly kill a hundred Indians.) As for "visually stunning," don't believe the hype---it's the same now-familiar CGI crap you've seen everywhere from "The Matrix" to car commercials on network TV. Expand
  27. JectorP.
    Jul 17, 2010
    1
    I'm sorry, I understood this movie the first time. There was nothing to understand. A guy goes into a dream, then goes into another dream, then goes into another dream, then he may have died in one dream, while living an eternity in another, or the whole thing was one big dream, or parts of his psyche are sleeping while other parts are awake, and the whole thing might be an endless torrent of cognitive disruption. Either way, Nolan did nothing new. And don't get me started about that cross-cutting bs. Have you seen Time Code? Okay, so there are people have done what Nolan has done before. If you only read the review, you are going to buy the hype because that's all there is, is hype. Expand
  28. VitoM
    Jul 18, 2010
    0
    Worst movie of 2010. Terribly confusing, bloated, overlong. Music is horrible, Ellen Page is mis-cast. Best Picture worthy? Must be a bad year for movies. Dialogue goes on and on and on. Too much expostion, confusing action scenes. Did I mention boring? Indifferent acting, none of the plot makes sense.
  29. ChrisR.
    Jul 29, 2010
    3
    Why do I keep forgetting how overrated Christopher Nolan is? Why all the praise? Please, someone explain. MEMENTO is brilliant, but that's it. I respect him for his ambitious productions, but his post-Memento writing & directing skills are ...mediocre at best. He has the mind of a pretentious mathematician, and his films are cold, soulless, and without heart. The "romance" in this film is more like an intellectual exercise. The characters are stiff, and speak glib 50's dialogue. This surreal heist story is too convoluted for its own good, and I don't enjoy experiencing a story through constant explanation. I understood (most of) it, but there is a difference between 'understanding' and 'feeling'. I didn't feel the forced stakes in this film. I wasn't invested in the characters until nearly the end. There are some interesting moments and a couple of daring ideas. A few really cool visuals... but not as many as I was expecting (all are revealed in the trailers). Overall, the majority of the film left me bored and unengaged. The last half hour picks up, but not enough to reverse course. Dammit, I am obligated to see the next Batman film. But after that, someone please remind me how I feel about Nolan. Expand
  30. Aug 12, 2010
    0
    was like a writing exercises by Nolan.Lacks depth in the characters and action sequences were poor,could have been better if Nolan gave more emphasis on direction department
  31. HW
    Jul 18, 2010
    2
    Disjoineted plot. Could not carel less about the characters. Stale dialogue and nothing interesting. Director trying to be clever by confusing audience, so when the end comes you sit and wonder what the hell you just saw.
  32. LallyR.
    Jul 29, 2010
    2
    There is a great idea for a film here. Too bad the film they made is so terrible.
  33. JarrodC.
    Jul 29, 2010
    3
    An absurd and boring movie. Remember being 8 years old and writing a story with the ending "...but it was all a dream"? Inception is similar, but tells you that it's all a dream right from the start, thereby making it impossible to become emotionally involved in the plot, and therefore the characters. Ken Watanabe's acting is appalling. Don't waste 10 bucks going to see this.
  34. AngelicaR.
    Jul 16, 2010
    2
    Whoever is giving this film high marks is either a TDK Nolan fan, or a moron. Even from an objective Nolan fan it deserves maybe a 5 at the most. I give it a 2 because in comparison to his other movies, this one was weak, convoluted, oddly structured, and didn't have enough originality to keep me rooted. People who say it is imaginative should go rent the Matrix and Existenz and the Thirteenth Floor. I mean if imaginative is "extracting" other people's ideas, then I guess this movie was imaginative. Expand
  35. RamonT.
    Jul 16, 2010
    0
    Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Hey, can one of you guys who liked this movie so much, pay me for my lost time?
  36. JackH.
    Jul 16, 2010
    0
    Folks, this the first movie I've ever walked out of half-way through. If you like a confusing plot, typical Hollywood visions of urban destruction, complete with large-calibre handguns killing people randomly and disjointed rambling dialogue by cut-out characters... you'll love this movie.
  37. Bill
    Jul 17, 2010
    1
    One of the worst movies of the year. Unoriginal, non- inspiring performances. Very thin story. Very slow moving. Effects were cool, but have been done numerous times before. The Matrix blows this movie away. Nothing new here. Very predictable. Knew how it would end a half hour in. If you are intelligent, avoid this one!
  38. MitchG.
    Jul 17, 2010
    0
    Completely ridiculous story with a thousand flaws in logic, compounded by the fact that it's completely impossible to follow. Two hours of my life I wish I could have back. Total waste of the gazillion dollars they spent making this baloney. Save your money!
  39. JonathanJJ
    Jul 28, 2010
    1
    Inception tries to be clever but gets bogged down in over complex dialogue constantly having to explain itself. It seems to be inventing its plot as it goes along in order to fit as much dream mumbo jumbo as possible. When the 'guru' in the opium den dream theatre refers to his 'addicted dreamers' and announces - who's to say whether or not their dreams are reality or not in other words - are we therefore in the dream - I got up and walked out - if I wanted that kind of teenage logic I ll go and watch Nightmare on Elm Street. Expand
  40. Aug 24, 2010
    1
    Can't for the life of me figure out why this movie got such high ratings. Another movie rigged by reviewers to get people in seats. DO NOT SEE THIS IN THEATERS. Wait for the DVD if you must. The plot is stupid and confusing, the characters are annoying and far-fetched, the premise is so unbelievable it boggles the mind. Whoever came up with this should be shot. The dream sequences are just excuses to use some CGI effects and basically stray from reality as much as possible, and OMG but I had NO IDEA my dreams could be so vivid and real, to the point where you can arrange heists and kidnappings and create 'projections' that can actually kill you. I've never sat through so much nonsense in my life. This is a poorly written movie. If M. Knight had of written this it would've been viciously attacked, in stark contrast to the rave reviews and high ratings this has received so far. I will never get that hour and a half back. What a waste. Expand
  41. Aug 14, 2010
    0
    Never in my many years of going to the movies have I ever felt like walking out. NEVER. And I've seen a lot of bad movies. This movie is, without a doubt, the single WORST movie I have ever seen. It's film garbage. It has no soul.
    Hated it.
  42. Aug 15, 2010
    2
    Ridiculous, and ridiculously boring. No character development, no authentic emotion: Nolan gives you no reason to even CARE. Little by way of original ideas, or original film making. And the screenplay! 99.9% pure drivel. In all, it's a crappy movie inside a mindless movie inside a pretentious movie inside a boring movie. Skip it.
  43. Oct 16, 2010
    3
    A tedious and unoriginal spectacle. Completely saturated with blindly complementary hype and build up but I'm afraid it didn't take the biscuit. Perhaps a film for ITV 4 in 5 years at 10 on a Wednesday night - but truly undeserving of mass takings at box office
  44. Oct 25, 2010
    4
    This was easily the most disappointing movie of the year. I really wanted to like this movie. But it's a pretentious, mess of a movie. The acting was weak. DiCaprio is back to his old, bad acting habits. The only reason Ellen Page is in this movie is so DiCaprio has someone to explain things too. I just wanted to scream at Christopher Nolan, "SHOW ME, DON'T TELL ME". The characters are all one dimensional. I didn't care what happened to any of them. Some of the special effects were interesting, but they were in a vacuum. There was nothing compelling about them. This movie was trying to be original and clever, but you've got to have a compelling story with interesting characters for it too work. It was too complex for it's own good. Expand
  45. RussellM.
    Jul 26, 2010
    4
    An overblown, self indulgent sci fi flick that fails to convince the viewer of its subject matter. It left me feeling flat, unentertained and exhausted from all the gun fire and ecvessive explosions. It was more like watching my 13 year old son playing a video came with no real plot as opposed to a movie.
  46. JordiT.
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    This movie just shows how un-intelligent Nolan fans are. These are the same people who thought Shymalan couldn't be touched after the Sixth Sense, and now look at him! They finally have caught on that he's a terrible filmmaker. So is Nolan. These morons bought the hype before the film came out, were really disappointed by the movie, and now are repressing their letdown. Wake up, children! Expand
  47. ShannonC
    Jul 19, 2010
    2
    Remember that episode of ALIAS, directed by Cronenberg, called "Conscious"? That's what this movie was like. Only this was looooong, and boring. I give it a two 'cuz it looked pretty. Okay, and it was like that movie Dreamscape.
  48. LionelL
    Jul 22, 2010
    2
    I walked out. It was gibberish. Diarrhea. Any critic who liked this movie loses all credibility with me.
  49. SidneyC.
    Jul 29, 2010
    4
    While well executed and imaginative, Inception is empty at its core. It's game of trivial pursuit involving the details of Nolan's fantasy dream world. For all the levels and rules and characters it fails to go beyond the superficial. There is no exploration of the psychological aspects of dreams or the moral dilemma facing the characters or, as it descendsinto deeper dream levels, what lies in the deeper levels of the subconscious. A lot of flash, but no heart or substance. Expand
  50. PredragS.
    Jul 16, 2010
    1
    Such a boring movie...good effects but movie is sucks.
  51. Aug 20, 2010
    4
    There are some good scenes in the film, like the anti-gravity fighting and the car chases to a degree, but they aren't enough to carry the film.
    Everything we find out about the world is explained by Cobb to one of the supporting characters at one point or another. There's nothing for us to find out for ourselves, and this is very disappointing in a film receiving such hype about how it's
    clever and makes you think. I saw a review praising how the film isn't dumbed down, but I find the exact opposite to be true. Everything is clearly explained before it happens, and re-explained if it happens again later on. For example, they explain a paradoxical situation, fairly early on, and when it comes into play later Arthur shouts "paradox" as the camera pans around to see exactly what happened, leaving nothing to be thought about.

    I would have loved to believe what was happening. Cobb is supposed to be the best at what he does, but the only time we see him in action, he seems to have no control over the situation and seems to fail entirely at what he's trying to do. We're told things too often, and never shown things to see for ourselves.

    I also had a problem with the entire sub-plot surrounding how Cobb is flawed, I won't go into detail, but it took up far too much screen time, and provided very little to the story.

    I expected an intelligent thriller, and ended up watching a disjointed and confused (not confusing) film with some neat action scenes sparsely placed throughout.
    See it if you want, but don't go out of your way for it.
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  52. Sep 1, 2010
    4
    A great cast, intersting concept, with high production values, but utlimately a very average action movie. I agree with JamesD that the film was "curiously impersonal and mechanical." Cut out roughly 45 minutes of Philosophy 201 level exposition and what you have is people shooting and punching each other. A film this hyped demands comment on the director: I thought Dark Knight was very good, but mostly because of Ledger's performance. Take that away, and Dark Knight is rather average fair with Bale doing a lot of growling and gloating. In Inception there is no remarkable performance; Leonardo emotes but we are given no reason to care. Expand
  53. Jan 8, 2011
    4
    Normally, I am very much against all of the "high brow" negative reviews of a movie, but in this case, I have to say that Inception is very over-rated. While interesting in concept, and certainly written by a genius or someone who has indulged in LSD way too many times, it's just "too much" for my tastes.
  54. Nov 15, 2010
    2
    Go see the Matrix - again - and save your effort. Same movie as Matrix but now takes place inside a dream. Really unoriginal. Drags on far too long. This movie never should have been made.
  55. Dec 10, 2010
    0
    This is a review within a review that's trapped inside another review. Only a defibrillator can release the real score within my subconscious. So I improvised and reconstructed a score of zero based upon my memories of other movies like Glitter, Ishtar and My Giant.
  56. Dec 10, 2010
    0
    THIS movie is completely overated. Watercooler prestige for those who sit through & pat theirsleves on the back at oh what smarty pants they are. This movie is crap that drags and is no where near as intersting as the nap & dream I took before it ended. Dreams are abstract, impossible to set up house in, one persons flying burritos and chairs with ship sails makes sense to them only. Original? Ive seen better folding cities in the Matrix and Dark City.Its down right sad that spew like this and Monsters are loved by critics and yuppies everywhere when their comlplete dribble and will only contribute to the horrible drought of anything decent. DO yourself a favor rent Dark City & skip this nap maker. Expand
  57. Jan 17, 2011
    3
    Wow! What a tedious, confusing, mess! I have loved many movies with dreamlike sensibilities--"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Twelve Monkeys," and "Brazil" come to mind--movies which prompt the viewer to question reality and ponder their place in the universe. "Inception" is clearly attempting to be one of these movies, but it fails miserably. Piling layer upon layer of plot and exposition doesn't make a movie more "intelligent" or "thought-provoking," but that is what director Christopher Nolan seems to be doing. Instead of provocative, metaphysical sci-fi we get scene after scene that resemble outtakes from "Mission Impossible 12." None of it adds up to much, except that is, for confusion and boredom. Sure, there are some awe-inspiring CGI sequences of dream worlds folding over onto themselves, and edifices collapsing into nothing, but mostly what we get is meaningless, uninspired action and head-scratching explanations about the why these convoluted events are occurring. If I cared even a little bit about these characters, maybe I could forgive the filmmakers for some (though certainly not all) of the ridiculous plot contortions, but I didn't. Expand
  58. Dec 31, 2010
    3
    Talk about the emperor's new clothes, Nolan's oeuvre is the emperor's whole wardrobe. Although i did like Batman Begins, Inception, like that last Batman film is a big convoluted mess. Having read many complex narrative and metafiction novels, i love complexity when it's delivered by a talented artist with a capacity to deliver, Nolan can't. Who cares about richy rich and his dying father? Who cares about the "kicks" being executed? And the security in the unconscious is paramilitary shootouts? What!? That is devoid of imaginations. Why aren't we seeing Leo's relationship with his wife? That might be a film. But Nolan has never shown any capacity to reveal intimacy so i shouldn't be too surprised. Expand
  59. Jan 29, 2011
    3
    Brilliant concept, but so much action and violence it just seemed tiring after a while. This apparently is the only "reality" Hollywood knows how to produce, even with the opportunity to go "three layers deep". Not hard to follow or understand if you were paying attention. It was "disappointing". I thought it offered something on a deeper level. It's just a *movie* NOT a "film". Kind of felt I wasted 2 hours of "real" time being I am used to films on a much deeper level that don't rely on action, violence and a bunch of shoot-em-up-bang-bang to take one through the movie's concept. Granted its better than most Hollywood movies out there, but still disappointing that it wasn't more on its own without following typical movie footsteps - you'll know what this means by the end of the movie. That's the idea I hope gets out there to save us from more disappointment. Collapse
  60. Feb 11, 2011
    3
    everybody hyped this movie up so much but man were they wrong this is one of the slowest moving most boring movies I've ever seen what little action is in it is good but I could barely keep my eyes open waiting for something to happen
  61. Feb 12, 2011
    0
    Extremely overhyped, no actual intellectual content. Good if you want to pretend that you're watching an intelligent movie without actually having to use your brain. For those who enjoy actual stories with characters you care about or original ideas with relevance over pretentious, overthought, and purposely "complex" (not really) crap, this movie should be avoided. Unless you're a wannabe intellectual, don't watch this. Action scenes would earn it a 5 (it's actually a decent popcorn movie), but amount of hype and intended audience make it get a 0 from me. Expand
  62. Feb 26, 2011
    3
    No offense, because we all have been 12 years old, but the only way you can consider this film mind blowing, smart, creative and blah blah blah is if you are 12 or below. I give it 3 points because of the city landscape and some well done effects. Everything else is quite vague and boring.
  63. Dec 13, 2011
    0
    The film is both ill conceived and ill produced mess. It's to be expected that Hollywood will throw awards upon efforts which appear to be smart, though really aren't. I enjoyed Batman Begins. Memento was ok, but highly over-rated for the same reasons. This thing was nothing but a painful POS. An offensive turd.
  64. Jan 22, 2012
    3
    Clearly over thought concept, blockbuster budget and all star cast list makes the film feel like its trying too hard to impress. Nolan desperately tries to make the film awe inspiring with genius seeping out of every crevice of the plot. Unfortunately this is all counter productive, making for a very laborious and lacklustre watch.
  65. Apr 2, 2012
    1
    A horrible movie. I don't really care if I didn't comprehend it, it still wasn't interesting to watch. There have been plenty of movies that had complex story lines that I still found intriguing to watch. It was so boring. The only semi good thing was the music. Too long to.
  66. Oct 5, 2012
    4
    It was alright. Worth a watch if you're that bored. Would try to pick it up on DVD second hand though. Giving the movie a 10 doesn't make you more intelligent.
  67. GaryR.
    Jul 18, 2010
    3
    Overly complex and hard to understand. I want to be entertained by a movie, not challlenged to see if I can keep up with the plot. And then, at the end, is an overdone James -Bond like scene with snow and a military fortress, which has no meaning at all. Even all the senseless gunfire is not entertaining at all. I want my money back.
  68. markf.
    Jul 18, 2010
    1
    Easily one of the worst movies ever made.
  69. joer
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    I should have taken the $10.50 and wiped my butt with it. Other than Momento, Nolan's work stinks. I fell alseep during the Dark Knight and dozed off here. It's that bad. I'm tired of big budget junk. I'll stick to the indie films. Don't see this movie. You have been warned!!!
  70. CherylW.
    Jul 19, 2010
    3
    Too much hype. Boring. Stupid. Lame. Want my money back.
  71. PhilipL
    Jul 19, 2010
    1
    One of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is too complicated, too violent, too long, and very difficult to understand what is happening. If this is a masterpiece than our country and the film industry is in very bad shape!
  72. jamesm.
    Jul 27, 2010
    2
    THis movie was so bad for me I wouldn't have stayed past the first 40 minutes if I had been watching it alone. It didn't set up the plot at all. Like you were just supposed to accept on this intense chasing and shooting without ever knowing why just to be set up for the big dream sequence in the end. I thought the end was MUCH MUCH better, but getting there was painful and infuriating. Not a joy to watch and not well developed as a story. Expand
  73. RandyS.
    Jul 16, 2010
    0
    Absolute crap. You critics have lost all credibillity with me. And those that like it. Obviously you are not in reality.wake up!!!
  74. stevez.
    Jul 19, 2010
    1
    For anyone who has a mind this movie is barely watchable. I was stuck in this movie to see how far this crap could go on. It is barely understandable and however go stand watching this without leaving at the first hour is a hero.
  75. LaskhmanK.
    Jul 19, 2010
    4
    Disgusting!!! !The movie is trite, stilted & impervious. Very hard to follow the plot and the movie failed to engage the users. In the end the viewers were left confused.
  76. JustinB
    Jul 19, 2010
    2
    Look, this movie was nonsense. In no way is this movie worthy of all the praise it is receiving. I keep reading reviews saying how it's so deep, challenging, and meaningful. Why? It's not complicated at all. I think people try to say it's complicated because they want to make themselves feel smart or try to find some deep seeded meaning to relate to their lives. It's also very annoying how the movie says what it will do, then it does it. Great, so now you told me you were going to make this dream scheme work, then you follow through with it and make it work. That's just so compelling. And then to leave the movie hanging at the end? All I could think was, who cares if it falls or stays up! Expand
  77. RebeccaS.
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    Don't kid yourselves, Nolan fans. This was a movie, not a Mensa test. It was easy to follow, though oddly structured. Nothing deep or wonderful about this movie. Got it the first time. People who say "You just didn't understand it," are repressing how badly this movie sucked.
  78. ML
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    Hated it! Way too confusing and complicated (and I'm an engineering grad from an Ivy League school.) Shouldn't have to work this hard.
  79. AndrewJ.
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    Gotta agree with the naysayers, this is nolan's worst film. it's only thought provoking because you'll find yourself finding at least a million errors in the way nolan imagines the mind. in the end it's an action film that's not really that great that pretends to be an intellectual thriller.
  80. Dan
    Jul 20, 2010
    0
    Reading the reviews definitely gives you an idea why the world is so messed up! How anyone can think this movie was worth the admission price is beyond me! This movie STUNK! Everytime there had to be an explanation of a prblem in a dream sequence it made up bizarre rules! DiCaprio better start being a bit more selective on the scripts he chooses or he will be making 'Made for TV'; movies very soon! Expand
  81. MissyChrissy
    Jul 20, 2010
    0
    To all you critics and viewers that are giving this movie rave reviews, I ask, did we see the same movie? The music drove me insane, the acting was un-inspired, the plot was chaotic and confusing, the dialogue was excessive and boring and the characters were emotionally empty.
  82. gillr.
    Jul 23, 2010
    0
    This movie sucks it makes no sense at all .they risks their lives to go in three layers dream for what?. so he can his father saying I disappointed that you try to be me.to find out his father wants him to be his own man. this a piece of crap. I want my money back. If you able to go in three layers of dream you shoud come up with something more important than this piece of shit.
  83. TheresaR.
    Jul 24, 2010
    0
    It sucked. I knew after the first 5 minutes. I wanted to reach out and grab one of those cuffs to put on my arm to go into a "dream-like state" until the movie was over. Don't waste your money ($11.00 btw) or your time.
  84. lucasb.
    Jul 26, 2010
    1
    Horrible dialogue, and character development that simply made the movie boring. Yeah I could keep up with the plot but was I supposed to care? Wanted to leave an hour in.
  85. RodneyM
    Jul 18, 2010
    0
    In my Top 10 of worst movies and most overhyped of all time. It is so scary how the critcs and the viewers think this is a good, smart movie when it is boring, long, confusing. I don't know what other movies you have all seen, but you must not have seen many good movies in your time. Music was horrible, way too much dialogue, too much exposition. Lots of crying going on but I wasn�39;t emotionally attached to any characters. Action, which was very little, was too confusing. You don't know who is who or doing what. Joseph Gordon Levitt was wasted in this and Ellen Page miscast. Expand
  86. TomC.
    Jul 18, 2010
    4
    The special effects are the best part of this movie. The movie is basically taking naps with other people and joining their dream. that's goofy.
  87. JamesL.
    Jul 18, 2010
    4
    Where are the ratings of 10 coming from? Special effects were awsome. The plot was absurd and boring at times. It's no Matrix more along the lines of Total Recall. Leonardo DeCaprio's tortured soul characters are getting old. I must have dreamed this was going to be a better movie. Apparently a lot of the reviewers are still dreaming as well.
  88. SammyP.
    Jul 18, 2010
    1
    I didn't like it. First and foremost the audio was horrible! I went and talked to the manager of the theater and he said that they were getting a lot of complaints and said that they just got a new sound system last month. One of the few movies that had me knodding off to sleep. If you asked me what this movie was about, I honestly could not tell you. I think I understood one sentence that was coming out of Ken Wanntanaba's mouth. I would not recommend this movie. Expand
  89. MattE.
    Jul 19, 2010
    3
    Very disappointing film. I was actually looking forward to this a few days before it came out. The movie doesn't totally suck because of the plot but because the plot is taken so seriously like it may be actually possible or something. Action scenes were boring. Dreams aren't important and neither is this movie.
  90. WillW
    Jul 19, 2010
    3
    This movie is crap and too absent of logic too make sense. I could go into why but I don't want to spoil it. I feel like I need to go watch Predators again just to clear my palet.
  91. BobK.
    Jul 19, 2010
    1
    Computer Graphics gone ape. To use the terminology of the movie, the plot content of this film is but a "projection".
  92. KimM
    Jul 19, 2010
    0
    Terrible. The best part about this movie was when the lights came up and I walked out of the theater.
  93. TomW.
    Jul 20, 2010
    1
    Possibly one of the most tedious movies I've ever seen. I looked forwards to seeing it, but after 20 minutes I wanted to leave, and I kept asking myself that every 10 minutes after that. Scores of giant plot-holes and lapses of logic; practically every other minute I saw something that didn't make sense. The entire premise doesn't make sense, because dreams aren't like reality: that's what makes them fascinating. But in Nolan's world, dreams look everyday, except for huge gigantic events that happen that get to be rendered in CGI. There wasn't much thought about this world he created, except how to make it bigger, flashier, and noisier. Think about real dreams - they're eerie and strange, and illogically logical. Bunuel captured them well; so also did The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This was a boring world without any kind of sublety. The soundtrack was probably the worse I've every heard - a loud uberWagnerian rant that squelched any sense of real drama. The actors were fine, but since the script was full of idiotic lines, they couldn't win. And the ending was completely obvious - no surprises there. Expand
  94. ChesterL
    Jul 20, 2010
    0
    One of the absolute worst movies I have EVER seen. Ive never been tempted to walk out of a movie before until seeing this pile of trash. Bad acting, lack of humanity and a convoluted plot not worth caring about. Simply awful movie.
  95. PaulM
    Jul 22, 2010
    1
    Long, boring, and pretentious. It's sound and fury, signifying nothing.
  96. BillF
    Jul 24, 2010
    1
    I though this film was extremely disappointing. First of all, you shouldn't have to see a movie multiple times to just get the point of it. I was bored with all the antics going on and finally just got tired of trying to put it all together. I looked at my watch many times to see how long I had sat there watching this. The hype for this movie is very misleading and though it appears many of the viewers who have expressed their feelings here thought it was a masterpiece, I am one of those who definitely does not feel this way. Nolan is a creative director, but this one isn't with his best. Of course, I did lose track after I had fallen asleep for the third time! Expand
  97. EvanW.
    Jul 24, 2010
    1
    Watched he movie at the cinama last night, oh my god it was boring! All that stuff to make a dude destro his fathes empire, why dont blackmail him or something. Stupid story
  98. JoanR.
    Jul 25, 2010
    0
    I went into this movie with a rave recommendation from my sister. She loved it. I HATED IT. It was so contrived. I felt I was being forced to feel as if individual scenes were exciting (they weren't), that action was amazing (it wasn't). Perhaps it was the music...terrible. I hate movies where I can figure out what's coming next. And it didn't drive me to care about any of the characters. This is supposed to be challenging? It was LAME It was a waste of money. Wait for it to come out on DVD. Expand
  99. willr.
    Jul 26, 2010
    4
    This movie amalgamates themes of other films less skillfully than these predecessors. multiple story-lines in time : "Primer" shared alternate reality : "Existenz" depths of a depraved mind : "Synecdoche New York" Even "The Sting" succeeded in being more fun as a assembled crack-team of crooks. This film neither pushed bounds nor outperformed any previous version, although it was basely entertaining. Expand
  100. joshuaf.
    Jul 26, 2010
    2
    A whole lotta money spent on a whole lotta nonsense. not even half as good as the matrix and is twice as stupid.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 42
  2. Negative: 3 out of 42
  1. 100
    In terms of sheer originality, ambition and achievement, Inception is the movie of the summer, the movie of the year and the movie of our dreams.
  2. In a summer of remakes, reboots and sequels comes Inception, easily the most original movie idea in ages.
  3. Reviewed by: Justin Chang
    100
    If Inception is a metaphysical puzzle, it's also a metaphorical one: It's hard not to draw connections between Cobb's dream-weaving and Nolan's filmmaking -- an activity devoted to constructing a simulacrum of reality, intended to seduce us, mess with our heads and leave a lasting impression. Mission accomplished.