A Little Movie Love (with no spoilers)

As many sources have acknowledged, this has not been a great season for movies. Yes, The A-Team was all kinds of fun with its over-the-top action and winks at the original television series (who knew I would feel such nostalgia for Mr. T and his van?). But I really have to struggle to remember any other movie I’ve seen in the past three months even though I know I’ve seen several—they have all been that forgettable. That’s not even counting the numerous weeks I’d take a look at what was playing and not see a single title I was interested in.

But all of those “meh” feelings evaporated yesterday when I went with some friends to see Inception, which actually deserves the term film and has restored my faith in Hollywood’s ability to produce something with imagination and quality. This is not to say that the film is perfect. The story got a bit muddled at times, and I thought Ellen Page was miscast (I would have preferred someone like Carrie Mulligan—see An Education if you haven’t already, which is another excellent film). However, these are minor quibbles, and whatever flaws I noticed quickly receded as I was drawn completely into this other world. The theater was literally packed—it was a Sunday matinee and every seat was filled—and yet the grip of Inception was so intense and so complete that it was the quietest movie audience I have ever experienced. If it were physiologically possible, I could have sworn we all held our breath for 2 ½ hours.

The visuals were stunning, a reminder that not every movie has to be in that overhyped commodity 3-D to have a dramatic impact. The score powerfully enhanced the atmosphere and tone (holla, Hans Zimmer!). The high concept challenged and provoked my intellect and imagination (see, Hollywood? It’s okay not to spoon-feed a giant bowl of Obvious to your audiences!), and yet it was grounded in real emotion and heart. All the elaborate sets and balletic action scenes were threaded together—much like the dreamers were threaded together—by the pull of family love and the struggle to come to terms with relationships desperately longed for and just out of reach. At the end of the film, the entire audience let out a very audible vocalization, and I saw my own dazed expression reflected in the faces of others as we exited the theater and woke up from the dream we had all just experienced together, courtesy of architect Christopher Nolan.

I’m sure I’ll think of other things to appreciate about Inception in the days to come because it’s that kind of film—the one you revisit and turn over and sift through in your mind for days and even weeks after. One thing’s for certain—I won’t be forgetting it any time soon.