GUEST COLUMN: Why "Inception" Has Stood the Test of Time

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Why "Inception" Has Stood the Test of Time

by Kevin Gardner

Upon its original release over 10 years ago, "Inception" dazzled and challenged audiences. Entire theaters of people were inspired to applaud the film at the end despite the fact that the people responsible for making it were not present and had no way of hearing them. A genre-blending film by Christopher Nolan, "Inception" was a remarkable work of cinematic art, unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

Over a decade later, "Inception" is still recognized as a timeless masterpiece that continues to astound audiences around the world. Here are some of the reasons why it has held up so well.

Concept

"Inception" is a heist movie with a twist: Instead of breaking into a bank to steal something tangible, Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Cobb, breaks into people's minds to steal their thoughts while they are dreaming. His latest job is a little different; he is hired to plant an idea into the mind of a young executive, so deep that the executive does not realize that it came from a source other than himself. This requires Cobb and his team to, first, get close enough to the executive to access his dreams and then hook him and themselves up to a sleeptracker and other, more fanciful, equipment so they can all go to sleep at the same time and sleep deeply enough to enter several dream levels. Only at the deepest levels of unconsciousness can Cobb implant the idea he wants the executive to have so that it will seem like his own.

Originality

It's rare to find a movie, especially a science fiction or fantasy movie, based on an original idea. Most are based on novels or previous movies or are part of franchises or existing intellectual properties, e.g., comic book series. Christopher Nolan not only directed "Inception" but wrote the screenplay. It took him the better part of a decade to craft the story to his satisfaction, much like Ariadne in the movie creates the architecture of the different dream worlds.

Budget

Nolan originally pitched the idea for "Inception" to studio execs in 2001. Part of the reason for the delay in production, in addition to the fact that the script had not been written yet, was because at that point he didn't think he had enough experience as a director to do it justice. Over the intervening nine years, Nolan had directed two movies in the "Dark Knight" saga. Not only did this give him the necessary directing experience but it also established him as a big box office draw, able to command a budget of $160 million to make the movie. It would earn over $1 billion.

Practical Effects

Typically, in a 21st-century big-budget sci-fi summer blockbuster, there would be thousands of computer-generated visual effects shots. What makes the mind-blowing effects in "Inception" all the more impressive is that most of them were practical effects performed in-camera. There are only about 500 CGI shots, approximately one-quarter of what a movie like this would usually contain. The practical effects make the dreamscapes all the more believable.

Cast

Christopher Nolan put together an impressive cast that balances celebrated film veterans with (at the time) up-and-coming stars. In several cases, including the lead, Nolan had only one actor in mind for the part, and because of the artistic credibility he had established in Hollywood, they agreed to work with him.

Ambiguous Ending

It has been over 10 years since "Inception" was released, and to this day, people are still thinking about and discussing the ending and what it means. Part of the fun of the movie is the ambiguity of the ending, examining the evidence to come up with theories about what it really meant. Unfortunately, some people rushed to judgment, pronouncing a definite meaning without really thinking about it. Those people are missing out on part of what makes this movie so unique and special.

"Inception" continues to captivate the imagination more than 10 years following its release. It will continue to confound audiences in the most enjoyable way for hundreds more.