My thoughts on Inception

Hubby and I have both been waiting to see the new movie Inception for a few months now, as the premise looked interesting and it seemed like it had a pretty good cast. Since it came out Friday, hubby had the day off from the cell phone store, and our newly converted AMC theaters do $5 movies all day Monday through Thursday, we figured we'd go check it out today.

I was a bit worried going into it, as over the weekend I noticed on both Facebook and Twitter everyone kept saying what a "mind-fuck" (pardon the language - not sure how else to word that phrase though!) it was, and quite a bit were saying that they "didn't get it." This worried me a little as I hate seeing a movie that requires you to go back and watch it again to make sense, as these days I usually don't end up seeing it again until it's out on DVD.

We watched it though and as the credits started rolling the first thing I said to hubby was "Okay, so... I'm confused - how is it that people don't get it??"

I mean really... unless you weren't paying attention and actually watching (which then I have to ask: why are you spending money to see a movie you aren't going to watch?), how is that possible? I mean it really wasn't that hard to follow at all. Maybe it's cuz I have trippy dreams from time to time that seem to jump all over the place (although those dreams to tend resemble something you'd see in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus). But still...

It really wasn't that hard to follow. Yes, there's several things going on at once, but it all makes sense and again, it's not that hard to follow. (You can read my full review of it here on my movie blog, Movie Bits)

Hubby and I both really liked it though - it was thought provoking and pretty different from most films I can think of it. While Nolan directed the newer Batman films, this one is more reminiscent of his early film Memento, as it really makes you think and pay attention. They say he came up with the idea of Inception and wrote about 80 pages of the script nearly 10 years ago, but wanted to wait until he more experience with big budget films before making it. Glad it finally got made - it really was a great movie!

The only things that are left unanswered (without spoiling anything) are the ending, as it was purposely left open for you to decide and debate it, as well as the fact I don't recall them saying HOW Leo's character and his wife once got stuck in limbo (for those that have seen it - did you catch that? We didn't...) - he talks about their time there and the aftermath, but I don't recall them ever saying how they ended up there...

I must say though, both Leo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have really come a long way in their acting careers. Okay, so Leo's always played more serious roles (ie: This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape where 2 of his early films), but remember how in the mid-90s all us girls were swooning of his cuteness and good looks in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic? Yeah, over the past few years, I've really grown to be able to take accept him as a more serious actor and not just a cute teen heartthrob from my junior high days. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt - while I thought he was pretty goofy and awkward as an alien disguised as a youngster on the 90s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, I've really enjoyed watching him in his last few films (The Lookout, 500 Days of Summer and now Inception). I still think he looks a bit on the skinny side though - especially in his neck and shoulders, which makes seeing him in a suit look a bit weird... he could use to beef up just a tad, or at least do something to fill out his shoulders more!

I'm still undecided about Cillian Murphy though... I didn't mind him as the lead male in 28 Days Later, but he was sure creepy in both Red Eye and Batman Begins, where he played villains in both. As dumb as it sounds, I think it's his looks that bother me the most - he has big lips I just want to put lipstick or lipgloss on and kinda girlish facial figures - I mean, looking at his Wiki page, he played a transgender character in one of his films, and honestly, he looks pretty convincing as woman!

Ellen Page is just Ellen Page. Sure she was also Kitty Pride in X-Men and of course smart-talking Juno... I haven't hated her in anything I've seen her in, but I haven't really loved her either. She just... is.

It also drove me nuts that I couldn't remember what I had seen Leo's character's wife in before, until it dawned on me after the movie that she (Marion Cotillard) was the female lead in Public Enemies. I looked her up on Wiki too, just to see what else she was in and I was amused that she played Edith Piaf in the biopic La Vie En Rose (which I haven't seen) as a mix CD one of my college french instructors gave us had several of Edith Piaf's songs on it!

Well there's one more movie I can cross me and hubby's list of "must-see's" for this summer. Left to go on it are:

• The Expendables
  (Jason Statham... *drool*) 
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  (Hubby thinks this one looks too ridiculous not to see, whereas I read the first 2 graphic novels and thought they were decent, despite my annoyance that they cast Michael "I-play-the-same-awkward-teen-character-in-every-movie" Cera as the lead)
• Machete
  (what was once a "fake" trailer made just for Grindhouse, Robert Rodriguez turned into a feature film starring the awesome Danny Trejo!)
• Resident Evil: Afterlife
  (hubby and I both like Milla Jovovich, especially when she's kicking ass - 'nuff said!)

So what did you guys think of Inception? 

If you haven't seen it yet, do you plan on it?

If you saw it and "didn't get it," what about it didn't you "get"?