Inception - Hype

I've been reading through some Inception reviews after i noticed it was a trending topic on Twitter, and then later went on IMDB and saw that it's rated at 9.3/10, which is nothing short of EPIC. It now ranks at #3 in the all-time list, i'm not sure how long it'll stay there but it's now behind Shawshank Redemption (#1) and behind The Godfather (#2) after overtaking Godfather II which now ranks at number 4. I've seen NONE of this top 4, should i be worried? Godfather is a no-go, way too long. Shawshank is definitely on the list to read though! This is THE movie geek site, most people there know what they're talking about.

So what's the hype? To be honest, i'm not too sure what it's about and from what i've read going to go see the movie won't improve my understand significantly. Everyone seems to be coming out of it quite dazed and confused, and seem to have very strong opinions about it. There's always films that people LOVE to make sweeping statements about, and Inception seems to be one of those films at the moment, that is getting people talking, i mean look at me here now... blogging about it.

The most interesting review I've read so far is this, I think it's important to start with some of the negative reviews - New York magazine David Edelstein wrote  -

"I truly have no idea what so many people are raving about. It’s as if someone went into their heads while they were sleeping and planted the idea that Inception is a visionary masterpiece and—hold on … Whoa! I think I get it. The movie is a metaphor for the power of delusional hype—a metaphor itself"

 Quite dramatic, however the last sentence is very interesting. Christopher Nolan is a very intelligent filmmaker, nothing is beyond him, perhaps this may be an inadvertent metaphor. It's very rare we see hype like this for a movie, we see films celebrated every day, but this film takes it to another level . You cannot escape Inception, and i'm sure come Oscar season the Academy will be driving the bandwagon.

Here are some more negative reviews -

"Despite its big budget ... Inception is full of second-rate aesthetics, yet when shoddy aesthetics become the new standard, it’s sufficient to up-end the art of cinema"

"But though there is a lot to see in Inception, there is nothing that counts as genuine vision. Mr. Nolan’s idea of the mind is too literal, too logical, too rule-bound to allow the full measure of madness"

I'm sure by now you've all been bombarded by positive reviews, but here are some of my favorite quotes from them which make me and millions of others want to see this film.

Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.

This is possibly one of the only perfect films I have ever seen. It is absolutely confident in every way, something which is extremely refreshing, even more so than Avatar.


I'll close with this, perhaps the complexity and ambiguity of this film inspires such curiosity and interest that has warranted such 'hype' The only reason I want to see this film is because with all the trailers, TV spots and reviews I'm still not sure WHAT THIS FILM IS ABOUT! It will have more success, that's a given. Personally, i'll be keeping an eye to see if it can overtake the Godfather, that would be an impressive feat.