10 Years Later, Christopher Nolan’sInceptionRemains Magnificent

Somehow , 2010 ’s Inception has suddenly become topical again — an idea that seems like it was cryptically plant in our minds by Leonardo DiCaprio himself . In world , though , masses are tattle about Christopher Nolan ’s trippy hit for a few good intellect : the film has been aNetflix staple for all of 2020(when set of masses have been streaming heavily ) ; it ’s about to celebrate its tenth anniversary ; itrecently test inside Fortnite ; and there ’s even a potential return to theatersas an appetizer forNolan ’s new sci - fi opus , Tenet . Add it all up and , yes , it ’s time to revisit Inception .

When Inception was released I , like many others , instantly fell for it . The scope , the ambition , the effects , it was one of my favorite films of the year . However , having not watched it in some sentence , when I clicked sport I feel oddly unquiet . There was almost an intimidation factor . I had a vague recollection of the dense storytelling Nolan had in store but no concrete storage of how it all run . In a way , I was almost scared that a few years removed was go to ferment me on the picture show .

This Is How Inception Ends in 2017

Will the top drop? Leonardo DiCaprio waits in Inception.

Will the top drop? Leonardo DiCaprio waits in Inception.Photo: Warner Bros.

Spoiler qui vive : It did not sour . It all remove me and by the fourth dimension the credits roll out I was once again in love with this inventive world . In fact , the film worked its magic in way that made me treasure it on whole new levels .

First and firstly , that unease I finger at the start of the moving picture is quickly , and deliberately , ironed out . Nolan has a knack for number up with grandiose ideas and then explaining them simply and understandably without slowing down the plastic film . However , in Inception , the interview is leave out decently into the natural process without any kind of primer andthe outcome is off - putt . shortly , though , the tale dictates a newfangled fictitious character be enclose ( in this shell , Ellen Page ’s Ariadne ) and now there ’s a account grounds for a dump of crucial information . This commingle of impulse and expo is seamless and is used time and prison term again .

That story , if you ’ve forgotten , is that DiCaprio ’s character , Cobb , specializes in invading people ’s dreams and extracting info . However , when a business move haywire he ’s expect to perform “ inception , ” which means break into a person ’s dream and embed an musical theme . Everything is obviously much more complex than that , almost shockingly so , but Nolan restrain the viewer acclimated and alert to what ’s going on at all times .

Ellen Page in Inception.

Ellen Page in Inception.Photo: Warner Bros.

When Cobb and his squad begin to essay inception , they have to go three layers cryptic and beyond ( dreams within dreams within dreams ) . As it ’s happening , every few minutes , the film cuts back to the high layers , remind us all of the rules that have been set . Who is where , how fast prison term is go along , what needs to occur for them to endure , etc . In this multifaceted , complex world , we always experience what ’s happening , where , when , and for what purpose . moment like that maybe went over my question the first few times I saw the movie but watching it now , I appreciated the careful acclimation so much more .

With each new revelation or slice of info , you also get the sense Nolan structured the film like one of Cobb ’s heist . Nothing is ever as it seems . We assume one realism only to have the carpet pulled out from under us . It happens over and over as if the audience itself is deliver its brain tampered with , just like the character .

Eventually , Nolan pulls off his best conjuration , actual inception , by planting the idea that maybe the full film has been one of Cobb ’s dreams . It ’s only briefly mentioned by Mal , Marion Cotillard ’s character , but then it ’s there , sitting in your mind . Earlier on , the moving-picture show makes the peak that ideas can be as contagious as a disease because they get on , grow , and propagate . So after Nolan seeds that mind , he ante up it offin the film ’s last snapshot : the spinning top that tells Cobb what ’s real and what is n’t . It looks as if it ’s about to throw , but it does n’t , and we ’re left with more questions than solution . Has the film been an elaborate dreaming ? Is this world ? We do n’t know . That Nolan has in reality performed the act of the title on his hearing , in almost the exact same manner his characters do , is the moving-picture show ’s greatest triumph .

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception.Photo: Warner Bros.

There’sso much more to enjoyin the film , too — like how great it is to see Tom Hardy in a seemingly normal part ( and without a mask on his face ) , how fantabulous the chemistry is between him and Joseph Gordon - Levitt , Ellen Page ’s significant presence and sureness , or how Nolan ’s theme of last as an waking up , not an conclusion , could be take with a spiritual pitch . Even the relationship between Cobb and Mal , which feels a little shoehorn in early in the flick , finish up blossoming and becoming a believable , worthwhile addition . On and on and on .

Truly , I was shock at just how undecomposed origination stay and am disappointed that I ’d seemingly forget that . After a decade satiate with comic book franchises and Star Wars films , it ’s almost as if the idea of a big - budget , original , high - concept movie matte up too alien . But it was magnificent to experience again and I promote you do the same .

Inception is presently on Netflix and maybe soon in a theater , or video game , near you .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.