Two movies in the one review? Yet another world first… sort of…
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I really didn’t think Inception deserved all the hype that surrounded its initial release.
Conceptually, the film is brilliant. It follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he blurs the boundaries between the dreamscape and realty to steal people’s secrets from the depths of their subconscious. With the promise of returning home to his children, Dom agrees to one last job where he attempts to plant an idea in the subconscious of Robert Fisher (Cillian Murphy) by journeying into his dreams. Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) provides the technical assistance whilst Ariadne (Ellen Page) plays the interesting role of dreamscape architect.
The special effects are incredible and there are plenty of high-octane action scenes, but I really felt the script let the movie down. I was constantly asking questions and poking holes in the plot. Some may say this is the point of the film, but I disagree. I really feel that writer and director by Christopher Nolan (who gave us the mind-blowing epic The Dark Knight) was so caught up in the twists of his own ideas that a lot of the plot structure was lost. I’ve found it very hard to explain why I didn’t love this film, but I think it comes down to Nolan not living up to my expectations.
One movie that is definitely worth seeing though is Scott Pilgrim versus the World. I’ve seen it twice now, and it is still awesomely awesome the second time around.
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) plays in a rock band, is in between jobs and is dating a high school girl called Knives Chow (Ellen Wong). After crossing paths a few times, he finally meets the girl of his dreams – the ultra-cool and mysteriously enticing Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). If Scott is to date Ramona though, he must dump Knives and defeat Ramona’s 7 evil ex-boyfriends.
I found this to be a fantastically entertaining film. The special effects and cinematic techniques are impressive to say the least, and the numerous cultural references thrown into the film make it very funny as well. Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead can be quite boring and repetitive in some scenes, and the storyline itself is not very involved, but these subtle flaws are masked by the overall brilliant adaptation that director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) has created.
Scott Pilgrim versus the World really has gone down the road less travelled. It frequently combines real life scenes with comic-styled animations in a manner that is simply flawless. Despite being slightly repetitive, the film is exciting and fast paced.
Inception gets 3.5 stars, Scott Pilgrim gets 4.
