147 - Inception

    In an effort to implant an idea in the mind of a businessman, a group of people enter his dream state and stage a series of adventures.
    This might be the third time that I’ve seen this, and I think the novelty has started to wear off.  I’ve become a little more aware of some of the weaknesses that it has.
    The script is more awkward than it should be.  It’s a difficult plot to explain to an audience, and the result is that there’s actually more dead weight than there should be.  There’s more time spent in exposition, and reminders are scattered throughout the action.
    But it’s easy to forgive these things because of Nolan’s direction.  He has a good eye for strong kinetic energy, and he knows how to cut sequences at the right pace.  This goes a long way to making the fairly long running time feel okay.
    Where the movie takes a misstep is the personal story.  I realized that I generally don’t care about Leo’s personal problems with his dead wife.  I don’t mind a few of these scenes - like when she actually dies, and when Leo’s responsibility for it comes to light.  I don’t mind her being a factor in the dreams.  But all of the other time devoted to exploring the subplot really drags things down.  The primary plot is so much more interesting… almost like a sci-fi Mission: Impossible.