Inception / Origine (Bilingual) [Blu-ray + DVD]

'Reality is that which when you stop believing in it does not go away.' Philip K Dick.

Christopher Nolan's movies are among my favorite movies of the last ten years. I remember being incredibly impressed with Memento, and own it. Batman Begins, ($373m ww) also starring Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine and Ken Watanabe), inspired me to explore and understand archetypes and mythology in movies, and presenting characters first as the opposite of how they really are. He saved the Batman franchise and took it to a new level with Dark Knight grossing over $1 billion worldwide, and he also made The Prestige, (again with Michael Caine). I think that after seeing Inception everyone who knows movies will appreciate who Christopher Nolan is, and his brilliance not only as a director, but also as the writer of Inception.

Leonardo di Caprio, not just a talented actor, has undoubtedly become one of the most reliable barometers of movie quality with a string of outstanding movies such as The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, the thriller Body of Lies, and Blood Diamond, delivers another outstanding performance. It's also refreshing to see Marion Cotillard who won the Oscar for La Vie en Rose once again in a movie worthy of her talent. She brings a certain richness and emotionality to what is mostly a visual spectacle.

As you begin to watch, you may notice parallels between Inception and James Bond and The Matrix, although the stacking of realities seems more reminsicent mostly of The Jacket or Total Recall, both based on Philip K Dick stories.

As the movie opens Cobb washes up on a beach. The armed rescuers notice a a gun in his belt. He is taken to the Overlord, an old man. He also has a spinning top.

In the Matrix, Neo was a computer hacker. In Inception, Cobb, Leo DiCaprio's character is a mind hacker.

In the world of Inception, some people have the technology to invade the unconscious mind of others, and take their ideas. It is also possible to implant ideas, without people being aware. This is called Inception. You may wonder what being a spy and being a dream hacker have in common.

As a hypnotist I can say Inception is a fascinating trance experience, and takes you deeper, and continually shifts scenes. Because of this, you may miss out on some details, and you may in fact, as I did, have to go see the movie again to fill in the blanks. The more you tch the more you uinderstand.

Recurring symbols include trains and Mal's talk of trains, breaking glass repeated, a ring on Cobb's finger that appears and disappears in the second scene, and seems to shift to the overlord, and later Saito's finger. Not sure what it means.

If you have not already seen it, the following may be helpful. The unconscious mind cannot distinguish between what is real and imaginary. That is a conscious distinction. The unconscious mind is the domain of memory, emotion, and imagination. Your unconscious mind repeatedly presents unresolved issues to be resolved, which is one of the main functions of dreaming. You don't always remember a dream after you have had it.

There are some allusions to mythology. In Greek mythology, Ariadne constructed a maze. There is a character called Fischer, the son of Fischer, ailing ruler of an empire. In mythology, we have the story of the Fisher King.

I particularly loved the last moments in the movie, and I think you will too.

'All reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one.' Albert Einstein.

If you're like me, I think you will remember Inception long after the final credits roll. I think a lot of people will have to see it more than once to get it. The best way to describe it I think is that it is a 'tour de force' of the imagination, and raises the bar on creativity. Aspiring directors will look to this movie, and raise their own standards. Well, I can dream, can't I?

Having said all this, I know this movie will not appeal to everyone. Some people may be overwhelmed by it, and others just won't get it. I think you will love, and I hope you found this review helpful.

I received my copy today, I can't review the disc itself but the film was incredible and I'm a huge Christopher Nolan fan (I'm the type of nerd that, when I heard Leo was playing a character named "Cobb", said "Huh, a thief named Cobb, that's a cool nod to 'Following', Nolan's first feature"), so I'm looking forward to watching it again once I have 2 and a half hours free to do so.

Anyway, the reason for this review: I'd read Websurfer's review, and when I received my copy I noticed there was nothing on the case that said it contained the DVD or Digital Copy voucher, which the picture here displays. I've seen other cases that had everything that advertised as such ("The Fantastic Mr. Fox" has it clearly written on the case that it contains all three formats). So, I was about ready to look up the return process, when I decided "well, I can't know for sure until I open it"... and there they were, the BluRay, the Extras (also on BluRay), and the DVD, with a voucher for the Digital Copy. It's all there. It's strange that the physical case has absolutely no markings, front or back, that would indicate it has them all, since that's a great selling feature for people who don't quite have a BluRay player yet, but figure they'll get one soon (I had considered buying Inception sooner, before I bought my PS3, because I'd seen the combo pack here). Had I seen this displayed at a brick and mortar, I would have passed. So, don't worry if your case doesn't look like the one pictured here. Crack it open anyway... it's all there.

Christopher Nolan's Inception was a summer blockbuster in 2010. In USA alone, the movie made $292 million. It was even more phenomenal at the Worldwide Box Office, with the box receipt at $816 millions, right behind Toy Story 3 (1,066 billion) and Alice In Wonderland (1,023 billion).

Inception debuts on Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p/VC-1 encode (2.40:1) that makes the fantasy aspects mesmerizing. The picture comes with an amazing array of bold and vibrant colors. The transfer shows a highly detailed picture with incredible, clearly outlined objects in the foreground and background from beginning to end with tremendous details. Wally Pfister's elegant photography displayed a beautiful and warm palette. (5/5)

Audio: The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is nothing short of exceptional. Dialogue was clean and sharp. Hans Zimmer music has a wide enveloping influence, that makes you feel that you are actually in the mid of the action. The bass was very powerful. A demo-worthy presentation (5/5)

Now, the bad point: The subtitles are placed OUTSIDE the picture frame. For those with anamorphic lens, with the stretched picture, half of the subtitles will not be seen. Warner Brothers, how many times do viewers have to write to you to change your ways? In this case, if you want the subtitles to be seen, one cannot stretch the picture. Thus the impact of 2.40:1 bigger picture is lost.

Inception is a complex movie that requires repeat viewings to truly appreciate all the details of the various plots. It was totally enjoyable for the entire 148 minutes. Notice, for once, that there was no plot summary that was usually written on the back cover of the dvd case. This Blu-ray does the movie's imaginative spectacle justice with an absolutely gorgeous video presentation. The high-resolution audio is pure reference quality. With such top-notch video and audio, plus a complexed plot, it will be a pleasure to watch it again and again. Highly recommended and a Must-Own.