So, I saw the trailer for Inception and decided, not for me, just another of Leonardo DiCaprio’s weird movies. But my brother said I would like it and he was right. I did like it, in fact, I think it the best grownup movie of the summer.
Inception’s premise is that you can share dreams with other people and, if you do it right, you can find out their secrets. You can create mazes and levels in the dreams, you can infiltrate and observe, you can uncover secrets and, if you really do it right, you can plant ideas. Inception is also the story of a man fighting himself, it is a story of theft and infiltration, it is a story of wanting to change things, of wanting to go back, of wanting to live in a better world, and of blurring reality and fantasy.
The Good: As a film, it was amazing. Every moment I was riveted, every moment I was interested (maybe not always in Leo DiCaprio’s part of the story, but in some part of the movie), the twists and turns and reveals were all very good. (Yes, I did guess a couple, but it was an original story). Everything about the movie, as a film, was very good. The acting was superb, maybe because they felt real and the personalities on screen were not about actors, but about characters. As a film, it was amazing and well worth watching.
However, as for moral issues, you can’t say it is a really good one. The characters in Inception are really just thieves with a super cool way of getting in, they steal, they lie, they break the law. But there are moral issues dealt with in the movie. The movie deals with guilt, with the past, with pain, with loss, with living in the real world, not a movie, game, or dream. The movie deals with the fact that we make mistakes, that we can’t go back, that reality (though not perfect and often a let down) is better for us than anything else. Reality may not be as fun or as amazing, but nowhere else do we really feel complete. A dream maybe wonderful while we are in it, but when we wake up, it was just a dream and we realize that life is far better than it ever could be.
The Moral: The whole idea of inception is to go into someone’s mind – through their dreams – and alter their mental state, either by taking something or by leaving something. So we all know what happens when you take something that is not your own, you’ve stolen something. The 8th commandment says that stealing is wrong, so, clearly, when they enter anyone’s mind and remove something, they’ve violated God’s moral code.
However, as terrible as it is to take something – especially something from someone’s mind – I found the idea of planting something in someone’s mind as even worse. The idea that someone could enter my own personal thoughts and take something out of them is quite terrifying, but what if they could put something there. What if they could put something in, a thought that keeps growing, a thought that takes over, a thought I can’t get rid of or control. Ideas are dangerous, but how much more dangerous if it is not my idea?
The trouble I had with Inception was not so much the stealing, that I know is wrong and so did they, but it the planting of the idea raised the real questions. The planting of an idea, the entering my mind and putting something in there was what was really terrifying. They don’t deal with the right and wrong with stealing, because it is obviously wrong, but their inability to identify inception’s morality was really terrifying. You could plant an idea that could be good, but what if it turns bad? What if your entrance into a mind changes it? What if the mind is never the same? Is it wrong? What if it is better for them in the long run or you think it will be better for them? What if it is the only way or the best way? Is just putting something in a mind wrong?
Think of it like this: what if I were a burglar, but instead of taking, I left something? What if I left you a puppy, instead of stealing your TV. What if I left you a cute, cuddly little puppy? I know you are lonely and sad and this puppy is cute and sweet. You’ll love him and he’ll love you. What could be better? But what happens when that puppy grows? What happens if you can’t control that puppy? What happens if turns into a 200 pound Mastiff that destroys all your furniture? What happens if it bites your children? What happens if it bites you? What if it is the best thing that ever happened to you or what if it is the worst? Do you see the problem?
Inception is not scary because people could find your secrets, Inception is scary because people could plant an idea in your head, an idea you always thought was your own, an idea that could change your life and the lives of everyone around you. The most dangerous thing in the world is an idea. It has always been so, an idea led to the first sin, an idea led to the rising and falling of empires, an idea led to this movie and my review. Ideas have consequences. So, where does that leave us morally? Is it right, is it wrong? Does it just depend upon your intent? Ideas are also very, very dangerous. Do we understand just how dangerous?
Another moral issue is death. To wake from a dream you either die or you fall. So, to get out of the dream those in it either needed to die or to fall. So, there was a lot of both. Someone said it was pro-suicide. However, I didn’t find it so – in fact, there were plenty of times when death was a bad idea – but you should be warned.
The film also dealt with losing sight of reality in a dream world. With video games, angsty vampire novels, and Internet forums where you can be anyone and anything, fantasy and reality can become blurred. This film shows the importance of keeping them separate, of knowing what is fake and what is real and never, never, never losing sight of the truth.
The Ugly: Honestly, I don’t really remember anything that would fit under this category. There was mild-ish swearing and mention was made of a man’s infidelity. (Warning, this movie does deal with a man and his wife, so there is kissing and cuddling and that sort of thing, but nothing inappropriate, just mushy.)
The Conclusion: I enjoyed Inception, not just because it was a good film, but also because it left me with questions, with (dare I say?) ideas. It left me thinking. Now, to be fair, not everyone left thinking, certainly not the people who invaded another’s mind, but I was left thinking. I was left pondering the film, wondering about it, questioning actions and my response to them. I was also left convinced that the film was pro real life. With so much escapism, this film – to me – was about finding what was real and clinging to it. This film was also about moving on, about forgiving yourself, about making the best of the here and now, because it won’t ever come again. This film is about life, about the fact that we only have so much and we must make the most of it, now. We can dream all we want, but one day we will wake up and will have to face reality and that reality is what we’ve made of it.
