Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Inception’

Written by Scott Edwards

Dreaming is one of the few things that we as individuals do not have a limitation on. Although we can be judged on many things in our lives, dreams are never one of them since it is our subconscious that controls these thoughts. If you are ever lucky enough to remember what happened in your dreams, it can tell you more and more about what you like, fear and despise all at once.

Dominick Cobb and his longtime partner Arthur have made a living out of becoming dream extractors. Utilizing an experimental process developed by the military, the two have formed a group that specializes in the practice and work for the highest bidder. Being used mainly for corporate espionage, the group has chosen a target that seems very calm in a shared dream, since he is testing the professionals in more of an audition setting as he has his own plans in mind. 

Not being able to extract the information needed for their client, Cobb and his crew are forced to retreat and try to find the next available mark, but Mr. Saito finds them first and will only allow them to clear their names through him by taking on his job. Saito’s company is failing, and he needs to break up Robert Fischer’s newly acquired business to keep his head above water. Wanting Fischer to sell off his father’s company, Saito wants Cobb and his group to plant that exact idea into Robert’s mind and by pulling this off, the group will get whatever they desire. Cobb is not disillusioned about this endeavor and takes his steps very carefully as this job may be able to give him is old life back.

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​Recruiting a new dream architect, Ariadne, Cobb finds that this job may be more difficult than expected as she keeps prying into his past and tries to figure out why he can no longer build the dreams on his own. With his subconscious always battling him with images of his dead wife Mal, Cobb has more to worry about than being killed in the real world, as his dreams are starting to become reality. Having to plant an idea so deep in Fischer’s subconscious, the group has to be able to trust each other at every step and with an extra member being added to the group, they have to find a way to all work together as things start to go drastically wrong.  

Inception follows Dominick Cobb and his group of dream extractors as they are employed to plant an idea deeper into a mark’s mind than they have ever gone before. Going three levels deep into a dream is unheard of, but Cobb makes sure that the group knows that it can be done. Looking for a clean slate and his ticket home, Cobb has to make sure that everyone involved in the job is ready for anything, but when entering the mind of Robert Fischer, they find that they are underprepared. Having his own subconscious defenses in place, Fischer is ready for such an attack and makes even the idea of having something stolen from his dreams next to impossible. Having to battle with his own demons, Cobb convinces the group to keep going even though they do not know what to expect as they continue to go deeper into a very dangerous mind.

I was hesitant at first to see this movie when it first came out, thinking it was trying to remake Dark City, but when I finally sat down and watched it, I found I was terribly wrong. This is a fantastic look at the human mind as brain hackers try to take control of other people’s dreams. Although the technology is not there yet, it is still scary to envision a world where dreams are no longer safe when other people can use them to their own advantage. With an up to date look at how technology has advanced and the mind being the only thing that really matters, it makes you wonder what, if anything can really be done once you lose control of your own dreams. Happy Viewing.

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