Very Pretty People Dreaming In Very Nice Suits

[redbrunja]

As soon as Inception was released, my flist was full of people squeeing about it. Then I had RL people tell me it was confusing. Then my flist continued to pound out fic, creating a fandom for a movie that was two weeks old.

I decided that regardless of whether it was as good as people said or completely over-rated, I had to see it for myself.

And quite frankly, it held up against all the hype.

Things I liked:

~I loved the recursive nature of the story telling.

~The whole movie felt both dream-like and lucid, which was quite impressive.

~I loved the bits of humor, the clothes, the complex web of relationships people had with each other, the suits.

~The scene were Cobb is talking to Moll about how he could only create a pale shade of his wife was both romance and gave great respect to the complexity of all people.

~The amazing special effects

~The 'worth a shot' kiss.

~The ambiguous ending that had me literally squirming in my seat.

Things I did not like as much:

~How much of a sausage-fest it was. There was only one girl and she was in a very traditionally female role.

I wonder if I'm going to remember my dreams tonight.

Comments

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Total agreement with the sausage-fest. I really adored Moll and Ariadne both, with one of my favorite scenes being the one where Ariadne's talking to her in Cobb's subconscious. I would have loved another lady on the team to balance all that testosterone out. I did like that Ariadne played whiz kid architect, since anything math/science/logic related isn't traditionally female. (And she's the BEST! Better than the main male lead!)

I was actually not fond of Cobb at all. I hated, really hated what he did to Moll- mind rape that led to her suicide. They even phrased it like a violation- he went to her 'secret place' and broke in. I didn't like how the film seemed to be telling me to feel sorry for him and his angst over it. To me, that was the major negative point of the film.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I really adored Moll and Ariadne both, with one of my favorite scenes being the one where Ariadne's talking to her in Cobb's subconscious.

Same here. Actually, when Moll killed Ariadne, I actually thought she was doing it to help Ariadne, so she wouldn't experience much pain, like she would if the other projections got her.

I hated, really hated what he did to Moll- mind rape that led to her suicide. They even phrased it like a violation- he went to her 'secret place' and broke in. I didn't like how the film seemed to be telling me to feel sorry for him and his angst over it. To me, that was the major negative point of the film.


I can't really argue with that. Did you feel similarly about them planting the idea in that business man's head? Because I found both of those actions deeply problematic, but I felt that the movie was presenting them as Not Nice Things To Do, and I didn't have the visceral reaction you did, so it didn't adversely effect my appreciation/enjoyment of the film.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

I absolutely felt like what they did to the businessman whose name I forget was also extremely problematic, and for a while there, I really despised everyone on that team for taking part in it. (That was during the staged kidnapping part.)

I definitely felt like the movie was presenting them as Not Nice Things to Do, which was good, but there wasn't that feeling of 'awww, poor Cobb' about his admittedly shifty work. I felt like, after the admission of what he did with his wife, we're supposed to go: "Awww, Cobb, it's not your fault, you have to let go, it's just a mistake." When, to be honest, I was perfectly happy with him staying stuck in his subconscious with his dead wife.

Meanwhile, I didn't see that interpretation of Moll's killing Ariadne, but I like that idea very much. I wish that talk in the trashed apartment room had gone on for a bit longer, or that they'd thrown in another opportunity for Ariadne and Moll to have a chat. Part of this is because I LOVE MOLL'S ACTRESS, admittedly.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I absolutely felt like what they did to the businessman whose name I forget was also extremely problematic, and for a while there, I really despised everyone on that team for taking part in it. (That was during the staged kidnapping part.)

*nods* I had a really, really hard time with the lies the team was telling that business man and was really concerned that he was going to lose or damage his relationship with his godfather.

wish that talk in the trashed apartment room had gone on for a bit longer, or that they'd thrown in another opportunity for Ariadne and Moll to have a chat.

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AWESOME.