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- Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo DiCaprio
- Genre: Science fiction, action, thriller
- Explores the concept of shared dreaming and dream infiltration
- DiCaprio plays Cobb, a skilled extractor who steals information from people’s minds
- Cobb is offered a chance to return home to his children if he completes one last job
- The task: plant an idea in someone’s mind (inception) rather than stealing information
- Cobb assembles a team of specialists for the complex mission
- Target: Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), heir to a business empire
- The team includes Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the point man
- Ariadne (Ellen Page), the architect who designs dream landscapes
- Eames (Tom Hardy), the forger who can impersonate others in dreams
- Yusuf (Dileep Rao), the chemist who creates the sedative for deep dreaming
- The plan involves creating a dream within a dream within a dream (three levels deep)
- Each dream level has a different time dilation, with deeper levels passing time more slowly
- The team faces danger from projections (subconscious defenders) in the dreams
- Cobb struggles with projections of his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard)
- The movie features stunning visual effects and mind-bending dream sequences
- Iconic scenes include a rotating hotel corridor fight and a city folding in on itself
- The team uses totems to distinguish reality from dreams
- Cobb’s totem is a spinning top that never stops in dreams
- The mission is complicated by unexpected resistance and personal demons
- Explores themes of reality vs. illusion, guilt, and the power of ideas
- The film’s narrative structure mirrors the layered dreams of the characters
- Hans Zimmer’s score, especially “Time,” became instantly recognizable
- The ambiguous ending sparked widespread debate among viewers
- Won four Academy Awards: Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing
- Praised for its originality, visual innovation, and complex storytelling
- Grossed over $836 million worldwide
- Influenced popular culture and sparked discussions about dreams and reality
- Considered one of Nolan’s masterpieces and a landmark in modern cinema