Inception

Maybe the best alternate reality film since The Matrix. Or was it better than The Matrix? Here is what I think, knowing that The Matrix is old and Inception is new certainly colors my opinion. The visual style and presentation in The Matrix wins hands down. This was novel and exciting and integral to the film. The visual presentation of Inception was good, but not dramatic or essential to the film (with the exception of the zero gravity fight in the hotel). Both films raise questions about reality and in the end, I think Inception causes us to question more. The Matrix was basically a one level story (this isn't reality, but that is). Inception says instead that this isn't reality, but that may not be either. So for now, I give the nod to Inception. Why the comparison instead of an actual review? Probably because I can't really tell you much about the film. The protagonists are dream travelers. They can share dreams and, being aware of the sharing, can use the subconscious projections found there reveal information about the dreamer. And since a 5 minute dream can cover several hours of dream time, a brief nap gives us time for corporate espionage. The rest you will have to see for yourself.

One thing to think about. Some people have opted to live for the dream. That is, they share dreams for long periods of time as recreation. Does in fact the dream life then become more real? How would you react if you dreamed a life, then woke up and had to live it all again? Would you go back to the dream life to live again (and again and again...), or would you eventually tire of the Groundhog Day nature of your existence? As my friend asked me tonight, "What is the purpose of life? Why are we here?" and I might add, Do those questions get easier if we are not sure what is real?

4 stars (out of 5)