Still holds up over a decade later…

Well, we’re halfway through the week now, and ironically, we’re exactly halfway through the year. And no doubt, we’ve spent much of our 2022 out in the open, making the most of the return to normalcy. But make no mistake, we’ve still been putting our streaming services to task, all for our weekly segment of Executive Decision.

If you’ve been somehow living under a rock as of late, let us refresh your memory: It’s the weekly column where we hit you hard and fast with five reasons as to why you should rewatch a certain flick. Last week was the Aussie classic The Castle, but this week, we’re venturing to Hollywood, for 2010’s Inception.

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, the film centres on Dominic Cobb and his efforts to pull off the ultimate heist. There’s one catch however: it all takes place in the dreamworld. It sounds like a total mindfuck. And well, that’s because it is, but it’s a riveting mindfuck at that, hence why it’s getting our affections today.

And so, our minds are made up. You’re hopping on Netflix tonight and chucking on the 2010 Sci-fi epic Inception tonight. No ifs, no buts. If you somehow still need more convincing we’ve pulled together five, crudely put together reasons that are impossible to argue with. Thank us later:

The Corridor Fight Scene

Christopher Nolan has no doubt perfected the art of the fight scene, his handling of confrontation in the likes of the Batman trilogy, Tenet and even his 2000 debut, Momento, helping to cement him as a go-to fight scene curator. But the corridor fight in Inception gets nowhere near the love it deserves, Joseph Gordon Levit’s Arthur going toe-to-toe with several projections of the subconscious while subverting the laws of physics. Hans Zimmer’s score is no doubt the icing on the cake of this spectacle as well, his anxiety-inducing arrangement acting as a literal driver of the scene’s urgency. Fun fact: Levitt wasn’t Nolan’s first choice for Arthur, which we assume added just a bit of pressure for old mate as he was going into this scene.

Architecture porn

I’m not ashamed to say that my teenage self definitely flirted with the idea of becoming an architect after watching this bad boy in 2010, the films fantastical reimaigining of the occupation one of the standout aspects of the Oscar-nominated epic. The whole concept of designing a city in the dream world and playing an industrial god? It sends the imagination into freefall with minimal effort, and is embodied utterly and fully in Ariadne’s first lesson in dreamsharing.

Marion Cotillard

Marion Cotillard is a stand out in whatever film she appears in, but her icy portrayal of Mal, The Shade, is equal parts terrifying and magnetic, and is one of the best of her career so far. The frequency with which she alternates from a loving wife and mother to a sociopathic remnant of Cobb’s subconscious helps her steal every scene she’s in. And despite the fact that she’s the only consistent antagonist in the film, you can’t help but feel sorry for her current state of being.

Heist planning

A good heist scene is the cornerstone of any Hollywood blockbuster, but what is even more important (okay, maybe not more important, but it’s still up there!) is the heist PLANNING scene. Usually set to a lighthearted score (in this case, a gentle guitar and orchestral line courtesy of Hans Zimmer), it gives the viewer an insight into just how our band of heroes will pull off the impossible together. In Inception, however, it combines humour and character development while giving us a brief context for the avalanche of mindfucks that descend in the third act of the film.

Who’s really dreaming?

I know, I know. After reading this subheading you probably assumed I’d be referring to the end scene of the film. And as intriguing as that ambiguous ending is, the smoke and mirrors aspect conveyed in the opening sequence was one I really wish they’d explored more throughout the film. Who’s mind are we in? Who’s the dreamer? Who’s projections have been brought into the world? Is this just a dream within a dream? It merged the worlds of espionage and science fiction with total ease, but thankfully, Nolan’s 2020 blockbuster Tenet doubled down on the espionage aspect with great success, serving as a quasi spiritual sequel to Inception.