Imagine a world where the mind is the scene of the crime inspired by the works of Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, The Matrix, and James Bond films that captures the best elements of an Oceans Eleven heist. On July 16, 2010, moviegoers were introduced to Inception, writer/director Christopher’s Nolan’s massive critical and box office hit that propelled him from a talented auteur to one of the most powerful voices working in the film industry today. 

With the hype and media buzz of the release now a full decade behind us, how does Inception hold up in 2020? Where does it best fit into the pantheon of Nolan’s oeuvre and, perhaps the most hotly debated question related to the film upon release, does the top keep spinning or does it fall? 

In today’s special episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we’re joined by Freaky AF writer/director Laron Chapman, The Cinematropolis‘s Alexandra Bohannon and No Film School‘s Jo Light to take a look back at the critically acclaimed box office hit with an indie spirit, Inception, to determine whether or not the film deserves the status of a blockbuster classic. We go deeper into the film’s themes and subtext to determine whether or not the script’s complexity holds up under a fresh examination.

Time Stamps

4:48 – Reacting to the first Inception teaser trailer

13:05 – Our 2010 review

26:26 – Revisiting the film and those reviews 10 years later

37:56 – Christopher Nolan’s love affair with non-linear plot structures and editing

47:13 – Exposition, exposition, exposition!

51:30 – The “What Is Reality?” sub-genre

110:10 – Does Christopher Nolan have a “woman problem?”

121:30 – Inception‘s long-term impact (or lack thereof) on 21st-century cinema

133:27 – Does the top spin, does it fall, and does it even matter?

142:16 – Verdict time: Is Inception one of the definitive blockbusters of the twenty-first century or is it better left to the past?

149:10 – Inception-related media recommendations

Alternate Media Recommendations

Laron Chapman – The Old Guard (Netflix), The Perfection (Netflix)

Alexandra Bohannon – Paprika(Available to rent or buy on-demand), Persona 5 Royal (Playstation 4)

Jo Light – The Truman Show (Available to rent or buy on-demand), Jacob’s Ladder (Available to rent or buy on-demand)

Caleb Masters – Waking Life (Available to rent or buy on-demand), Inside Out (Disney+)

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