Will 'Inception' Be Too Smart for Audiences?
Filed under: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, New Releases, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Newsstand, Movie Marketing
Peter Travers over at Rolling Stone has the first published review of Inception. Whether or not he "broke" the embargo or if it was with permission from Warner Bros., what it means to sign an embargo and then see other people break it and whether or not that means it's then a free for all for everyone else, and lots of other questions surrounding these types of issues are a sort of inside baseball discussion that's not necessarily as interesting for you, the reader, as it is for writers and editors who have to actually sign embargoes. I'd find it hard to believe that he broke the embargo without explicit permission and without foreknowledge that it would be positive (check a poster of almost any major studio release and look for Travers' quote -- you'll find a lot of 'em) and that it will be a huge boost to Rolling Stone's numbers at the newsstands to boot. If you'd like to read an excerpt of his review, it's thoughtfully typed out from the print version on stands now here at the New York Post.
The most pertinent part of Travers' review, to me at least, is, "Of course, trusting the intelligence of the audience can cost Nolan at the box office. We're so used to being treated like idiots. How to cope with a grand-scale epic, shot in six countries at a reported cost of $160 million, that turns your head around six ways from Sunday? Dive in and drive yourself crazy, that's how.''
NYP writer Lou Lumenick wonders if this means Inception "may play be too smart to rack up numbers anything like The Dark Knight."
Wait, are we too dumb for a complex* movie like Inception? Aren't we waiting -- haven't we been begging -- to be treated like adults at the movies? Aren't the box office numbers of this summer any indication of how frustrated movie-goers are with sequels and the same old stuff? Doesn't anyone think that the very name of Nolan will bring in the crowds, even if we're too, you know, dumb to understand the final product?
The best kinds of movies make your gears turn for long after the credits roll, and the even better kind will bring viewers back for a second or third viewing in the theater and on DVD. There's not a doubt in my mind that Inception will be this type of movie.
Look at a movie like Donnie Darko. Bad timing and a host of other reasons could be blamed for why it wasn't seen more widely until it hit DVD, but there's no question that the people who saw it were left with a lot of questions. Those questions were answered by repeated viewings and extensive discussions about what it all means, as well as a director's cut that got a theatrical release and spelled it all out for us. Inception has the benefit of big names, a big studio, and a big marketing push that's practically unnecessary in the light of how excited fans are, not just for Nolan's big mysterious project but to see something that we haven't seen before. Something fresh, exciting, interesting, and, yes, challenging.
It's not just sci-fi fans and hardcore geeks who are excited about Inception, but practically everyone who loves The Dark Knight and summer blockbusters. I think most of us will be satisfied by both the spectacle and the ideas Nolan brings to the table, and to suggest otherwise is frankly insulting.
* Edited
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
6-24-2010 @ 1:06PM
Kevin said...
It seems like you're taking the argument a little bit further than it should be. I don't see anyone claiming it's going to be a bomb, but I also don't think it's going put up Dark Knight or Avatar type numbers. I would imagine it being a big hit, but that doesn't mean that general audiences are going to be clamoring to see it multiple times. Most dense, difficult, intelligent movies do not turn into enormous blockbusters. There is a reason why hollywood has so consistently put out Transformers type movies. I think there is a little bit of a backlash against dumb, uninteresting films, but that just means people are bored with the style that's out there, not that they are looking to be intellectually challenged by the movies they see. And I don't see how to make that claim is insulting in the slightest.
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6-26-2010 @ 10:17AM
BTDT said...
Orson Welles couldn't get a movie made today.
6-26-2010 @ 10:49AM
waagtod said...
This film seems way overhyped and will be hard pressed to make the actual film NOT be disappointing by comparison. How many times has it happened that a movie's hype outran its performance? Many, many times.
That said, what I find insulting is the notion if the movie bombs it's because the public is too stupid to get it. What if the movie just sux? What if the intelligence touted is just elitism and inside information? Maybe they will be right, but this also can be an excuse in advance. I will see this movie, I hope it is great, but the doubt is starting to creep in.
6-26-2010 @ 11:15AM
pnut166 said...
"...won`t put up numbers like "Dark Knight". That`s the problem - Hollywood, and, by extension, the general audience measure a film`s worth these days by it`s box-office receipts, not the film itself. Filmmaking used to be about art, not an exercise in marketing. The Transformers films are some of the most dreadful movies made in the last decade, but are quoted above as being successful ie: good, because they made money. When gutter trash like that rakes in the dough, it`s no wonder H`wood considers people stupid. We more or less prove it time and again by making garbage like that a windfall for studios. There are intelligent movies being made, you just don`t hear anything about them.
6-24-2010 @ 1:13PM
Chet said...
"too smart to rack up numbers anything like The Dark Knight."
Why are expectations so ridiculous? Why is anybody seriously thinking this, or anything, should have its success measured by a stick like The Dark Knight?
If it's merely one of the biggest movies of this year, will there be disappointment? If it merely turns a profit, will this absurd "too smart" idea actually get traction among decisionmakers? Will "smart" scripts get dumped from development before this even hits DVD?
Sigh.
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6-24-2010 @ 1:54PM
John Ramistella said...
The "Dark Knight" expectation is a little much, but I get where you're going. If ever there was a time to release a smart, mature movie, this feels like the best time. The summer schedule has been mostly underwhelming, and most of the current and remaining tentpole movies seem to be aimed at kids, so I think those of us not really giddy about "Eclipse" or "Grown-Ups" will be more than happy to give our money to "Inception."
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6-27-2010 @ 1:07PM
Bobby said...
The idea behind going to the movies is to be entertained. Themes behind challenging one's intellect seem to have a hidden motive or agenda that only captures a smaller movie audience. Once the word gets out,, the movie itself stands on it's own merit. If the first wave of movie goers give it rave reviews,, then a crescendo forms. If it's off the beaten path & confusing,, it will join a graveyard of so called "intellectual flops". The key being entertaining & challenging in a balance,, that equals success. Don't try to form a marketing basis by outsmarting the public to begin with,, they're the end judge...
6-24-2010 @ 3:59PM
Jerald Brewer said...
We can only hope so.
Nolan has already cited BLADERUNNER & M.C. Escher as inspirations for this film so that does not bode well for the "American Idol" audience (which most movies seemed to be aimed at nowadays).
TDK & AVATAR numbers are freaks of box office nature.
I'm already planning to drive 100+ miles with 2 friends to catch INCEPTION in IMAX so Nolan & his $ backers will not get short changed by us.
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6-24-2010 @ 4:22PM
Craig Ranapia said...
There's a couple of points to be made here:
1) The Prestige wasn't a simple $1.98 arthouse flick, and most certainly didn't do Batman Begins numbers, but if my memory serves it found an audience and nobody lost a dime on the project. If I was a studio boss, I'd not be too nervous about working with Nolan because even when you take the Batman flicks out of the equation he has a solid track record of making "arty" but still commercial films. We're not talking Last Year at Marienbad or L'Aventura here.
2) Back in the day, I saw an early screening of The Matrix, loved it, but thought it wouldn't go over beyond Philip K. Dick-reading, Hong Kong action-loving geeks. But my date (who doesn't have a geeky cell in his body) said something interesting: "I don't totally get what I just saw, but I liked it." Too often, I think critics and studios underestimate the ability of audiences to handle shit where everything is NOT spelled out in flashing neon.
3) Finally, I still have to collect $20 from the friend who said Inglorious Basterds would tank because nobody in America would pay to see a two and a half hour movie where most of the dialogue is subtitled. Brad Pitt be damned. :)
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6-24-2010 @ 4:40PM
Kevin said...
The thing is though that I don't think anyone is underestimating this one. That's what seems so odd about this article to me. The quote's talk about "costing Nolan at the box office" and "this film won't do Dark Knight numbers". Neither of those quotes mean "flop". All the critics are saying is that by making a smart film Nolan has made a movie that likely won't make as much as a stupid summer action movie might have and it won't make as much as the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time. I don't see how either of those claims can be dismissed as being "insulting" or anything less than accurate. The Matrix was, IMHO, one of the greatest action films ever made, but even so it did not crack the all time top 100 films of all time (either domestically or adjusted for inflation). So Inception will likely be a blockbuster without simultaneously smashing box office records.
6-24-2010 @ 4:27PM
Jon said...
"Aren't the box office numbers of this summer any indication of how frustrated movie-goers are with sequels and the same old stuff?"
Well, remember last summer and you'll see that we are that dumb. After all, the world spent over 900 million dollars to go see Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. An indefensible movie which makes no sense, has scenes where the aspect ratio changes left and right during the action, and which was full of stereotypes that the filmmakers should have known better than to include. And which is interminably long, longer than is necessary for a toy based movie, among other faults. Whenever you say we crave something smarter and to be treated with intelligence in the summer, Transformers 2 should always be the opposite person's reply. Just shows that people will always spend their hard earned money on shit.
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6-24-2010 @ 4:38PM
eric said...
Really smart audiences will netflix a double feature of Dreamscape and Dark City and save the cost and hassle of seeing this uncredited remake at all.
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6-25-2010 @ 2:46AM
Andrew said...
Why on earth would you heed that kind of advice?
Good god man by doing that the "smart audience" may just miss out on the best film of 2010.
6-25-2010 @ 2:46AM
Andrew said...
Why on earth would you heed that kind of advice?
Good god man by doing that the "smart audience" may just miss out on the best film of 2010.
6-24-2010 @ 4:56PM
sheree said...
It's not fair to assume that the movie audience isn't smart enough to appreciate a movie about being smart.
Sometimes, all that's needed is a spark; the 2 hours spent watching this film could generate a few people to think outside the box and motivate them to do something about it.
Other times, all that's needed is an audience. The themes behind Inceptions sound as if they are worth hearing. Maybe there's a hidden meaning behind the movie; one that can't be said directly.
It sounded awesome enough to me when I saw the teaser a few months back (at the movies). Back then, I already decided I was going to see this.
And I am.
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6-24-2010 @ 5:26PM
theweatherman said...
Memento was an extremely intelligent film yet it surpassed everyone's expectations at the Box Office. The film had major problems with distribution, yet still made over $40 mil in its limited release. This success was due to the intelligence of the film and the fact that people talked about it.
With the bland movies of today like Transformers what can you really say about it "Cool effects, Megan Fox, I don't quite remember the story."
Whereas with Smart films like Inception those who have seen it will discuss what it means and the intricacies behind it. Those who haven't seen it will be intrigued and go to the theaters to find out for themselves what it is all about.
Everyone says word of mouth will be essential to its box office success, but then say it is to smart. The intelligence of the movie will cause many to spread the word without even realizing that they are.
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6-24-2010 @ 5:11PM
Jim said...
First off, Eric must be privileged as he's seen the film before anyone else and has judged it accordingly. That he compares to two great , if underappreciated films (Dark City is a much better film on the ' illusion vs reality' genre than the Matrix ever was) bodes well. First off....Mr. Nolan is not an atypical Hollywood filmmaker. He's not interested in playing the game , so to speak, only enough to get his projects made. After TDK made its billion or so dollars, he knew that now, right now, would be the only time he would have as much clout to get Inception made HIS way. So , he struck a bargain with Warners to make this and then deliver DK3 or whatever its called by 2013.
As for being ' too smart'....once again, us great unwashed out here are being underestimated for our intelligence. Hey, I know there's audiences out there that want nothing more out of a film than to spend a couple hours forgetting about everything, and that's perfectly fine. I'm one of them. but, I ALSO like it when a filmmaker, such as Mr. Nolan, can take Comic Pulp ( no slight against Batman or comics, talking strictly about their origins) and get people to take it seriously as film art, even after what Mr. Schumacher did to the previous films.
I personally think that the screenplay for The Prestige ( co written by his brother Jonathan) should be required reading in film studies, because you'll have to go a long way to find a script so well thought out down to the last detail. I think the response to that rather patronizing column heading should be, 'So what if some think INCEPTION will be too smart for audiences - SEE IT ANYWAY AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. This is the film I've been waiting a year for, and I personally can't wait to see what Mr. Nolan has up his rather academic sleeves this time out. Oh yeah, throw in ' Brainstorm' as another film this one might have filched from....when someone out there writes a completely original story, that doesn't deal in archtypes, and throws the conventions of storytelling under the bus....oh yeah, that 's the script that will never be made and will rot on a shelf in Turnaround Hell In Hollywood.
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6-25-2010 @ 9:26AM
eric said...
First off, thanks for making my "first off" the first "first off"!
Inception's premise--specially trained government agents enter people's dreams--is virtually identical to Dreamscape's. I'm sure the free-flowing Bat-dollars will make the effects astonishing (even if they do look strikingly similar to Dark City's, which were groundbreaking a decade or so ago), and little Leo will furrow his brow and make his serious face as he did all the way through Revolutionary Road and Shutter Island. Fanboys already have a raging boner for the movie and are willing to defend it sight unseen, so I felt like playing devil's advocate and pointing out that everything good about the trailer is borrowed from other movies. Fact.
To be honest, I think some of Nolan's films are fine, but I have no idea why people think he's some sort of magical genius. Yes, he's a comparatively smart genre filmmaker. But with the exception of Memento, his movies are overlong--bloated, even--and so solemn they verge on the funereal. I don't begrudge anyone for loving the guy's work, but if Christopher Nolan is your idea of a smart, serious filmmaker, you need to step outside the multiplex.
I'll see Inception and I hope to be entertained, but the premise isn't new or groundbreaking. Hopefully his approach will be.
6-24-2010 @ 5:16PM
Chee said...
I want this movie to do well because I want studios to look at Inception and pin point the source of why it did well. It being original and smart for starters.
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6-24-2010 @ 7:10PM
Guy said...
"Wait, are we too dumb for a high concept-movie like Inception?"
Jenni, look up the definition "high-concept movie" and get a new job... jeez.
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