Mindbending Sci-Fi Blockbuster On Netflix Is The Director’s Masterpiece

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 1 hour ago

After the success of films like Oppenheimerit is fair to say that Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest and most ambitious directors of this generation. His oeuvre is so vast and covers so many genres, in fact, Nolan’s fans often fiercely debate what his best work is. If you’re a sci-fi fan, though, there’s no doubting that A beginning is the director’s masterpiece, and you can now stream its mind-bending perfection on Netflix.

Get Started On Netflix

If you are watching A beginning for the first time on Netflix, you may need a primer on the plot: basically, we follow the misadventures of a group whose expertise is penetrating the dreams of corporate titans and extracting important trade secrets from their subconscious . The leader of the group is hired to do something largely thought to be impossible: implant an idea in someone’s head rather than simply steal information. Despite perfect planning, the operation soon goes awry, leaving our protagonists to fight for their lives in a reality where the rules are constantly changing, threatening to turn the subconscious dream into a nightmare fatal.

A beginning is likely to appeal to Netflix viewers thanks to its incredible cast, starting with Leonardo DiCaprio as the dream thief who is hired to implant an idea into the subconscious of a target played by Cillian Murphy. Ken Watanabe plays the businessman who hires him and Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the partner helping to plan the heist. There are other big names around DiCaprio’s team, incl Elliot Page and Tom Hardy, and our protagonist is haunted in the dream by an ex-wife played to perfection by Marion Cotillard.

Sci-Fi success

With a budget of $160 million, A beginning better than most of the sci-fi original on Netflix, and you can certainly see the money on the screen thanks to the larger-than-life and trippy visuals used to bring the subconscious mind to life. Fortunately for me Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros., this big budget gamble paid off in an equally big way. The film went on to earn a respectable $839 million at the box office, cementing its place in Hollywood history even as it became the source of endless hilarious memes.

That’s another way A beginning distinguishes itself from Netflix’s typical sci-fi offerings is that it has won many prestigious awards. Notably, the film won four Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography (to this day, it’s probably the most beautiful film you’ll see all year). And while it didn’t take home these particular awards, the film was nominated for other Academy Awards such as Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, which gives you an idea of ​​how much this film impressed critics as well with audiences.

Speaking of impressing the judges, A beginning distinguishes itself from other Netflix sci-fi fare in how much it wins over individual critics. Ar Rotten tomatoesthe film has a critical score of 87 percent, with critics generally praising how Inception is a smart puzzle box of a film as well as a crowd-pleasing action epic. On the website’s Pocornmeter, meanwhile, audiences gave it 91 percent, which certainly underlines how well Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece has stunned almost everyone who sees it.

Will you be equally amazed by A beginning when you stream it on Netflix, is this sci-fi blockbuster the stuff of your nightmares rather than your dreams? You won’t know until you hit play and stream it for yourself. And if you confuse reality and fiction while watching, check out Cotillard. The fact that DiCaprio’s main love interest in the film was 35 at the time (a full decade older than DiCaprio’s real-life romantic partners) is a sure sign that you’re still (for better or worse) stuck in the real world. ok