Film || 5 Reasons Inception is Postmodernist

fig 1.

1. Inception (2010) can arguably take the light from older movies such as The Dark Knight (2008) so it can have the propulsion to succeed. Postmodernism relies on proven techniques in order to succeed, hence the reference on the cover of the movie. 

2. In practise, the plot uses multiple scenarios throughout the film which harkens back to other similar, and successful films. It can be seen in the snow fortress scene, where there is a sequence not unlike that which might be seen in some James bond films. This intertextual study is inherently postmodernist, because it brings together the audiences individual experiences and expectations of an action genre styled product. 

3. It presents a concept of hyper-reality in the form of film, something which has been utilised in many films before this one except on on a smaller scale, from screen to brain. Inception uses this on a character to environment scale, whereupon they move from each scene, or dream, into a new reality. Despite the inception of conceptual matter, the method itself is not a new one, therefore it is a product of postmodernism.

4. Another thing is the usage of intertextuality; a particular scene features Penrose stairs, an impossible space derived from the work of Lionel Penrose and his son. This element would be absent were it not for the efforts of another person. 

fig 2.

5. It uses references from Citizen Kane (1941), when it presents the ideas of inception with mirrors. It was received in the same fashion as well, interestingly enough, with the elusive 'Rosebud' taking on much debate amongst viewers. Inception uses this self propagating speculation to its advantage as well, as seen through multiple articles, using the audience as a medium for its own content is a everlasting trait of good films, and it can generate interest forevermore if it is done right.

fig 3.

Figures
Fig 1. Nolan, C. (2010). Inception. [Poster] 
Fig 2. Welles, O. (1941). Citizen Kane. [Film Still] 
Fig 3. Nolan, C. (2010). Inception. [Film Still]