Nolan, the architect.

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2010)

Inception is one of those movies where 30% of the movie is spent explaining you the rules of the movie universe; we get to learn about "architects", "the kick", what happens if you die dreaming under deep sedation, levels of dreaming, self defense in case of people entering your dreams, and so on.
The main premise of Nolan's Dreaming is a set of "supernatural" assumptions of how the dreamworld works, much the same level of realism you'd find in the smarter superhero comics (like Neil Gaiman's Sandman). Nolan has set up rules of the Inception world for exactly the kind of movie he wanted to create. Much like the architects in the movie, he has given himself full power to shape the dynamics of this story.
I don't think you can talk about this movie without mentioning The Matrix. There are so many parallel aspects, even accidental ones (Architect, anyone?). You could say Inception is like a Matrix^2. The Matrix does, however, spend less viewing time explaining the main principle of the worlds, it has simpler and clearer principles, it has more quiet moments and a stronger arc. The Matrix also has some very strong, fascinating characters.
However, that said, what Inception definitely does better than The Matrix, is to pull off a better weaving of realism, "real" people and real drama. Nolan is so good at creating these solid, Godfather-like, photographic scenes.
The main similarity between Matrix and Inception, is how the open world lets the directors express themselves very freely. Because of this, both movies carry very personal signatures. And as such, they don't overlap; they are both good films in their own right.
Maybe from studying psychology, I didn't find Inceptions main rules of dreaming, "the subconscious" and so on, very appealing. I was a bit frustrated that so much viewing time was spent explaining these sci-fi dreaming rules. This "5 minutes for each hour" and "layers of dreaming where time was multiplied by each layer..", well. You get my point.
But still, despite these sets of silly rules, the movie really worked for me. It sucked me in, it pulled me for a ride through tons of different, wonderfully shot worlds, then yanked me back out again. I was on the edge of my seat and forgot time completely. And that's what happens when you have a quality director, one of our best of our time no doubt, playing by the rules he himself has made.
In conclusion: A movie that gives a strong "movie feeling". The fantastically woven multi-layered structure of it all, especially with the ending, is why I easily forgive the boyish premise of Nolan's Dreaming, and will come back to watch it again. 8/10