Enjoyable, though perhaps a bit confusing

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2012)

I watched "Inception" because sci-fi is one of my favorite genres. Sci-fi films, in general, seem to rarely garner an Oscar nod, especially for Best picture, so this fact made the film all the more intriguing to me. Was it entertaining? Yes. Did it have great visual effects? Yes. Did it deserve a Best Picture nomination? No.
I'm not really going to get into the details of the plot, because I'm sure it's been enumerated a thousand times elsewhere on this site. The movie was well directed and well executed and enjoyable. The plot was original. However, I think there were a few inherent problems with the script.
Foremost, it was hard to keep track as to who was doing the actual dreaming in some parts. God forbid you left the room to get a drink without pausing the DVD and you would be lost. I really didn't understand why Saito wouldn't wake up after being shot (I understand that he was sedated in "real life", but couldn't he just come out of it after the sedation wore off)? Also, the writers seemed to have decided to explain how the whole "dreaming" aspect worked while action was going on. It was hard to keep track while there was gunfire and the like going on. But the biggest problem I had (other than the ending) was with the character of Mal showing up in all the dreams. If the team is aware that Cobb has an inherent problem of introducing her in all of the dream scenarios, and she only causes problems, why on earth would they want Cobb to be a part of anything? He's actually adding more problems to an already delicate situation.
Also, even though everyone thinks that Leodardo DiCaprio is a great actor, and I'm not saying he's not (perhaps it's my own issue), but he always comes across to me as someone who's "acting". In other words, the mark of a great actor, to me, is someone who loses them self in the role. In virtually every movie I've seen him in, this one being no exception, he seems to be Leonardo DiCaprio "playing" someone else. I didn't feel that he was actually the character of Cobb.
Now, my biggest problem? The ending. I get the whole "dream within a dream within a dream" thing and the writers wanting to leave you guessing, but I was disappointed with how clichéd it was. It was like the ending of the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street", but without the horrific aspect. I felt the film deserved a more solid conclusion, unless they were leaving it open for an "Inception 2".
Overall, I felt it was a solid entry into the sci-fi genre, but a bit over-hyped and certainly not deserving of a Best Picture nod.