I'd bet money this takes best picture. Inception is one of the best movie experiences I've ever honestly had.

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2010)

This movie is gonna very hard to write-up, but I'll do my best. Inception is not only one of the best movie experiences I've ever had, but it's without a doubt, one of the best movies I have ever personally seen. Thursday evening I was invited to join my Sister and her fiancé to see this at the theater, but I wasn't quite sure. A lot of time when there is a ton of hype about a movie, I end up being let-down, this was nowhere near the case. Never have I sat in a theater so blown-away with what was going on, sitting in my seat just in pure amazement at the story surrounding it. Inception requires a lot of abstract thinking, and a lot of patience, because it's so mind-bending. I can't remember any time where I've spent so much time in a theater processing what was going on during the movie, and I loved it. The special effects are mind-blowing!. Some of the action sequences are sight to behold, and the set-pieces themselves were even more amazing. One of Inception's best traits was drawing you in with the characters. Cobb|DiCaprio| is the heart of the movie, and despite his turmoil, his vulnerability and the obvious sadness he possessed, I still rooted for him immensely.
Inception has everything you could want in a movie. A mesmerizing story, great visuals, fantastic effects, wonderful drama, jaw-dropping action sequences, tear-jerking moments and yes, even some laughs!. It has all the perfect elements, and I really believe Christopher Nolan has created an indefinite masterpiece, and one of the greatest works in the history of cinema. The ending itself is utter brilliance, and made me think for a couple of days after-words. It was just so emotional, and it smartly left the viewer to interpret what they think the ending means. Aside from a dull-patch in the 1st half, Inception is absolutely perfect, and believe me I don't find anything to be perfect. You can't let your mind wander doing this, not even for a few seconds, because every detail counts. 2 viewings or perhaps even repeated viewings will help understand the viewing pleasure in my opinion
Performances. Is Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar worthy? Not quite, but he's certainly close to it. The man just oozes presence, and I felt completely for him. He's our hero, the main lead, the person we rely on to explain things to us, and he did it all tremendously. I think he is incapable of giving a bad performance. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role isn't as requited, but he's very solid and I dug him quite a bit. Ellen Page is fantastic in her role. She proved Juno was no fluke, and delivered a fabulous secondary character|To DiCaprio anyway|. Her scenes with DiCaprio were awesome. Tom Hardy is quite charismatic, and he did very well here. Ken Watanabe is excellent in his role, I especially loved his scenes in the beginning and the end. Cillian Murphy plays it laid-back with vulnerability, I dug it!. Tom Berenger and Michael Caine have small roles, but I loved them both. Marion Cotillard managed to pull off quite a balanced feat. She made me fear her, and make her sympathetic. Her scenes with DiCaprio were wonderful.
Bottom line. I can't say enough about Inception. It is a movie that needs to be treasured and appreciated for what it truly is, a masterpiece and one of the greatest movies of all time. Believe the hype, and go see it as soon as you can. I'll be rooting for this to win best picture.
10/10