Great film. Inception succeeds on all fronts.

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2011)

Christopher Nolan is a genius. I would give his action-packed story of a thief who does his work in his targets' dreams two thumbs up. Inception's plot is one of the most intricate of any movie I have ever seen, but I was still able to understand it fully because it's explained so well. Inception isn't like most movies where you can just go leave the room and miss part of the movie and be fine. Every part and detail was important. Kinda like Nolan's other movie Memento, the movie forces you to stay engaged throughout its many levels and pay attention completely. Also, don't think it's predictable like most heist films. And even if I were to tell you the ending, you would still have to watch intently to have any idea what it meant.
The musical score in the film worked great with what was happening in the story. For me, it did for Inception what the Lord of the Rings soundtrack did for those movies. Whenever something dramatic was happening, the music chimed in, drawing me further into the movie and playing with my emotions. It wasn't background or filler noise. Zimmer clearly put time into making the experience much, much better. Because of the music, many parts of the movie didn't need speaking. Instead, the sound of the strings, horns, etc. showed me what the characters were thinking and feeling.
The cast of Inception was picked very well. From DiCaprio playing the hero all the way down to the smallest character, each actor was well-suited for their role. Cotillard does a tremendous job of keeping the mystique needed to play DiCaprio's wife/enemy. Each time she made an appearance, I was both frightened and intrigued. Just like how Cobb (DiCaprio's character) worked to get the best team he could to complete his job, Inception's makers did this with the cast.
A good movie doesn't just keep you entertained while you're watching it, but also makes you rethink what you saw and reflect on it afterwards. Inception does just this. After watching it, I couldn't get my mind off of it. I wasn't content with just having watched it. I had to understand it better, figure it out. I even re-watched it looking for clues - events, objects, dialogue - something that would help me figure out the puzzle that its ending presents. After watching it, you'll be questioning everything you've just seen and also your own life and world. This is what makes Inception great.