A one of a kind gripping movie experience with room for improvements

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2010)

People will naturally want to compare this to The Dark Knight, and while they do have quite a few things in common regarding the cinematography, the epic soundtrack, and the relentless tension and suspense, the stories are obviously worlds apart. The plot is not the simplest or the easiest to keep up with, in fact it could be the most convoluted one you've seen yet, and you will probably have difficulties keeping up with what's going on at times. But you will leave very satisfied and wanting to see it again just so you can digest all the rules and compounding events a little better the next time. I hesitate to say Christopher Nolan was trying too hard and overdid it, but I can see how many viewers would think that.
What prevented Inception in my view from achieving the same quality as The Dark Knight was that many of the supposedly primary characters remained largely unknown with no window into their personality, conflicts, or struggles, and this kept me from having any connection with them. Although to be fair, the most important characters were handled extremely well, but it was those other characters who had a big part in the story (like Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) that felt underdeveloped. I hate to say it, but this aspect of the movie along with the various Hollywood style gunfight scenes gave the occasional feel that you're watching just another popcorn action movie, but only rarely and not enough to draw you out of the thrill of the story.
Overall it was a highly enjoyable and thrilling ride, sometimes even as psychedelic as Shutter Island with a similar subtle romantic feel. I can also see how some might draw similarities to the Matrix, but don't let this put you off at all, this movie is an entirely different and unique experience. A definite must see.
I really wanted to give this a higher score, but with regrets, it'll have to be 8/10. A superb 8/10.