A masterpiece that will get bigger with time

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2016)

So, after reading some of the negative reviews it's clear to me that some people didn't understand what happened in the movie. For example, one criticism was that Cobb's children don't age at all and that his father somehow knew that Cobb is in the US and went there to meet him, even though he lives in Paris.
Well, let's get the easy bit out of the way: Cobb may have informed his father that he had plans to arrive. Or, maybe his father is on holiday, or he even doesn't teach anymore. But I'd say it's safe to say that we all know by now that Cobb didn't get out of the dream, that's why his kids look the same (which should be a clue to all the doubters about what REALLY happened at the end).
It's pointless to explain to the naysayers what they got wrong. I could maybe agree that there isn't much character development but I personally totally overlooked it both times I watched the movie. I was fascinated instead by the whole concept and its execution.
I can't add much more to what's already been said. This movie is an absolute masterpiece of storytelling. First, the whole idea of making a movie about something like this is unbelievable. Then you have the idea itself - how the characters went about planting the information into the guy's brain. Then there's the execution of this by Nolan and his crew, I mean, I watched it in awe when I realized what kind of work and creativity this required. Did someone just say, let's drop a truck from a bridge in slow motion, and that was it? This scene, this whole concept of this falling truck deserves an award in itself.
Then, finally, you have the visuals, which feel super-real and express exactly what they're supposed to express. Add to it the fantastic score and you have a mind-blowing experience.
What I loved on second viewing (and you have to see it more than once to fully appreciate its complexity) is that it all makes sense. Every single detail. It's like a symphony where no note is unnecessary and out of place. And you have to use your brain to follow all the breadcrumbs. I will repeat this: if you didn't like this movie, you didn't understand it. Nolan explains a big concept here, a concept that is actually simple but very complex. The logic of this whole story is so strong that even if you try to find holes in it, your brain will fill them up with stuff because it has absorbed this logic as you were watching the movie. That's what's so amazing about 'Inception': it talks about how the brain works and it gives your brain the chance to tap into the story to experience this dream too. Just as the characters' minds can develop the dream and build new stuff, your brain can do that too. I found this absolutely fascinating. But perhaps it's because I'm generally interested in matters of the mind. For those who aren't this may be just a big flashy science fiction movie.
Science fiction? Really? If you think so, you totally missed the point.
Regarding whether it was all a dream. Of course, people interpret it in various ways, some of those people even answered some of the questions about this movie wrong because they made the wrong assumptions.
Even if it was all a dream, it doesn't ruin the movie, because the movie is about reality. Yes, paradoxically, it is about what makes our reality real. Those 'dreams' that the characters find themselves in, are versions of our reality. The movie's point is: if we can get lost in a version of reality, how do we know when we're in the 'real' reality? That's why the ending is so ambiguous: because it leaves Cobb in a reality that is as real as can be, at least for the moment, and the only thing that could make it unreal is his totem. But if he can't see if the totem is spinning or not, how can he tell the difference?
I cannot praise Nolan's genius enough. He took a million pieces of information and build a whole reality out of them. A logical, fully functional reality. Now that's an achievement, and as some reviewer already mentioned, pure creation.
I'm writing this after the second viewing, six years after the movie came out. As of yesterday, this is to me the most brilliant movie ever made. I doubt anything will top it.