Cob, the protagonist, invades people's dreams and must implant an idea.

Rating: 9/10 (10 October 2016)

While some people don't agree that Nolan's Inception deserves to be number 14 pm IMDb's top 250 movies of allÂ time, I think it has many features that make it worthy of such a position. First, however, I must address the one drawback I found with the film. I think there is an objective lack of character development in the movie. Cobb, the main character, is the only character who is not a one dimensional character. The sheer number of secondary characters forces them to compete for screen time and thus hinders their own development. However, this shortcoming is, in my opinion, well outweighed by the other aspects of the film. For example, the complexity of the movie is unparalleled by most blockbuster films. While the exposition may feel contrived at points, I think Nolan challenges the audience's intellect. Many viewers need to watch the movie more than once just to fully grasp the plot. Secondly, the ambiguity of the movie opens it up to multiple interpretations, and gives film with a lasting impact on the viewer. Personally, I think a movie that has you thinking about its meaning far beyond your first viewing experience is a great movie. For example, to some viewers the movie seems to suggest that the movie itself was all a dream, but to others it may not seem so. But there is evidence for both sides. An example for the former theory is when Cobb returns to his children, and they tell him that they've been building a "house on a cliff", which is strongly associated with Saito's dreams (another secondary character), hinting at the possibility of the movie ending in a dream. However, evidence also points to the contrary, such as Cobb's wedding ring only appearing in scenes that are dreams. It's the ambiguity that allows the movie to resonate with its viewers, and it's why the film is so widely praised. Furthermore, the soundtrack deserves its share in credit. Not only does it take risks by being a pronounced part of many emotional scenes, but it was actually crafted from a single piece of music: the "French song" that signifies the end of a dream. Overall, despite its shortcomings in character development, I think this film deserves much of its critical praise, because it is complex enough to to satisfy a viewer many times over.