A Smart Sci-Fi/Action Movie without Much Warmth

Rating: 6/10 (31 July 2010)

Inception is one of those movies that allows the story to develop and build. In the first 20 or 30 minutes I had absolutely no idea what was going on or where the movie was heading, but part of the movie's appeal is to try to figure those things out. And after 30 minutes you have enough of an idea to want to stick around for the rest. Unlike some, my husband and I didn't have any trouble discerning the dream sequences from reality once the movie got going.
There are two things that are appealing about this movie: 1: The complicated and unique storyline and 2. The acting chops of every single person--not just DiCaprio. I think these things are driving the high ratings.
However, the movie has flaws: 1. Lacks any depth of personal relationship of the characters to one another. 2. One of the main characters (Saito) speaks with an accent that is very difficult to understand. 3. There are a LOT of things in the last 1/3 of the movie that don't really make sense once you think them through. 4. Poor sound quality and way too much shooting and car chasing.
It was worth seeing once, but don't expect anything more than a sci-fi/action film because it doesn't deliver anything beyond that.