What everyone thinks: It's so damn complicated. Inception is a real head-scratcher. The plot moves at such a pace, with so much exposition littered about that to pick up on every key plot point in the first run through is nigh on impossible. You have the concept of shared dreaming, the idea of extraction, the possibility of inception, the whole Fischer/Saito company rivalry, all presented in a world where each dream level is shot in the same naturalistic style. At the centre of all this is Leonardo DiCaprio's Dom Cobb, a man on the run both from the authorities and his dark past. Phew - might need to re-read the Wikipedia plot summary one more time. The real reason it's good: You really empathise with Cobb. Christopher Nolan gets some slack for not giving us relatable protagonists, which seems a rather strange complaint; his characters are incredibly well-rounded, they just have their story explained as the story powers forward, rather than the typical plot diversions. The final shot cutting away just before the top (maybe) stops spinning has to be one of the most frustrating moments we've experienced in the cinema. Is he awake or were the visions of dead wife Mal right all along? While it's all based in the sci-fi techniques of the film, the emotional impetus behind wanting to know comes from the fact we're so invested in Cobb; did he make it back to his real children?
