Inception: Matryoshka Madness

Though I appreciate Allen's offer to let us give this film a full treatment, I hesitate to say any more than was revealed in his great review because I want the reader to have the same experience I had, having only seen the trailers (which are wonderfully opaque) and having no idea what the movie was really about.  However, I will offer the following three (vague and mysterious) comments, which will probably only be meaningful after you've seen the film:

1. I have heard this film compared to various hybrids of The Matrix, Eternal Sunshine, and other films, but I think that Inception is the mutant offspring of Existenz and Ocean's Eleven, with shades of What Dreams May Come and Primer thrown in for good measure.  

2. The meat of the film is built around the structure of a matryoshka -- you know, those Russian dolls that you keep opening up to find another doll, again and again.  We've all had the dream within the dream, right?  A change in environment and a feeling that you've awoken.  Inception pushes that concept to its limit.  But the crucial element, and the key to the brilliance of Nolan's centerpiece, is the role of time.

3.  Inception. Projections. Kicks. Architect. Forger. You think you know what these terms mean.  Think again. What's so clever about Nolan's directing is that you never question the premise or the craft of the players in his scheme.  It all makes perfect sense while you're watching, even though it may seem radical after the fact. Limbo. White blood cells.

See it.