If you've been paying any kind of attention at all, you've heard of this movie. Inception is the new film by Christopher Nolan, about a man who commits espionage by going into people's dreams. This summary is rudimentary at best, and it says nothing about why you should see this film. No, you should see it because it's very smart, and because it's very, very good.
My friend Cathy has already posted her insights. She's already discussed the strange emotional tone of the film, for example, so you should go and read her entry. I'll try not to repeat anything here that she's already said.
Most people recognize Nolan's name from The Dark Knight, but he has been working on this film for over ten years and it shows. It feels a little like Memento. Like that film (and like the dreams the characters construct in Inception), this movie is a puzzle; it's a maze, and it requires more mental engagement than some viewers may be used to. It's not really a confusing movie if you're paying attention, but there are a lot of complicated things going on in the way that the film toys with the meaning of time and reality.
I was fascinated by the rules for constructing dreams and interacting within them. This movie made me wish "dream architect" was a real job.
At its core this is a heist movie, and that heist is depicted brilliantly. Despite the infiltration taking place entirely within dreams, there is still a real, palpable sense of danger and a vital need to evade capture--the penalty for being caught is a great deal worse than jail, and in some ways worse than death. I've heard a little talk that the movie could handle a sequel, but I'm not sure it could. The most difficult form of dream invasion was already handled in this film.
I just saw the film tonight, so my brain is still sort of spinning. I may have more to say about it later after I've rolled it around in my head for a while, or I might not. It is a fascinating film, though, and it absolutely redeems this year's terrible summer for movies. You should see it. Maybe even more than once.
My brain was buzzing when I left the theatre. I walked around for about 20 min, and then was nearly blinded when I came out in to the afternoon sun.
I loved it. And as you observed, the rules were part of what made it so intriguing. I would agree that a sequel is unnecessary, and honestly I would like it if there could be a successful movie that doesn't end up being milked for a trilogy.
That said, I was really intrigued about the notion of spin-offs. Not film, necessarily, but I thought that comics or video games set in the same world of Inception would be a lot of fun!