Inception is the best movie of the summer and a clear contender for best film of the year. While this mind bender from the gifted Christopher Nolan offers up elements and themes featured in films like Dreamscape, Total Recall, The Matrix, Blade Runner and even A Nightmare on Elm Street, rest assured that Inception manages to create a stunning cinematic landscape all its own. Yes, this is a movie about dreams. A labyrinthine look into the would of the subconscious. But Nolan wisely structures his plot in an old fashioned heist film frame work making the seemingly maddening exposition much more accessible than it would be otherwise. In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio is Cobb.

Known as an extractor, Cobb is hired by big corporations to enter the dreams of specific individuals and extract valuable information. Anxious to get home to his children--whom he hasn't seen in a long time--Cobb agrees to go out on one last job. This time however, he's been hired to implant information rather than extract it. The mark is Robert Fischer (played by an outstanding Cillian Murphy)--the son of a reputable business man--and its up to Cobb and his dream team (played respectively by Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy) to enter Fischer's mind thus ensuring his legacy. Unfortunately, there are several obstacles getting in the team's way including someone from Cobb's tragic past. Inception is one of those films that has the brains to match its brawn. This is a dense, thought provoking film, but its also a wildly entertaining thrill ride that features a nifty array of high tech set pieces. Included; a zero gravity fist fight in a hotel hallway, and a beautifully conceived climax that takes place in a fortress surrounded by a snow filled backdrop (in what could best be described as a nod to Bond classics like On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only).

Inception is mind boggling and you will need to pay attention if you're going to keep up. There's been a lot a talk about the rules that have been put in place here (what happens when you die in a dream, the logistics and concepts of time, etc.), and whether or not Nolan always follows his own rules (for the record, I believe he does). I've seen the film twice (once in 35mm and again in glorious Imax), and while I'm still trying to wrap my head around certain aspects of the film, the second viewing opened things up a great deal for me. This isn't a movie that merely welcomes repeat viewings, it almost demands it. Not because of confusion but because of the tiny little nuances that populate the film. Nolan isn't interested in twists. He takes a fairly straight forward approach with the narrative, but there's so much going on that to take it all in the first time out is highly unlikely. That's one of the many things I so cherish about this film. There are stretches of Inception in which key characters slip into a dream within a dream within a dream and during these particular stretches, Nolan plays out the proceedings simultaneously.

Again, mind boggling but breathtaking. And while Nolan is clearly the star of this ambitious show, his winning cast keep you along for the ride. What a year its been for Dicaprio (what I wouldn't give to see Inception and Martin Scorsese's stellar Shutter Island as a double feature). His Cobb is a complicated soul whose primary goal is to get back to his children. In order to do so, he'll have to fight off personal demons along the way. DiCaprio is a compelling screen presence here, and its a testament to his fine acting that we the audience are willing to follow him on this perilous psychological journey. Equally effective is Cillian Murphy. While Murphy is on board as a supporting character, in many ways, he's the heart of the piece because its his Fischer that really sets the story into motion. In a limited amount of screen time, Murphy displays a vulnerability and a sense of loneliness that give this movie a surprising amount of emotional resonance. Strangely, Cobb and Fischer are the only two characters here that are given any real background. The rest of the cast are more or less along for the ride, but they each bring something to the table. Ellen Page is low key ditching that spunky Juno flavor and showing a side of herself we haven't seen before and I suppose that's what makes her special here. Tom Hardy is brash and quick witted, and as solid as he is in Inception, I can't wait to see what he does with Mad Max. Joseph Gordon Levitt is all subtle charm, and while there isn't a whole lot of depth to his role as Cobb's right hand man, he's simply a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Rounding out a stellar cast are Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Tom Berenger, and Nolan regular Michael Caine.

I really love this movie. From Hans Zimmer's unforgettable score to a brilliant "form your own conclusion" ending, Inception (alongside Toy Story 3) emerges as the highlight of a fairly lackluster summer movie season. With all its complexities and intricate plot developments, one of the most ingenious aspects of Inception is its clever metaphor for film making itself (a theory confirmed in a recent Entertainment Weekly article). With its tale of idea implants, it occurred to me that Cobb and his crew just as well be a rag tag team of ambitious film makers. Bless Christopher Nolan for implanting such a novel concept into the minds and hearts of film goers everywhere. In a movie climate full of sequels, reboots, and comic book adaptations, Inception is dream come true.

Grade: A-