Just got done watching Inception. It was pretty fun (though I liked Memento more). I don't get why people were so befuddled by it, but maybe that's because I've spent a lifetime (well, as much of it as I've gotten through so far) reading/watching science fiction and fantasy. I also don't mind being mildly confused at times. Everything usually becomes clear enough at the end, or, if it doesn't, the lingering mystery can be refreshing (so much fantasy fails by explaining too much).
A few things troubled me. The first have to do with the mechanics of the conceit: Why was Cobb's subconscious able to project into the dreams even when he wasn't the subject? And why didn't Ariadne arouse Arthur's suspicion when she said she was the architect of the dreams? Finally, I dispute the notion that being physically hurt in a dream causes one to feel pain. You can be surprised by, say, a knife in your dream gut, but it doesn't actually hurt. Thus using dreams to make soldiers better able to handle the physical assault of war wouldn't work.
Another, bigger problem had to do with the character of Ariadne. If some little upstart forced herself into my private dream and started quizzing me about its significance, I would (a) be furious and (b) lose all trust in her. Yet Cobb almost immediately forgives her intrusion and accepts her as a confidante.
I also thought some of the writing was uninspired. For example, having Arthur's daddy's last word to him be "disappointed" was horribly predictable. And Ariadne's psychobabble made me want to kick her.
But all in all it was very entertaining, sort of Ocean's Eleven in dreamland. Except for the impressive design of the thing, though, I didn't find it particularly mind-boggling.
Next up in my trek through the Oscar nominees? Either Toy Story 3 or The Fighter (I don't have access to True Grit yet). Although I think I'll watch Zach Galifianakis on SNL first as a palate cleanser
