BOTTOM LINE: Intellectually and visually engaging, if not emotionally, “Inception” is a fascinating film that demands your attention from the outset with its multi-layered plot and frenetic action.

THE GOOD: Director Christopher Nolan has now cemented his reputation as a world-class filmmaker. “Inception” is his pet project, and he delivers a film that demands you take your brain in with you, but also manages to satisfy those who need their action or sci-fi fix. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, an Extractor who is highly skilled at entering people’s dreams and stealing their secrets. He is offered an opportunity to clear his name for a supposed crime he is accused of in America by Saito (Ken Watanabe), who needs him to implant an idea in to his rival Robert Fisher’s (Cillian Murphy) mind so that he will dissolve his multi-national corporation and thus end their competition. From there, the film turns in to a fascinating exploration of dream versus reality as Cobb and his team carry out their mission. Nolan deserves a huge amount of credit for constructing a film where it is possible to follow exactly what is happening, especially since this film goes to the level of dreams within dreams within dreams. At each turn, you know exactly where you are, as long as you are paying attention. The film has some great action sequences, which are also attenuated by the fact that the dream world is not real and is malleable, exemplified in the scene where we see a city fold in on itself. Nolan was obviously inspired by James Bond, The Matrix and other similar films, but he manages to make something entirely unique here. The cast he has assembled is first rate. “Inception” surely must prove to Hollywood that if they actually had the guts to cut a real director loose on an original concept, then they, and the audience they are serving, can actually come out winners.

THE BAD: It pains me to say anything negative about the film, but despite being intellectually riveting, a feast for the eyes, and an action spectacle, Nolan has crafted a film that feels very clinical. You do not feel too much of what is happening with the characters or their plight. This is more than made up for with intellect and great story-telling however. Another point is that Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a performance that is quite similar to the one he delivered in Shutter Island, but you could also argue that the context within which the characters existed in both films is quite similar given their disconnect from reality.