Inception

"Is all that we see or seem just a dream within a dream?"

Edgar Allan Poe's quote neatly sums up the premise of Inception - an exploration of the nature of dreams, and what might happen if people could manipulate your memory - and even implant ideas - while you dream.

Given the basic premise of the film, there is a fair amount of messing with reality, and moving through different dreamscapes. Prior to watching the film, I'd heard that a lot of people found it quite difficult to follow. God knows why, though. If you pay attention (and why wouldn't you pay attention if you've paid money to watch a film?) there should be no real difficultly in following the action. And yes, there is ambiguity in the film, but to have a pat ending where everything is explained and everyone is OK would be a letdown at the end of a film such as this.

No, it isn't a massively complicated film, but probably more thought-provoking than your standard popcorn movie. What it is, though, is incredibly well made and very well acted. The film moves a great pace, meaning you never stop for long enough to start picking holes in it. Furthermore, the visual FX are eye-opening and extremely stylish. Some of them really did leave me wondering how they managed to achieve it, whereas normally I would just assume that it is all down to CGI. The locations are stunning and well used, and the direction means a film that could very easily become ludicrous very quickly obtains a certain, and essential, verisimilitude. This is backed up well by the actors, who never break the atmosphere by treating the script as anything other than completely serious. Even when they are joking with each other, the basic premise is never attacked by the humour. Which is just as well, really, as that could sink the film. All the roles are played with absolute conviction.

The downside? There isn't one, really. If you want an action-packed, well-directed movie that still manages to be thought-provoking, then watch this. For once, the hype is right. This is a great film. And it bodes very well for the next Batman film...