And does it ever look good. If nothing else it demonstrates a mastery of visual conception and parallel narration. It's also worth noting that many visual effects in the film were not CGI - unlike Transformers or Avatar, that little shortcut isn't something Nolan uses as his first choice. That hallway fight scene? Rotating cylindrical hallway. The explosion at the cafe? High-speed cameras and air cannons with just a touch of CGI. The folding city? Well, some things even Nolan's crew can't do.
The narrative is perfectly paced, with the right amount of action and humour appropriately leading up to the climax, which we must note is close to half an hour long. Not to mention how seamlessly he weaves three (three!) side-by-side narratives together, not just for the pacing but also for the interconnectivity. Cause and effect is key and Nolan applies it here; a tumble, to a fall, to chaos. If only for these things, Inception fully deserves its Best Picture nomination, even if it doesn't quite earn a win yet.
Here it must be said that The Dark Knight was the better film. While Inception trumped the Batman sequel's narrative structure and visual effects, TDK was the movie with the better balance; it had the effects, it had the story, but it also had significantly deeper characters, a more moving emotional arc spanning the story and two Oscar-worthy performances. Watching both films, it quickly becomes apparent that Inception lacks the characters that carry The Dark Knight so well; save for Leo DiCap's character, they do not develop and play roles not exceeding that of exposition and necessity for the plot.
The actors still give brilliant performances with what they have. Joseph-Gordon Levitt's charm finds its way into the 'stick-in-the-mud' Arthur, who constantly takes jabs from Tom Hardy's impressive Eames. Marion Cotillard plays a soulless character, appropriately frightening and on edge, while Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe give what is needed of them and no more. But The Dark Knight - well, you have Heath Ledger's unmatched portrayal of the Joker and Aaron Eckhart's (in my opinion) almost equally impressive (and tragic) character of Harvey Dent. Add that to Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman, who were given (and benefited from) much more substantial characters, and you get a set of performances that completely outmatches those in Inception.
However, though TDK will forever be the one that should have been nominated (and won) the Oscar, Inception will likely be the lasting magnum opus for which Nolan will be remembered (though here's to hoping that The Dark Knight Rises breaks that) - for the simple truth that you cannot watch Inception without thinking about it afterwards, unlike The Dark Knight. And, as the multitude of critics have said, that is the real Inception here - not the corporate machinations occurring in the film but the seed it leaves in our minds. Who didn't exit the cinema scratching their head? Inception is a film where you could make money off explaining to other people.
But more important than that is the final shot, in which the film's true message lies; not the top that keeps spinning (or falls) but the man who walks away from it. Dom Cobb doesn't care for it anymore; he walks away from it; he chooses his kids. He chooses his reality. If the relativity of reality is the idea Nolan plants in us, then that final scene is the proverbial gunshot to the head - the 'kick' - that shakes us up and says that the choice is still ours in the end. In other words: yeah, reality's subjective but in the end, you decide.
Was that the idea all along...?
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