“The Dark Knight” may remain his magnum opus but the dazzling “Inception” is unquestionably the boldest, most ambitious project of writer-director Christopher Nolan’s career. With a rich, multi-layered plot that challenges and engages the viewer, and exhilarating sequences of dreams within dreams, zero gravity fights, and cities folding on themselves, Nolan has succeeded in creating one of the most immersing, daring and creative big-budget blockbusters of all time.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the most skilled extractor in the art of mind crime. Whenever you need someone’s ideas stolen, Cobb’s your man. As to be expected, Cobb’s profession has made him an international fugitive and thus kept him away from his family he longs to be reunited with. His gets his chance when a mysterious Japanese industrialist named Saito (Ken Watanabe) offers him a lucrative proposition: Complete one job for him and he'll be a free man. Cobb’s mission is to achieve the impossible – inception. Instead of stealing from the mind of a competitor named Fischer (Cillian Murphy), Cobb and his team of specialists (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao and Ellen Page) must instead do the reverse: plant an idea into Fischer’s mind. The trick is “How do you plant an idea into someone’s head without them even realizing it?” That’s the key to the door of the maze that is “Inception” and where the fun and mind games begin.

Outside the guys at Pixar, no filmmaker has had a more successful run of critically acclaimed films in the last decade than Christopher Nolan. With movies such as “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “Insomnia,” “Batman Begins” and the Oscar-winning “The Dark Knight” on his resume, Nolan has clearly emerged as one of the finest filmmakers of the 21st century. With “Inception,” he furthers the gap between him and other mainstream filmmakers by playing on an enormous canvas – yes much larger than the one he worked on his previous film “The Dark Knight” – a brilliant film that transcended the superhero genre with its top-notch writing and superb acting.

Nolan’s work here is even more impressive than his work on the Batman sequel because not only is he introducing a completely new universe with an extensive set of rules to moviegoers but he’s also asking us to invest in an emotional story of a heartbroken man. And then, just as we’ve settled in on the ground rules and the characters, Nolan takes us into the film’s centerpiece: a labyrinth hour-long heist sequence that navigates through not one, not two, but four parallel narratives at the same time! It’s really exhilarating stuff that pushes you, the viewer, to keep up with the action, the story and the twists and turns. It keeps you on your toes throughout making it a completely immersive experience. As much as “Avatar” is billed as an immersive experience, “Inception” is far superior in immersing you because unlike “Avatar,”  this film actually has a complex storyline.

I won’t blame you if you’re unable to take in every detail perfectly the first time. I didn’t. This is a movie that needs two viewings to be wholly appreciated. But the fact remains that even if you don’t comprehend everything, “Inception” still works like gangbusters as an action movie in the vein of James Bond meets "The Matrix". The fact that we come out fully satisfied with the story, exhilarated by the breathtakingly-shot action and wowed by the intensity of it all is a testament to Nolan’s skill as a storyteller. I can’t even imagine this guy’s writing process; it's no wonder he took ten years to write it.

On the acting front, Leonardo DiCaprio once again delivers another very strong performance that while not a career-best, still ranks as one of his finer works. Along with this February’s well-received hit “Shutter Island,” the actor is having a phenomenal year. Marion Cotillard is also very good as Cobb’s wife Mal, delivering what is arguably the film’s most complex character. However, the breakouts of the cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, last seen in last summer’s “(500) Days of Summer” and British actor Tom Hardy (“Bronson”) as Arthur and Eames, two stylish and squabbling yet good-natured members of Cobb’s team. Levitt’s high point comes during a dazzling Escher-inspired dream sequence seen in all of the film’s commercials while Hardy provides most of the film’s humor as a charming forger.

Technically, “Inception” is a masterpiece. Nolan’s longtime technical team all received Oscar nominations on “The Dark Knight” and it looks like they’re all heading for nominations once again. They say films are made in the editing bay; I can’t begin to emphasize how much this statement applies here. As I stated earlier, “Inception” successfully navigates between four different parallel narratives for a good 45 minutes or so while still keeping us glued on the story. All credit to editor Lee Smith for keeping that in check. I can’t foresee him not being nominated for an Academy Award next March. Wally Pfister doesn’t top his work on “The Prestige” or “The Dark Knight” but with locations ranging from Kenya, Japan, Paris and Canada, it’s still top notch stuff; Ditto with the ace production design, inventive woofer sound effects and gorgeous visual effects. Finally, Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who also scored “The Dark Knight,” delivers another pulsating guitar-peppered score that chills.

BOTTOM LINE: In a time when sequels, prequels and remakes are just about the only thing in movie theaters, “Inception” is like an Oasis in the middle of the Sahara. It’s a rare studio-made summer blockbuster that pushes you to think and rewards you with an experience that’ll leave you wowed, exhilarated and debating for days, perhaps weeks. With great action, a layered story, jaw-dropping visuals and award-worthy writing and direction, this is the type of big-budget moviemaking that Hollywood needs to deliver more of. It may not approach the levels of “The Dark Knight” but I dare you not to be impressed by its bold ambition and vision.

GRADE: A

INCEPTION
Written and Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine.
Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action throughout)