Nolan’s Inception takes your mind on a journey

If you haven't seen Inception yet, stop what you are doing and go see it because it is a mind-bender of epic proportions.

This multi-layered film is an à la carte offering of espionage, action and a psychological thrill ride.

Not only is this one of the most visually striking films of the past decade, it has a near perfect plot that will be dissected and analyzed by film students for years to come.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) has delivered again. He's brought not only another hit to theaters, but he's also brought the best movie of 2010.

Inception is also being released in IMAX, and if you have the extra cash, see that version. It immerses you into the film, and Hans Zimmer's score makes the seat rattle.

I applaud Nolan for not using gimmicky 3-D when there were scenes that he easily could have used it.

Inception is about Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), an extractor who goes into people's minds and steals their ideas in their dreams for the highest bidder. A corporate head (Ken Watanabe) presents Cobb with a job, not of stealing an idea, but of implanting one into a corporate rival's head.

The problem is that implanting ideas, called inception, is difficult because the deeper you go into the mind, the more unstable the dream gets.

Nolan's story is so layered that it makes his previous work, Memento, seem like child's play.

Multiple viewings of the film are recommended to fully get and appreciate all of the intricate details of the story.

While CGI is used, Nolan uses it sparingly, opting for practical effects whenever possible.

Some of the memorable visual effects scenes are done on revolving sets reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the actors hanging from wires in full sized sets.

One of the keys to successfully enjoying and comprehending Inception is to understand the film's universe and what Ellen Page's character, Ariadne, represents to the audience.

Ariadne is recruited by Cobb to be the architect of the dream and must learn the rules of how this world operates. She is the introduction to this world that the audience needs.

The dreams are set in the present in realistic locations.

Fantasy dreams wouldn't work in this film because the target could easily tell that he is in a dream, and then the game is over.

DiCaprio does a solid job, but the acting really shines in the supporting cast, mainly with Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer) and Tom Hardy (RocknRolla).

Gordon-Levitt and Hardy shine though a sea of Oscar-nominated actors and have great chemistry with each other.

Zimmer's score is the glue of the film.

There are several moments during the film when no words are spoken, and the score works as the dialogue to convey and enhance the emotions shown on the screen.

While some might complain of the film's 148-minute runtime, the viewer gets engrossed into the film, and the time flies by.

With Inception, Nolan has solidified his place as one of the top directors in Hollywood.