If you want to read a review of the film itself, just google "inception review" and take your pick. Ebert gave it four stars. Do you really want to read yet another Amazon user's opinion? This review is for people who already know they want the film, but are wondering which edition to buy.

If you're only interested in the film, buy whichever one you can find cheapest. There is not currently an extended edition or director's cut available. If, however, you're interested in the special features, you're sort of between a rock and a hard place. Here's why:

1. The single-disc Blu-ray edition has a pathetic 12 minutes of special features--the same ones included on the single-disc DVD edition, and they're not even in high-def.

2. The "two-disc" Blu-Ray edition is actually three discs: two Blu-rays and one DVD. If you see it listed as "two-disc" some places and "three-disc" or "combo pack" others, they're the same thing. The first Blu-ray is the film along with an option that gives you behind-the-scenes content as it plays (cleverly named "extraction mode"). The second Blu-ray is just special features--but NOT the ones on the single-disc Blu-ray or DVD. The third disc is a standard-def DVD, but NOT the same DVD you get when you buy it separately--this DVD is a "rental" edition which has NO special features of any kind, and--get this--it doesn't even have a scene index. The "digital copy" is actually a code printed on a paper insert to download the film from the internet. Also, some of the 2/3-disc editions come in a lenticular slip cover, but not all.

3. The standard-def DVD is a single disc with the same 12 minutes of special features on the single-disc Blu-ray.

4. There's also a hard-to-find, two-disc, standard-def DVD edition. Unfortunately I haven't seen it in person and I don't know for sure what's on either disc, other than the film of course. My guess is the second disc is a special features disc like that included in the 2/3-disc Blu-ray edition. I'm just wondering if the first disc is the "rental" edition or the single-disc DVD edition.

5. Best Buy's exclusive edition is the same as the 2/3-disc Blu-ray edition, but with the added bonus of Christopher Nolan's script/notes.

6. FYE's exclusive edition comes in a "steelbook" case.

7. The limited edition comes in a scale replica of the briefcase used in the film. It's the same 2/3-disc edition but also includes mini-posters, a couple of booklets (I believe one is the script and the other is the shared dreaming device's "user manual," which is online at pasivdevice.org) and Cobb's totem.

I gave a rating of three stars because it seems you can't get all the special features without buying two editions, and that's incredibly lame.

On the surface Inception seems to be a crime caper, complete with master of disguise Eames (Tom Hardy), planner Aridane (Ellen Page), point man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and master thief Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). But it's so much more than that, taking place in dreams within dreams within dreams.

Inception, like Total Recall and The Matrix, is about perception. The audience is never sure what reality is because the protagonist isn't sure what's real. There are clues providing evidence for the real/not real theories, but the best movies of this type don't come down on one side or another. Total Recall ultimately had enough clues indicating the "right" way. The Matrix stumbled after it made it clear that reality was fiction, thereby losing an audience who enjoyed the tantalizing mystery. Like so many mysteries, once the truth was revealed it wasn't quite as exciting as we all hoped. Inception wisely avoids providing answers.

Inception is also a thought experiment. The central conceit of Inception is that once you put a thought in someone's head it's like a virus, incapable of being removed. In fact, attempting to not think about the idea causes the mind to just focus on it more. This concept, a key tenet of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), is part of how our brains are wired. Director Chris Nolan knows exactly what he's doing when the characters explain the premise. It is the key argument between Cobb and his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard): is this life just a dream?

Once you get it into your head as to which of them is right, Inception burrows into your psyche and you see all the evidence you need to reinforce the idea. There are enough discrepancies to suspect that Cobb's stuck in a dream, but there are enough rules defining reality that indicate otherwise. Unless, of course, you believe that Cobb is fooling himself by making up said rules to convince himself he's not in a dream when he actually is. If that sounds confusing, Inception's done its job.

Inception is a little too long in places, testing the viewer's patience as it delves four levels deep into the subconscious, each with different timeframes, settings, and plots. Part of the fun is watching the movie again to look for clues that reinforce what we secretly thought we knew all along.

Me? I'm convinced I know the truth. But then maybe Inception put that idea in my head.

BLU-RAY:

I just finished watching Inception for the second time. The Blu-ray is amazing. The PQ and AQ are perfect in every way. I did notice that the video was not as sharp, crisp, or clear as The Dark Knight. However it was very, very good. The audio is very bass heavy, but is up there with some of the best Blu-ray AQ I have heard. The movie was stunning all the way through and after another watch it is just as good if not better than the first time I watched it.

The special features are great. Disc two is full of behind the scenes and a dream documentary by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. On the first disc there is expansion mode which takes you behind the scenes and shows you each special effects scene and all which went into creating it. It is really interesting to watch. Very little CGI special effects were used on this film. They actually did most of the stunts or build huge models. It was really cool to watch.

MOVIE:

I went into Inception thinking very positive and with high hopes that this will be one of my new favorite movies. I based this simply on the trailer. I was not let down in the slightest, and I was blown away by the originality and creativity of the film. The directing, acting, and cinematography were all amazing. It is a beautiful film.

After seeing Inception I will have a hard time watching any other movie ever again. Anything else would seem boring and useless. I went to see The Expendables in theaters. Horrible. I couldn't understand what the interest in this film was. It was just violence and explosions; No story or plot. Just useless violence.

I can see where people may think of Inception as something similar to the theme of the Matrix. It sort of has the same basic idea of people being hooked up to a machine, leaving their bodies and going somewhere else. Besides that, there wasn't much at all which reminded me of the Matrix. Each scene held its own new originality in the most creative way as possible.

As far as Inception being hard to follow... well, I had no trouble following it at all. The three friends and my eleven-year-old brother had no trouble following it. I believe people who are more open minded would follow and understand it much better than people who are not willing to believe the story. Parts are incredible to believe, but you have to be open and let the story take place.

The creativity and attention to each shot and scene really paid off in the end. The film was perfect in every way in my opinion. Things were done which we have never seen before and it was done so well. It has set a new standard for films, at least in my mind. The directing style is similar to The Dark Knight, however they seemed to give Christopher Nolan more creative freedom with Inception.

The acting was top notch. I liked that Leo's character, Cobb, seemed a little weak minded at times. Usually he plays a strong character, but in this film his character had a weakness. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played a larger role than I expected. I was impressed with his character as well. Most of the crazy stunts, anti-gravity, jumping off walls and fighting people in mid air kind of stuff were with his character. Very cool. Ellen Page played a young architect which is hired to build cities within a person's mind. She did a great job as well. Each character was so well thought out and everyone added just the right amount to perfectly blend each character into the story.

If you're a fan of films which touch on subjects which most movies dare not go, you owe it to yourself to see this film. You won't be disappointed. I am very glad I got to see it on the big screen.

Video

Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less)

Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese (less)

Discs

50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live