Writer-director Christopher Nolan's byzantine puzzle-movie "Inception" is so fully engulfed in a surreal sort of Raison d'être--while also managing to introduce a new set of rules to us, though not appearing to abide by those rules near the finale--it's easy to understand why some audiences are embracing the film as a masterpiece. These days, if a film is complexly-layered it is automatically deemed art...not popcorn entertainment ready for mass consumption, but high art. If "small minds" are unable to grasp the film's deeper meanings, those poor folks are disregarded as unworthy participants in the ultimate game. "Inception" is a game--and, at times, a grand one--but it isn't a masterpiece. It's a gun-crazy, gadget-mad, hyperactive Rubik's Cube of a movie. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the grieving Cobb, a dream extractor who enters into the sleeping minds of others to gather vital information which cannot be obtained any other way. Unfortunately, memories of his late wife (and guilt over her mysterious death) are so vivid they are permeating Cobb's subconscious; and inevitably those haunted images follow him helplessly on his jaunts into the dream-state. The movie has very little exposition, with a confusing prologue later revealed to be the starter threads to the epilogue, and doesn't really get going until we are introduced to Cobb's latest case involving a dying billionaire, his crestfallen son, and the final draft of the tycoon's will which is locked up in a safe no one knows the combination to. The other participants in the project are a brainy, adept, and engaging group of people we become quite fond of; often times, particularly in a perplexing movie such as this one, having such smart, savvy characters populating the scenario makes the ride that much more enjoyable (not forgetting of course that humans are never so vulnerable to danger as when they are asleep). What doesn't really work are the constant sniper attacks in the dreams--projections which manifest themselves as an angry militia--as well as a visual impersonation of the son's godfather, which is necessary to the plot but becomes little more than a complicated footnote. The level of dreams our heroes pass through, one more dangerous than the last, provide the picture with a visual kick, and the nonchalant manner in which the characters respond to their strange new surroundings accent "Inception" with a giddiness not usually found in big-budget action films. I'm not sure whether or not Christopher Nolan violates his own movie-rules in order to cap the film with an emotional bow, but he does get solid performances from his cast, a rich and delectable production design from his art department, and swirling, hallucinogenic special effects from his creative team. Is the movie a mind-blowing experience? For many audiences, it certainly will be. As with all 'summer epics' and popcorn crowd-pleasers, this one's crazy glow will probably fade in the stretch (I can't imagine the film will hold up so well once it goes the home-video route--it's a theatrical experience, after all). It is not a work of art, however that doesn't mean it isn't sheer pleasure from start to finish. *** from ****