It would not be presumptuous to call Inception the movie event of the year. Certainly no other film this year has generated nearly the same amount of buzz as Christopher Nolan’s most recent blockbuster.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an extractor, a thief who steals thoughts from the minds of his targets through their dreams. He is hired by a powerful businessman for a different purpose: to implant an idea into the mind of a rival tycoon’s heir. The complexity of the assignment requires multiple dreams-within-dreams, dangerously stacking new illusions upon old, until it is impossible for anyone to define a start or an end to anything, including the viewer. Rough explanations are given, but the film thrives on ambiguity, and provides more questions than answers.

Despite occasional flashes of something deeper, Inception is still a heist film at its core. There are some spectacular and innovative scenes to liven the rest of the usual action fare, which is a saving grace as Nolan still has not mastered the direction of more conventional action scenes. DiCaprio is thoroughly unremarkable as usual, with only Joseph Gordon-Levitt making any real impact from amongst the supporting cast.

Although relentlessly over-hyped, Inception is as good an action movie as you’re bound to see this year. Regardless of what one may think about the film’s conclusion, the sheer amount of discussion (and revenue) generated indicate that Nolan’s own act of inception succeeded.