Inception
I saw Inception last night and was not disappointed.
In an interview on KCRW's The Treatment, Christopher Nolan talked about his influences including Ridley Scott as well as Stanley Kubrick. Many people have been comparing Nolan to Kubrick and though I know it is meant as a compliment, I think it's safe to say that while Nolan is a great director, Nolan is Nolan just as Kubrick was Kubrick.
However, the great directors all have a common vision and an obsession through all of their works.
Kubrick's obsession was the various ways a person (species) can be dehumanized such as technologically in 2001 and Dr. Strangelove, sexually in Lolita and Eyes Wide Shut, psychologically in The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, through violence in Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory (my favorite too) and A Clockwork Orange and culturally in Barry Lyndon and Spartacus (the scene where all the slaves claim to be Spartacus can be read many different ways). Kubrick's theme of the dehumanization of the "modern" man is present in all of his works.
While Nolan has not strayed too far from the thriller genre, unlike Kubrick who found inspiration in all genres, his common theme is one of personal identity, an important issue these days with the rise of the internet and lack of privacy.
Memento is still the best (and most obvious) example of this, but The Dark Knight plays right into these issues that Nolan is interested in and Inception ups the ante to question not only ones personal identity, but all of reality.
Inception is an unusual summer blockbuster in that it is smart and fun. The only other director I can think of who can make a smart movie and still have it find commercial appeal is Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slum Dog Millionaire). Ridley Scott used to also fall into this category, but he has strayed a little too far into the commercial at the expense of the artistic - Black Hawk Down being his last, great film.
