It goes without saying that the special effects are one of the highlights of Inception. This will probably be The Matrix of our time, but in a much subtler way. As Dom says, “It’s only when you wake up that you realize there was something strange.” This strangeness is embraced and pulled throughout the film. However, the mazes, infinite staircases, and alternate realities these special effects create are not limited to just providing an aesthetic wonder, but they serve to symbolically reinforce many of the main issues of the film. The paradox of an infinite staircase will be itching your brain for a few hours after you finish watching.

The performances are pitch perfect. I initially thought that the characters were a bit one- dimensional and not incredibly developed. Don’t be alarmed though. Nolan hasn’t lost the touch that created his Batman and his Joker. I believe there are deliberate reasons for this lack of background, which will surely feed into the theorists that will begin sprouting all over the internet after this weekend. Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard provide the emotional and narrative center of the film. Being the Oscar winning and nominated actors they are, these roles are played beautifully. It’s as if they don’t even realize they’re the ones we’re all focused on.

I’ll end this now before I start confusing myself even more. It’s a privilege, though, to see an auteur like Christopher Nolan working today, using the summer blockbuster as his medium. You’ll leave the theater feeling as if you just “witnessed” something.

Greengrass and DP Barry Ackroyd have recreated a tremendously authentic Iraq; the numerous wide shots are simply splendid, assumingly using understated CGI to give it a gritty, war-torn atmosphere. When in close quarters the resonant sound design – punching gunfire, scratchy voices over the comms, thumping footsteps, humming of distant helicopters – that accompanies the intense set pieces add an additional level of immersion that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. The action itself is of the same high standard we have come to expect from Greengrass: fast, hard-hitting, unrelenting, genuine and exhilarating. Whether on foot or on wheels, Greengrass has a deft touch for creating suspenseful and convincing sequences that feel exactly like they would if occurring in real life.

If the story strikes you as slightly idealistic – all characters here are depicted as a clear cut good or bad, no ambiguity at all – that’s because it is. The protagonist Miller is the main focus of the piece and as such is given that extra profundity not afforded to the others and Damon reliably makes the most of this, delivering yet another solid performance. The rest of the cast are chiefly one-dimensional, but let’s face it, how much more fun is it when the hero screws over the political scoundrel or the haughty Special Forces Captain when we know without doubt they’re bad people? It’s credit to the seasoned talent of Isaacs, Gleeson and Kinnear that they provide entertaining caricatures that sneer, growl and smarm all in the right places.

All that said I have to say some lines and sequences are actually quite enjoyable, due to the sort of B-movie feel. The gruesome evisceration of people stops being horrible and quickly becomes comical, when viewed with a sense of satire. In fact, some of the performances, specifically Anthony Hopkins’ and Hugo Weaving’s, one could get the vibe that they weren’t really trying and were going more for a fun depiction of their characters and less of complex ones.

So, overall, when watched like a B-Movie it’s more fun. My understanding was that it was going to be a dark, complex, visionary re-telling of a horror classic. And it could be that therein lies the problem…

From what I understand, previews for the film give off more of a serious tone. People expecting that will be truly disappointed, perhaps even appalled. People willing to watch it for a fun, just-for-kicks gore-fest, may be more satisfied.

Bottom-line: Don’t expect a classic. Expect a popcorn horror flick, and MAYBE you’ll like it.

The central problem with the story is its appalling lack of originality. The plot, and moment after moment in this film, is ripped from previous movies with reckless abandon. No person who has seen such movies as Dances with Wolves, the Last Samurai, Pocahontas (Dis.) or any number of other movies should be surprised at any part of the story here. The plot is simply an excuse to string together a beautiful canvas of rich, detailed digital fantasy art. Soldiers are portrayed here either as self-hating pansies or narrow-minded bad asses. The Na’vi are portrayed as a race in perfect balance with the world around them, rather than as products of natural selection with their own defects. Count me as someone who wanted to see a story which had real characters with real people in them, or a twist in the story I didn’t see coming. I have a few moral qualms with the story as well, which plays out not as a message about tolerance of differences or peaceful coexistence, but as a racist ballad where the sacred Na’vi have been perverted by contact with the infernal humans and it is the humans that need to be eradicated or exiled.

This is a movie you will want to see if eye-popping visuals and vivid detail at all appeal to you. But if you’re looking for a compelling story that you haven’t seen before, look elsewhere. As sci-fi, District 9 is a much better movie, and I would say even Star Trek has the edge on a compelling story line.

There are scenes and individual shots that pop with ethereal beauty. It’s worth seeing for that reason, but I don’t think it’ll be as fun after multiple viewings. The great thing about “Star Wars” was the characters: Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and so on. They embodied the other-worldliness of the story, taking the weight off the effects.

In thirty-two years, I don’t think anyone will remember “Jake Sully.”

The biggest surprise to me was the amount of humor in the movie. The best scary movies have elements of humor in them to prevent them from being too grim to enjoy. The humor in Paranormal Activity not only served as a contrast to the intensity of the more frightening scenes, but also helped the audience to empathize with Katie and Micah, who were a likeable dare I say pretty normal couple.

My only complaints are minor ones.  Even though I liked the ending and found it especially disturbing, the fact that the effects went beyond the reality of the entire movie to that point took the movie out of character a little and made it less believable. I certainly hope the DVD release contains the other endings as bonuses.

I’ve seen a lot of scary movies, and Paranormal Activity is right up there with the best of them, if not on top, certainly within spittin’ distance.

I think it’s due for release in the UK on the 27th of November.