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The question then becomes “Is Inception boring because it is more talkative than those films?” And I readily acknowledge that for a lot of mainstream consumers, probably most, the answer is absolutely yes. Even some of the smartest people I know, a few of them even established screenwriters, have complained about the degree of exposition in the film. Inception could be accurately described as a book on tape with visual accompaniment. There are a couple of moments in the film where the viewer wonders if they should be taking notes. This is the natural issue that stems from creating a world so complex that the applicable laws of physics must be stated then constantly adapted to fit changing circumstances. Without this solution, that kid from Third Rock from the Sun winds up fighting in a zero gravity hotel hallway and nobody knows why.

Does such a scenario alienate a significant percentage of the viewing audience? Of course. Is this problematic? Hell no. Look, if Michael Bay can spend the last 45 minutes of a $400 million blockbuster randomly blowing things up in order to entertain those who like loud noises and shiny things, Christopher Nolan is more than welcome to retrofit a theoretical physics lecture with the latest in special effects CGI and sell it as a major blockbuster. I think it’s nice that he lets the rest of us play for a change. Otherwise, we get stuck with stuff like Adam Sandler and Friends in Grown Ups and Shrek V: Not Even Trying.

Inception is not for everyone and if you ever ask anyone from Warner Bros. about this, they’d have to answer honestly on the point. The people who are targeted are the ones who are generally reduced to arthouse theaters, only they get the serendipitous bonus of splashy, street-merging special effects for a change. This is what makes its box office triumph all the more remarkable. Primer earned $424,760. Inception has made that much an hour in its first 12 days. Even A-Rod isn't paid that well. Independent of what you think of the movie, you have to be deeply impressed with Nolan for pulling off such a majestic box office feat.

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