I have to get this out of the way right up front: Inception is not a proper IMAX film, nor does it have any full IMAX-sized content like Dark Knight did. So while it is a slight “upgrade” to see it on such a large screen, it would be essentially the same in a “regular” theater.

My first glimpse of Inception was in the midst of trite and tedious trailers shown before a movie months ago. It stood out from the first shot, and i said: “now that is why you go to the movies!”

Walking out of the IMAX theater after seeing it, i thought the same thing. Really one of the most amazing movie-going experiences i’ve ever had. Visually stunning, clever cast, flawless special effects, cinematic action and technique that up until now you could only dream of. It seemed to have a little something for everybody. At the most basic level it’s a heist flick — a gang of specialists hired to get something. But what they specialize in — stealing ideas from someone’s mind while they dream — is what sets this story apart. There’s so many layers, literally and figuratively — there’s a lot going on. Interestingly the unique plot itself is almost inconsequential, just a vehicle to propel and expose the characters and their relationships and conflicts. I feel like i followed pretty well, but it seems that a second viewing would solidify and clarify some points in my mind. But i also like that many blanks were left to be filled in by the audience. So almost paradoxically it satisfied everything i’d want to see in a film, but left me wanting more.

Decades of summer blockbuster, super hero, sci-fi, and kung-fu flicks, and even visual effects groundbreaker The Matrix could not match the zero-gravity fight scene in the middle of Inception. It wasn’t that the special effects hadn’t been good enough, or the budgets too small, or the action and stunts too limited. They just weren’t high-concept enough, and didn’t have a story able to carry and justify such a visually awe-inspiring scene. Worth the price of admission.

I got to the Airbus IMAX theater at about 9:00 for the 10:30 show, and there were already nine people in line. By 10:10 when they opened the doors, the line had become a mass of at least 300 people filling the entire lower lobby of the Air & Space museum for this sold-out show. It was a great feeling to be at the front of that crowd, to get to choose my seat before them all. Aside from one incredibly obnoxious guy trying to steal a seat from one of my friends, the crowd was great. But the film was so mesmerizing that the audience was in awed silence the whole time.

A simple measure of a “good” film is whether you’re talking about it when you’re walking out of the theater. Inception will have you thinking about and discussing its many layers for quite some time, and probably leave you itching for a second viewing as soon as possible.