I was recently watching the South Park episode where they spoof Inception. And during the episode one of the characters says, "just because an idea is overly convoluted and complex doesn't mean it's cool". The episode is pretty funny, noting some of the flaws of Inception's premise, but the problem is that all criticisms such as this forget the whole reason why Inception's premise is supposed to work in spite of its flaws: suspension of disbelief. Suspension of disbelief is the whole foundation of not just films, but art in general. When I look at the Mona Lisa, I know its just paint on a canvas, but I allow myself to get past this to appreciate the piece and how it creates a seemingly 3D image, even though it isn't one. Sure, entering the dreamscapes, how they're created, the concept of limbo, etc. are all flawed ideas, but if you can get past this the film presents an entirely entertaining and thrilling action packed ride, filled with interesting ideas, and cool set pieces.
Art is always going to be on some level unsatisfying because it is incomplete or flawed. Life is flawed, and unsatisfying, and art is supposed to reflect life. It's a cliched saying, but it holds credence because it's true. Planet of the Apes is a slightly farfetched concept. Apes aren't walking and talking like humans, and they don't rule over what we now know as the earth, but the film speaks to human's thinking their superior to others, as well as our ability to destroy ourselves by our own hands. Just because a film seems to have no basis in reality doesn't mean it lacks realism. Animated films have no "real" elements to them. Their CGI generated images or hand drawn pictures. But you're not going to tell me that Pixar hasn't made some of the most emotionally satisfying and humanistic films of the past 30 years.
And films are meant to be unreal. They are meant to tell wonderful and fantastic stories. Films are partially about escapism, entering a whole different world for a few hours. However, when you start to nitpick every little detail of a film, you are bound to lose your suspension of disbelief. Granted, when a film has so little going for it that nitpicking becomes so excessive then the movie just might be bad; but Inception certainly has more to praise than it does to scrutinize. It's got a great script, solid acting, dazzling action sequences, a wonderful score, and its far more thoughtful than your standard summer blockbuster fare.
This also reminds me of another Christopher Nolan film: The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight, to be honest, is a flawed movie. It is not nearly as good as the public at large has made it out to be. However, the film is far more important as a cultural phenomena than a film. As a film, it's probably a 3 or 3 and half star film out of 4 stars, but given the reception by the public and the cultural legacy it caries, it cannot, in my opinion, be denied its place as a 4 star film. People were able to see past the film's flaws in order to see some underlying greatness in the movie. We arbitrate as a society what culture is good and what culture is bad. Now Inception has certainly received a generally good welcome, but you will now and again see that critic, and its not even a thoughtful critic, but a trolling fanboy who has too much time on his hands who will note some minute detail that no one seriously cares about. I don't need to know how the technology works that allows them to enter the dreams. Who cares how Tom Hardy's character can project himself as another person? What does it matter that the effects of the first dream are only making everything spin around crazy in the second dream, and not the other ones? All that matters to me is that it's a great excuse to see an incredible action sequence with Joseph Gordon Levitt that's the highlight of the film.
You can either sink or you can swim. Suspend your disbelief or don't. But you're going to be hard-pressed to find good movies if you aren't willing to look past their flaws. Unless the flaws become truly insurmountable, just ignore them and go along for the ride.
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