Inception is crazy. The movie hasn’t even been released yet and people are already calling it the best movie of the summer, if not the best movie of the year. The few lucky critics that have seen it already almost universally praised it, with only five critics on rottentomatoes.com disliking the film. The public can finally get their hands—err, eyes—on Inception on Thursday at midnight. Has Christopher Nolan topped The Dark Knight? It just might be possible.

In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a very unusual thief; he and his team (which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Dileep Rao) steal by invading the dreams of their marks. Infiltrating the subconscious of their target while he or she sleeps, which is not quite as creepy as it sounds, the characters can manipulate the dream and ultimately extract information that their businessmen clients seek. The story behind Inception is a confusing one, to say the least, and the trailer might leave you wondering if watching this movie is going to be like trying to understand Primer. Have no fear, because joining us in the movie is Ellen Page, who plays an architect being introduced to the world of dreams along with the audience. As Leo and company explain the art of dream extraction to her, people in the crowd should be able to pick up on what’s happening.

Underneath all of the sci-fi trappings, Inception is essentially a heist thriller. Cobb’s illegal activities have made him a fugitive. The movie’s title comes from his final brilliant plan; to plant an idea in a person instead of taking one, allowing him to pull off the perfect crime and maybe get his life back. Complicating matters are his late wife (Marion Cotillard), who enters Leo’s dreams uncontrollably, and a mysterious enemy who seems to be following him. Inception is poised to deliver on both fronts, with an original concept and an engaging story (think Avatar with a narrative that hasn’t been explored a millions times, ex. Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, Fern Gully ).

Inception is Christopher Nolan’s first film since The Dark Knight. Can the writer/director/producer do anything wrong? Ever since Memento his films have been profitable, critically acclaimed, often mind-boggling affairs that are genuinely exciting and enjoyable to watch, sort of like an inverse Uwe Boll. Even if the film has been over-hyped, there’s no doubt that Inception will fit nicely in Nolan’s all-star roster of high quality films. With A-list actors like DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine (all of whom have been nominated for or won Academy Awards), there’s really no doubt that this will be a fantastic movie.

For those of you who really can’t wait until tomorrow, there is a free prequel comic available online which you can read here. In The Cobol Job, the film’s characters pull a basic job (and a basic job in this world is still incredible) trying to steal some information from a rival company. Written by Jordan Goldberg, the story ends with some pretty clear indications as to where the movie will begin. It’s an exciting story and it may be helpful to read before seeing the movie, but it will be confusing if you don’t have at least some basic knowledge about the film’s premise (which, thanks to me, you do!). I don’t think it contains any major spoilers, but then again, I haven’t seen the movie either.

Inception opens on July 16th at midnight, and for those of us here at 30ninjas that means a very late Thursday night .

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