The expectations raised by the hype probably did not help. The acting is good and the special effects are amazing, but the film is a tangled and overwhelming mess. A film should challenge the mind; this one mostly beats it down. It was hard to really care about the characters. The basic driving element - the idea to be implanted by the dream manipulators - was weak and implausible. Ellen Page, after a good start in the opening scenes, became a 2-dimensional character. I went into the theater ready to enjoy a great movie but was sorely disappointed.