Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Nolan’s latest film is an epic mind-scratcher.

I’m going to try and sum up the plot as best I can, considering how little I understood: The main guy teams up with another guy and fight to stop inverted weapons from the future that can destroy us in the past. This is one of those films where it is extremely plot driven, and you go to watch it because of the plot, not because of characters. That being said, the characters are not bad. So I knew what to expect. I was not let down, no matter how confused I was.

Overall, I appreciate how much work went into this. Reading the IMDB trivia really brings to light how dedicated Christopher Nolan is. No green-screen, and filming people backwards (not reversing footage but people actually moving backwards) makes it so real. Like Inception, a concept is taken, and built around it is a grand, epic feature with people written well enough that you care about them, but not so iconic that they take the spotlight of the ideas, plot, and visuals.

The casting was also perfect. Following the lines of dialogue though is like when you walk into a conversation your friends are having about something you know nothing about. You sort of stay and listen because you are intrigued, but you’re not about to put your two cents in. You just learn, appreciate their interest, and move on. As a writer, there is so much to learn from stories like these. To watch an idea drive a grand plot, and to see what people can do with said idea, is my favorite way to research. I can Google writing tips all I want, but seeing something like this, that isn’t just an action movie, but a mind-bending journey, really makes your brain work. And that effort is not wasted.

MILD SPOILER WARNING FOR NEXT PART

This film does take some ideas that are familiar to me: such as someone meeting someone who already knows them from the future (think Doctor Who and River), and of course just the general concept of time travel, affecting the past and future, and what would happen if you saw yourself: those are all ideas we know. But they take something simple in the beginning: an inverted bullet. From there, it grows, and you watch the consequences of this ballon until the entire world is at stake. It is set up for a sequel (or is it really a prequel, right?) which I think has unlimited potential.

Also want to highlight Kenneth Branagh’s performance. He was so despicable. He’s one incredible actor.