With Inception, Christopher Nolan proved you can make a $160 million art house film and earn back a substantial profit. It proved cinemagoers are not just content with lapping up the latest batch of Pirates of the Caribbean swill. And while the intelligence required to ‘get’ this blockbuster has been overstated, those who did leave the cinema confused were willing to see it again to search for answers. Inception’s heart though is not the high-concept dreams within dreams; it is Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s guilt over his dead wife. He goes inside his infiltrating memories, through the symbolic lifts and ocean waves, to find a way to forgive himself for his actions. It makes for a deeply affecting story. Then again, you can also achieve a deeply affecting story on a $1.6 million budget. Give the audience a great story and relatable characters and they will still come in their droves. If only Hollywood stopped hiding behind their explosions and realised this.

Check out the full review of Christopher Nolan's filmography on Bombed Out In Space.