Want to change the world? In your dreams

Leonardo DiCaprio in the film <i> Inception </i>. Photo / Supplied.

Opinion

Latest movie hit has barely touched on the possibilities of dream-tampering.

The tantalising thing about the Christopher Nolan movie Inception is the way it plays on the edges of reality.

The basic premise is that ideas and information can be removed ("extraction") or implanted ("inception") from or in someone's mind while the target is dreaming.

It feels like near-reality (or near-escapism, as it's populated by a bunch of stylishly clothed Bond clones). It's more science non-fiction than otherworldly. We film-goers bring the reality "architecture" for the film ourselves. We all dream. We can acknowledge the power of the mind and the influence of ideas.

It's not hard to accept a scenario where people would try to extract or plant ideas to gain an advantage if it were possible.

With that in mind, the plot of Nolan's film is surprisingly small beer. A spot of industrial espionage? That's like lifting a few dollars from the local bank branch when there's an alluring bunch of diamonds at the jewellers next door.

Why not think big? Surely the leader of the free world would be the holy grail for inception? Although as the man with his fingers nearest the nuclear buttons, Barack Obama would be bristling with protection against any dream thieves.

The Supreme Leader would stump up multiple barrels of crude to have the United States President awaking with the idea that Tehran's nuclear programme posed no threat. The Dear Leader would settle for a presidential order authorising special air deliveries to Pyongyang of foie gras, caviar and cognac. Hamid Karzai's mind gang would have a simple, hypnotic chant: "Stay".

The US Government, for its part, would contract out the job of infiltrating Osama bin Laden's brain cells to a private company as it focused on more important tasks.

Any assault on Robert Mugabe's skull would be rejected as too dangerous, too difficult and not enough in anyone's interest to really be worth the effort.

Julia Gillard will be begging for someone, anyone, to implant a new idea or two in her head on how to deal with asylum seekers and climate change.

Storming Sarkozy's barricades would be doomed to fail - Carla would be too big a distraction.

In the realms of real wishful thinking: Should some cerebral crews get lucky the Pope might suddenly decide condoms are a good thing after all; Prince Charles might trade in his title and estates to run a nightclub in London and Simon Cowell might retire to a tiny, remote island in the middle of nowhere.

One thing's for sure, there's one idea certain to be seeding quietly in Nolan's head. And yes, we would like a sequel.