Christopher Nolan inspired by The Matrix, Lord of the Rings for Inception

Check out the profile on Christopher Nolan in The New York Times. He talks about Inception and has some interesting things to say about his inspirations in making that film.  Apparently he consulted The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings in building his movie’s mythology:

Mr. Nolan took encouragement from the tradition of hit fantasy movies, from “Star Wars” to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, that hinted at vaster realities than the films could fully detail. In particular, he said, the 1999 mind bender “The Matrix” showed how a mass audience could embrace “a massively complex philosophical concept in some sense.”