Inception

[Dreddz]

YouTube - Inception - Official Trailer 3 [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sd0ff1sbJU)

Discuss.

[Shiny]

The sets look amazing. Can't wait to see it! I'm a big fan of Chris Nolan's work.

[Shorty]

I'm excited as well - this looks like it'll be good.

I'm sad that Leonardo seems to be gaining weight. I hope he doesn't go Marlon Brando on me. :(

Also, it has Tommy and Juno! How can I not see this!

[Rad Bromance]

It's got Dicaprio and a 100% on RT, and the trailers look incredible.

I will be seeing this opening day.

[Academic]

I don't know how long I've been waiting for this flick. Ever since I saw the ever so vague first preview, I know I've wanted to see it.

[Depression Moon]

Was this film based on a prior published work?

[charliepanayi]

Was this film based on a prior published work?

No, it's written by Christopher Nolan.

[Depression Moon]

That's a shame.

[Dreddz]

Hope Cillian Murphy gets a decent role in this movie. Such an underrated actor. Michael Caine seems to have the same exact role in every one of Nolans movies. Give the guy a chance, jeez!

[Breine]

I've been looking forward to this film for a while now.

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

Was this film based on a prior published work?


No, it's written by Christopher Nolan.


That's a shame.


Oh I totally with you, Depression Moon! I just love it when Hollywood takes a great book, like Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming and smurfing butchers the hell out of it...No, on second thought, no I don't like it when Hollywood does that! :cool:

[BarelySeeAtAll]

Hope Cillian Murphy gets a decent role in this movie. Such an underrated actor.

Glad someone else agrees! I think he's the biggest factor for me wanting to watch this film :D As soon as I saw him on the ad I kind of leapt up, took a great big gasp (and probably a fly while doing so) and did some form of girly-high-pitched squeal. Gotta love him.

Though I'm not that much of a fan of Caprio. I'm not sure what it is about him to be honest; I appreciate he's a good actor. Heck, if I remember rightly he was the autistic teen in What's Eating Gilbert Grape right? Loved him in that :love: so shweet.

I really should check deeper in to this film though, it looked like one of those "THE END OF THE WORLD APOCALIPSE!!!!" style films, but I get the feeling if I believed that everyone would soon start yelling and correcting me :p

To sum this up.....if it's apocalyptic cliché then I shall not watch, if it is I shall, because Cillian Murphy's in it I want to, Leonardo I'm not fussed over, but I have no money to see this film.

[Hythloday]

Hope Cillian Murphy gets a decent role in this movie. Such an underrated actor.

Glad someone else agrees! I think he's the biggest factor for me wanting to watch this film :D As soon as I saw him on the ad I kind of leapt up, took a great big gasp (and probably a fly while doing so) and did some form of girly-high-pitched squeal. Gotta love him.

Though I'm not that much of a fan of Caprio. I'm not sure what it is about him to be honest; I appreciate he's a good actor. Heck, if I remember rightly he was the autistic teen in What's Eating Gilbert Grape right? Loved him in that :love: so shweet.

I really should check deeper in to this film though, it looked like one of those "THE END OF THE WORLD APOCALIPSE!!!!" style films, but I get the feeling if I believed that everyone would soon start yelling and correcting me :p

To sum this up.....if it's apocalyptic cliché then I shall not watch, if it is I shall, because Cillian Murphy's in it I want to, Leonardo I'm not fussed over, but I have no money to see this film.

Definitely not going involve any form of "apocalypse", I don't think. It does have that sort of big-budget action movie vibe to it though, doesn't it?

I think the plot is going to be deep and rich, probably a lot of room for plot twists given the entire entering dreams schtick. We can't really gather much from the trailer but from what I can tell:

1. There's no way to distinguish from the dream parts and the parts that are reality. It's kinda like watching the trailer for The Matrix, all we knew back then was that stuff looked really, really cool we didn't know there was a mind-blowing plot behind it.
2. It's gotten good reviews thus far, so it's probably got substance.
3. It's about dreams.
4. It has Cillian Murphy in it and ohmygodhehasthoseblueeyesandihopehetakesoffhisshirtlikein28dayslaterbutmaybeinacontextthatsalittlebi tmorepleasantthanazombieapocalypseandihopehedoesthatthingwhereheraiseshiseyebrowsaftersayingsomethin gdramaticallylikehedidinbatmanthefirstonenotthesecondonehisroleinthesecondonewasverysmallnobutreally cillianmurphy.

[BarelySeeAtAll]

hewasnakedin28dayslaterhomgthatissomemindblowingshizzle :jess:

A-okay I feel more educated after that!

[Bunny]

I'm torn. I really like Nolan, his movies have always been enjoyable to me, but I am unsure whether or not this movie is good enough to justify the outrageous cost of movie tickets in my area. I will definitely see this movie at some point though.

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

I'm torn. I really like Nolan, his movies have always been enjoyable to me, but I am unsure whether or not this movie is good enough to justify the outrageous cost of movie tickets in my area. I will definitely see this movie at some point though.

I'm gonna wait for the DVD release so I don't have to sit at the Carmike theater for two and a half hours.

[Rostum]

I love the whole idea of lucid dreams and out-of-body-experiences. There's a lot of information that just isn't out there for the general public, so hopefully this can shed light on it.

If anyone is interested, check out Waking Life.

[Depression Moon]

is Waking life a book?

[Bunny]

Nope, movie.

[Miriel]

I love pretty much everyone involved in this movie. Can't wait to see it!

[Chris]

http://i28.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/33etnr6.png

Saw the trailer for "Inception", when I went to see Eclipse, and it really intrigued me. Leonardo DiCaprio is steadily becoming one of my favorite male actors. "Shutter Island" is brilliant.

Any thoughts on this movie? "Inception" looks fairly digestible.

Merged

[Freya]

I heard it has the same awe and originality that was felt when the first matrix came out.

[Breine]

Isn't there a thread for this already?

Anyway, I've been looking forward to this movie for months now. Ever since I saw the teaser I've been excited about it. It looks really good.

[Rad Bromance]

Saw it just a bit ago, it was fantastic.

[Academic]

Ditto. I had a great time watching this. Very entertaining, very creative. Definitely worth the watch. Kind of long, but I was expecting that. I'm just glad I didn't have to go pee. I'd love to see it again just to catch the things I missed the first time around. I even mentioned to my friend that I'd love to see this as a book or something just so we could delve deeper into the story.

[Ouch!]

I heard it has the same awe and originality that was felt when the first matrix came out.
It out-Matrix'd The Matrix. Easily one of the best movies I've seen in years.

[McLovin']

I want to see this so bad in theaters :(

[Mo-Nercy]

I really want to see this. DiCaprio went up a few levels in my books after Blood Diamond and that American remake of Infernal Affairs (forget the name).

And also - Ellen Page <3

[Araciel]

It was an enjoyable experience, even though we were in the second row.. that is, RIGHT in front of the screen.

[I Took the Red Pill]

One of the most intellectually satisfying and entertaining movies I've seen in recent years.

[Rase]

It was an enjoyable experience, even though we were in the second row.. that is, RIGHT in front of the screen.
Same.

Also, I did not know Cillian Murphy was in this. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. Overall, movie was fantastic.

[Raistlin]

I have to disagree in part with some of the hype.

It was a good and entertaining movie, but I think future reflection will show it wasn't much more than that. The pacing was rushed as they tried to cram so much into 2.5 hours; I thought they focused too much on action instead of really delving into Fisher's development and the process of trying to plant the inception (which was a really, really cool concept); and the ending, though quite well done, was predictable.

Overall, very good, original movie that is well worth seeing. But it will not be considered on the level of The Matrix in three years.

[charliepanayi]

One thing it will have over The Matrix is it won't have two terrible sequels.

I thought it was technically fantastic, and a great cast, but I'm not sure it completely engaged me, it felt a little empty when it was over. But it was certainly impressive, and in contrast to most summer films it doesn't treat its audience like idiots.

[Raistlin]

One thing it will have over The Matrix is it won't have two terrible sequels.

Yeah, when I say The Matrix, I only meant the first one. The second two just warrant disregard for their existence.

[Rad Bromance]

If you can see it in the theater, DO IT. It was totally made for the big screen.

If you have to go to the bathroom during the film and can hold it, DO IT. If you miss more than a second you're going to be completely lost.

Honestly though, I had no idea how long it was when I went to see it and when I looked at the time after it was over I couldn't believe I was sitting there watching it for two and a half hours...it only felt like I was in there for about an hour, hour and fifteen minutes at best. It's that engrossing.

I won't try to say it's the best movie ever or anything, but it's hands down the best film I've seen this year.

[McLovin']

It was pretty good. The concept of the dream within a dream stuff was really interesting. I think they could have talked about the mechanics of everything a bit better in the beginning. It was very rushed and just all lead up to the point where they begin their mission. If they had the beginning down this movie would be perfect.

[Goldenboko]

...wow.

[The Man]

I thought it was superb. If Borges had written a blockbuster it probably would've come out something like this. I can't really think of any higher praise than that. The fact that there are at least two different ways to interpret what happened makes it even more enthralling in my book.

[BG-57]

Best movie I've seen this year. The trailer is full of confusing imagery, but in context it all makes sense. It's rare to see an intelligent blockbuster, but this manages to be intricate yet understandable. I was only lost when I was supposed to be, despite navigating all the levels of reality.

Here's a question, if the ending is interpreted to mean that the reality that Cobb has returned to is in fact itself a dream state, does that mean that all the other characters merely projections of his mind? If so I think that three of the other main characters could represent aspects of his mind in Freudian terms: Arthur is the Ego (rational mind), Ariadne is Superego (conscience) and Moll is Id (instinctual desire). Of course you could interpret it the ending the other way (since the top is wobbling a little).

[McLovin']

Best movie I've seen this year. The trailer is full of confusing imagery, but in context it all makes sense. It's rare to see an intelligent blockbuster, but this manages to be intricate yet understandable. I was only lost when I was supposed to be, despite navigating all the levels of reality.

Here's a question, if the ending is interpreted to mean that the reality that Cobb has returned to is in fact itself a dream state, does that mean that all the other characters merely projections of his mind? If so I think that three of the other main characters could represent aspects of his mind in Freudian terms: Arthur is the Ego (rational mind), Ariadne is Superego (conscience) and Moll is Id (instinctual desire). Of course you could interpret it the ending the other way (since the top is wobbling a little).

I don't really see even how it can be another dream. Last we saw him was in limbo (or a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream or something) and I assume that he somehow got himself and Seito out of there. How, I don't even know. But if he didn't get him out and it was still a dream then...wtf right?

[Vivisteiner]

Bloody amazing film. Really really good.



At the end, I think he was still dreaming. His kids were still exactly the same, in the same clothes, the simplicity of him coming home with everything going to plan was also like a dream come true. And I don't see how shooting himself would have allowed him to escape from limbo as presumably he was still being affected by the sedative. I guess he could've just waited it out though.

I do want to see the movie again though for sure.

[Ouch!]

The problem in believing that the end was a dream is that it is not supported anywhere in the narrative. We can know that the reality he returned to is reality because we have seen his totem topple in it before. Unless the transition from reality to another dream (for which Cobb requires the use of the machine) happens off screen, everything adds up to the final scene taking place in reality. One could suppose that such a transition from reality to dream occurs off screen, but I won't accuse Nolan of such shoddy storytelling. One might just assume that the whole movie was actually a dream and that we were told about his totem wasn't necessarily true, but that sort of distrust for an entire narrative leaves the story meaningless anyway.

[Vivisteiner]

The problem in believing that the end was a dream is that it is not supported anywhere in the narrative. We can know that the reality he returned to is reality because we have seen his totem topple in it before. Unless the transition from reality to another dream (for which Cobb requires the use of the machine) happens off screen, everything adds up to the final scene taking place in reality. One could suppose that such a transition from reality to dream occurs off screen, but I won't accuse Nolan of such shoddy storytelling. One might just assume that the whole movie was actually a dream and that we were told about his totem wasn't necessarily true, but that sort of distrust for an entire narrative leaves the story meaningless anyway.
I think you are mistaken. The toppling of the totem was observed before he entered the dreams. To see if he escaped from the dreams we would've needed to have seen if the totem fell or not in the final scene. Just because the world seemed like reality didn't mean it was reality. His mind could have created 'reality' because he knows what it is like.

Thus we have no clue if he is in reality or not in the final scene but there are fairly strong hints that it is still a dream, which I have outlined already. Bear in mind that this viewpoint does not require any distrust in the entire narrative as it would fit perfectly well with the beginning being reality (although that too is a point of contention).

As a final point, I think the dream ending, if it's true, raises some interesting questions. At the end of the day, does it really matter whether it's a dream or whether it's reality? Surely all that matters to him is whether he thinks it's a dream or reality?


In summary, I think that his journey went like this:

Reality ------> Dream -----> Dream which is like a perfect, plausible reality

But the initial reality may have been a dream itself. Remember how he was chased by unknown agents in terrifying circumstances and then how he squeezes through a bizarre little hole tiype thing? Is it a fantastical reality or simply a dream?



EDIT: Just came across an awesome article echoing and expanding upon my viewpoint:

NEVER WAKE UP: THE MEANING AND SECRET OF INCEPTION (http://chud.com/articles/articles/24477/1/NEVER-WAKE-UP-THE-MEANING-AND-SECRET-OF-INCEPTION/Page1.html)

[Depression Moon]

I don't like you all speaking in code. Dang man I need to see this.

[Ouch!]

To all that I say: it wobbled.

[Vivisteiner]

To all that I say: it wobbled.
Even if that means it was going to fall (which I'm not sure it did) it still doesn't mean that it wasn't a dream. Many argue that all the totem really presented was whether he believed it was a dream or reality. There is no reason why he couldn't have created the totem rule inside the dream level he was initially on - there is no reason why its behaviour must be some fundamental truth

[Ouch!]

To all that I say: it wobbled.
Even if that means it was going to fall (which I'm not sure it did) it still doesn't mean that it wasn't a dream. Many argue that all the totem really presented was whether he believed it was a dream or reality. There is no reason why he couldn't have created the totem rule inside the dream level he was initially on - there is no reason why its behaviour must be some fundamental truth
Except that the film says it is a fundamental truth. If you want to go ahead and believe that everything was a dream and the totem is just part of his dream, then you're back to square one where you can't believe anything, and that's just useless.

[Vivisteiner]

To all that I say: it wobbled.
Even if that means it was going to fall (which I'm not sure it did) it still doesn't mean that it wasn't a dream. Many argue that all the totem really presented was whether he believed it was a dream or reality. There is no reason why he couldn't have created the totem rule inside the dream level he was initially on - there is no reason why its behaviour must be some fundamental truth
Except that the film says it is a fundamental truth. If you want to go ahead and believe that everything was a dream and the totem is just part of his dream, then you're back to square one where you can't believe anything, and that's just useless.
I don't think the film did say that. Have you got a quote?

I don't think it's useless at all. I think the whole point Nolan is trying to get across is that the dreams were important, they had meaning. Just because they weren't real didn't mean they were irrelevant. You saw the experiences the group went through together, the emotions, the struggle - even if it was but a dream, it was still more than 'just' a dream. In fact, if they hadn't known it was a dream, how would they tell it apart from reality?

[Raistlin]

Upon further reflecting, and seeing the disputes in this thread on its meaning, I'm going to have to take back what I said about the ending being even reasonably well done, despite my earlier criticism. It was trashy writing just meant to get some cheap gasps.

Reasons why the ending was likely a dream:

1. There was no kick, and Cobb was under a sedative, so reality would becontradicting everything we were told in the movie.
2. The kids looked just like in the dream.
3. Things moved very fast, everything worked out perfectly.
4. The top spun a long-ass time.


Reasons why the ending likely was reality:

1. Cobb and (possibly) Seito otherwise magically teleporting onto the airplane, so a dream would be contradicting everything we were told in the movie.
2. Seito not being an old man when he "woke up." Though this could be explained by both Seitos being a projection, which would be consistent with the dream theory without contradicting everything.
3. The top wobbled for a split-second, and so a dream would be contradicting everything we were told in the movie.

Either way, something completely contradicted a basic premise of the movie. The very end, top-spinning part just seemed like a last-second thought just thrown in haphazardly to be cool and make people be all "whoa!" at the end, without going through the effort of making either possibility very coherent. It spun a while then wobbled to give the illusion of a major cliffhanger, but both possibilities aren't possible -- in fact, both possibilities are flatly impossible. The ending was rushed like the rest of the movie, only much more so to make these flaws more glaring.

EDIT: I will say that when I first came out of the theater, I concluded that it was a dream. I think that is still most likely. But I also think it was so haphazardly thrown together that the choice is pretty almost meaningless.

[Vivisteiner]

Reasons why the ending likely was reality:

1. Cobb and (possibly) Seito otherwise magically teleporting onto the airplane, so a dream would be contradicting everything we were told in the movie.
2. Seito not being an old man when he "woke up." Though this could be explained by both Seitos being a projection, which would be consistent with the dream theory without contradicting everything.
3. The top wobbled for a split-second, and so a dream would be contradicting everything we were told in the movie.


1. I'm not arguing that there's some kind of magical teleportation. Instead I'm arguing that Cobb proceeded to kill himself in limbo. As a result, because he was still under the sedative, he would have probably just gone into a deeper dream state instead of returning to reality. In this dream state he created projections of his fellow team members.

2. The reason why Seito is young at the end is probably because he is a projection of Cobb's mind and not the real Seito.

3. A wobble doesn't mean that it was going to fall. And anyway, the top only reflects Cobb's belief as to whether he is in reality or not. If the film started inside a dream, what happens to the top is meaningless as it's merely a creation of his mind anyway (and so it only reflects his mind, not reality).


Overall I thought the ending was excellent and it really made you reflect on what was really going on. It opens up all sorts of alleyways of thought and by consequence a vast array of interesting discussions.

[BG-57]

I think we're meant to draw our own conclusion about the ending. It seemed to be deliberately ambiguous to me. I prefer the 'happy' ending because:

A) Cobb deserves a break after all he's been through.

B) The other characters deserve to have real lives, not as projections of someone else's psyche.

My reasons are emotional I'll freely grant. The alternative interpretation is a real jerk-around moment. It was all meaningless! Poor you!

[Raistlin]

1. I'm not arguing that there's some kind of magical teleportation. Instead I'm arguing that Cobb proceeded to kill himself in limbo. As a result, because he was still under the sedative, he would have probably just gone into a deeper dream state instead of returning to reality. In this dream state he created projections of his fellow team members.

2. The reason why Seito is young at the end is probably because he is a projection of Cobb's mind and not the real Seito.

3. A wobble doesn't mean that it was going to fall. And anyway, the top only reflects Cobb's belief as to whether he is in reality or not. If the film started inside a dream, what happens to the top is meaningless as it's merely a creation of his mind anyway (and so it only reflects his mind, not reality).

1. So behind the scenes, Cobb goes and kills himself... which he knew wouldn't work. If you can figure out some believable reason for him to try that, then I concede to the possibility. You have to make some pretty big assumptions, though.

2. I conceded that was a possibility.

3. IIRC, Cobb stated in the movie that the top was his little icon thing, because in a dream it would spin perfectly forever. It sure seems like the little swivel at the end was put there just to fabricate this sort of mystery, because it sure seems like the majority of the rest of the available evidence points to the ending being a dream, hence my criticism of slipping in some manufactured mystery for some cheap gasps.

I actually liked the ending when I thought all signs pointed to it being a dream. But there are still some holes in that.

[Vivisteiner]

1. I'm not arguing that there's some kind of magical teleportation. Instead I'm arguing that Cobb proceeded to kill himself in limbo. As a result, because he was still under the sedative, he would have probably just gone into a deeper dream state instead of returning to reality. In this dream state he created projections of his fellow team members.

2. The reason why Seito is young at the end is probably because he is a projection of Cobb's mind and not the real Seito.

3. A wobble doesn't mean that it was going to fall. And anyway, the top only reflects Cobb's belief as to whether he is in reality or not. If the film started inside a dream, what happens to the top is meaningless as it's merely a creation of his mind anyway (and so it only reflects his mind, not reality).

1. So behind the scenes, Cobb goes and kills himself... which he knew wouldn't work. If you can figure out some believable reason for him to try that, then I concede to the possibility. You have to make some pretty big assumptions, though.

2. I conceded that was a possibility.

3. IIRC, Cobb stated in the movie that the top was his little icon thing, because in a dream it would spin perfectly forever. It sure seems like the little swivel at the end was put there just to fabricate this sort of mystery, because it sure seems like the majority of the rest of the available evidence points to the ending being a dream, hence my criticism of slipping in some manufactured mystery for some cheap gasps.

I actually liked the ending when I thought all signs pointed to it being a dream. But there are still some holes in that.


1. I think he would have shot himself because he was carrying his gun and that was exactly the way he escaped from limbo last time. He may have assumed that this would lead him to blank out until he eventually returned to reality. It's possible that that really did happen. Or, on the other hand, he could've entered a new dream. I'm not exactly sure what the mechanics are in such a situation.

3. That's the point - it was Cobb who said it. So it was a truth to Cobb - and that's all the mattered. Since Cobb is the one dreaming, the way he perceives what the spinning totem means is all that matters. The reality of the mystery is not, in my eyes, about whether it is a dream or reality. The reality of the mystery is what Cobb perceives it to be. Perhaps the little swivel is a representation of the uncertainty in Cobb's mind?

[McLovin']

[

EDIT: Just came across an awesome article echoing and expanding upon my viewpoint:

NEVER WAKE UP: THE MEANING AND SECRET OF INCEPTION (http://chud.com/articles/articles/24477/1/NEVER-WAKE-UP-THE-MEANING-AND-SECRET-OF-INCEPTION/Page1.html)[/spoiler]

Very very interesting.

EDIT: Except there is ONE thing that completely discredits this theory and that is the fact that in every dream sequence Cobb is wearing his wedding ring. In every reality sequence he is not. In the final scene the ring can be seen.

Anyone up for the idea that the ending is Nolan's inception on the audience? With the spinning top he planted the smallest seed of doubt in peoples minds; an idea that the ending is not real. That idea has now blossomed into all the fanciful theories we are hearing....

[The Man]

<span style="font: 16px Candara, Skia, Corbel, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, Geneva, Helvetica, Lucida, 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; color: #38bcee;">I'd like to point out that it's also entirely possible that the entire thing was a dream and Ariadne, Seito, and all the other characters are projections created by Cobb's mind to convince himself that he's in the real world. This seems less likely, but it's still possible.

In any case, the only way we know the top falling would be indicative of the real world is because Cobb said so. How does he know this? He never specifies. It could be entirely possible that he just believes the top falling would be indicative of the real world.

At any rate, I don't think we're supposed to know for certain whether the ending is a dream or not. It's pretty clearly intended to be ambiguous. The multitude of ways in which the film can be interpreted is one of the reasons I liked it so much.

And yes, the ending is definitely Nolan's inception on the audience.

[Del Murder]

Just saw it and it was a really great movie. Such a mind trip, especially the ending, which has sparked hot debates even in this forum!

Christopher Nolan is brilliant. To have completely conceptualized this movie (and Memento, another mind trip) takes a really complex mind. I can't even begin to spin my head around how he came up with some of this stuff.

The special effects were amazing too. Not Matrix-level mind blowing, but they were definitely innovative and stunning.

[Miriel]

I loved it.

I think if the movie had been edited a little tighter, cut maybe 20 minutes, it would have been absolutely perfect. Nolan had the same issue with the Dark Knight. About 20 minutes too long.

It was a wonderful mindtrip, like Memento was. And so SO beautiful to watch. That last dream world was so beautiful in its wispy, dusty, crumbliness. Exactly how I would picture the forgotten corners of a person's subconscious. The action sequences were great too, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so cute and badass at the same time. The whole cast was perfect I think.

Thumbs up! :up:

[Bunny]

It was a very good movie.

[Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World]

I just want to point out that the top still spinning doesn't really matter. According to Cobb it was his wife's totem, not his. And it was also said that you can't let others touch your totem and risk them getting to know it. It was originally Moll's totem. Seito also touched it while they were in limbo.

Make of it what you will.

[Slothy]

1. So behind the scenes, Cobb goes and kills himself... which he knew wouldn't work. If you can figure out some believable reason for him to try that, then I concede to the possibility. You have to make some pretty big assumptions, though.

There's no reason to think that he did know killing himself wouldn't work. As far as he knew, it was what he did before to get out of Limbo, whether he really escaped or not. And if you didn't notice, when he got to Limbo where Saito was both were confused about what was happening. As though they had entered a dream and only half remembered where they were and why. If we assume the rest of the movie was real (as Cobb would even if it were a dream) it's entirely possible he wouldn't even remember that he was sedated. Or perhaps even more importantly, he may have waited the sedative out and then they killed themselves. In which case, the ending being a dream would suggest that he was never awake to begin with and killing himself in a dream to wake himself up never really worked to begin with.

[Rase]

I just want to point out that the top still spinning doesn't really matter. According to Cobb it was his wife's totem, not his. And it was also said that you can't let others touch your totem and risk them getting to know it. It was originally Moll's totem. Seito also touched it while they were in limbo.

Make of it what you will.
Seito "touching" Cobb's totem in Limbo did not strike me as breaking this rule, as it as in a dream. He never physically touched it, so he can not know the weight and dimensions of it. As for Moll, I took the "no one touch your totem" thing to mean that way only you knew the dimensions, weight, etc. While Moll obviously knew these things when living, after she died it hardly mattered.

[Del Murder]

My take on the ending:

I think it's left purposely open ended for people to interpret it how they want. Whether he was still in the dream, reality, or hell even if the whole damn movie was a dream, it's up to the viewer. If you asked Nolan he probably wouldn't have a definitive answer. For me, the top was wobbling and about to fall over and that was enough evidence for me that he was in reality. The other reasons would be that many layers of dream is too damn confusing and also I like happy endings. :)

[Bunny]

I think it's left purposely open ended for people to interpret it how they want. Whether he was still in the dream, reality, or hell even if the whole damn movie was a dream, it's up to the viewer. If you asked Nolan he probably wouldn't have a definitive answer. For me, the top was wobbling and about to fall over and that was enough evidence for me that he was in reality. The other reasons would be that many layers of dream is too damn confusing and also I like happy endings. :)

This is basically my opinion of the ending. Though I was a bit tired when I watched it and almost fell asleep due to only have two hours of bad sleep in 30 hours.

[Miriel]

Do we have to keep up this spoiler business? If you haven't watched the movie, GTFO!

The whole point of that ending was to be ambiguous. It's like Nolan did an inception on the whole audience. Planted this idea, this nugget of an idea right from the start of the movie with the whole totem business. And then took the audience on a wild ride, building and building on this idea until you get to that last scene. And everything that came before and combined with that ending was meant to make you question, doubt and think. Nolan was the architect, we were all in a shared "dream" or quite literally, a shared cinematic experience. So on that purely cinematic level, I think Nolan's achieved something truly incredible. How many movies are there that spark this kind of discussion? I've read SO many interpretations of the ending (they're still in limbo, they're in reality, the ENTIRE movie was a dream, Ariadne was doing an inception on Cobb, etc), and each one makes me think and wonder. And I know there's a ton of people going in for repeat viewings because they want to catch all the little details that might clue us in on the ending.

Some interesting things to point out:

Ariadne - In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the immortal wife of the wine-god Dionysos, as well as the daughter of King Minos of Krete. She assisted Theseus in his quest to slay the Minotaur, and helped him along in his journey through the labyrinth and eventually to escape from it.

The name is meaningful I think.

Also, Nolan and other cast members have said that at the ending, it's more important to listen than to see. In my theater, there was too much, "Ahhhgghg" going on to really hear anything.

A lot of the evidence is pointing towards the fact that the ending is a dream. But I don't think accepting it as reality is the wrong conclusion. Cobb spun the totem but didn't even wait to see if it fell, he just left it and ran to his children. Which to me says that Cobb accepted this as his reality regardless of the totem. And if he accepted it as his reality, and continues to live that life as his reality, is it the wrong conclusion for the audience to accept it as reality too? I choose to believe that Cobb and Saito both managed to come back from limbo. Thinking otherwise would break my heart. Either way, reality, dream, limbo, whatever, Cobb's catharsis was still real. And I'd like to believe that Ariadne was the catalyst for that and she, like her Greek predecessor, did lead Cobb out of the labyrinth.

God, the more I think about this movie, the more I love it. I think it's an even more thought provoking film than the Matrix was, and I do love me some Matrix.

[Raistlin]

KSK does Inception. (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/07/brrraaaaaahhhmmm-interception-bbbrrrrraaaahhhhmmmm.html) (spoiler warning)

"Ariadne: What’ll we do? I could try all that fancy building shifting stuff I pulled out when my character was first introduced and then never used again. On second thought… no."

If I had to pick one, I think the ending was probably a dream. It just makes the most sense given what the movie says. The "entire movie was a dream" theory is just too big of a stretch; though technically possible, it just rests exclusively on loads of assumptions. Someone mentioned before that Cobb always has his wedding ring on when he's dreaming, which is an excellent catch and a very persuasive piece of evidence for the ending being a dream.

[JKTrix]

I'm planning on watching it again in the next couple of days to pick out more details, but I believe that in the ending sequence the random people in the airport were looking at Cobb as if they were someone else's subconscious projections.

[Miriel]

EDIT: Except there is ONE thing that completely discredits this theory and that is the fact that in every dream sequence Cobb is wearing his wedding ring. In every reality sequence he is not. In the final scene the ring can be seen.


Are you sure about this? Because other people are saying that he is definitely NOT wearing his ring during the final scenes. And if the ring serves as the audience's totem, then it means the ending was reality.

[Ouch!]

EDIT: Except there is ONE thing that completely discredits this theory and that is the fact that in every dream sequence Cobb is wearing his wedding ring. In every reality sequence he is not. In the final scene the ring can be seen.


Are you sure about this? Because other people are saying that he is definitely NOT wearing his ring during the final scenes. And if the ring serves as the audience's totem, then it means the ending was reality.
I just got back from seeing the movie a second time. I was specifically looking for this, but after they wake up in the airplane, the camera never shows Cobb's left hand. The people in the airport were not looking at Cobb.

I also noticed the second time through that there is one point at which everything beyond could be a dream. When Cobb and Eames visit the chemist and he shows them the ten men sharing the dream in the basement, Cobb tests the sedative compound. When he wakes up from the memory of committing suicide in limbo, he runs into the bathroom to splash his face with water. Before he can spin his totem, he is interrupted by Seito. From this point forward, he never spins the totem again until the very end. It's possible that he hasn't actually woken up from the dream in the basement in Mombosa, but I still doubt it.

[McLovin']

EDIT: Except there is ONE thing that completely discredits this theory and that is the fact that in every dream sequence Cobb is wearing his wedding ring. In every reality sequence he is not. In the final scene the ring can be seen.


Are you sure about this? Because other people are saying that he is definitely NOT wearing his ring during the final scenes. And if the ring serves as the audience's totem, then it means the ending was reality.

Oh heh, I was actually just making an assumption. Because I just assumed it was reality and that he would have been wearing the ring. Hadn't fully thought about that the movie could have really differing views. Sorry :p

[blackmage_nuke]

Excuse me but Im going to rant it's praises for abit:
Just saw it and it is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. Pretty much everything about it was perfect. The way it had had action and suspense at the same time and I kept thinking the ending was near but the movie just kept going and climaxing over and over. And the music that just kept my heart pounding, and it was physically exhausting when I forgot to breathe. Those moments happen occasionally in movies but I have never had it happen for half an hour straight.
And the trailers were brilliant. It got you interested but didnt give you any expectations about the movie plot. Thats what trailers should.
And the ending credits! The way they showed the title of the movie three times im sure there is some hidden meaning behind that but I was too thrilled after the movie to think about it. (and the music choice at the very end of the credits was clever) it felt like a little hint for the few of us who stayed after the credits.
Theres probably alot more I swooned over when I saw the movie but im a bit too dazed at the moment to recall it all

One minor thing though:
I found it strange how after the first architect betrayed them they were so quick to trust three new members and what was especially surprising was how the two of them revealed how thier individual tokens worked to the new architect when they barely knew her.

edit: or did he not betray them and only got kicked off because of his lack of skill? im not sure

[Goldenboko]

One minor thing though:
I found it strange how after the first architect betrayed them they were so quick to trust three new members and what was especially surprising was how the two of them revealed how thier individual tokens worked to the new architect when they barely knew her.

edit: or did he not betray them and only got kicked off because of his lack of skill? im not sure

He betrayed them. However, I felt throughout that desperate times called for desperate measures. Cobb knew he had a time-limit for the inception (whenever the current president of that company died), and if they're new architect betrayed them mid-dream, they'd all be stuck in limbo after a failure anyway. If they failed the inception but got out of the dream Cobb was going to prison anyway, so it doesn't a betrayal after-the-fact probably didn't seem very pressing to Cobb either.

[blackmage_nuke]

In response to a few posts about the totem and the ending:
I think the totem only works as an indicator as to whether you are in someone elses dream. Since each individual knows how thier own totem works it will not work in thier own dreams. Since totems are ordinary objects with a slight unique variation if you are in someone else dream they will act and feel like their ordinary counterparts, but in your own dreams you can subconciously manipulate them to work like thier unique counter parts so they are no indication that you are dreaming. As such there is no indication at the end as to whether Cobb is in reality or dreaming

I also think the point of Cobb's totem was that in reality it was designed so it doesnt stop spinning. In the dream world it would topple at a normal rate which is shorter than it would in reality

However if that is not the case (edit, now that i think about it, it likely isnt the case) then Cobb's totem is strange in that it works in the exact opposite way as the other totems. Where the other totems are normal items with strange properties in reality (dice is loaded, chess piece has a hole in it) Cobb's totem is a normal item with strange properties in the dream world (spins forever) which doesnt make as much sense as a totem indicating when you are in someone elses dream. It could only work as an indicator of whether you are in your own dream and even then it can only give you a positive result (if it spins forever) and not a negative result, as if it topples you cant tell if it was your subconcious toppling it

[Drift]

that rule of story writing about never ending it "it was all a dream"? yeah this movie threw it out the window xD movie was excellent. i'm personally not sure about what the ending meant yet. still thinking it through.

[blackmage_nuke]

"Ariadne: What’ll we do? I could try all that fancy building shifting stuff I pulled out when my character was first introduced and then never used again. On second thought… no."

I believe the whole dream mechanic works as such:
You have one 'main' dreamer, everyone else is a 'shared' dreamer. Thats pretty well backed up since throughout the movie they say "we're going to go into 'such and such's' dream". The main dreamer (with training) have complete control over the dream environment (at the begining when Ariadne was bending buildings she was the main dreamer and had a knack for it), the shared dreamers can also manipulate the dream but the main dreamer has priority control. However sometimes if one of the shared dreamers has an extremely powerful subconcious emotion it can come out and trump the main dreamer, like how Moll appears out of no where on the bridge during the girl's training dream and kills her. This dream trumping can also be done by training mental defenses as Fischer had done. When the plan was put into action Ariadne was not able to use her powerful manipulation abilities for two reasons i can think of

1- She was not the main dreamer, why? because the main dreamer had to be the one to stay behind and enter the rest of the shared dreamers into the next level, she had to follow Cobb all the way as she was the one who knew about his crazy subconcious
2- Everything Cobb said in the begining about how the more crazy things you do in the dream the more likely it is that the person you're trying to fool will figure out and all the subconcious onlookers will attack you.

Also I feel a lot of the people (not anyone in particular) saying "the ending is a dream" are only saying that because it's the edgy ending. I cant think of any reason the ending couldnt be reality, that it couldnt just be a straight foward story with a straight foward happy ending. I think people say "it's a dream" because they want it to be a dream and then they go on to reject the theory that it's reality as unrealistic becuase it's the "happy ending" when really they themselves seek the "sad ending" because thats the ending theyve gotten use to in past years and it makes them happy to think that way.

Im not argueing for or against either theory, I accept both possibilities

edit: though i didnt notice the ring thing, that would be a clear indicator but i dont know if he's wearing the ring or not because i wasnt paying attention to it

edit: More relating to my previous post about totems
Now that I think about it Cobb's totem does make quite abit of sense. If he is really the 'best' extractor there is then he would be able to manipulate it to spin forever regardless of the 'main' dreamers manipulation. (in my previous post when i said "someone elses dream" i was refering to a main dreamer)

Something I dont think they covered:
How and why did Cobb and Mal go into the first limbo? What were they doing at the time? It only shows them waking up on the floor, there is no one else around that they were trying to extract information from and no one to operate the machine. If there isnt an answer it begs the golden question presented in the film "How did they get there". This seems to support the "the entire movie is a dream" theory

[Slothy]

Also I feel a lot of the people (not anyone in particular) saying "the ending is a dream" are only saying that because it's the edgy ending. I cant think of any reason the ending couldnt be reality, that it couldnt just be a straight foward story with a straight foward happy ending.

I personally subscribe to the idea that the entire thing was a dream upon a lot of reflection (at least until I can watch it a few more times), but regardless, I'd say that Cobb's kids not having aged a day and even being in the exact same position playing as they were the day he left is a pretty strong indicator that the end was a dream all on it's own. Not to even mention how quickly and cleanly everything wrapped up in the end. It was like he woke up and everyone's there and he's home a minute later. It was just such a sped up, neat and tidy happy ending that it all seems more like a dream than an ending that actually takes place in the real world.

[Goldenboko]

Also I feel a lot of the people (not anyone in particular) saying "the ending is a dream" are only saying that because it's the edgy ending. I cant think of any reason the ending couldnt be reality, that it couldnt just be a straight foward story with a straight foward happy ending.

I personally subscribe to the idea that the entire thing was a dream upon a lot of reflection (at least until I can watch it a few more times), but regardless, I'd say that Cobb's kids not having aged a day and even being in the exact same position playing as they were the day he left is a pretty strong indicator that the end was a dream all on it's own. Not to even mention how quickly and cleanly everything wrapped up in the end. It was like he woke up and everyone's there and he's home a minute later. It was just such a sped up, neat and tidy happy ending that it all seems more like a dream than an ending that actually takes place in the real world.

This.

[blackmage_nuke]

Was there an indication of how much time had passed since he left? I thought it was only a matter of months. Though the exact same position thing is a bit odd but not completely impossible in reality

[Slothy]

Impossible? No. Highly improbable? Hell yeah. What are the odds that they're wearing the same clothes, same haircuts, and playing in the exact same spot and the exact same way as when he left?

And even though they didn't indicate how much time had passed, those kids are young enough that they should have physically changed in some way even if it was only months later. Though I find it unlikely it had only been months. Cobb seemed pretty well established as a person who could retrieve information through dreams at that point. Too well established and familiar with life on the run if you ask me for it to have just been a few months if you ask me.

[Miriel]

Impossible? No. Highly improbable? Hell yeah. What are the odds that they're wearing the same clothes, same haircuts, and playing in the exact same spot and the exact same way as when he left?

And even though they didn't indicate how much time had passed, those kids are young enough that they should have physically changed in some way even if it was only months later. Though I find it unlikely it had only been months. Cobb seemed pretty well established as a person who could retrieve information through dreams at that point. Too well established and familiar with life on the run if you ask me for it to have just been a few months if you ask me.

According to people who have seen multiple viewings of Inception to catch little stuff like this, the kids aren't wearing the same clothes as in the dreams. Similar, but not identical. And they're not in the same spot in the backyard either. Different positions, different time of day.

It could still be a dream that Cobb's constructed a bit differently in order to convince himself it's reality, but there are differences in the kids appearance and position at the end of the film.

As for the ring/no ring thing, apparently you can see Cobb's ring finger when he hands over his passport, and there's no ring to be seen.

[Goldenboko]

Same exact clothes too.

EDIT: Vivi22 got it xD

[blackmage_nuke]

Though I find it unlikely it had only been months. Cobb seemed pretty well established as a person who could retrieve information through dreams at that point. Too well established and familiar with life on the run if you ask me for it to have just been a few months if you ask me.

I thought he was already an extractor before the fiasco with his wife. I seem to recall something about the grandfather teaching him.

[Goldenboko]

Though I find it unlikely it had only been months. Cobb seemed pretty well established as a person who could retrieve information through dreams at that point. Too well established and familiar with life on the run if you ask me for it to have just been a few months if you ask me.

I thought he was already an extractor before the fiasco with his wife. I seem to recall something about the grandfather teaching him.

Being good at being on the run has nothing to do with him being an extractor, merely with him being able to avoid the extradition to America for the murder of this wife.

[blackmage_nuke]

Well I cant say for certain but I dont think it's ever declared whether being an extractor is legal (I assume not unless he's extracting for the government) If he was an extractor before hand no doubt he would have had to get used to covert operations since it involves a lot traveling and secrecy, being good at being on the run wouldnt be a big leap from there. And even if he were doing it legally most of the time he'd have to hide his identity from his targets so I can imagine he already has the fake identities and con artist thing going. Also since he fled the country I dont think America would be trying to track him all over the world over one murder of for all they know was probably just a normal housewife, unless they were both government workers, i get a strange feeling they were but everything is starting to get hazy so i dont know.

Also its hard to say whether the kids moved in with their grandmother or their grandmother moved in with the kids (or maybe everyone was already living together) But if it was the former, would it be so hard to imagine that coming back home after months that the kids would go back to their favourite play spot? Like Cobb said, his son was digging for something, maybe he burried something there and wanted to see if it was still there?

[Raistlin]

According to people who have seen multiple viewings of Inception to catch little stuff like this, the kids aren't wearing the same clothes as in the dreams. Similar, but not identical. And they're not in the same spot in the backyard either. Different positions, different time of day.

What about the lack of any aging and being in that exact same position (and even same lighting too, IIRC)?

There are certainly issues with the ending being a dream, largely due to the forced ambiguity. But there sure seems to be a lot more contradictions and necessary assumptions if you conclude the ending is reality.

[Ouch!]

According to people who have seen multiple viewings of Inception to catch little stuff like this, the kids aren't wearing the same clothes as in the dreams. Similar, but not identical. And they're not in the same spot in the backyard either. Different positions, different time of day.

What about the lack of any aging and being in that exact same position (and even same lighting too, IIRC)?

There are certainly issues with the ending being a dream, largely due to the forced ambiguity. But there sure seems to be a lot more contradictions and necessary assumptions if you conclude the ending is reality.
For the question of aging, at least, the movie never specifies how long Cobb has been on the run. Given the phone conversation he has with his children in the beginning of the movie where his son is still asking about when their mother is coming back, it would seem to me that Mol's death is still fairly recent.

[blackmage_nuke]

As I said its hard to gauge how much time passed since he left, assuming it was a year is as much an assumtion as assuming it were a month. The strange lighting might represent how he was dazed and the reality became 'dreamlike'. Have you ever had that moment when you are with someone and it feels like you're the only people in the world?

edit: ^Ive been looking for that exact phone conversation because thats what I felt would be the best indicator but Ive only found vague summaries


Not to even mention how quickly and cleanly everything wrapped up in the end. It was like he woke up and everyone's there and he's home a minute later. It was just such a sped up, neat and tidy happy ending that it all seems more like a dream than an ending that actually takes place in the real world.
You might not have noticed but it actually does that through the entire movie EXCEPT when theyre in the dream world. Cobb travels from place to place with seemless time breaks, things happen one after the other very quickly and cleanly.
Example:
He needs a new architect
he imediately appears at a university to talks to his father in law, he mentions an architect he knows
Ariadne appears litterally (i think) in the next shot they are suddenly in the coriddor
All of the sudden theyre on the roof

Later they have a training montage.

The fact that it wraps up cleanly is just as much an arguement that its reality as much as it is an arguement that the whole movie is a dream!

And as you said the neat tidy happy ending that seems like a dream, maybe its telling us that dreams can come true.

[The Man]

This (http://www.theawl.com/2010/07/the-key-to-inception-its-a-movie-about-making-movies) is probably the best explanation of the film I've read to date.

[Psychotic]

I saw it, and it's not half bad. Some pretty sweet action scenes and the movie kept your brain on its toes.

I think it dragged on a little, though. That scene in the snow at the end was pretty much pointless.
My take on the ending:

I think it's left purposely open ended for people to interpret it how they want. Whether he was still in the dream, reality, or hell even if the whole damn movie was a dream, it's up to the viewer. If you asked Nolan he probably wouldn't have a definitive answer. For me, the top was wobbling and about to fall over and that was enough evidence for me that he was in reality. The other reasons would be that many layers of dream is too damn confusing and also I like happy endings. :)Yes!

[I Took the Red Pill]

I've seen it 2+ times now, I work at a movie theater so sometimes I'll sneak into Inception and watch part of it to see if I can catch anything else, and in my opinion one of two things is happening:

1. The end is straight up real, period. He lives happily ever after with his kids. For me this is a strong possibility. We are shown (I believe) two times during the movie in which the top falls over. Barring the possibility that literally everything is a dream (which I'll get to), I just feel the whole being on a plane, getting off, going through customs etc. fits in too nicely with the scenes where we see the top wobble. He clearly wants to get home to his kids more than anything, as we can hear the pain and longing in his voice when he talks to them over the phone. If Saito is really as connected as he claims to be (and I certainly feel like he is, with lines like "I bought the airline"), then it really isn't too much of a stretch to believe that he could get him through customs and to his children. Also, and this is a less rigorous point, I just feel there's not much "strangeness" to the dream. They seem to take a very normal flight, have a very normal landing and a very normal trip through customs. I understand that the "strangeness" of some of the other dream levels (i.e. the sudden storm and gravity shift while Cobb and Fischer are at the bar) is due to macroscopic effects in a lesser dream state (in this case, Yusuf's driving), but to me if accept the fact that Cobb was not dreaming for at least part of the movie, the ending is real.

2. The whole movie is a dream, and Cobb has yet to wake up. There really is no straightforward evidence for this, but I feel like it is suggested by quite a few scenes. First off, when he is talking to his children over the phone, that whole conversation seems very dreamlike in nature. Whether it's the "When are you coming home Daddy?" or the "She's shaking her head no" when Cobb asks to talk to his mother, to me it just felt like the type of conversation that would occur in a dream. Second and probably more convincing to me is the whole "Coble Engineering" thing. It just seems really strange to me. Think about how bizarre the scene in which Cobb recruits Eames is. The following scene with a bunch of Coble Engineering suits chasing after Cobb after he jumps out of a second story window seems very dreamlike to me.

In the end, I think the top wobbling and then cutting away was not meant for as much scrutinizing and nitpicking as the internet has given it (though it was clearly bound to happen with an ending like that); I think it's more likely that it was a very simple, succinct way for Nolan to end the film with: "But what if he's still dreaming?" I can make no conjectures in positivity, and I think that was Nolan's aim. The skepticality that remains is what defines the movie.

[BarelySeeAtAll]

...all your debating etc is giving me a headache >_<.

Therefore I say: it was a good film :jess: Though I found myself asking what the time was and how long left it had. The ending was really...not sure, but the whole thing was just simply..amazing. Breath taking.

[blackmage_nuke]

Yes I agree with I took the red pill, I think the spinning top isnt just 'tacked on' for a cheap 'woah' as Raistlin says. Nolan very deliberately and skillfully balanced both possibile ending interpretations (dream or real, there are more than two but those are the main obvious ones) precisely so that neither ending has any more probability over the other

ALso I hate to quote myself but I really want to discuss:

How and why did Cobb and Mal go into the first limbo? What were they doing at the time? It only shows them waking up on the floor, there is no one else around that they were trying to extract information from and no one to operate the machine. If there isnt an answer it begs the golden question presented in the film "How did they get there". This seems to support the "the entire movie is a dream" theory

Infact I cant think of anything that describes the past of Cobb or anyone elses for that matter besides Fisher (the photo with the pinwheel) before Cobb's first time in limbo.

[I Took the Red Pill]

ALso I hate to quote myself but I really want to discuss:

How and why did Cobb and Mal go into the first limbo? What were they doing at the time? It only shows them waking up on the floor, there is no one else around that they were trying to extract information from and no one to operate the machine. If there isnt an answer it begs the golden question presented in the film "How did they get there". This seems to support the "the entire movie is a dream" theoryI believe that Cobb, being trained in the field of dream manipulation by his father, suggested that him and Mal share some dreams and explore the endless possibilities (to quote Adriadne: "It's pure creation"). Thing is, either by accident or on purpose, not sure, they ended up going too deep. They live in Limbo for a time until Cobb convinces Mal that they are dreaming, they are killed by the train, and then they wake up. When they wake up on the floor you can see the dream machine next to them. I assume Cobb just pressed the button that lulled them both into the dream state.

[Meat Puppet]

I’m waiting for my brother to wake up so I can go see it.

[Mo-Nercy]

I’m waiting for my brother to wake up so I can go see it.
"Kick" him. xD

I thought it was a great movie too. Also, I agree with Del (and others) with their opinion of the ending. Whether there's an actual answer or not - it still drew a audible gasp from the audience in my cinema. I think that was the desired effect.

[Jess]

Brilliant film. Easily one of the best I've seen in a good few years.

I can't remember the last time I watched a film and thought/talked about it for so long afterwards!

I want to see it again, to see the bits I missed the first time round.

Regarding the ending, was it reality/was he still dreaming?

Didn't they say the sedative would last the length of the flight? Isn't it just possible that he found Saito, the sedative wore off and they woke up?

As for the kids not changing physically, did we even see their faces before the end? I don't remember seeing their faces prior to when he returns home at the end of the movie.

I prefer to think it was reality, because when using the totem in the dreams previously, it never wobbled, it just kept spinning and spinning. It wobbling to me said 'reality'. Plus, I just like happy endings.

As for the wedding ring being the audiences totem, I didn't notice this. I'm going to keep an eye out for it in my second viewing.

Somebody mentioned why were Dom and Mol in limbo in the first place - didn't he mention to Ariadne that he and Mol were working together, seeing what they could create?

Ahhhhh, I need to see this again!

[Pheesh]

Wow, that was seriously awesome. I knew Nolan was a good director and film maker, but the way he managed to tie that plot together was, for me, a truly amazing thing to watch. I loved the concept (probably could have been explored a little deeper, but meh), and the action was amazing as well.

I'm going to stick with thinking it was a happy ending for the moment. Whether that's the right way to look at it or not doesn't really bother me, I just think the guy deserved a break.

[Ouch!]

Somebody mentioned why were Dom and Mol in limbo in the first place - didn't he mention to Ariadne that he and Mol were working together, seeing what they could create?
He said that they were doing experiments on the subconscious and he kept pushing to see how deep they could go and they eventually went so deep that they got stuck in Limbo.

[blackmage_nuke]

Im watching it again tommorow :D
Normally I would never pay to watch a movie twice but I think this is totally worth it
So I guess i'll be able to answer all my nagging questions, tempted to take notes during the movie but that would be weird

[Del Murder]

I remember when Miriel first asked if I wanted to go see this movie.

Miriel: Hey do you want to go see Inception?
Me: What's Inception?
Miriel: It's what Christopher Nolan has been doing instead of making more Batman.
Me: Aww, that bastard! I want more Batman. What the crap is he doing?

Well, if this is what he's giving us then I don't need to see more Batman anytime soon. :)

[BarelySeeAtAll]

..But Batman was pretty damn epic.

And Cillian is in both :jess: What more could you ask for

[Doomie]

I saw it twice in theaters, a few days apart. I'm thoroughly convinced that Leo picks the best roles. I honestly can't think of a bad movie he's made, within the past ten years or so. Not to mention his supporting cast is pretty epic.

As soon as the movie ended, even though it had already been released for quite a while by that point, the atmosphere in that room was: " What the smurf just happened." I was obsessing about it the next day, and decided that I needed to see it again. I'm even considering a third showing.

It's definitely a second-showing type of movie. Plenty of things I didn't really notice before, as I was too busy trying to follow the story around. His ring, for example.

Addition: I honestly don't think Nolan wobbled the top at the end to make people fuss and debate over whether the final sequence is dream or reality, though I'm sure he knew that's how people would react. I think the most important part of the ending is the fact that Cobb walks away from the top before he can find out whether it falls or not. It's a happy ending, regardless of whether he's in reality or not, because ultimately, Cobb got to be with his kids.

Also, according to some guy and imdb, the kids are wearing different shoes in the final scene. And on the cast list, two sets of actors play the children.

Second addition: I also disliked The Matrix. I fell asleep during the sequels, in theaters. Mind you, I also disliked Avatar. Just thought I'd get that out there.

[Depression Moon]

Yeah Last Airbender was terrible.

[Shlup]

The end was not a dream! I'll kill anyone who thinks it was! *runs away crying*

[charliepanayi]

This might have already been picked up on in the thread but this was an interesting thing to note about the music:

Hans Zimmer: Clever Clogs… « Danny Graydon (http://www.dannygraydon.com/2010/07/hans-zimmer-clever-clogs/)

[Shlup]

Ha, they made the pretty song scary. How cute of them.

[Pete for President]

ALso I hate to quote myself but I really want to discuss:

How and why did Cobb and Mal go into the first limbo? What were they doing at the time? It only shows them waking up on the floor, there is no one else around that they were trying to extract information from and no one to operate the machine. If there isnt an answer it begs the golden question presented in the film "How did they get there". This seems to support the "the entire movie is a dream" theoryI believe that Cobb, being trained in the field of dream manipulation by his father, suggested that him and Mal share some dreams and explore the endless possibilities (to quote Adriadne: "It's pure creation"). Thing is, either by accident or on purpose, not sure, they ended up going too deep. They live in Limbo for a time until Cobb convinces Mal that they are dreaming, they are killed by the train, and then they wake up. When they wake up on the floor you can see the dream machine next to them. I assume Cobb just pressed the button that lulled them both into the dream state.

I'm pretty sure Cobb mentioned they were experimenting with dream-sharing and that's where they learned about Limbo the hard way.

Anyway I think the start of this movie was kinda rushed and the motivations behind a few characters were a little sketchy. Cobb's wedding ring being the audience' totem seems really stretched as it's hardly ever shown clearly.

I believe the ending was reality. It's gut-feeling really.

Edit: I seem to unconsiously like finishing sentences with the letter 'y'.

[Doomie]

Its actually the opposite. There's quite a few clear shots of the ring, most notable when Cobb and Mal are waiting for the train.

INCEPTION: Wait.. What happened? | (http://revolvingdoorproject.net/2010/07/23/inception-what-happened-at-the-end/)

[Pete for President]

Its actually the opposite. There's quite a few clear shots of the ring, most notable when Cobb and Mal are waiting for the train.

INCEPTION: Wait.. What happened? | (http://revolvingdoorproject.net/2010/07/23/inception-what-happened-at-the-end/)

True. These are some clear shots, but I don't think the ring was shown deliberately as a totem. It would need more emphasis to make it clear for everyone.

[missaira]

trying not to over analyse it, but best ending ever.

[Peegee]

Its actually the opposite. There's quite a few clear shots of the ring, most notable when Cobb and Mal are waiting for the train.

INCEPTION: Wait.. What happened? | (http://revolvingdoorproject.net/2010/07/23/inception-what-happened-at-the-end/)

I'm getting flashbacks of matrix where people overanalysed the film after watching it. I liked the article but I already knew that he was in the real world - the totem wobbled. The totem doesn't wobble in the dream world.

Movie was very good imo - some people were mentioning a sequel but I didn't see any mention of sequels in wikipedia; regardless I would hate to see a sequel as there would be no point.

I actually managed to not fully understand the film after speaking with Zach! I didn't need to watch it again, but now that somebody up there mentioned 'the kids are wearing different shoes in the last scene', I need to watch it again now.

Boo.

[Dreddz]

This might have already been picked up on in the thread but this was an interesting thing to note about the music:

Hans Zimmer: Clever Clogs… « Danny Graydon (http://www.dannygraydon.com/2010/07/hans-zimmer-clever-clogs/)

God dammit I was just about to post that. Oh well.

Funny that I started this thread and didn't even bother to post my thoughts on the movie. I thought it was alright. Great music, decent performances and some really inspiring cinematography. I do think Nolan might be trying a tad too hard to be clever with his work. I think he expects a little too much from the audience. I feel as if I need to go back at least two more times to even understand what the hell I just watched which means I'm paying three times as much as i should to just "get it". Well you know what, FORGET THAT! Ima go watch Avatar again.

[The Man]

Sup dawg, we heard you like memes so we put some memes in your dream so you can meme while you dream (http://www.geekosystem.com/inception-memes/).

[McLovin']

http://www.geekosystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/in-your-dreams-e1280240379259.jpeg

lol

[Depression Moon]

Came back form seeing this movie a few hours ago and it was seriously an inspirational experience. Never have I seen such a good movie like this. I was and still am a bit upset about seeing this with my mother since I did miss the first ten minutes just about and with certain movies I don't like to miss jack.

Now for my detailed opinion. So glad I can finally talk in code.

I really liked how this movie dealt with the premise of dream manipulation. Messing with dreams in real-life seems to be fantastical though earlier this week an outside source did influence my dream while I was sleeping. My mother had the TV on while I was sleeping and I was in a department store. A large bear came in and started attacking people, eventually chasing and killing me. When I woke up a news report was on TV talking about a recent bear siting. I subconsciously heard the cast while sleeping and it interfered with my dream. Scary stuff. Of course this movie deals with that interaction in a grand way.

The center of the plot involved around Cog making a deal with that Asian's man's name, (I forgot what it was) to clear his criminal charges of his wife's death. The deal involves him entering the mind of a company CEO I believe, to find out the idea or safe combination to the company's secret plan. The rival company is losing business and is desperate to steal from their competitor so that they may be able to stay in business. I was wondering what kind of device they would use for this dream manipulation. Looked less techy than I thought and more medicinal like I loved how they crafted the psychology in this film, bringing in the familiar and adding on to something new. The formation of the team was intriguing, though I wish I had seen this movie again so I can be more detailed in my posts. I'm struggling to remember specifics.
A lot of great movies I watch seem to revolve around one premise rather than several like most do. If you didn't get that I mean that the movie's primary plot happens over the course of a day or with just one set goal. It seems like this formula or set up is one of the best and it certainly remains true here. Cog's character was interesting. His relationship with his dead wife played out in this movie was intelligently done. The dreams in this film weren't really outlandish like a know a lot ours can be, but I was suspecting that. Some people might not have taken this seriously if there were goofy dreams. Everything from how they explained the process of dream manipulation to a science and how it was visually done was astounding to me. I felt on the edge on those scenes where the Indian character (gosh I kept on forgetting names) was driving the van trying to avoid the dream guards, also at those last few moments when everything was coming to a close as the van was falling to the water.
That fight where slick haired dude (ugh, not again) was fighting more dream guards in the hallway. Something didn't really make sense to me a little after that though since Cog stated when the van was falling that the slick haired dude had about three minutes while everything he was doing from fighting guards to tying everyone up and putting them in the elevator in zero gravity had to take at least six minutes. That aside everything else was brillant. I found it cool how the team was able to get away with that without the new CEO guy being suspicious since everyone he dreamed about was right on that plane with him. With the ending I believe Nolan was hinting at something with the spinning top, I'm guessing that Cog might've still have been dreaming?
All in all this movie was a masterpiece that I will have to make sure to harass as many people as I can for work so I can have enough money to see it once again. I hope many Oscars are given in this film's honor.

11/10.

[Depression Moon]

Its actually the opposite. There's quite a few clear shots of the ring, most notable when Cobb and Mal are waiting for the train.

INCEPTION: Wait.. What happened? | (http://revolvingdoorproject.net/2010/07/23/inception-what-happened-at-the-end/)

I'm getting flashbacks of matrix where people overanalysed the film after watching it. I liked the article but I already knew that he was in the real world - the totem wobbled. The totem doesn't wobble in the dream world.


I thought it just doesn't fall.



This might have already been picked up on in the thread but this was an interesting thing to note about the music:

Hans Zimmer: Clever Clogs… « Danny Graydon


That's clever.