Christopher Nolan's Inception

[Hunter Rider]

Spoiler

That's never gonna fit in my pocket.

 

[Kane52630]

I like Deadshot and I'd like to see Nolan's take on the high tech assassin, but I really want to see him tackle Catwoman and shoot an awesone diamond heist.

actually scratch that, I want him to be the Villian for Batman 3. It ill be mind blowing

[YT]mnaHXjJAHrA[/YT]

 

[JokerLedger]

It's amazing to see how much people are using their noggins in regards to what they saw in Inception. It's good that a lot of people are trying to understand it but I just feel like some folks are doing too much unnecessary thinking in regards to that ending.

 

[Hunter Rider]

actually scratch that, I want him to be the Villian for Batman 3. It ill be mind blowing

[YT]mnaHXjJAHrA[/YT]

 

[Heretic]

[BLACKOUT]the wedding ring was a bigger sign than the totem imo[/BLACKOUT]

Spoiler

However...he chose to get over her, and move on with his life...then he went on looking for Watanabe to bring him out of the limbo. It is entirely possible that once he made the decision to move on, he no longer needed the wedding ring in his dreams, and therefore when he created a new limbo for himself, his kids were there just as he remembered them, and yet his ring wasnt. Just a thought.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I disagree completely. Just because you or I cannot think of it, doesn't mean it's impossible. Again, It's not a huge issue where I'll besiege anyone who thinks differently about it. Film discussion is not about absolutes.

Yeah, you have a point.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Cobb's daughter [BLACKOUT]sounded much older on the phone at the start of the film than the girl at the end of the movie. Plus wouldn't they be living somewhere else? At the grandma's house? So I see it as a dream.[/BLACKOUT]

That is also true.

Spoiler

However you want to see it. But everything seems to come back to the other for me. There are threads that lead to the other in both of the alternatives. I'm leaning towards the reald world myself. I just think since Cobb got past his wife (although he won't get completel over it, jsut getting rid of the guilt I mean) that he wanted to focus on what he had left and see his kids and getting home. So he didn't want to quit on them. If it is the dream world this ending reminds me of the end in Shutter Island.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

some good evidence here :here:

Spoiler

Does Cobb’s totem keep spinning at the end or is it about to fall off the table?
A: The fact that the film cuts away before we know for certain suggests that they want us to keep guessing. But we think it kept spinning. Here’s our reasoning: Note that at the end of the film Cobb’s kids haven’t aged. They match exactly his memory of them. A memory which must almost surely by now be out of date, since he’s been away from them for many months. Though he finally sees their faces, otherwise they look exactly as he envisioned them. They're even wearing the same clothes. In reality, his kids would now be older and different than his memories of them. This could suggest that Cobb is still in the dream and the top does indeed keep spinning after the credits roll.

Alternate Theory Aaron points this out in our comments section: "In the opening moments you get a glimpse of Leo's hand. Specifically, he's wearing his wedding ring. Now, if you follow the rest of the movie keeping an eye out for this you will notice that he only has the ring on when he's in the dream world. At the end of the movie he isn't wearing the ring." If the ring only appears when he's in a dream and he's not wearing at the end of the film, that could be confirmation that in fact, the top does stop spinning after the credits and Cobb is at last in the real world.

If the top really does keep spinning at the end and Cobb’s reality really is a dream, then why didn’t it keep spinning when he tried it earlier in the film?
A: Assuming for a moment that Cobb is still in the dream when the movie ends, it doesn’t necessarily mean he was in a dream for the entire film. The Cobb we see at the end could in fact be a man still trapped in limbo. This seems unlikely though since the film seems to indicate that Saito and Cobb killed themselves to escape it, right before waking up on the plane. See alternate theory.

Alternate Theory Ivan in the comments below suggests that it's still possible that the entire movie could be a dream because the totem may only work to ensure you're not in someone else's dream. "Think about it, YOU know your totem's trick exactly so if you were in your own host dream then you could replicate it perfectly. It is only when you are in someone else's dream that your totem does not behave in it's trick form since that host cannot architect it so. This is why nobody knows
the trick functionality of anyone else's totem!"

Spoiler

Yeah, I agree with the alternate theory. It doesn't matter if the totem kept spinning or not. No one would be able to tell the truth except for Mal. It's kind of tragic, in attempting to trick Mal into returning, Dom now has no way of telling the truth to himself. Mal still wins. The only reason we believe you escape limbo is because Dom believes he did.

 

[Heretic]

Regarding the "multiple dreamers" concept:

Spoiler

Why do people think this? It is told flat out that they are entering Cillian Murphy's dream, not the indian driver guy. Then, in the second layer dream, it is populated by people who know Cillian Murphy, and the movie had explained that the dreamer is the one who populates the dream. Then in the third dream, while Cillian Murphy is told that they are entering one dudes dream, they are actually breaking into Cillian's subconscious. ALL of the dream levels have armed guards protecting them, as it was explained that those guards were in place to protect Cillian Murphy's subconscious. So, again...what reasoning is given for the dreams to be anything except levels of Cillian Murphy's dreams?

 

[-Arya-]

Regarding the "multiple dreamers" concept:

Spoiler

Why do people think this? It is told flat out that they are entering Cillian Murphy's dream, not the indian driver guy. Then, in the second layer dream, it is populated by people who know Cillian Murphy, and the movie had explained that the dreamer is the one who populates the dream. Then in the third dream, while Cillian Murphy is told that they are entering one dudes dream, they are actually breaking into Cillian's subconscious. ALL of the dream levels have armed guards protecting them, as it was explained that those guards were in place to protect Cillian Murphy's subconscious. So, again...what reasoning is given for the dreams to be anything except levels of Cillian Murphy's dreams?

I thought so. I'm not sure why there are comments saying otherwise, unless I missed something...

 

[Solidus]

Regarding the "multiple dreamers" concept:

Spoiler

Why do people think this? It is told flat out that they are entering Cillian Murphy's dream, not the indian driver guy. Then, in the second layer dream, it is populated by people who know Cillian Murphy, and the movie had explained that the dreamer is the one who populates the dream. Then in the third dream, while Cillian Murphy is told that they are entering one dudes dream, they are actually breaking into Cillian's subconscious. ALL of the dream levels have armed guards protecting them, as it was explained that those guards were in place to protect Cillian Murphy's subconscious. So, again...what reasoning is given for the dreams to be anything except levels of Cillian Murphy's dreams?

Spoiler

No I don't think so.

At the beginning it says with Luke Haas' character after second level collapses (which was Satio's) Satio goes "we are still dreaming." Luke says: "we're in my dream." So they are in his head. It is shared dreaming but the mark does not have to be the creator of the next level. The subconscious of everyone fills up the levels, some more than other Like Cobb and the train coming through.

The first level was Yasif, he stayed behind, and awake in the first level, so that he could control every thing like Haas did at the beginning. He is the lead or point man in that level. So he controls that world so when he has to wake them up in the lower levels he can. In the second world Remember Mal is coming into these dreams as well, so the subconscious is filled I believe with everyone. But who ever the subconscious they are trying to provoke, like white blood cells to a wound it protects who ever it needs to. It protects Cobb and Fischer due to the fact they are both being incepted and the lower levels of subconscious realize this and are arming up. Or Mal is getting more aggressive.

Second level is Arthur's dream because it focuses on him cuz the others are asleep. He is the one being effected by it. It is why he stays awake in that dream world so he can keep it up while the others go further in. That is why one stays behind keeps that open so the others can be kicked by them.

Now I'm not going to say 100% but Haas character at the beginning clearly showed the second level was Satio's dream. While the First level was Haas (I can't remember his name in the film.(

 

[S.A.A.D.]

Inception-9/10

I really enjoyed it,a side from the somewhat weak action,I felt bamboozled,since this movie was suppose to be The Matrix like that on that regard imo. I also thought that some of the dreams were wasted potential,SOME,not all of them,and that the score was disappointing for the most part too. One small gripe I have are the very brief unintentionally funny moments,the water in the van sequences(not all of them).

The way I see the movie is like this:

Layer 1:Reality/dream(in no chronological order)

Layer 2:A dream

Layer 3:A dream

Spoiler

I interpret Layer 1 as a reality only because Dom saw his kids faces,because his wife wasn't around,and because he wasn't remembering his wife. And of course it was also a dream since he woke up on a beach and ended up coming across Saito

. I actually now consider dream 2,dream 1 as well,because Layer 1 isn't completely a dream to me. And if I have it right, dream 2/dream 1 makes up most of the movie.

Spoiler

I find the reason for Dom's wife committing suicide pretty strange,and I believe that Dom was actually dreaming because
Saito wanted to help him out

,it makes perfect sense to me since they are on the buddiesish side.

 

[Solidus]

I'm almost certain I'm right because of this:

Spoiler

Cobb says the architect builds the worlds designs them and teaches them to the team. Page was never suppose to come along. Remember? They did not want her to come along but she got on anyways.

In the third world Eames knows everywhere he is going. Page says: EAMES added in a tunnel in this world. Hence he is the one creating this world. They create the world of the dream Page just designs them. It is why Yasif knows the entire lay out of the first world and is in the chase. He knows where to go because Page designed and taught him the maze. Later Arthur knows the hotel better than anyone because it's his design. Remember the stairs? This is Arthur's pure creation world that Page designed for them. Some one at each level has to keep that world up and design it.

Yasif did the first world, Arthur the second. Eames the third. And I'm assuming Cobb for the forth.

EDIT: There is more proof too:

Spoiler

Remember they have to create a maze so the subconscious that is in defense will take time to get to them and can't figure it out. If they let Fischer design the world than what is the point? He would create his own maze, and base it off his memories purely. So then his subconscious would know the maze and rip the team apart in seconds. They have to have members of the team build the mazes in the dream world based off of the design of Page.

 

[The Squirrel]

Spoiler

I think it is whoever is sharing the dream with the target primarily. Who maybe just who is in charge of the "kick". The chemist was the kicker in for the van, Arthur for the hotel and Eames for the hospital. So maybe that's why it was "their" dream.

 

[Heretic]

Spoiler

No I don't think so.

At the beginning it says with Luke Haas' character after second level collapses (which was Satio's) Satio goes "we are still dreaming." Luke says: "we're in my dream." So they are in his head. It is shared dreaming but the mark does not have to be the creator of the next level. The subconscious of everyone fills up the levels, some more than other Like Cobb and the train coming through.

The first level was Yasif, he stayed behind, and awake in the first level, so that he could control every thing like Haas did at the beginning. He is the lead or point man in that level. So he controls that world so when he has to wake them up in the lower levels he can. In the second world Remember Mal is coming into these dreams as well, so the subconscious is filled I believe with everyone. But who ever the subconscious they are trying to provoke, like white blood cells to a wound it protects who ever it needs to. It protects Cobb and Fischer due to the fact they are both being incepted and the lower levels of subconscious realize this and are arming up. Or Mal is getting more aggressive.

Second level is Arthur's dream because it focuses on him cuz the others are asleep. He is the one being effected by it. It is why he stays awake in that dream world so he can keep it up while the others go further in. That is why one stays behind keeps that open so the others can be kicked by them.

Now I'm not going to say 100% but Haas character at the beginning clearly showed the second level was Satio's dream. While the First level was Haas (I can't remember his name in the film.(

Spoiler

So the entirety of your point rests on the fact that one guy stayed behind in each level...despite all other evidence and statements claiming that it was all levels of Cillian's dreams??? So like the viewer over-complicating things to me. One guy stayed behind in each level because a kick was needed, not because it was their dream. They kept going into deeper levels to trick Cillian Murphy's subconscious. If it was anyone but Murphy's dream, they could have just said "in this dream, Murphy is a moron that will listen to whatever we say". Again, the armed guards were ONLY there to protect Cillian's subconscious...and they are in every level. I just dont see any reason why the story needs to be over-complicated just for the sake of being over-complicated. It makes perfect sense as one persons dream, just as the movie explains repeatedly.

 

[-Arya-]

I'm almost certain I'm right because of this:

Spoiler

Cobb says the architect builds the worlds designs them and teaches them to the team. Page was never suppose to come along. Remember? They did not want her to come along but she got on anyways.

In the third world Eames knows everywhere he is going. Page says: EAMES added in a tunnel in this world. Hence he is the one creating this world. They create the world of the dream Page just designs them. It is why Yasif knows the entire lay out of the first world and is in the chase. He knows where to go because Page designed and taught him the maze. Later Arthur knows the hotel better than anyone because it's his design. Remember the stairs? This is Arthur's pure creation world that Page designed for them. Some one at each level has to keep that world up and design it.

Yasif did the first world, Arthur the second. Eames the third. And I'm assuming Cobb for the forth.

EDIT: There is more proof too:

Spoiler

Remember they have to create a maze so the subconscious that is in defense will take time to get to them and can't figure it out. If they let Fischer design the world than what is the point? He would create his own maze, and base it off his memories purely. So then his subconscious would know the maze and rip the team apart in seconds. They have to have members of the team build the mazes in the dream world based off of the design of Page.

Spoiler

The fourth world is the original design of Cobb and Mal...correct?

 

[Solidus]

Spoiler

So the entirety of your point rests on the fact that one guy stayed behind in each level...despite all other evidence and statements claiming that it was all levels of Cillian's dreams??? So like the viewer over-complicating things to me. One guy stayed behind in each level because a kick was needed, not because it was their dream. They kept going into deeper levels to trick Cillian Murphy's subconscious. If it was anyone but Murphy's dream, they could have just said "in this dream, Murphy is a moron that will listen to whatever we say". Again, the armed guards were ONLY there to protect Cillian's subconscious...and they are in every level. I just dont see any reason why the story needs to be over-complicated just for the sake of being over-complicated. It makes perfect sense as one persons dream, just as the movie explains repeatedly.

Read my other posts, it has better proof that that is the case.

Spoiler

If Fischer created the dream it would not be the ones that they designed, it would be of his own design and the subconscious would rip apart the team in minutes. They have Page design the mazes and dream teach them to the team. And they each have a world that they create the maze, and know the boundaries and everything. It is why Yasiff knew every place to go in the maze in world 1. And Arthur knew all the tricks to world 2 including his adding of the paradox. And world three Page said Eames added a tunnel into this world. And why Eames knew the entire world better than anyone.

 

[Heretic]

I'm almost certain I'm right because of this:

Spoiler

Cobb says the architect builds the worlds designs them and teaches them to the team. Page was never suppose to come along. Remember? They did not want her to come along but she got on anyways.

In the third world Eames knows everywhere he is going. Page says: EAMES added in a tunnel in this world. Hence he is the one creating this world. They create the world of the dream Page just designs them. It is why Yasif knows the entire lay out of the first world and is in the chase. He knows where to go because Page designed and taught him the maze. Later Arthur knows the hotel better than anyone because it's his design. Remember the stairs? This is Arthur's pure creation world that Page designed for them. Some one at each level has to keep that world up and design it.

Yasif did the first world, Arthur the second. Eames the third. And I'm assuming Cobb for the forth.

EDIT: There is more proof too:

Spoiler

Remember they have to create a maze so the subconscious that is in defense will take time to get to them and can't figure it out. If they let Fischer design the world than what is the point? He would create his own maze, and base it off his memories purely. So then his subconscious would know the maze and rip the team apart in seconds. They have to have members of the team build the mazes in the dream world based off of the design of Page.

Spoiler

If this is correct, then the "target" is never, ever the one in control of the dream, because the architect is never going to sit them down and say "we're going to steal your secrets...here's the layout. Instead, the architect created the worlds, and told one person...the point man...the details...and that point man learned it in order to have a leg up on the target, who was the dreamer...as is the case in every extraction. Unless you actually believe that the architect generally explains the theft to the victim in advance.

 

[Solidus]

Spoiler

The fourth world is the original design of Cobb and Mal...correct?

Spoiler

Ya I think so.

 

[The Squirrel]

Spoiler

So the entirety of your point rests on the fact that one guy stayed behind in each level...despite all other evidence and statements claiming that it was all levels of Cillian's dreams??? So like the viewer over-complicating things to me. One guy stayed behind in each level because a kick was needed, not because it was their dream. They kept going into deeper levels to trick Cillian Murphy's subconscious. If it was anyone but Murphy's dream, they could have just said "in this dream, Murphy is a moron that will listen to whatever we say". Again, the armed guards were ONLY there to protect Cillian's subconscious...and they are in every level. I just dont see any reason why the story needs to be over-complicated just for the sake of being over-complicated. It makes perfect sense as one persons dream, just as the movie explains repeatedly.

Spoiler

Except when Cob and Paige were in the cafe, Cob tells her that he is the target, but she is the one creating the dream. Cob's subconscious merely populates the dream.

 

[Solidus]

Spoiler

If this is correct, then the "target" is never, ever the one in control of the dream, because the architect is never going to sit them down and say "we're going to steal your secrets...here's the layout. Instead, the architect created the worlds, and told one person...the point man...the details...and that point man learned it in order to have a leg up on the target, who was the dreamer...as is the case in every extraction. Unless you actually believe that the architect generally explains the theft to the victim in advance.

Spoiler

In a heist you would never tell the bank how to catch them or when they are coming. So yea the architect explains to the team not Fischer what the designs are. She only shows one person too. Yasiff knew the first world. That is why the "bridge bumper" came up right after he went by it and it hit the subconscious security car. Because he was in control of that world.

She only showed Arthur the second world. And Eames the third. THat is why Cobb asked if Eames added anything into the design which he did. Fischer knows nothing he thinks this is a reality. That is what they need to do.

 

[-Arya-]

Spoiler

I also recall Fischer saying, "couldn't you have dreamed up a beach or something?" This sort of backs up the notion that fischer's subconcious only populates the levels of the dream world that the team built.

 

[Solidus]

Spoiler

I also recall Fischer saying, "couldn't you have dreamed up a beach or something?" This sort of backs up the notion that fischer's subconcious only populates the levels of the dream world that the team built.

Yea. People laughed at that scene lol. But yes that is further evidence that that is how its done.

 

[Heretic]

Spoiler

I also recall Fischer saying, "couldn't you have dreamed up a beach or something?" This sort of backs up the notion that fischer's subconcious only populates the levels of the dream world that the team built.

Spoiler

He THOUGHT that he was in someone elses dream...he THOUGHT he was helping to break into someone elses subconscious...but in reality they were working under a structure that Ellen page created and taught to one other team mate (but never Dicaprio) and breaking into his own subconscious, because it's his dream.

 

[Secret Fawful]

Here's something I haven't seen anyone else mention yet.

In the ending -

Spoiler

I noticed that when Cobb wakes up in the plane and as he walks around the airport, he looks around at everyone and they smile at him when he looks at them, but they never actually speak to one another. This could mean that these people do not actually know or recognize him, and that he is simply looking at them out of recognition that they were in his dream. That they were simply people who spent a plane trip together. Saito picking up the phone seems to be to honor his word, but in the end perhaps he was just making a normal call for a different reason and nothing related to Cobb. And when Cobb looks at Fischer Jr. they look straight at one another, but Fischer Jr. doesn't have any alarm bells go off nor does he recognize him as the man in his dream. this could either mean he wrote it off as "I had a dream and he was in it cause we rode together" or simply it could be that this is the other way around and Cobb dreamed about him and is the only one showing any sign of recognition. I simply find it strange that they never share any words after Cobb wakes up and that Fischer Jr. doesn't have a start when looking closely at him. Then again I could be totally wrong. Personally I like to believe that they really did work together and Cobb really isn't dreaming in the end, simply because that's the happiest ending. But who knows, perhaps they were simply people who rode with Cobb in the plane that he later dreamed a really long dream about.