Christopher Nolan's Inception

[Avengers-Report]

An excellent read

http://www.cinematical.com/2010/07/19/dissecting-inception-six-interpretations-and-five-plot-holes/

Dissecting 'Inception': Six Interpretations and Five Plot Holes

I really like the point about the rest of the movie being a dream after he goes to the Chemist's place and goes under to see "what it can do". If I remember, it was supposed to last a long time, but the dream he has is very short. Then he spins the top and he can't check what is reality and what is not. I forgot about that, lol, just so much that happens after that point it is hard to remember.

 

[Avengers-Report]

Sorry, there's no way all of Inception is a dream.

I think Nolan was quoted saying this movie is about telling the difference between what is reality and what is a dream. If the whole movie was dream, then there would be no point to the movie. That is why I don't even consider the whole film being a dream.

Although, it would be interesting if the whole film WAS a dream. Think about the end, when he wakes up and looks at everyone. They don't even talk to each other, the whole thing could have been a dream and his imagination, and the ending could have been real t:

 

[Brother Jack]

Although, it would be interesting if the whole film WAS a dream. Think about the end, when he wakes up and looks at everyone. They don't even talk to each other, the whole thing could have been a dream and his imagination, and the ending could have been real t:

They all exchange knowing glances at each other, meaning "job well done", except for Fisher who doesn't remember.

 

[Anita18]

I think Nolan was quoted saying this movie is about telling the difference between what is reality and what is a dream. If the whole movie was dream, then there would be no point to the movie. That is why I don't even consider the whole film being a dream.

Although, it would be interesting if the whole film WAS a dream. Think about the end, when he wakes up and looks at everyone. They don't even talk to each other, the whole thing could have been a dream and his imagination, and the ending could have been real t:

Why not?

Spoiler

Fischer accepted the conversation with his dream father as truth even though he knows it's a dream. Leo accepts that his decades with Mal in limbo was their life together, and he doesn't make sure that he's still in the real world when he finally sees his kids.

Besides, all movies are fake in the end. So why should it matter to us if the whole movie was a dream? At least in this film, it's ambiguous and not just an in-your-face twist that goes against the entire point of the movie. In fact, the possibility of it not being real IS kinda the point of the movie.

 

[BatMatt]

my thoughts

Spoiler

even if the whole movie was a dream, which I wouldn't say it is, the point of the movie was Cobb's emotional breakthrough, so whether or not it was a dream, Dom moving on past Mal was real

 

[Kane52630]

what do you guys think is your fav track from Inception?

mine is this

[YT]v9q9FOlVCI8[/YT]

 

[Bunker]

my thoughts

Spoiler

even if the whole movie was a dream, which I wouldn't say it is, the point of the movie was Cobb's emotional breakthrough, so whether or not it was a dream, Dom moving on past Mal was real

Agreed.

Spoiler

I think it's definitely a happy ending. Whether it was real or not, Cobb moved on and found peace.

 

[byte19]

listen in your headphones.... you can hear the horn players BREATHING!!!! Bombastic doesn't even comes close!!!

 

[Ziggyman]

Wonder if they used vuvuzelas...

 

[Silver Knight]

Cant wait to see this in 2 days.

 

[Poeman]

what do you guys think is your fav track from Inception?

mine is this

[YT]v9q9FOlVCI8[/YT]

I love 528491, I posted that a while back...Time is another great soundtrack...But I will go with

This song plays everytime I kick someone's ass on the ceiling

 

[omid17]

Inception Ending Explained

Spoiler

In Limbo, the mind works so fast that actual minutes can be interpreted as years gone by. When Saito “dies” from the gunshot wound he received on level 1 of the dream, his mind falls into Limbo, and Saito remains there for the minutes it takes Cobb and Ariadne (Ellen Page) to follow him into Limbo – those minutes in one dream state feel like decades to Saito in his Limbo state. By the time Cobb deals with expelling Mal’s “shadow” from his subconscious, Saito has begun to perceive himself as an old man.


Mal’s shadow stabs Cobb during the film’s climax, which throws Cobb back out into Limbo and onto the shores of Saito’s limbo house. When Cobb has to “wake” again in Limbo, his mind is muddled just like old man Saito’s brain. Through Saito’s memory of Cobb’s totem and some shared dialogue that included key trigger phrases – “Leap of faith,” “Old man full of regret, waiting to die alone,” etc. – Cobb and Saito are able to remember the meaningful conversations they had and that there is a reality they existed in before Limbo, where both of them had deep desires still waiting to be fulfilled (Cobb and his kids, Saito and his business). Once they remember that limbo is limbo, they are able to wake themselves up (likely with a gunshot to the head).

 

[TNC9852002]

I liked the guy that played Cobra Commander

 

[flickchick85]

My take on Limbo:

Spoiler

Limbo is simply deeper than anyone had ever gone, aside from Cobb. We know no one other than Cobb and Mal had done a 4-level dream before, because the chemist was taken aback by the mere suggestion of a 3-level dream. So it would seem that Limbo is about 4-levels deep (that would be why Ariadne and Cobb were able to go there by simply putting themselves under while in level 3).

There was a line from the chemist when they were discussing Limbo, in which he said something about how no one knows what they'd encounter in Limbo, unless Cobb "left something behind," which he did (that whole world he built with Mal). In other words, because they were sharing dreams, they would ALSO go to a "Shared Limbo" if they died in them.

But I was under the impression that since Limbo is supposed to be "unconstructed dreamspace" and "pure subconsious," everyone's is different. That's why Saito's limbo was him growing old alone, filled with regret, just like he mentioned as a fear to Cobb on the helicopter. BUT since they were in a "shared limbo," it was comprised of pieces of both Cobb's and Saito's limbo.

And yes, the danger of limbo seems to be that if you spend any significant amount of time there, you lose the knowlege that you're in limbo at all, and that's what keeps you there. You grow old and die there, you're brain-dead in the real world.

ALSO, I think Cobb just physically had to search for Saito's portion of their limbo. When he washed up on shore, his face was weathered (and sunburned or something), and it just looked like he'd been searching for him for quite a while (in Limbo-time...probably mere seconds in the world above).

That's my interpretation after two viewings. Who knows, it'll probably change after viewing #3 this weekend, lol.

 

[Poeman]

Just for shi-ts and giggles...If you were an Inception character, what role would you play?

The Extractor?

The Architect?

The Point Man?

The Forger?

The Mark?

The Shade?

The Chemist?

The Tourist?

I would be the Point Man on my team

 

[TNC9852002]

Hopefully the Architect...

 

[Ziggyman]

Forger's more my style...

Got another question...What would be your totem and how would it work...?

 

[Kane52630]

Forger's more my style...

Got another question...What would be your totem and how would it work...?

many have been asking that in this thread since the movie came out, including me lol

mine would be this magnet smiley face like from Watchmen, if it sticks to a non magnetic area then I know im dreamin

 

[Crook]

ALSO, I think Cobb just physically had to search for Saito's portion of their limbo. When he washed up on shore, his face was weathered (and sunburned or something), and it just looked like he'd been searching for him for quite a while (in Limbo-time...probably mere seconds in the world above).[/spoiler]

Spoiler

So are you saying when Cobb and Ariadne were with Fischer, that was actually limbo, and Saito was simply on a different part of the land they were already on? I had thought of that, but the "rules" of limbo state that once you wake up in limbo, you don't know you're in limbo. You simply accept it as reality. It's why in the beginning when Cobb awakes on the shore, he's confused as to what the hell was going on, until Saito begins to utter key words that remind them both their was a reality that both of them had shared. If Cobb and Ariadne had been in limbo while saving Fischer, they wouldn't be aware that they're in a deep level of dreaming and required a kicker to get out.

mine would be this magnet smiley face like from Watchmen, if it sticks to a non magnetic area then I know im dreamin

I'm still not getting why totems would just randomly ignore the bounds of physics in the dreamworld. It seems like people are just accepting it as what happens without questioning it.

 

[flickchick85]

Spoiler

So are you saying when Cobb and Ariadne were with Fischer, that was actually limbo, and Saito was simply on a different part of the land they were already on? I had thought of that, but the "rules" of limbo state that once you wake up in limbo, you don't know you're in limbo. You simply accept it as reality. It's why in the beginning when Cobb awakes on the shore, he's confused as to what the hell was going on, until Saito begins to utter key words that remind them both their was a reality that both of them had shared. If Cobb and Ariadne had been in limbo while saving Fischer, they wouldn't be aware that they're in a deep level of dreaming and required a kicker to get out.

Actually, I think the "rules" of limbo are that:

Spoiler

You gradually lose sight of the fact that it's not real. At least if you enter it intentionally, you don't instantly think it's reality, because Cobb and Mal were there, playing gods for some time, before Mal started to think it was real.

Saito died in a dream and ended up in limbo accidentally, so that's why he instantly lost track of reality there.

I'm still not getting why totems would just randomly ignore the bounds of physics in the dreamworld. It seems like people are just accepting it as what happens without questioning it.

My understanding was that the totems are simply a way of knowing that you're not in a shared/manipulated dream, because only YOU know their weight, etc. They wouldn't do squat to tell you if you're in your own, un-manipulated dream, imo.

Spoiler

And I think Mal's totem kept spinning in a dream simply because she, the dreamer/architect, made it that way. That was like her own mnemonic device.

I still think it was useless for Cobb.

 

[DarKJediKnight]

Spoiler

 

[redhawk23]

Spoiler

So are you saying when Cobb and Ariadne were with Fischer, that was actually limbo, and Saito was simply on a different part of the land they were already on? I had thought of that, but the "rules" of limbo state that once you wake up in limbo, you don't know you're in limbo. You simply accept it as reality. It's why in the beginning when Cobb awakes on the shore, he's confused as to what the hell was going on, until Saito begins to utter key words that remind them both their was a reality that both of them had shared. If Cobb and Ariadne had been in limbo while saving Fischer, they wouldn't be aware that they're in a deep level of dreaming and required a kicker to get out.

I'm still not getting why totems would just randomly ignore the bounds of physics in the dreamworld. It seems like people are just accepting it as what happens without questioning it.

the totem is simply a symbol for the idea of an unreality. It only has the power you give it. Basically they behave in odd ways in dreams because you believe it will. Beliefe has no effect on a real life physical object. For instance the top doesnt continue to spin in the dream because its a dream, it simply a very elagant visual representation that you are not in reality. This is why arthur says it helps you make sure your not within someone elses dream. If you are within your own dream and are more or less accepting it as reality (as you do within lmbo) then they will behave normal even within the dream because you don't expect it to behave any other way.

When Dom spins the top in the safe and makes it continue to spin, it is simply the filmic representation of the idea of the world not being real.

The items mean nothing simply the idea behind them

 

[Crook]

Actually, I think the "rules" of limbo are that:

Spoiler

You gradually lose sight of the fact that it's not real. At least if you enter it intentionally, you don't instantly think it's reality, because Cobb and Mal were there, playing gods for some time, before Mal started to think it was real.

Saito died in a dream and ended up in limbo accidentally, so that's why he instantly lost track of reality there.

Spoiler

Intentionally going into limbo and retaining that memory of action takes away from the dangers of entering it, does it not? At that point it ceases to be limbo by name. Cobb was very wary to make sure no one died in Yusef's dream. If it were so "easy" to get in and out of limbo, there'd be no reason to be afraid of it.

Cobb and Ariadne using a machine to chase Fischer sets off a red flag for me that it's not limbo. Who's to say "one more dream level" down would actually take you there? It's unknown territory. The only known method of going into limbo at that point was to kill themselves. But they chose the machine. Also why would they so readily put themselves in limbo, knowing the risks?

the totem is simply a symbol for the idea of an unreality. It only has the power you give it. Basically they behave in odd ways in dreams because you believe it will. Beliefe has no effect on a real life physical object. For instance the top doesnt continue to spin in the dream because its a dream, it simply a very elagant visual representation that you are not in reality. This is why arthur says it helps you make sure your not within someone elses dream. If you are within your own dream and are more or less accepting it as reality (as you do within lmbo) then they will behave normal even within the dream because you don't expect it to behave any other way.

When Dom spins the top in the safe and makes it continue to spin, it is simply the filmic representation of the idea of the world not being real.

The items mean nothing simply the idea behind them

I suspected that as well, but if that's the case, why would Arthur need specially weighted die? If the theory is correct, can't he just "will" the die to roll a certain number every single time?

 

[redhawk23]

Actually, I think the "rules" of limbo are that:

Spoiler

You gradually lose sight of the fact that it's not real. At least if you enter it intentionally, you don't instantly think it's reality, because Cobb and Mal were there, playing gods for some time, before Mal started to think it was real.

Saito died in a dream and ended up in limbo accidentally, so that's why he instantly lost track of reality there.

Spoiler

Intentionally going into limbo and retaining that memory of action takes away from the dangers of entering it, does it not? At that point it ceases to be limbo by name. Cobb was very wary to make sure no one died in Yusef's dream. If it were so "easy" to get in and out of limbo, there'd be no reason to be afraid of it.

Cobb and Ariadne using a machine to chase Fischer sets off a red flag for me that it's not limbo. Who's to say "one more dream level" down would actually take you there? It's unknown territory. The only known method of going into limbo at that point was to kill themselves. But they chose the machine. Also why would they so readily put themselves in limbo, knowing the risks?

I suspected that as well, but if that's the case, why would Arthur need specially weighted die? If the theory is correct, can't he just "will" the die to roll a certain number every single time?

well it makes it so only knows the way its supposed to behave in the real world. but also its beyond that. its also the exact way it feels in his hand. its a very specific thing that no one elses dreams could replicate. now in his own dreams i'm sure it would be the same as in the real world. because he does know

 

[flickchick85]

Actually, I think the "rules" of limbo are that:

Spoiler

You gradually lose sight of the fact that it's not real. At least if you enter it intentionally, you don't instantly think it's reality, because Cobb and Mal were there, playing gods for some time, before Mal started to think it was real.

Saito died in a dream and ended up in limbo accidentally, so that's why he instantly lost track of reality there.

Spoiler

Intentionally going into limbo and retaining that memory of action takes away from the dangers of entering it, does it not? At that point it ceases to be limbo by name. Cobb was very wary to make sure no one died in Yusef's dream. If it were so "easy" to get in and out of limbo, there'd be no reason to be afraid of it.

Cobb and Ariadne using a machine to chase Fischer sets off a red flag for me that it's not limbo. Who's to say "one more dream level" down would actually take you there? It's unknown territory. The only known method of going into limbo at that point was to kill themselves. But they chose the machine. Also why would they so readily put themselves in limbo, knowing the risks?

Spoiler

Well like I said, I think accidentally ending up in limbo does result in not knowing it's not real from the start. So THAT was the risk of dying in one of the dream levels. You'd end up in limbo and never know it. Only when they enter it intentionally (as Cobb and Mal did and Cobb and Ariadne did) do they know it's limbo. But even then, significant time spent there seems to cause the same lost sense of reality. So it's dangerous either way, especially since Cobb had to stay for an unknown length of time to find Saito. He had certainly lost some grip on reality when Saito's "men" found him on the beach.

Also, they specifically said that Cobb and Mal had been to Limbo before, which they did during their "going deeper" experiments. And since there's no reason to think that they died in a sedated dream to get there, I'd say that wasn't the only known method of going into limbo.