I didn't see this posted yet, and if it was, I apologize...
Regarding the ending (and this is just my interpretation):
The spinning top that Cobb uses is NOT his actual totem. It is his wife's totem. In the beginning of the movie, Cobb tells the girl (Adriane?) that you never show your totem to anyone else, only you are supposed to know what it is. Then throughout the rest of the movie, everyone pretty much knows that Cobb's totem is the top. The Japanese guy is even playing with it in limbo, breaking Cob's rule that even if you know what the totem is, you don't know how it feels, it's weight, etc.
Also, what was Cobb's totem before he took the top out of the safe? What was his totem when his wife was still alive?
One theory that I've read, and that I agree with, is that the faces of Cobb's children are his real totem. Throughout the movie, Cobb keeps wanting to see his children's faces, but avoids doing so, even going out of his way in some instances to avoid seeing them. No one knows what his children's faces look like. Only at the very end of the movie, do we (and Cobb) see their faces.
Based on this, whether the top keeps spinning or falls down doesn't matter. If the faces of Cobb's children are his real totem, then the only time in the entire movie that he sees them, is at the end after the mission is over, and he is back in the real world.
With how important his children are to him, and the whole issue of him and his wife wanting to return to the real world to be with them, it would make sense for his totem to be their faces and not the spinning top.
I could be completely wrong about this, but I really like this explanation.
Well, I believe his wife came up with the idea of using a totem, which means Cobb didn't necessarily have one before her death. What through me off about the children though was, that they hadn't aged at all.
Well, I believe his wife came up with the idea of using a totem, which means Cobb didn't necessarily have one before her death. What through me off about the children though was, that they hadn't aged at all.
...and they both sounded older during the phone call earlier in the movie. ...and they were wearing the same clothing when he met with them. ...also a totem had to be something you could hold in your hand. ...I'm on a horse.
I was thinking about what totem could I have, while playing with my glasses, and thought to myself: "Of course my glasses, no one would know the exact prescription needed to make me able to see, if I put on the glasses and they work then I must be on the real world!" But I can't think of any dream I had where I was wearing glasses, In fact I don't think anyone on that movie wore glasses.
I really enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this movie. I remember watching him in 3rd Rock From the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You, and always though of him as the scrawny good guy. There were a few scenes in Inception where I would look at him and think that he looks like Heath Ledger and swoon for a bit. I think it's mostly just the jaw line and mouth that reminds me of him.
I had a similar feeling.
The worst is if its one of those movies that leaves things intentionally unexplained only to explain them later. She won't shut up until that explanation appears. Just hope that she accepts the explanation, or it will get even worse.
Some of my friends will assume that they missed something, not that it will be explained later. Even as much as within 5 min of the movie starting. They get permabanned from my movie going.
As to inception, the main thing I got was that the intention of the movie was to make the viewer doubt whether Cobb was dreaming still. Thus transferring / "inceptioning" the Cobb/Mal dilemma.
Definitely liking the psychotherapy idea. Especially considering that Ellen Page is Ariadne (greek myth time!) and that the concept of regret is repeatedly shoved in your face. Still questioning the name choice of Robert (read Bobby) Fischer, word gambit is used, and chess totem.
Still questioning the name choice of Robert (read Bobby) Fischer, word gambit is used, and chess totem.
I am convinced that there is something related to Ellen Page's totem that was cut from the movie, although it was probably just a short scene late in the action where she is required to use it to check whether she is dreaming. The initial scene where Cobb explains what a totem is and spins his top gives you all the information you need to know about totems. There is no need to have the Ellen page solo scene later showing her crafting the chess piece, trying it out, etc. if the damn thing is just gonna stay in her pocket the whole rest of the movie. Setup with no payoff.
It reinforced the point about totems and their importance, and it yields more chess imagery to play with. But she was never in a situation to doubt whether she was in a dream (after her first time).
Alright, just seen this and apart from having to suspend "This isn't what dreams are anything like." and "The brain couldn't possibly work that fast.", I really enjoyed it.
It's good to see that a film, that know's how to use special effects properly (Read: Sparingly.) and focus on characters, set to take the top spot.
I find it funny that you can refer to most of the cast by accent or occupation and this probably plays a big part in making the film so easy to understand. American Lead Guy, American Backup Guy, American Girl, British Guy, Indian Guy, Japanese guy, Michael Cane, Target, Lawyer, Creepy Wife, Kids. Nice to feel strong emotions for the whole team (Though ABG had a bit of a weak script for me.).
Also nice to see a film with a shut ending which won't make The Matrix's mistake.
Did anyone else think about how, through things like lucid dreaming (Provided you learn to control your physical body from the dream state.) and networking, you would work out some kind of primitive, in-dream phone?
Hey guys, why'd he always feel his wedding ring following a dream? Just saying...The top is a huge fucking MacGuffin, an object that simply represents guilt. His wedding ring might have been the totem the whole time.
Right after they woke up on the plane at the end of the movie (but before the ambiguous ending), my mom asked: "So it was all a dream?" I thought all of the world tipping/spinning, the Call of Duty-esque final level, and limbo would have given it away.
I just saw Inception. The spinning top at the end struck me as a red herring, because the whole point of the totem is the secret to it. If someone who knows the secret is dreaming, then their totem would work the same as in reality; it only tells you if it's someone else's dream. In fact, based on the spinning top alone, you can't distinguish between reality, Cobb's dream, or even Mal's dream, since it's also Mal's totem.
I'm still not entirely sure what to make of that logic, but I'd say the ending being real makes the most sense nonetheless.
The story isn't without it's flaws, but it does raise the issue of guilt and consequence of manipulating peoples thoughts.
In real life you don't have to jump into someones dream to do that.
The ambiguous ending is a fitting ending. Is he creating his own ending in his dream world, still tragically trapped in his dream (meaning his wife is actually alive). or did he in fact make it back to Murica.
If he's still dreaming, he's trapped by his own guilt, from influencing his own wife's suicide. Maybe his wife is constantly jumping into his dreams, ruining his plans, to try and get him to wake up.
If he's awake at the end and his wife is in fact dead, it's a journey of him coming to terms with that guilt and finding a way to let go, driven by the love of his children.
Also, the soundtrack is amazing. Thank you Hans Zimmer.
Comments
Regarding the ending (and this is just my interpretation):
The spinning top that Cobb uses is NOT his actual totem. It is his wife's totem. In the beginning of the movie, Cobb tells the girl (Adriane?) that you never show your totem to anyone else, only you are supposed to know what it is. Then throughout the rest of the movie, everyone pretty much knows that Cobb's totem is the top. The Japanese guy is even playing with it in limbo, breaking Cob's rule that even if you know what the totem is, you don't know how it feels, it's weight, etc.
Also, what was Cobb's totem before he took the top out of the safe? What was his totem when his wife was still alive?
One theory that I've read, and that I agree with, is that the faces of Cobb's children are his real totem. Throughout the movie, Cobb keeps wanting to see his children's faces, but avoids doing so, even going out of his way in some instances to avoid seeing them. No one knows what his children's faces look like. Only at the very end of the movie, do we (and Cobb) see their faces.
Based on this, whether the top keeps spinning or falls down doesn't matter. If the faces of Cobb's children are his real totem, then the only time in the entire movie that he sees them, is at the end after the mission is over, and he is back in the real world.
With how important his children are to him, and the whole issue of him and his wife wanting to return to the real world to be with them, it would make sense for his totem to be their faces and not the spinning top.
I could be completely wrong about this, but I really like this explanation.
Thoughts anyone?
...and they were wearing the same clothing when he met with them.
...also a totem had to be something you could hold in your hand.
...I'm on a horse.
I can't wait for the five hour directors cut to come out.
Wow.
As to inception, the main thing I got was that the intention of the movie was to make the viewer doubt whether Cobb was dreaming still. Thus transferring / "inceptioning" the Cobb/Mal dilemma.
Definitely liking the psychotherapy idea. Especially considering that Ellen Page is Ariadne (greek myth time!) and that the concept of regret is repeatedly shoved in your face. Still questioning the name choice of Robert (read Bobby) Fischer, word gambit is used, and chess totem.
Time to look for significance in other names...
It's good to see that a film, that know's how to use special effects properly (Read: Sparingly.) and focus on characters, set to take the top spot.
I find it funny that you can refer to most of the cast by accent or occupation and this probably plays a big part in making the film so easy to understand.
American Lead Guy, American Backup Guy, American Girl, British Guy, Indian Guy, Japanese guy, Michael Cane, Target, Lawyer, Creepy Wife, Kids.
Nice to feel strong emotions for the whole team (Though ABG had a bit of a weak script for me.).
Also nice to see a film with a shut ending which won't make The Matrix's mistake.
Did anyone else think about how, through things like lucid dreaming (Provided you learn to control your physical body from the dream state.) and networking, you would work out some kind of primitive, in-dream phone?
Also, if there's never a sequel, the top fell.
In fact, based on the spinning top alone, you can't distinguish between reality, Cobb's dream, or even Mal's dream, since it's also Mal's totem.
I'm still not entirely sure what to make of that logic, but I'd say the ending being real makes the most sense nonetheless.
In real life you don't have to jump into someones dream to do that.
The ambiguous ending is a fitting ending. Is he creating his own ending in his dream world, still tragically trapped in his dream (meaning his wife is actually alive). or did he in fact make it back to Murica.
If he's still dreaming, he's trapped by his own guilt, from influencing his own wife's suicide. Maybe his wife is constantly jumping into his dreams, ruining his plans, to try and get him to wake up.
If he's awake at the end and his wife is in fact dead, it's a journey of him coming to terms with that guilt and finding a way to let go, driven by the love of his children.
Also, the soundtrack is amazing. Thank you Hans Zimmer.