INCEPTION - Discussion Thread(SPOILERS!!!)

[Bolt]

This was one of the best movies I've ever seen. Intelligent, complex, enthralling, a relatively unexplored concept that also manages to tell a compelling story. Everything was practically flawless, from the cast (great bunch of talent on display here) and the soundtrack to the astounding cinematography and the profound screenplay. I can only imagine how much work must have gone into creating and producing something so intricate and involved. The action was intense and perfectly paced throughout, and they did an excellent job creating a sense of danger even when the protagonists were engaged in a dream. I love how they explain the idea behind shared dreaming and how they orchestrated the dreams-within-dreams sequences in such a plausible and convincing way. It certainly makes you think and I adore the concept of thought-crime. Definitely a few noticable influences here; The Matrix, What Dreams May Come and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind not being the least of which, but the film was remarkably original and did an excellent job distinguishing itself from what may have otherwise been very similar films. This was one of those films that captivated me from the opening scene, and while I was watching it I felt like it was a kind of cinematic experience that had never been seen before. A truly genre-defying masterpiece. Loved it loved it loved it.

As far as the debate concerning the ending, I assume that the never-ending spinning of the totem was supposed to imply that Cobb never actually escaped limbo, and that by finally allowing himself to look at his children's faces he had forever confused dream and reality. But really, I didn't see that as what was important. The main thing for Cobb was that he no longer felt guilt about Mal's death and his absence from home, so in a way he had been freed, whether he was still dreaming or not.

 

[Lustful Butchery]

Despite all the good **** I'm hearing about this, I'm heading to the theater NOW!

 

[musashi03]

Awesome film, loved the way they referenced a lot of theories in Quantum Physics. A very intelligeng and ambitious film, and as usual, Leo is still in his prime!

 

[musashi03]

Man dude, i didnt understand it

Spoiler

was the whole thing one big dream?

Seeing the kids in the exact same position as his flashes could indicate he never got out of limbo. What would proven he was in reality and not still trapped in limbo was seeing that top thingie stop spinning and drop, but the camera cut out before we could find out.

I can't remember what happened to Saito or how he got out...

[HIDE]You misheard or misunderstood. Cobb was perfectly capable of seeing his children's faces. That's why when the the children in his dream turned toward him (when his dead wife called them) he looked away. He looked away willingly stating that he would not see their faces until he could do so in the real world, without the threat of being arrested.

That was the whole point of him turning away from their faces. The character even explains that. The wife, in fact, tells Cobb that he is capable of seeing their faces any time. He just refuses to do so. It was his choice. That was not them saying that he could not see their faces.

There was no good or bad ending. That's why they ended it focusing on the spinning top.[/HIDE]

I'll give you guys a clue, every time Cobb is in a dream, he has his wedding ring on his hand. That is enough to know if the top did stop spinning when it was cut.

 

[Bolt]

The top wasn't even really his totem, right? He clearly said before that it had been his wife's, so I'm not sure if they were implying that he took it as his own or that it was just another instance of him confusing reality and fantasy. I didn't notice anything about the wedding ring, though. I'm going to have to pay attention to all of this stuff I missed when I go to see it again.

 

[musashi03]

The top wasn't even really his totem, right? He clearly said before that it had been his wife's, so I'm not sure if they were implying that he took it as his own or that it was just another instance of him confusing reality and fantasy. I didn't notice anything about the wedding ring, though. I'm going to have to pay attention to all of this stuff I missed when I go to see it again.

Yeah, Cobb never had a totem of his own until he took his wife's, though the important aspect of that totem was that it would only do its trick (spin around forever) if it was in somebody else's dream, since the dreamer and architect doesn't know the tricks of the totem per person other than their own, that's why they never let anyone touch their totem since it is their only proof that they are in somebody else's dream... Though that isn't enough since it would still do its trick in the owner of the totem's dream, meaning the top will stop spinning if it was in Cobb's or his wife's dream, though it is very pointless once you take notice of the wedding ring. Check out his hands every time you see him, especially in the beginning. :thumbs:

 

[Pixelphile]

Auugh. I just watched this a couple days ago. The ending was one of those Terminator 2 "we saved the day... or did we? You decide" endings. Since the top actually wobbled, I thought it was meant for the audience to take it either way, but I never noticed the wedding ring so I guess I'll have to go back and watch.

I kind of saw this ending coming but still let out a giant "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF" in the theater when it happened.

This may make me sound slow (and I kind of am) but my favorite aspect of the movie is that it explained its damn fictional scientific concepts to the audience, and kept explaining them so no one got lost. After watching so much Heisei KR, and recently trying to read Neuromancer and consequently swearing off of Gibson's "deep end, sink or swim" approach to sci-fi forever, I kind of missed this.

That movie kicked major butt though and I'll be grabbing the DVD as soon as it drops. Definitely need to give this repeat watches.

 

[musashi03]

Auugh. I just watched this a couple days ago. The ending was one of those Terminator 2 "we saved the day... or did we? You decide" endings. Since the top actually wobbled, I thought it was meant for the audience to take it either way, but I never noticed the wedding ring so I guess I'll have to go back and watch.

I kind of saw this ending coming but still let out a giant "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF" in the theater when it happened.

This may make me sound slow (and I kind of am) but my favorite aspect of the movie is that it explained its damn fictional scientific concepts to the audience, and kept explaining them so no one got lost. After watching so much Heisei KR, and recently trying to read Neuromancer and consequently swearing off of Gibson's "deep end, sink or swim" approach to sci-fi forever, I kind of missed this.

That movie kicked major butt though and I'll be grabbing the DVD as soon as it drops. Definitely need to give this repeat watches.

No actually, we can know what the ending really is since there were Easter Eggs and clues planted in the movie if you pay attention. Like I said, just pay attention to Cobb's hands... He's only wearing his wedding ring when he's in a dream. :thumbs:

And by the way, the concepts they used were mostly not fictional at all, but were theories in Quantum Physics, and most were common knowledge with sleeping, like the "kicks" which were waking up with the sensation of falling or the climax of a musical score.

 

[Pixelphile]

No actually, we can know what the ending really is since there were Easter Eggs and clues planted in the movie if you pay attention. Like I said, just pay attention to Cobb's hands... He's only wearing his wedding ring when he's in a dream. :thumbs:

Hence my original paragraph. I never thought to look at his hands so I've got my work cut out for me. The point is, it's going to have to wait until I have it at home.

 

[SaikoDragon]

will be seeing this movie again in the imax! woot