I guess on the one hand, I do wish it had a bit more character development...I never really felt sad or afraid, or happy for the characters, which is something I'd like to feel at least once in any movie.

I guess I did feel a bit for Cobb, I could relate to his internal struggle with memories, trying in vain to change them...but not quite enough.

But even that being said, I can honestly say this movie makes my top 5 list...instantly. It was a delight to see a movie that took a bit of thought, and played paradox so elegantly. I went out and promptly saw the movie a second time, and may even see it a third time to try and wrap my brain around all of the plot twists. (I'm the type of person who has trouble sitting through movies twice)


*Spoilers* (Highlight to read)

Here are some of my opinions/interpretations:

1) I believe there are actually FIVE dream layers...the 4th and 5th are commonly thought to be a single one:

a) ---The capture (Dreamt by Yousef (the chemist)---

b) ---The hotel (Dreamt by Arthur (the point man)---

c) ---The hospital (Produced entirely by Robert (the mark)'s subconscious)---

d) ---"Limbo" (I believe this was actually dreamt by Dom, the scene where he comes to terms with his loss of Mal...he's recalling his own personal limbo with Mal, and not Saito's)--- Ariadne and Robert, as well as Mal were in this level. Ariadne and Cobb got here via the dream hub, Robert suffered heart failure (but not brain death). Saito was not in this "Limbo"...when he died in the third level, he jumped immediately down to the fifth (real) Limbo. Cobb was stabbed by Mal, he later died (not shown, but I can't see why else he would have been stabbed, or how he could have gone to the real Limbo without dying) and joined Saito on the beach in Limbo.

e) ---Limbo (Saito was sent here from the third layer, Cobb from the fourth)--- Saito and Cobb rondezvous in Limbo.


Why do I think there are actually 5? I can't think of a better explanation for why Saito is old and Cobb isn't (if Cobb had entered the real Limbo first (from the 3rd layer using the hub), and Saito died moments later, Cobb should be the older of the two). Instead, Cobb died from the 4th layer, but even this very small amount of time difference between when Saito died in the third layer, and Cobb dying in the 4th, was enough to make Saito an old man.

2) It's explicitly said that Ariadne (the architect) doesn't dream herself, but instead teaches the designs to those selected as dreamers (She was never supposed to go 'into the field.' Cobb actually broke a promise to his father by allowing her to go on that mission, but he chose to do so since she understood his internal struggle with Mal). So no, none of the dreams are Ariadne's, she simply taught the designs to the dreamers.

3) Note that the 'dreamer' has a subconscious which populates the world, in addition the 'the mark' (whose subconscious populates the world). Cobb's subconscious was clearly a foreign element (Mal, the children, shattered glass), but everyone had such elements (termed projections). These didn't play as much of a role since the architect designed the city as a labyrinth.

4) The real cliffhanger in the movie is, when Saito picks up the gun as an old man, does he shoot Cobb, or himself? This issue is deliberately left open...and is further exacerbated by the fact that the top may or may not be spinning forever in the movie's closing scene.
*End Spoilers*


And here's one thing I don't feel was explained the best:

*Spoiler*

The top was Mal's totem...namely, it was designed in such a way, that in Mal's dreams it would spin forever. How did this property transfer to Cobb?

Perhaps everything is Mal's dream...meaning when Mal jumped off the balcony, she was right?

*End Spoiler*

I also thinks its awesome that they used a song by Edith Piaf, then got Marion Cotillard (who played Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose) to play Mal.

Spoilers

I also noticed that every time Cobb tries to spin the top he's interrupted, the only time he spins the top and actually sees it fall is directly after the mission into Saito's dream at the beginning.

I think the Hospital was also designed by Ariadne and dreamed by Eames. There was a line where Cobb asked Ariadne about the design of it, and asked if Eames had added anything.

I was willing to attribute the aging thing to differences of perception. Because through all the scenes we see of Mal and Cobb they appear young, but we later find out that they were actually old. In a dream you can kindof be both. The two layers of limbo is an interesting idea though, I'm going to have to think about that one.


/Spoilers

Spoiler.

He clearly did not live because he stayed back with Mol. The top spinning at the end did not tip over, reenforcing this. Although it looked like it was gonna tip, it did the same thing when they spun it in their dreams as well.

Overall - excellent movie! One of the best ive seen.

Most overrated movie ever?

"A dream within a dream, within a dream"

Ummmm ok........

Ah. the open interpretation of the ending:

Watch the credits.
then you'll find out.

Originally Posted by BluandExile

Most overrated movie ever?

"A dream within a dream, within a dream"

Ummmm ok........

Did you actually go and see it?

must watch!

Originally Posted by temptingf8

Did you actually go and see it?

No, of course not, I usually review movies by not watching them.

Originally Posted by kwyhan

Ah. the open interpretation of the ending:

Watch the credits.
then you'll find out.

Ya, I liked how they played Edith Piaf again at the very end of the credits, almost as if the audience was hearing the music signalling an upcoming "kick" - perhaps we are still dreaming?

Okay i loved the movie but the ending is driving me crazy. Spoilers belooow

Spoiler: (Highlight the grey box to see the hidden message.)

I think in the end he wasn\t in a dream evn though the children were wearing the EXACT same thing they were wearing the last time he saw them, and the thingie was still spinning. Although it was spinning and wobbling it wouldn\t have mattered anyway cuz saito touched it when he went to bring him back...so it was tainted...or was it? jeez

K, what if the whole movie was really arthur asembling the team to get leonardo's character out of limbo ? what if the architect was hired by arthur becasue he went to go talk to the grandfather ? becasue technically..the grandfather picked up leo from the airport meaning he lived in the states which makes it impossible for leo to have gone to see him if he couldn't get into the states. so , what if the team planted the whole idea of the mission with saito into leo's mind so that he could make sense of everything on his own in order to free himself from the limbo (becasue he didn't know that he was in limbo) ...?

lol it makes sense in my head...idk..

Originally Posted by nikita92

K, what if the whole movie was really arthur asembling the team to get leonardo's character out of limbo ? what if the architect was hired by arthur becasue he went to go talk to the grandfather ? becasue technically..the grandfather picked up leo from the airport meaning he lived in the states which makes it impossible for leo to have gone to see him if he couldn't get into the states. so , what if the team planted the whole idea of the mission with saito into leo's mind so that he could make sense of everything on his own in order to free himself from the limbo (becasue he didn't know that he was in limbo) ...?

lol it makes sense in my head...idk..

oh sorry also - the ending seems real becasue of how the whole team was looking at him..like when they were at customs, when he woke up on the flight etc...as if their whole plan worked out and they got him out of limbo..cuz like they all had these sneaky smiles on at the end of the movie, like everything worked acording to plan ..? hmmm..

I stumbled across this and loved it.

Spoiler: (Highlight the grey box to see the hidden message.)

I think the whole premise of the movie was to insert the "Inception" into every viewer...notice how everyone who has seen the movie is usually confused as to what is real and what was part of the dream? THAT'S the whole point of the Inception, as Cobb explains to Ariadne earlier in the film. The fine line between reality and the dream was the whole point...and we've all experienced that "Inception". I think that in trying to get Fischer to experience the Inception, all the others were influenced (think of it like this--in order to give someone else a cold, you have to have it yourself)...the spinning top at the end WOBBLED...we don't know if it fell over or continued to spin rapidly. I think the wobble is to be interpreted as the successful implantation of the Inception.

Or maybe I'm totally wrong on this lol.

Originally Posted by Marlowe

I stumbled across this and loved it.

So the level where the asian person was (I forget his name) was limbo rather than a 5th level?