*Official* Inception Ending Movie Debate

[ClearView]

Hello Guys! I have recently watched the movie Inception and it is UNBELIEVABLY GOOD! I don't care how old you are, or what your movie preference is, but go watch this movie, like right now! So stop reading this sentence and come back after words, and post something! ----Now to the thread--- **SPOILERS** The big debate around this movie is the end. Everyone has their own ideas, and its up for the viewers (thats us) to figure out things for ourselves. Now to get started, Chris Nolan put a lot of clues into the movie. In the end the Cobb Characters totem starts to wobble, but does not fully drop. Hopefully you readers have already watched the movie and know what I'm talking about, but throughout the movie they explain everything. Anyway, my decision lies on that he is still in his "limbo" world, because throughout the movie, you are never shown, or told where anything started. All the scenes are kind of started abruptly, where you never really know how he got there. Take the beginning for example. He wakes up on a shore, where he is found by some Chinese guards.. But how he got there, was never revealed to us. Another major point I have is that the draidel type totem that he had was not actually his. It was his wife's, and he took it from her when she died. However, he tells the architect character in the movie, that once a totem is touched by another person it does not serve its purpose anymore, because the totem has to be something unique. For this reason, it should not prove accurate because it has been used by someone already. One other big strong point I want to add: He explained that he used "inception" on his wife, but I was thinking, what if it was the other way around? What if his wife, used inception on him, and she actually escaped the limbo, and he was stuck inside of it. This movie is really deep, and I hope you guys take the time to read this post because I really want to hear what you guys think about it aswell. I know a lot of you watched the movie, don't be shy, post your thoughts -cV

[DuB]

More Inception threads please!

[ClearView]

Thanks for the sarcasm, DuB. It is greatly appreciated.. Trolls these days... Haha Just kidding.. -cV

[lizzy]

I think the beginning of the movie is actually the end... problem is, I was so confused during the beginning that I have no clue what was actually happening. I plan to go back and watch it, paying more attention to the beginning now that I know what's going on... I can see your idea being a possibility as well... Another thing to point out is that Cobb's kids were wearing the same clothes they always wore in his dream/memory.

[dakotahnok]

When cobb spun the top he didnt even wait to see if it stopped. its like he didnt care if it was reality or not he just wanted to see his childrens faces again. he really didnt want to know if it was reality because it might ruin the moment. on the other hand in the credits the children are listed twice with two differient actors, thus saying that they were older. and if they were older than in the dream than they were probably in reality.

[DuB]

on the other hand in the credits the children are listed twice with two differient actors, thus saying that they were older. That's a good observation. Interesting.

[LucidAlex]

I think it was not a dream at the end. Firstly, they made a point of saying time and time again to think of how you got to a moment. You see them all get on the plane, and you see them get off. You know how they got from one place to another, unless the whole thing was a dream. Secondly, the architect only built three worlds. Who would be the architect of this fake-reality? Thirdly, limbo is shown as a very specific place, and they mention how it is littered with the traces of who was there last. I think the thing at the end was just put there as a twist, to make people talk.

[ilovesnow]

Well I heard that in the movie in all the dream scenes he is wearing his wedding ring, and in the real life scenes he isn't. And when he spins the top at the end he isn't wearing the ring so it is real life. I think that they put in the spinning top in the end to show how he really wanted to see his kids, and to cause discussions like this thread.

[ClearView]

I think that they put in the spinning top in the end to show how he really wanted to see his kids, and to cause discussions like this thread. Lol!! ^^ I did forget to add that the kids never changed, hairstyles, clothes, etc, as someone has mention above. I guess that he did really want to see his kids, and it probably didn't matter to him either way. Nonetheless, still a great ending and an awesome movie. I don't think looking at the trailers before this movie, could I see that any of them would top Inception. To tell you the truth, when I first heard about Inception, I knew right away it would be a great movie. Just everything about it was so unbelievable, I can't describe how good it was. -cV

[ilovesnow]

Lol!! ^^ I did forget to add that the kids never changed, hairstyles, clothes, etc, as someone has mention above. I guess that he did really want to see his kids, and it probably didn't matter to him either way. Nonetheless, still a great ending and an awesome movie. I don't think looking at the trailers before this movie, could I see that any of them would top Inception. To tell you the truth, when I first heard about Inception, I knew right away it would be a great movie. Just everything about it was so unbelievable, I can't describe how good it was. -cV Yeah, this is definitely one of my favorite movies now but I wish that it had a conclusive ending, like the top falling down. But the thing about endings like this is that they stick with you more, like I'll probably still be thinking about this movie a month from now. And like you said, either way it was still a great movie and in my opinion it had a happy ending either way. Also, does the top ever fall down in the movie? I think it does when he demonstrates it to the girl or something but I don't remember. I know this wouldn't show that the ending is real or a dream but it would at least show that the entire movie isn't just him dreaming.

[CRAZY BONE]

I'll just point out the obvious: There is no answer to what happened at the end. You can come up with many different theories, and all of them are right. It all just comes down to what you want to believe.

[Atras]

ya remember when he puts the gun to his head and spins the top then it falls down and he puts the gun down

[Remoh]

What's already been mentioned is, there is no true ending. I saw the movie today and have been discussing multiple theories with people that have also seen it. I want to believe that he is still in limbo, and that everything that happened was something that he created. He wanted a way to get home, so he just created this job up. All the other times that his top stopped spinning was all in his mind. He made it stop in order to give himself a sense of relaxation. Who really knows though. At the end he is so excited to see his kids that he doesn't care if it's reality or not, he just wants to be with his kids. Or... maybe he already knows that it is still a dream so he doesn't stick around to watch it. I don't often become confused with movies, and this one wasn't necessarily confusing, but I have to almost say theories to myself in order to wrap my mind around it. Typing this out just makes me more frustrated, I am one of those people that wants a definite ending to a movie. However, I really loved the movie. It is the first movie in a long time that is truly an original idea, and that is a really rare thing to come by. I'll probably go watch it again...

[CRAZY BONE]

Me and a friend were talking about how the whole concept of the movie could be a kind of religion. Like, after you die, you really are just transported to another dream layer, another reality. Maybe everything that is in our reality is just our imagination creating it seamlessly, and continuously. Though I'm sure this theory has been around a lot longer than this movie.

[ClearView]

Crazy Bone, thats technically like a Muslim belief of reincarnation. -cV

[Saturos]

I think that he is definetly still in limbo. Before, he escaped by dying, but I don't think he could do that this time because his body in the first dream layer never woke up, and he would have drowned in the water, sending him into limbo because of the sedative. So technically, he was already in limbo with his wife near the end when the world was collapsing, then got re-sent into limbo because he drowned in the first dream layer. So, he's in the second layer of limbo. Also, the old Chinese guy at the end was the young-ish Chinese guy who got shot in the first layer and then died later.

[ElsiaStar]

I hate movies that leave you hanging so I always have to make up my own ending. Here is what I think happened: The top didn't stop spinning. If he was in reality, the top could not possibly spin that long. Just because it wobbles does not mean it was going to fall over. Also, I think that Mol was the right one. She knew the truth, which was that they were still in a dream and she killed herself to wake up. But if you think about it, that just makes it even more confusing because it means that none of the other characters, such as Ariadne, ever existed. Well, I don't know. But on another note, I really enjoyed the movie and saw it twice already .

[mazmaz]

I think the whole movie was a dream. I think there are more clues and I will watch again to find them but here is the 2 I noticed. 1- I the hotel, when his wife is trying to jump out of the window, they are in opposite windows in front of each other. They should have been at the same window of the same room. 2- At the end, the stamp he is getting in his passport at the customs is blank. does not have any content.

[dakotahnok]

she explains why she was at the oposite side of the building. she wanted to set him up for murder so he would come with her.

[Oneironaut Zero]

The top began wobbling. If it was a dream totem, it would have acted like it had acted, all throughout the movie - which would be to spin and spin and spin, infinitely. The fact that it wobbled - whether we saw what happened to it after that or not - is just as significant as if the top would have fallen down. It would make no sense for Nolan to have made it any other way. Why? Because that would be suggesting that - even if the top did fall down - the totem didn't work, and he was still dreaming. This would make the entire point of there being totems in the movie invalid and unnecessary. I think the fact that the top wobbled before the movie cut to black was all the proof we need to know that he was not dreaming. The cut to black is just there to be cute with us and spark conversations like this.

[dakotahnok]

The top began wobbling. If it was a dream totem, it would have acted like it had acted, all throughout the movie - which would be to spin and spin and spin, infinitely. The fact that it wobbled - whether we saw what happened to it after that or not - is just as significant as if the top would have fallen down. It would make no sense for Nolan to have made it any other way. Why? Because that would be suggesting that - even if the top did fall down - the totem didn't work, and he was still dreaming. This would make the entire point of there being totems in the movie invalid and unnecessary. I think the fact that the top wobbled before the movie cut to black was all the proof we need to know that he was not dreaming. The cut to black is just there to be cute with us and spark conversations like this. yeah well if you remember he tells that arthour that if someone touches or examines your totem than it becomes useless. and then he tells you that it was his wifes. so wouldnt the fact that somebody else acually used it make the totem useless?

[Oneironaut Zero]

No, because it didn't become his own totem until after his wife died. This would only make since if Mal was still alive, and was the one dreaming all of this, which really wouldn't make sense to have completely left out of the movie. After his wife died, it doesn't matter that he took on her totem, because there would be no one else who knows what it feels like, to simulate it in a dream and use it against him.

[DuB]

The top began wobbling. If it was a dream totem, it would have acted like it had acted, all throughout the movie - which would be to spin and spin and spin, infinitely. The fact that it wobbled - whether we saw what happened to it after that or not - is just as significant as if the top would have fallen down. It would make no sense for Nolan to have made it any other way. Why? Because that would be suggesting that - even if the top did fall down - the totem didn't work, and he was still dreaming. This would make the entire point of there being totems in the movie invalid and unnecessary. I think the fact that the top wobbled before the movie cut to black was all the proof we need to know that he was not dreaming. The cut to black is just there to be cute with us and spark conversations like this. I completely agree that the top was going to fall, and that this was the conclusion that Nolan intended for the audience to reach. However, we have to remember that the purpose of the totem was to assure the user that they are not in someone else's dream, not that they aren't dreaming. So it's still possible that Cobb was in a dream of his own making, perhaps even in "limbo" for the entire movie. I tend not to think that this is the case, since there were not many compelling prior clues which would have suggested this interpretation, but I don't think we can rule it out.

[juroara]

I know a lot people keep saying the kids looked exactly the same, am I going crazy but weren't they taller? Does he even say how tall they've gotten? Here's why I think he's awake. Because if he's not awake at the ending, then the entire movie might as well be just a dream that happened in one night. Why not? Why stop at limbo? If he's not awake then we lose grip on reality of the entire movie. How do we know he was ever awake? How do we know this inception is even real in the movie? Maybe he just dreamed that up. Maybe he just dreamed up a limbo - but it's not really limbo - and no he's never spent years in it. He's just dreaming a fantastical dream, in the same amount of time span we all dream. That would be a problematic ending that undermines the entire movie Here's why I think the ending is open ended Not because he isn't awake (he is) but to cast doubt that our waking reality is any different than a dream. To make us feel what his wife felt - how do we know that right now - were not in a shared dream? I THINK that was the inception he wanted to put in us.

[Secret Neo]

Ok, it is real, there seems to be a lot of evidence. First, some people say you can hear the top fall over at the end, true? Second, I've read that if you watch Cobbs hand during the movie he only wears his wedding ring during the dream. He never wore it in the real world, including the end. Third, the children are cast differently, with a 2 year interval in ages, suggesting he was away from his kids for 2 years. According to IMDB. Claire Geare ... Phillipa (3 years) Magnus Nolan ... James (20 months) Taylor Geare ... Phillipa (5 years) Johnathan Geare ... James (3 years) - The only way I can see it not being real is that Cobb made his dream world so real he didn't know anymore and what we were watching was his own Inception to rid the memories of his dead wife, thus the reasoning behind why the title was at the end of the movie, to bring closure basically.