Love this film. My dad wasnt a big movie guy but i made him watch this with me and he actually loved it. He passed away a few years later and it’s one of my favorite memories we have those last few years. Good film and good memories 10/10
Robert may have been "conned", but one of the nice things about this movie is that ultimately I think it's fair to say that he'll probably live a happier life because of the inception. Breaking up the company means destroying the monopoly, but it will still leave him with more than enough money to do pretty much whatever he wants in life and he'll now have a certainty at the deepest core of his being that his father loved him and wanted him to pursue his dreams, which is way, way better than the alternative he was facing.
I really like that. It's kinda like the hotel review guy in oceans 13. Sure, our heroes made his life absolutely miserable for a bit but the 11mil sure helps.
I always felt the same way, like for someone getting conned he had the best outcome from it since he didn't feel like he had to try to run his father's company and felt like his dad truly loved him and wanted what was best for him
@@kaitlinlucyk1375 Agreed, although as an outside observer I did feel a little sad for his father. I suppose great men/women are always a little different, driven by their own visions of the world maybe. But tbh I cannot fathom many ways to leave this world more sad than using your last breath to tell your only child that they were a disappointment to you. Certainly not the note I hope I leave on, anyway.
I think in hindsight, Nolans filmography in general will be heavily regarded for his use of time and perception. The Dark Knight will be mentioned most because of what it did for the Superhero genre but Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and The Prestige all have refreshing takes on non linear storytelling and the human experience dealing with time.
@@a.r.t93 What I meant to say is the version you're talking about that Christopher Nolan uses is the refreshing take youre speaking on. Citizen Kane had a totally different non-linear storing telling technique.
I think Cobb being the target makes Inception infinitely more interesting, with every character being in on it, including the faux target. Ariadne is recommended to Cobb by his father-in-law, and she’s ultimately the conduit through which Dom is guided. She inspires him to move on very directly by telling him to do it, under the guise that she’s just viewing his situation for the first time, and her “genuine” reactions force him to be introspective. In a way, it’s a very clever version of “don’t think of an elephant”. She tells him to think of an elephant, and since he has no reason to believe she’s attempting inception, he does, and accepts it as his own agency.
The symbolism of her "second" shared dream (remember she's "better" than Cobb, then suddenly ignorant of everything) is amazing. She turns the city on it's head, essentially trapping them. Then she leads Cobb between two mirrors so they are looking back on themselves forever. Then she breaks the mirror. This leads Cobb to warn her about the dangers of mistaking the dream for reality. Inception? Mal is the Minotaur in the labyrinth of memories Cobb is trapped in, and Ariadne is sent to save him from.
Inception is my favourite Nolan movie. The characters, the mind bending story, Hanz Zimmers' score, the excellent practical effects, the deep, intricate scenes filled with Easter eggs that have kept us talking for a decade. This. Is. Cinema.
I always thought Cobb's 'real' totem, the way he knew whether he was dreaming or awake, was actually the faces of his children - over and over in the film, we see him almost catch the faces of his kids, but never quite, and it's clear this moment torments him. But when they do finally turn around and he does actually see their faces, he knows he's not dreaming - and he's finally left the nightmare that was his life from Mal's death until that moment behind.
I wholeheartedly agree. It’s what I thought when I saw this in the theater and I couldn’t believe my friends felt differently. It felt so obvious to me as a parent. The moment he sees their faces he just stands up as if he is called effortlessly to the true reality.
He even tells mal that he can't remember her face as detailed as he would like, and that probably would apply to his children too if he hasn't seen them for a while
@@MurderMostFowlbut isn't the totem supposed to be something you keep on you and that has specific characteristics that don't change? It's interesting though to think about, I've never heard this theory before.
This will always be my favorite movie ever made. The visuals, the acting, the sets, the storytelling...it was just a perfect movie. I dont think ive ever rewatched a movie as much as i have this one...and everytime i feel like i catch something i never did. So amazing.
I don’t know why people were confused by the ending. He can’t see his children’s faces in his dreams. Period. So in the end when they turn around and he sees their faces, you know it’s reality.
Never understood why people thought he was still dreaming at the end. We're shown repeatedly that the top spins flawlessly when he's asleep, never wobbling or shaking, and at the end, it does wobble quite a bit before the cut to black.
it clearly stayed upright until the end of the frame, and the line from his son about the house on side of a cliff is indisputable evidence he's dreaming.
Exactly. It's made crystal clear that he left the dream state and went home to be with his kids again. All of the other characters, the totems, all of that were made up by Cobb because it's all his dream. When we're dreaming there are three levels, the beginning you can barely remember, the intense part of the dream and then waking up. What's so incredible about the film though is that what's happening in reality is actually more interesting. They could have gotten in a car accident together and he knew she died and he went into a coma and this was his struggle to come back to reality, or perhaps she did in fact uh..."self delete" by jumping off of a building. I always got the feeling that she developed a mental problem like schizophrenia and he tried helping her cope with it by developing the idea of the totem or something and it failed and that's why she jumped/died.
I think Cobb made it home and the ending is reality because Cobb only remembers his kids faces before his exile, and at the end his kids are a bit older, and he couldn't have created them using memory since he couldn't look at their faces ever since his wife's death... Also his kids are credited as being played as two different ages proving the time had passed since he last seen them
I have always assumed that Cobb made it home because 1) The wedding ring 2) He finally sees his children’s faces 3) The top is beginning to wobble as the screen cuts to black and for a brief moment after the black screen hits you can hear the top being unstable and “ticking” out of time. If the top would spin endlessly in dream world, then the audience shouldn’t ever see/hear it slow down or wobble. Because that’s exactly what we see, the only logical conclusion is that Cobb made it back.
The wedding ring can also be that he is free from guilt. Everything is about a deep dive to subconscious. And his gulit has left. His ring is not his totem is his guilt
I completely agree. If he wanted it up for interpretation then he shouldn't have had the top wobble. I think in Nolan's mind Cobb made it home, but when he saw all the fans having fun discussing it he didn't want to ruin the fun. I don't believe for a second that he doesn't have an opinion on if it's reality or not, even though he will never admit what he really thinks.
@@BlitzinMackGaming I don't remember where it was, but I'm pretty sure I saw a clip with Nolan explaining that originally they did plan to have the top keep spinning, but at the last moment they decided to change it because they thought it would be too cruel to the character. Having the top wobble only after the screen goes black was a brilliant move imo: I was just holding my breath to see it fall, there's so much tension in just how long they let it spin, and they cut it off so fast that a shred of doubt remains: did it really fall? But really?
I’ve always been film junkie. I remember seeing memento, the prestige, and insomnia and loving them all not realizing they were all directed by Nolan. When I made the realization I decided he was my favorite director. Little did I know he would continue to make more of the greatest movies of all time.
I always thought that Mal's insistence it is all a dream was Cobb's fault. She invented the idea of a totem and used the top - it's her totem (see below). Cobb went and spun it himself, and when she saw it was like that it made her think it was a dream, which was his intention. But since she didn't plant the idea herself, it didn't stop after she woke up. This is why Cobb has instilled the idea in his team that nobody can know how the totem works except the person that made it, because otherwise it makes you lose track of reality when others mess with it. Also why he knows inception is possible. I don't even think Mal created the totem idea intentionally. I think Cobb's regret is that he realized she depended on it, finds it in a safe (as shown earlier in the movie - might have been a safe that he prompted her to create), then uses it to manipulate her to agree to commit suicide in order to exit limbo. Cobb took those concepts and developed the totem concept from that. His ring is a totem but unintentional - he tries to use hers, but he's uncertain.
yo can you imagine if we could live entire 50 year relationship in 10 hours of sleep...wake up..and be like "ok well, thanks, that was nice. Good luck to ya" and it's tuesday
5. Old souls 2. We built our own world 8. One simple idea 4. Radical notion 9. Dream within a dream 1. Half remembered dream I see what you did there Nolan.
I'm ashamed to admit that I just watched this movie for the first time today. I actually bought it at least 10 years ago and just kept forgetting to watch it until I was inspired by seeing Oppenheimer this weekend. Nolan might be my favorite director at this point. Nothing gets me thinking quite like a Christopher Nolan film. Thanks for the breakdown HS.
The character names initials don't only spell out DREAMS PAY but also A DREAM SPY. I thought another detail that was going to be mentioned was the final part of the first dream where Robert Fischer tells Peter what his dad wanted. After the camera pans around Robert, you can see Eames again. I didn't even notice this until I watched the movie again.
This easter egg walk through is so detailed and amazing, I was shocked there was no mention about how the film Paprika so heavily inspired the script and scenes of Inception. Would be very worth doing a video on that, in my opinion as those 2 films are ultimately 2 of my all time favorites!
To me, the spinning top at the end is an indication that Cobb getting together with the kids, was in a sense Mals final dream. The wobbling indicating that it also means her tormenting Cobb will come to an end.
One of the best films ever made. Nolan deserved a Oscar nomination for directing. Leo crushed it as did the rest of the cast. I notice something everytime i watch it. They don't make films like these anymore. Can't wait for Oppenheimer.
I always thought that what gave away the ending was not a dream was that he was able to see his children's faces, as he was not capable of seeing them in memories or dreams
Definately my favourite Nolan film 🤗 We saw it in cinema again last week, they were re-showing older Nolan films in preperation for Oppenheimer. It was awesome to see it on the big screen again after so many years 🤗❤
I remember checking my watch a bunch the first time I saw it in theaters. Not because I was ready for it to end, but instead because I didn't and wanted to see how much longer the masterpiece would be playing. As it got closer and closer to the end I felt sad because I knew it would be rare for another movie to make me feel that way. I'd love to be able to somehow wipe my memory and watch it again.
Thank you for pointing out that Nolan give us a resolution to the open end. I wasnt following all interviews and I'm glad i found your video to finally ease my mind.
Thank you for releasing this amazingly mind-blowing explanation for Inception. I've followed your sub for a few years now. Always releasing quality content.
I agree with you that Inception was, and continues to be, a great movie. I can watch it over and over. There are very few movies that I can watch more than a few times. It took me many watches, and your videos, to understand it
For me Inception is meaning of someone life struggling with past. You are Cobb. You have unclosed past (Mal) that keeps you from moving forward. - Adrianne represents rationality/sense (she leads Cobb to freedom from past, she tells Cobb Mal is not real on 3rd level) - Mal represents broken feelings, unmet needs, desires, sexuality, something which you want very much but you can't get it. - Saito represents your muffled ego, inner child, something that you closed in fortress and protect and don't allow someone to get in. Cobb solves his problems with confronting with Saito and telling him truth this is not reality, but a dream - it means you don't need to be closed and protecting (Saito guards) yourself to somebody. Past is past, do not live in past. You are free do live today. I belive this was Cobb message to Saito to go back to real life. - Fisher represents your life mission, something you have to do with your life, your aim/target. To complete your mission you need to confront past (Mal), and be open to others (Saito). These two was difficult to me - Arthur was experienced in dreaming (he was learning Adrianne dream details, paradox). He represents things that you are good in and experienced. - Eames represents your analyzing skills, self-consciousness, your "inner intelligence/counterespionage"
Strangely what gets me the most in the movie is that the relationship between fischer and his father doesn’t really get resolved. Dream dad just tells him what he wants to hear, combined with the team’s manipulations. But what did the father really think of him and what really is in that safe? It doesn’t really have much to do with the plot, so obviously it doesn’t get shown how Fischer junior opens the safe, but it definitely will happen and not knowing always bothers me after watching the movie.
@@wingthomaux It doesn't matter what's in the actual safe in real life. The safe's role in the dream is only to be the inception device, which represents the idea of Fischer Sr's true, 'locked up' feelings regarding his son. Once Fischer Jr. has opened the safe in the dream and discovered its contents, the idea represented by those contents is the inception. Bear in mind Fischer Jr. isn't even going to consciously remember the dream he had with Cobb's team. The idea of inception is that it's a seed of an idea which blooms later. When Fischer Jr. sees that safe again in real life, he might have some vague feeling about it that will puzzle him, but that's about it. The safe's real life contents are irrelevant. As for what Fischer Sr truly thought about his son, no one will ever know. But Fischer Jr has been incepted with the idea that his father secretly loved him dearly, and Fischer Sr's corpse isn't going to dispute it, so that's their relationship effectively resolved, at least where the living is concerned.
@@wingthomaux The real life safe probably contains nothing important, and Fischer Sr. probably didn't care about his son. But Fischer Jr has been incepted with the belief that his father did care, and that will be his 'truth' now.
Dang! I never picked up that his ring could be his totem. You always surprise me with your puns and the creative ways to encourage us to 👍 and subscribe 👌. Thanks Paul for this breakdown. Will need to go back and rewatch this movie with this new knowledge. ✌️
I saw Inception seven times at the movie theater .This to me is one of the Grestest movies i have seen. A story full of life with meaning. Emotions. Magnificent Brilliant. Also the details of the movie. All believeable and true.All actors actresses were just . Perfect. Everyone was perfect for each character. The music the scene perfect match. The detail of the wedding ring on Cobb hand . I did miss that one. Thank you for that little huge detail makes it even Greater. Nolan made a. Masterpiece. And All of them.
i just want to say Kevin, i really appreicate that you arent afraid to and are willing to revisit movies you have made videos on before because time always changes perspective and i love to revisit things.
Great video! always love your content. One small note is you mention that the Geisel Library is located at the University of California. Generally that refers to University of California at Berkeley. The University of California system (or UC system) is made up of 10 campuses but each operate as individual institutions. The Geisel Library is located at the UC San Diego campus. It's a small thing and apologies for being a nit but your videos have so much detail I thought it was warranted in case you're referencing UC schools in the future. Cheers!
I just watched Inception for the first time last night. I’m so happy you made this video because for a first time watcher mannn that movie was awesome but I was so lost. The theory of the whole mission being to plant an Inception into Cobb’s mind the whole time is wild
It works! I think like 15 mins after posting this video, it got hit with a strike or something, and was blocked. But now I get to watch your awesome breakdown! Love your stuff. I'm almost more excited watch your breakdowns than the actual thing itself, no joke.
@@heavyspoilers welcome! Love you see your growth, both in the channel and in real life! Running a popular RUclips channel with twins must be rough. Looking forward to seeing what you create
The spinning top totem represents mal’s hold on Cobb. Him leaving it on the table at the end isn’t him checking if he’s dreaming or not it’s him finally letting go of the last part of Mal and moving on.
The spinning top is NOT his totem. He's not checking anything. It's a trick for the audience. But I agree that he's letting go of Mal by walking away from HER totem.
@@jacobbastin802The top is not his original totem, however, he uses it throughout the film to consistently check dream versus reality. Final scene begins with him checking if he is in a dream or reality. Then, he sees his children and walks toward them, because he does not care anymore. He is at true peace.
If you listen at the end of the movie as things fade to black you can hear the top fall over l. I think this was Nolan’s way to hedge his bet that some people will still believe in the top as the totem and come away thinking the ending is a tragedy
Absolutely love inception, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a great blockbuster film that simultaneously has intricately placed layers that are meaningful.
Michael Caine said if he is in a scene then that's real life. So you see him at the end when he is reunited with his kids letting you know its really not a dream and us not seeing the spinning top stop is just to make you question everything. Very clever
Fantastic visual essay. Thank you. Saw the original Inception dream briefcase at a science fiction in films exhibition at the Barbican in London a few years ago. It left me with the feeling ‘What if…’
This is probably one of my favorite movies!! I love how the Nolan was able to manipulate with our emotions psychology with this movie. I never time I watch this movie, i find something new. Thank you Paul for the great breakdown!! 👍
I’m really loving the classic movie breakdowns. Just curious, now that Doctor Who will be on Disney+ (everywhere except the UK) and might potentially be more popular, any plans to cover it?
Don’t know if Nolan ever saw Berlin Calling, released in 2008, but anyways the main song is called ‘sky and sand’ and the lyrics kinda remind me of the movie especially the sand castles part of the movie. Some lyrics go “And we build up castles, In the sky and in the sand, Design our own world, Ain't nobody understand”. The main character in that movie is also called Icarus, who is integral to the myth of the labyrinth, which this movie draws a lot from.
You making these videos really is refreshing. The movies we get now are so poorly written. They all depend on old ideas and franchises. A reminder that good movies are about originality
There's a lot of mirroring in the movie. We're told that Mal forgot about her totem which is how she got lost. Cobb using Mal's totem plays into that theme. He's lost track off his reality, his totem, and is now living in a reality controlled by Mal. This also plays into the symbolism at the end, when he frees himself from Mal / leaves the totem spinning to embrace his children / reality.
This is an incredibly astute breakdown. As a fine artist, I always end up watching Inception and getting lost in the small scenery details, artwork, etc., because it is so beautifully put together in the minute of details. That means it always comes at a deficit of diving deeper into the story for me. Your take has inspired me to go back and rewatch Inception with more attention paid to the story. Thanks! 😃
@@CloudianMH I haven’t read those books, obviously. If you read my comment, you’d see that I have engaged with the film from a visual perspective as an artist, not at the deeper story level. Therefore, again obviously, I would not have had an interest in reading books and watching video breakdowns about it. It’s not a crime that I appreciated this video breakdown at all. Nor is it one that it inspires me to watch the movie again.
I have always been fascinated by dreams, interpretations of dreams, lucid dreaming ect. The scene at 7:32 when Cobb sits down at the bar next to him is one of my fav in the whole movie bc he tells him, "strange weather isn't it?" Which draws Fisher's attention to the fact that he is actually dreaming and everything starts to shake and become unstable. Cobb then tells him to, "Pay attention to the strangeness...the shift...accept the fact that you're in a dream." Thats exactly how you practice to lucid dream! The moment you notice when you're dreaming, is always when your mind and body wake up from the dream. So to practice lucid dreaming and staying in your dream, first recognize when your mind starts to recognize you're dreaming. Calm yourself...tell yourself it's just a dream, everything is ok, YOU are in control...and you will then be able to stay in your dream but in a "lucid" state. Then practice taking it even further and try altering things within your dream, like giving yourself the ability to fly.😁 Also them talking about the "kick" sensation of falling and your body jolting awake was another fav part. When sleeping your brain produces different waves (Alpha, Theta, Delta) and sometimes your brain misinterprets the switching between different waves as your body is dying. So it's sends a "jolt" to your muscles/body to verify that you're not actually dying.
Just watched your breakdowns for "Lovecraft Country"....Dude...to those reading this, if you haven't seen Lovecraft Country, please do. Then go and watch Paul's breakdown of every episode. If you don't love him by now, you will after that. This channel and its host often talk about the love and passion film makers have for their work, but it's clear after watching those breakdowns, it's all love. From the host, to the editors and the well timed jokes...Thank you....Oh, and Inception is a fantastic film about a single father trying to figure out what the hell he's going to do after he loses his wife. No, she didn't take the kids, but she made sure he couldn't have them either, only in his wildest dreams....
Kudos. Insightful recap blending the web of the film and the inspirations for its telling . Old Spanish film called Open your eyes remade as Vanilla Sky ( decent soundtrack ) was bloody good and thought provoking as well .
When I've been down or lost recently, I've told people close to me that I'm in limbo. Inception has left quite an imprint on me ever since I watched it years ago, and it's no surprise that I use and think of that term often. However, it's during this video that I realized why limbo is the perfect term to use because I'm trapped by an inception of an idea in my head that is deceiving me and pulling me down, and it takes deep self-inspection or an encouraging word to pull myself out. It's like I have this idea of me that is hard to let go off, almost impossible, just like Cob did, but the realization that he will grow old alone and bitter and isolated with many more regrets than otherwise if he keeps living in his delusional world is enough for him to yank himself awake. As it's said in the movie, you don't know you are dreaming until you wake up, and living a lie is very comfortable until the past catches up and becomes nightmarish. "Waking up" like this is not something that happens once, we are surrounded by lies because we are eager to make them and live them, and it's easy as falling asleep every night and dreaming up something new. The key is to live without regrets and letting go off the past, so we can dream up a world for us that is not built on lies. Letting go is not easy, but a big step is knowing what to let go off. I think the scene after the final "awakening" where Cob looks almost in disbelief is him actually experiencing a revelation or an enlightening; maybe it's better described as "shock of the clarity of how to proceed in the future". HIs totem being his wives' and him not obsessing over it in the end means he let go of the past; maybe he forgave himself, maybe he realized that his wives' death was not his fault and was something beyond his control, a product of the world he's been living in. Fun movie to watch, even more fun to discuss.
Saw this movie for the first time on a date at a drive in theater. I can’t tell you how confused I was. After a zillion subsequent watches, it’s easily in my top 3 for Nolan. My hope is that him and Leo work together again someday. A man can dream! 🙃
True Cinematic Experiences in the theatres in my lifetime that were gamechangers for me: #1 1999 The Matrix #2 1993 Jurassic Park #3 2010 Inception #4 2008 The Dark Knight #5 2018 Infinity War #6 2012 The avengers #7 2023 Across the Spiderverse #8 2021 Dune #9 2003 Xmen 2 #10 2020 Tenet Please note: I saw Everything, everywhere, all at once on a computer. That was another level too, unfortunately not in the theatres for me.
Amazing film, christophor nolan never disappoints. I have one gripe with this film, and if anyone can help clear this up would be great, now i havent watches it in a while so this may be lacking detail but here goes: In the big finale bit, snowy mountain, bad guys, big mansion etc etc cobb demands he needs to know the layout of the mansion or soemthing which Juno is reluctant to give because cobbs wife will ruin everything but Juno does then give cobb the details. Cobb then walkie talkies the info to another one in the group. This bugs me so much, why didnt cobb just tell Juno to walkie the info themselves instead of cobb (Hopefully ive got all the details right, cant really remember, but i remember it bothering me a bit)
I think the 'Inception on Cob' theory is a fun idea, but it's reaching, and heavily flawed. I think it's more likely just a creative and interesting narrative device to have the main member of the team battle the guilt of his past while he simulataneously completes the job. There are too many scenes in this movie that would not take place if this was an Inception on Cob; such as any conversations between characters that he is not witness to. Take the part where Ariadne and Arthur disucss Cob after Arthur explains the Penrose steps. Do you not think Ariadne would have been briefed about his wife in full, way before this point in the Inception? There are many more exmples I could use. Like i say, it's a fun little idea, but it's one twist too many. The film is about how guilt has effected Cob, and while they are pulling the Inception on Fischer, how this guilt is so powerful that it jepordizes the mission as it expresses itself in real time via his subconcious. And how he must reconcile this guilt, or lose everything. It's an Inception on Fischer, plus an unplanned therapy session for Cob, that only Ariadne becomes wise to during the 'heist'. And a side note, anyone still entertaining whether the spin top stays or topples, i.e is Cob dreaming or awake, I am afraid you have missed the entire point of this movie.
This explains all the poorly acted exposition lines. They were trying to reinforce the idea that not only that cobb should leave the dream but the maze of a plot they’ve set out before him to convince him of that truth, just like the immersion therapy from shutter island
I think the "reality layer" in the movie is actually a dream. Mal was right all along, and when she jumped she actually woke up. There are several things off in the main plot, which in other movies would be simply "because the story needs it to move on". For example, why the team should put up with Cobb when he jeopardise almost all their jobs? And isn't their job line a bit... surreal to begin with? Nolan also tells us explicitly in the movie, with a character telling Cobb he's actually imagining himself having an adventurous life, full if thrill and action, and that's just his fantasy. But more telling is the time dilation. At 20x, 1 day in reality is 20 days in the dream. With three layers, you get only to 8000 days, a bit more than 20 years. To get the 50 years Cobb says he spent planning with Mal their dream city in a few hours sleep, you need a 4th layer. I thought this was an oversight when I heard it first, like the other small plot holes Holliwood has desensitised us to, but then I realised the movie doesn't have plot holes at all. The ones that seem to be there are actually hints. The final scene confirms it. Yes, it's there to tell us Cobb doesn't care if it's a dream or not, but it clearly reveals it is. All the movie was in the first layer, and he's still dreaming; maybe something went wrong, he used too much drugs, and his wife was able to wake up while he can't.
The top was on the verge of toppling, ending scene is reality. He could also see his children's faces. You're ignoring so much for this theory to hold water.
@@RUclipsAccountok But it doesn't topple. It's just trembling a bit, it's not even halfway through its spin. And for the children faces, he just removed the psychological blocks he had before, which is part of the reason why he can now come home in the dream. Another "would be a plot hole" that you're ignoring is that the pact with Saito consists in him having Cobbs criminal record expunged from the USA federal system in a few minutes from the plane, if he's successful, before landing. That is simply not possible, not even for the president of the United States; to propagate the record clearing to all the sub-agencies would require at least some days. Cobb would have been stopped at the gate and detained, at least until the guards there would verify that the record was expunged; not to speak of his father casually standing at the exit -- he would have been surrounded by federal agents that couldn't have been contacted fast enough to revert their order to stop him. That may be "Hollywood handwaving magic" for the plot to work in another movie, but it makes perfect sense in Cobb's adventurous dream in this masterpiece.
@@gniccolai The dream tops never even tremble, it's clearly different. Why does he not stay with Mal in limbo? It's because he knows that his children need a father, I don't see him backtracking on this as they are his sole motivation. Anyone saying "he doesn't care if he's in the dream anymore, he's at peace" is just verifiably wrong. Lastly, why would every sub-agency in the United States need to sign off on Cobb's entry? Maybe that's why TSA takes so long...
There is something to a movie, or other story art form, that can be interrupted in many ways that is always fascinating. It is so hard to do well, something like The Thing does it well too, but it creates such a powerful piece of art. I had not thought of the movie in the way described here, and it works well. It doesn't go so far as to be adding fan-fiction into the story to fit a narrative (something I hate for many "explanations" of media after the fact) but it based on things and ideas within the story itself. Personally I like the movie on its face, assuming the goals of everyone are as stated in the movie, but the idea that the Inception is actually on Cobb is brilliant. I've also seen the idea that Saito is still the target, but in this case to get him to fix things for Cobb. I don't know if this is covered in this video, I'm still going through it.
We must address the potential plot holes … 1. When Mal and Dom lie on the train tracks, they both look young. However, later in the movie, we see that they actually did age while in Limbo … so they should have looked older when they were on the train tracks. We also see that Saito clearly ages while in Limbo. My theory: Aging in Limbo was a psychological illusion - so, once they decided to leave, their appearance changed back to their real life age. There’s nothing in the movie to imply that’s the case … but it does fit with dream logic. 2. At the beginning of the movie, when Dom is trying to save Saito, we see him wash up on shore of Limbo. However, it’s unclear how he got BACK into the ocean. To put the final events in chronological order: Dom leaves the snow level, and he washes up on the shore of Limbo. So, he’s ALREADY on the beaches of Limbo. Then, after he saves Fischer, he goes to get Saito. For years, I thought it was a plot hole … however, now, I think it’s a brilliant mystery that was created for the audience to solve! My theory: Since Dom’s sedated, dying won’t wake him up. However, since he’s in Limbo, he can’t drop down into a deeper level. So, dying is basically a reset - which puts him back into the ocean. Then, he washes back up on the beach, and Saito’s men find him. Also, that’s why they have Dom’s top. I think it is what HE USES as his totem, since we never see him check his hand - but they took it by force. However, I do think it foreshadows his ability to “let it go” once he awakes. : )
![How Sweet - NewJeans ニュージーンズ 뉴진스 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240524](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UEELqlGOl_k/mqdefault.jpg)
Let us know your thoughts on the film below
ive never seen it lol
Love this film. My dad wasnt a big movie guy but i made him watch this with me and he actually loved it. He passed away a few years later and it’s one of my favorite memories we have those last few years. Good film and good memories 10/10
"the alternate state" that's awesome. how did you notice that?!
It has been in my TOP 5 ever since it came out in 2010. Love how I see something different each rewatch.
@@mikeylicksit because Paul is a bloody Skrull I tell ya! 😂
In just a 5 year period I have no idea how Nolan released Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Inception all back to back
Yeah it’s crazy
Nolan is the 🐐
@@heavyspoilers are you going watch Barbie movie on next Friday 21
Nolan used chat GPT
@@moderndaydalisay stop with the fake news!
Robert may have been "conned", but one of the nice things about this movie is that ultimately I think it's fair to say that he'll probably live a happier life because of the inception. Breaking up the company means destroying the monopoly, but it will still leave him with more than enough money to do pretty much whatever he wants in life and he'll now have a certainty at the deepest core of his being that his father loved him and wanted him to pursue his dreams, which is way, way better than the alternative he was facing.
I really like that. It's kinda like the hotel review guy in oceans 13. Sure, our heroes made his life absolutely miserable for a bit but the 11mil sure helps.
I always felt the same way, like for someone getting conned he had the best outcome from it since he didn't feel like he had to try to run his father's company and felt like his dad truly loved him and wanted what was best for him
@@kaitlinlucyk1375 Agreed, although as an outside observer I did feel a little sad for his father. I suppose great men/women are always a little different, driven by their own visions of the world maybe. But tbh I cannot fathom many ways to leave this world more sad than using your last breath to tell your only child that they were a disappointment to you. Certainly not the note I hope I leave on, anyway.
A happy ending for everybody indeed
I think in hindsight, Nolans filmography in general will be heavily regarded for his use of time and perception. The Dark Knight will be mentioned most because of what it did for the Superhero genre but Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and The Prestige all have refreshing takes on non linear storytelling and the human experience dealing with time.
An aspect which was created by Quentin Tarantino with pulp fiction.
@@corporatecat230 Tarantino did not create or popularize non linear storytelling.. Citizen Kane is a neat film you should watch
@@a.r.t93 What I meant to say is the version you're talking about that Christopher Nolan uses is the refreshing take youre speaking on. Citizen Kane had a totally different non-linear storing telling technique.
And of course Tenet, regarding timey whimey wibbly wobbly stuff😬
@@justaman9564 A real cluster of a movie going into it with no info, but a lot of fun to dissect in secondary viewings once it hit streaming.
I think Cobb being the target makes Inception infinitely more interesting, with every character being in on it, including the faux target.
Ariadne is recommended to Cobb by his father-in-law, and she’s ultimately the conduit through which Dom is guided.
She inspires him to move on very directly by telling him to do it, under the guise that she’s just viewing his situation for the first time, and her “genuine” reactions force him to be introspective. In a way, it’s a very clever version of “don’t think of an elephant”. She tells him to think of an elephant, and since he has no reason to believe she’s attempting inception, he does, and accepts it as his own agency.
The symbolism of her "second" shared dream (remember she's "better" than Cobb, then suddenly ignorant of everything) is amazing. She turns the city on it's head, essentially trapping them. Then she leads Cobb between two mirrors so they are looking back on themselves forever. Then she breaks the mirror.
This leads Cobb to warn her about the dangers of mistaking the dream for reality.
Inception?
Mal is the Minotaur in the labyrinth of memories Cobb is trapped in, and Ariadne is sent to save him from.
now imagine the target isnt fake and they do double inception on him and cobb that’s even infinitely more wild
that is just dumb
@@cumpanions8105 Why is it dumb?
@@crescendo5594 A) its not really new or original B) it makes the whole plotline with Cilian Murhpys character pointless
Inception is my favourite Nolan movie. The characters, the mind bending story, Hanz Zimmers' score, the excellent practical effects, the deep, intricate scenes filled with Easter eggs that have kept us talking for a decade.
This. Is. Cinema.
I agree ! The dark knight is my favorite film ever though and I'm not even a Batman fan, but this is cinema for sure.
I gotta go with Tenet for my favorite Nolan movie. Loved JDW in that movie and Pattinson was good too.
The same can pretty much be said of Oppenheimer, also Nolan. The man is one of the best directors of our age.
It is very fortunate how it took him so long to write the script for Inception so technology could start catching up!
I always thought Cobb's 'real' totem, the way he knew whether he was dreaming or awake, was actually the faces of his children - over and over in the film, we see him almost catch the faces of his kids, but never quite, and it's clear this moment torments him. But when they do finally turn around and he does actually see their faces, he knows he's not dreaming - and he's finally left the nightmare that was his life from Mal's death until that moment behind.
I wholeheartedly agree. It’s what I thought when I saw this in the theater and I couldn’t believe my friends felt differently. It felt so obvious to me as a parent. The moment he sees their faces he just stands up as if he is called effortlessly to the true reality.
He even tells mal that he can't remember her face as detailed as he would like, and that probably would apply to his children too if he hasn't seen them for a while
Totem is a physical thing.
@@MurderMostFowlbut isn't the totem supposed to be something you keep on you and that has specific characteristics that don't change? It's interesting though to think about, I've never heard this theory before.
A totem is something that only you know, and no one else can recreate.
How would the faces of your kids work for this?
This will always be my favorite movie ever made. The visuals, the acting, the sets, the storytelling...it was just a perfect movie. I dont think ive ever rewatched a movie as much as i have this one...and everytime i feel like i catch something i never did.
So amazing.
you forgot about the soundtrack
Blows my mind the level of detail Nolan put into this film and thanks to channels like this we get to appreciate them.
I don’t know why people were confused by the ending. He can’t see his children’s faces in his dreams. Period. So in the end when they turn around and he sees their faces, you know it’s reality.
Doesn’t he choose not to do that if he is dreaming he won’t be tempted to stay?
Nah, there are quite a number of scenes that the chilsren do not turn around, until the end that is.@samhescott348
Never understood why people thought he was still dreaming at the end. We're shown repeatedly that the top spins flawlessly when he's asleep, never wobbling or shaking, and at the end, it does wobble quite a bit before the cut to black.
it clearly stayed upright until the end of the frame, and the line from his son about the house on side of a cliff is indisputable evidence he's dreaming.
@@mgoogleuser8011no it is not. We siplmy don't know
Mate did you see it fall?
Exactly. It's made crystal clear that he left the dream state and went home to be with his kids again.
All of the other characters, the totems, all of that were made up by Cobb because it's all his dream. When we're dreaming there are three levels, the beginning you can barely remember, the intense part of the dream and then waking up.
What's so incredible about the film though is that what's happening in reality is actually more interesting. They could have gotten in a car accident together and he knew she died and he went into a coma and this was his struggle to come back to reality, or perhaps she did in fact uh..."self delete" by jumping off of a building. I always got the feeling that she developed a mental problem like schizophrenia and he tried helping her cope with it by developing the idea of the totem or something and it failed and that's why she jumped/died.
@@mgoogleuser8011 it stays upright yes, but it does wobble ever so slightly.
I think Cobb made it home and the ending is reality because Cobb only remembers his kids faces before his exile, and at the end his kids are a bit older, and he couldn't have created them using memory since he couldn't look at their faces ever since his wife's death... Also his kids are credited as being played as two different ages proving the time had passed since he last seen them
I agree. Also the top wobbles ever so slightly which never happens at any other point in the film.
@@BlitzinMackGamingif he’s in a dream, the top (like the wedding ring) is simply going to confirm whatever Cobb already believes.
I have always assumed that Cobb made it home because 1) The wedding ring 2) He finally sees his children’s faces 3) The top is beginning to wobble as the screen cuts to black and for a brief moment after the black screen hits you can hear the top being unstable and “ticking” out of time. If the top would spin endlessly in dream world, then the audience shouldn’t ever see/hear it slow down or wobble. Because that’s exactly what we see, the only logical conclusion is that Cobb made it back.
The wedding ring can also be that he is free from guilt. Everything is about a deep dive to subconscious. And his gulit has left. His ring is not his totem is his guilt
I completely agree. If he wanted it up for interpretation then he shouldn't have had the top wobble. I think in Nolan's mind Cobb made it home, but when he saw all the fans having fun discussing it he didn't want to ruin the fun. I don't believe for a second that he doesn't have an opinion on if it's reality or not, even though he will never admit what he really thinks.
@@BlitzinMackGaming I don't remember where it was, but I'm pretty sure I saw a clip with Nolan explaining that originally they did plan to have the top keep spinning, but at the last moment they decided to change it because they thought it would be too cruel to the character. Having the top wobble only after the screen goes black was a brilliant move imo: I was just holding my breath to see it fall, there's so much tension in just how long they let it spin, and they cut it off so fast that a shred of doubt remains: did it really fall? But really?
I’ve always been film junkie. I remember seeing memento, the prestige, and insomnia and loving them all not realizing they were all directed by Nolan. When I made the realization I decided he was my favorite director. Little did I know he would continue to make more of the greatest movies of all time.
I always thought that Mal's insistence it is all a dream was Cobb's fault. She invented the idea of a totem and used the top - it's her totem (see below). Cobb went and spun it himself, and when she saw it was like that it made her think it was a dream, which was his intention. But since she didn't plant the idea herself, it didn't stop after she woke up. This is why Cobb has instilled the idea in his team that nobody can know how the totem works except the person that made it, because otherwise it makes you lose track of reality when others mess with it. Also why he knows inception is possible.
I don't even think Mal created the totem idea intentionally. I think Cobb's regret is that he realized she depended on it, finds it in a safe (as shown earlier in the movie - might have been a safe that he prompted her to create), then uses it to manipulate her to agree to commit suicide in order to exit limbo. Cobb took those concepts and developed the totem concept from that. His ring is a totem but unintentional - he tries to use hers, but he's uncertain.
His totem is the spinning thing. But it is also his wife's totem, that he maniputaled. His ring is not his totem
@@elg7365Both are his totem. The ring is the true one. He uses the spinning top to hide the ring, but does use the top to some extent.
@@zlobzor so he has 2? When did he said that in the movie? His ring is not his totem.. He never used his ring. . Theories
@@elg7365Nolan says otherwise.
@@elg7365He definitely used his ring. It was only worn while dreaming and he would spin it occasionally with his finger
yo can you imagine if we could live entire 50 year relationship in 10 hours of sleep...wake up..and be like "ok well, thanks, that was nice. Good luck to ya"
and it's tuesday
5. Old souls
2. We built our own world
8. One simple idea
4. Radical notion
9. Dream within a dream
1. Half remembered dream
I see what you did there Nolan.
I'm ashamed to admit that I just watched this movie for the first time today. I actually bought it at least 10 years ago and just kept forgetting to watch it until I was inspired by seeing Oppenheimer this weekend. Nolan might be my favorite director at this point. Nothing gets me thinking quite like a Christopher Nolan film. Thanks for the breakdown HS.
I did the same thing, watched it for the first time today after watching Oppenheimer
If nothing gets you thinking like Nolan does, you have a long way ahead.
The character names initials don't only spell out DREAMS PAY but also A DREAM SPY. I thought another detail that was going to be mentioned was the final part of the first dream where Robert Fischer tells Peter what his dad wanted. After the camera pans around Robert, you can see Eames again. I didn't even notice this until I watched the movie again.
You missed an A in dream spy
@@thewayofthebeard3680 They got it, "A DREAM SPY"
@@ryansparrow6157 TRUE, my bad.. ok I'll leave this for a little to show I was wrong and then delete it, lol
It also spells out "DREAMS YAP" as well as "READY A SPAM" and "A SPERM DAY" and "YEP MADRAS"
@@zeidrichthorene MY PEAR ADS
This easter egg walk through is so detailed and amazing, I was shocked there was no mention about how the film Paprika so heavily inspired the script and scenes of Inception. Would be very worth doing a video on that, in my opinion as those 2 films are ultimately 2 of my all time favorites!
Can’t believe it’s been 13 years since this masterpiece was released
To me, the spinning top at the end is an indication that Cobb getting together with the kids, was in a sense Mals final dream. The wobbling indicating that it also means her tormenting Cobb will come to an end.
Absolutely loving these old school breakdowns from you Paul!!!
Thank you
yes , i hope he does Dumb & Dumber next :)
One of the best films ever made. Nolan deserved a Oscar nomination for directing. Leo crushed it as did the rest of the cast. I notice something everytime i watch it. They don't make films like these anymore. Can't wait for Oppenheimer.
Yeah so good on every level, thanks for checking out the video
@@heavyspoilers Hope Oppenheimer is so good it gives Nolan, Murphy And Downey Their Oscars.
You reaching
@@dontrah1838 No. Oppenheimer is amazing. Blunt deserves a Oscar as well. Damon is great as well.
Great details. I never knew that about the blue color. Nolan and the rest of the production team were so thorough. That's so respectable.
yeah they put so much thought into this stuff
I always thought that what gave away the ending was not a dream was that he was able to see his children's faces, as he was not capable of seeing them in memories or dreams
Definately my favourite Nolan film 🤗 We saw it in cinema again last week, they were re-showing older Nolan films in preperation for Oppenheimer. It was awesome to see it on the big screen again after so many years 🤗❤
That sounds like a brilliant idea. I would love to see this in the theater
I remember checking my watch a bunch the first time I saw it in theaters. Not because I was ready for it to end, but instead because I didn't and wanted to see how much longer the masterpiece would be playing. As it got closer and closer to the end I felt sad because I knew it would be rare for another movie to make me feel that way. I'd love to be able to somehow wipe my memory and watch it again.
Thank you for pointing out that Nolan give us a resolution to the open end. I wasnt following all interviews and I'm glad i found your video to finally ease my mind.
Michael Cane has also said Nolan told him if he's in a scene its the real world. Since he's in the end scene its the real world
Thank you for releasing this amazingly mind-blowing explanation for Inception.
I've followed your sub for a few years now. Always releasing quality content.
Much appreciated thank you
I agree with you that Inception was, and continues to be, a great movie. I can watch it over and over. There are very few movies that I can watch more than a few times. It took me many watches, and your videos, to understand it
For me Inception is meaning of someone life struggling with past.
You are Cobb. You have unclosed past (Mal) that keeps you from moving forward.
- Adrianne represents rationality/sense (she leads Cobb to freedom from past, she tells Cobb Mal is not real on 3rd level)
- Mal represents broken feelings, unmet needs, desires, sexuality, something which you want very much but you can't get it.
- Saito represents your muffled ego, inner child, something that you closed in fortress and protect and don't allow someone to get in. Cobb solves his problems with confronting with Saito and telling him truth this is not reality, but a dream - it means you don't need to be closed and protecting (Saito guards) yourself to somebody. Past is past, do not live in past. You are free do live today. I belive this was Cobb message to Saito to go back to real life.
- Fisher represents your life mission, something you have to do with your life, your aim/target. To complete your mission you need to confront past (Mal), and be open to others (Saito).
These two was difficult to me
- Arthur was experienced in dreaming (he was learning Adrianne dream details, paradox). He represents things that you are good in and experienced.
- Eames represents your analyzing skills, self-consciousness, your "inner intelligence/counterespionage"
I've seen a few of these videos through RUclips recommendations and enjoyed them a lot.
Subscribed!
Strangely what gets me the most in the movie is that the relationship between fischer and his father doesn’t really get resolved. Dream dad just tells him what he wants to hear, combined with the team’s manipulations. But what did the father really think of him and what really is in that safe? It doesn’t really have much to do with the plot, so obviously it doesn’t get shown how Fischer junior opens the safe, but it definitely will happen and not knowing always bothers me after watching the movie.
The pinwheel was in the safe. It’s from the picture of him with his father
@@shankapottamus007 that was only in the dream lol, we don’t know what’s in there, even the Testament was completely made up by the crew
@@wingthomaux It doesn't matter what's in the actual safe in real life. The safe's role in the dream is only to be the inception device, which represents the idea of Fischer Sr's true, 'locked up' feelings regarding his son. Once Fischer Jr. has opened the safe in the dream and discovered its contents, the idea represented by those contents is the inception.
Bear in mind Fischer Jr. isn't even going to consciously remember the dream he had with Cobb's team. The idea of inception is that it's a seed of an idea which blooms later. When Fischer Jr. sees that safe again in real life, he might have some vague feeling about it that will puzzle him, but that's about it. The safe's real life contents are irrelevant.
As for what Fischer Sr truly thought about his son, no one will ever know. But Fischer Jr has been incepted with the idea that his father secretly loved him dearly, and Fischer Sr's corpse isn't going to dispute it, so that's their relationship effectively resolved, at least where the living is concerned.
@@CognizantCheddar I know that 🤓 I’m still interested what really is in that safe and what his father felt about him
@@wingthomaux The real life safe probably contains nothing important, and Fischer Sr. probably didn't care about his son. But Fischer Jr has been incepted with the belief that his father did care, and that will be his 'truth' now.
Dang! I never picked up that his ring could be his totem. You always surprise me with your puns and the creative ways to encourage us to 👍 and subscribe 👌. Thanks Paul for this breakdown. Will need to go back and rewatch this movie with this new knowledge. ✌️
I saw Inception seven times at the movie theater .This to me is one of the Grestest movies i have seen.
A story full of life with meaning.
Emotions. Magnificent
Brilliant.
Also the details of the movie. All believeable and true.All actors actresses were just .
Perfect. Everyone was perfect for each character.
The music the scene perfect match.
The detail of the wedding ring on Cobb hand . I did miss that one.
Thank you for that little huge detail makes it even Greater.
Nolan made a. Masterpiece. And
All of them.
Recently found your channel and I love your content. Was very excited to see this new one pop up today. Keep the content coming please!
i just want to say Kevin, i really appreicate that you arent afraid to and are willing to revisit movies you have made videos on before because time always changes perspective and i love to revisit things.
Thank you
@@heavyspoilers OMG YOU SAW IT
Great video! always love your content. One small note is you mention that the Geisel Library is located at the University of California. Generally that refers to University of California at Berkeley. The University of California system (or UC system) is made up of 10 campuses but each operate as individual institutions. The Geisel Library is located at the UC San Diego campus. It's a small thing and apologies for being a nit but your videos have so much detail I thought it was warranted in case you're referencing UC schools in the future.
Cheers!
Expertly done. This is one of my top 5 movies and this walkthrough was very much appreciated. Thank You!
I just watched Inception for the first time last night. I’m so happy you made this video because for a first time watcher mannn that movie was awesome but I was so lost. The theory of the whole mission being to plant an Inception into Cobb’s mind the whole time is wild
Welcome, brother.
It works! I think like 15 mins after posting this video, it got hit with a strike or something, and was blocked. But now I get to watch your awesome breakdown! Love your stuff. I'm almost more excited watch your breakdowns than the actual thing itself, no joke.
Yeah had a block but I think they just lifted it, thank you so much and I really appreciate the support
@@heavyspoilers welcome! Love you see your growth, both in the channel and in real life! Running a popular RUclips channel with twins must be rough. Looking forward to seeing what you create
The spinning top totem represents mal’s hold on Cobb. Him leaving it on the table at the end isn’t him checking if he’s dreaming or not it’s him finally letting go of the last part of Mal and moving on.
Yes that's the film school analysis of it. But he is checking if it's a dream or not. That is the actual ending.
The spinning top is NOT his totem. He's not checking anything. It's a trick for the audience. But I agree that he's letting go of Mal by walking away from HER totem.
@@jacobbastin802The top is not his original totem, however, he uses it throughout the film to consistently check dream versus reality. Final scene begins with him checking if he is in a dream or reality. Then, he sees his children and walks toward them, because he does not care anymore. He is at true peace.
@bignastytiger4174 That's fair. He could use his wife's totem the same way he uses his wedding ring.
If you listen at the end of the movie as things fade to black you can hear the top fall over l. I think this was Nolan’s way to hedge his bet that some people will still believe in the top as the totem and come away thinking the ending is a tragedy
Absolutely love inception, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a great blockbuster film that simultaneously has intricately placed layers that are meaningful.
Excellent breakdown, very detailed... Good work I will definitely watch more of your videos..
what a pleasure, paul making a 42 minute video for us to enjoy! Also, could you do one for Dunkirk soon?
Michael Caine said if he is in a scene then that's real life. So you see him at the end when he is reunited with his kids letting you know its really not a dream and us not seeing the spinning top stop is just to make you question everything. Very clever
So happy you revisited this movie! I also LOVE IT and watch it often, nice job!
Fantastic visual essay. Thank you.
Saw the original Inception dream briefcase at a science fiction in films exhibition at the Barbican in London a few years ago. It left me with the feeling ‘What if…’
This is probably one of my favorite movies!! I love how the Nolan was able to manipulate with our emotions psychology with this movie. I never time I watch this movie, i find something new. Thank you Paul for the great breakdown!! 👍
I’m really loving the classic movie breakdowns. Just curious, now that Doctor Who will be on Disney+ (everywhere except the UK) and might potentially be more popular, any plans to cover it?
Don’t know if Nolan ever saw Berlin Calling, released in 2008, but anyways the main song is called ‘sky and sand’ and the lyrics kinda remind me of the movie especially the sand castles part of the movie. Some lyrics go “And we build up castles,
In the sky and in the sand,
Design our own world,
Ain't nobody understand”. The main character in that movie is also called Icarus, who is integral to the myth of the labyrinth, which this movie draws a lot from.
You said we will be together , you said we'd FALLLLLLLLLLLLL together .....love that scene
You making these videos really is refreshing. The movies we get now are so poorly written. They all depend on old ideas and franchises. A reminder that good movies are about originality
Exactly
There's a lot of mirroring in the movie. We're told that Mal forgot about her totem which is how she got lost. Cobb using Mal's totem plays into that theme. He's lost track off his reality, his totem, and is now living in a reality controlled by Mal. This also plays into the symbolism at the end, when he frees himself from Mal / leaves the totem spinning to embrace his children / reality.
"Cobb then goes to Michael Caine" 😂 I don't even know his character's name… if the movie mentions it, I've forgotten.
Great breakdown on a great movie. Subscribed.
This is an incredibly astute breakdown. As a fine artist, I always end up watching Inception and getting lost in the small scenery details, artwork, etc., because it is so beautifully put together in the minute of details. That means it always comes at a deficit of diving deeper into the story for me. Your take has inspired me to go back and rewatch Inception with more attention paid to the story. Thanks! 😃
Nothing here is new, there are insane breakdowns out there from many many years ago. There are even psychology books based on this.
@@CloudianMH I haven’t read those books, obviously. If you read my comment, you’d see that I have engaged with the film from a visual perspective as an artist, not at the deeper story level. Therefore, again obviously, I would not have had an interest in reading books and watching video breakdowns about it. It’s not a crime that I appreciated this video breakdown at all. Nor is it one that it inspires me to watch the movie again.
@@TheTenthDoctorandHisTardisread books. And he makes things up from his ass.
the ring is a nice subtle hint, but nolan also told caine that any scene he is in is the real world, so that kind of solidified the ending
That doesn't mean anything honestly. There truly is a question of whether the entire movie is a dream.
@@anthonycameronnajera8471 no, there is no question. The final scene is reality. Nolan has clarified this point countless times.
i spit out my drink when Arnold came on screen and said "Why" hahah
I have always been fascinated by dreams, interpretations of dreams, lucid dreaming ect. The scene at 7:32 when Cobb sits down at the bar next to him is one of my fav in the whole movie bc he tells him, "strange weather isn't it?" Which draws Fisher's attention to the fact that he is actually dreaming and everything starts to shake and become unstable. Cobb then tells him to, "Pay attention to the strangeness...the shift...accept the fact that you're in a dream."
Thats exactly how you practice to lucid dream! The moment you notice when you're dreaming, is always when your mind and body wake up from the dream. So to practice lucid dreaming and staying in your dream, first recognize when your mind starts to recognize you're dreaming. Calm yourself...tell yourself it's just a dream, everything is ok, YOU are in control...and you will then be able to stay in your dream but in a "lucid" state. Then practice taking it even further and try altering things within your dream, like giving yourself the ability to fly.😁
Also them talking about the "kick" sensation of falling and your body jolting awake was another fav part. When sleeping your brain produces different waves (Alpha, Theta, Delta) and sometimes your brain misinterprets the switching between different waves as your body is dying. So it's sends a "jolt" to your muscles/body to verify that you're not actually dying.
Inception is a great film. Seems like it needs to have more recognition. Great review as always.
Just watched your breakdowns for "Lovecraft Country"....Dude...to those reading this, if you haven't seen Lovecraft Country, please do. Then go and watch Paul's breakdown of every episode. If you don't love him by now, you will after that.
This channel and its host often talk about the love and passion film makers have for their work, but it's clear after watching those breakdowns, it's all love. From the host, to the editors and the well timed jokes...Thank you....Oh, and Inception is a fantastic film about a single father trying to figure out what the hell he's going to do after he loses his wife. No, she didn't take the kids, but she made sure he couldn't have them either, only in his wildest dreams....
Ey thank you so much, that was one of my favourite shows too. So good. Thanks for the kind words.
I remember a man called Definition who now goes by Paul and the many videos he put out about Inception. Nice to see a return
another brilliant vid, thanks so much for your hard work
I was obsessed with this movie when it came it out ❤
Wtf... Just watched this again last night. You been hiding behind my couch again? You did this with Blade Runner too!
Kudos. Insightful recap blending the web of the film and the inspirations for its telling . Old Spanish film called Open your eyes remade as Vanilla Sky ( decent soundtrack ) was bloody good and thought provoking as well .
When I've been down or lost recently, I've told people close to me that I'm in limbo. Inception has left quite an imprint on me ever since I watched it years ago, and it's no surprise that I use and think of that term often. However, it's during this video that I realized why limbo is the perfect term to use because I'm trapped by an inception of an idea in my head that is deceiving me and pulling me down, and it takes deep self-inspection or an encouraging word to pull myself out.
It's like I have this idea of me that is hard to let go off, almost impossible, just like Cob did, but the realization that he will grow old alone and bitter and isolated with many more regrets than otherwise if he keeps living in his delusional world is enough for him to yank himself awake. As it's said in the movie, you don't know you are dreaming until you wake up, and living a lie is very comfortable until the past catches up and becomes nightmarish.
"Waking up" like this is not something that happens once, we are surrounded by lies because we are eager to make them and live them, and it's easy as falling asleep every night and dreaming up something new. The key is to live without regrets and letting go off the past, so we can dream up a world for us that is not built on lies. Letting go is not easy, but a big step is knowing what to let go off.
I think the scene after the final "awakening" where Cob looks almost in disbelief is him actually experiencing a revelation or an enlightening; maybe it's better described as "shock of the clarity of how to proceed in the future". HIs totem being his wives' and him not obsessing over it in the end means he let go of the past; maybe he forgave himself, maybe he realized that his wives' death was not his fault and was something beyond his control, a product of the world he's been living in.
Fun movie to watch, even more fun to discuss.
HAHAHA so close. You, my friend, are one video away from recapping Tenet
It's been 13 years already?! HOW??? So much time has passed but so little I've accomplished 😢
Saw this movie for the first time on a date at a drive in theater. I can’t tell you how confused I was. After a zillion subsequent watches, it’s easily in my top 3 for Nolan. My hope is that him and Leo work together again someday. A man can dream! 🙃
True Cinematic Experiences in the theatres in my lifetime that were gamechangers for me:
#1 1999 The Matrix
#2 1993 Jurassic Park
#3 2010 Inception
#4 2008 The Dark Knight
#5 2018 Infinity War
#6 2012 The avengers
#7 2023 Across the Spiderverse
#8 2021 Dune
#9 2003 Xmen 2
#10 2020 Tenet
Please note: I saw Everything, everywhere, all at once on a computer. That was another level too, unfortunately not in the theatres for me.
This movie is just so damn good.. Nolan is a mind fck master
Oh dear God that woman and her damn ukulele are everywhere! 😂
Fire breakdown. All the extra details were great.
Thank you
Great breakdown! You do good work.
Elliot Page plays an incredibly convincing young woman in this film.
Lol😂 I get it!!
She prepared so hard for the role she was born a woman 🤯
Stfu lol yea he does
Better than you would…
She is a woman. 😬
Amazing film, christophor nolan never disappoints. I have one gripe with this film, and if anyone can help clear this up would be great, now i havent watches it in a while so this may be lacking detail but here goes:
In the big finale bit, snowy mountain, bad guys, big mansion etc etc cobb demands he needs to know the layout of the mansion or soemthing which Juno is reluctant to give because cobbs wife will ruin everything but Juno does then give cobb the details. Cobb then walkie talkies the info to another one in the group. This bugs me so much, why didnt cobb just tell Juno to walkie the info themselves instead of cobb
(Hopefully ive got all the details right, cant really remember, but i remember it bothering me a bit)
That was great! Been a long while since I’ve revisited it. Now I want to watch again.
I think you nailed it. It's obvious, yet I never thought of it.
Inception is without a doubt my favourite Nolan movie and now it got even better.
I think the 'Inception on Cob' theory is a fun idea, but it's reaching, and heavily flawed. I think it's more likely just a creative and interesting narrative device to have the main member of the team battle the guilt of his past while he simulataneously completes the job. There are too many scenes in this movie that would not take place if this was an Inception on Cob; such as any conversations between characters that he is not witness to. Take the part where Ariadne and Arthur disucss Cob after Arthur explains the Penrose steps. Do you not think Ariadne would have been briefed about his wife in full, way before this point in the Inception? There are many more exmples I could use.
Like i say, it's a fun little idea, but it's one twist too many. The film is about how guilt has effected Cob, and while they are pulling the Inception on Fischer, how this guilt is so powerful that it jepordizes the mission as it expresses itself in real time via his subconcious. And how he must reconcile this guilt, or lose everything.
It's an Inception on Fischer, plus an unplanned therapy session for Cob, that only Ariadne becomes wise to during the 'heist'.
And a side note, anyone still entertaining whether the spin top stays or topples, i.e is Cob dreaming or awake, I am afraid you have missed the entire point of this movie.
Love this breakdown per usual, Prestige is my Nolan move. Batman Begins is my fave Batman Nolanverse
Can't believe I missed this analysis - thanks bro!
Ey glad you found it, hope you enjoyed it
This explains all the poorly acted exposition lines. They were trying to reinforce the idea that not only that cobb should leave the dream but the maze of a plot they’ve set out before him to convince him of that truth, just like the immersion therapy from shutter island
Poorly acted? Did you watch this film?
I think the "reality layer" in the movie is actually a dream. Mal was right all along, and when she jumped she actually woke up.
There are several things off in the main plot, which in other movies would be simply "because the story needs it to move on". For example, why the team should put up with Cobb when he jeopardise almost all their jobs? And isn't their job line a bit... surreal to begin with? Nolan also tells us explicitly in the movie, with a character telling Cobb he's actually imagining himself having an adventurous life, full if thrill and action, and that's just his fantasy.
But more telling is the time dilation. At 20x, 1 day in reality is 20 days in the dream. With three layers, you get only to 8000 days, a bit more than 20 years. To get the 50 years Cobb says he spent planning with Mal their dream city in a few hours sleep, you need a 4th layer. I thought this was an oversight when I heard it first, like the other small plot holes Holliwood has desensitised us to, but then I realised the movie doesn't have plot holes at all. The ones that seem to be there are actually hints.
The final scene confirms it. Yes, it's there to tell us Cobb doesn't care if it's a dream or not, but it clearly reveals it is. All the movie was in the first layer, and he's still dreaming; maybe something went wrong, he used too much drugs, and his wife was able to wake up while he can't.
The top was on the verge of toppling, ending scene is reality. He could also see his children's faces. You're ignoring so much for this theory to hold water.
That's a very interesting theory, but I believe the end sequence was reality
@@RUclipsAccountok But it doesn't topple. It's just trembling a bit, it's not even halfway through its spin. And for the children faces, he just removed the psychological blocks he had before, which is part of the reason why he can now come home in the dream.
Another "would be a plot hole" that you're ignoring is that the pact with Saito consists in him having Cobbs criminal record expunged from the USA federal system in a few minutes from the plane, if he's successful, before landing. That is simply not possible, not even for the president of the United States; to propagate the record clearing to all the sub-agencies would require at least some days. Cobb would have been stopped at the gate and detained, at least until the guards there would verify that the record was expunged; not to speak of his father casually standing at the exit -- he would have been surrounded by federal agents that couldn't have been contacted fast enough to revert their order to stop him. That may be "Hollywood handwaving magic" for the plot to work in another movie, but it makes perfect sense in Cobb's adventurous dream in this masterpiece.
@@gniccolai The dream tops never even tremble, it's clearly different.
Why does he not stay with Mal in limbo? It's because he knows that his children need a father, I don't see him backtracking on this as they are his sole motivation. Anyone saying "he doesn't care if he's in the dream anymore, he's at peace" is just verifiably wrong.
Lastly, why would every sub-agency in the United States need to sign off on Cobb's entry? Maybe that's why TSA takes so long...
Wonderful and inspiring video. Thank you!
He and Tarantino are Bosses Man, visionaries, both with a very unique styles. Many tried to copy, but failed badly. Ad Astra anyone???
The fact you had to elaborate about Ellen Page, shows how ludicrous our society is at this point....
Back when Ellen Page was a talented, beautiful and sane woman.
I like the little "Michael Caine" accent shift.. 19:45
There is something to a movie, or other story art form, that can be interrupted in many ways that is always fascinating. It is so hard to do well, something like The Thing does it well too, but it creates such a powerful piece of art. I had not thought of the movie in the way described here, and it works well. It doesn't go so far as to be adding fan-fiction into the story to fit a narrative (something I hate for many "explanations" of media after the fact) but it based on things and ideas within the story itself.
Personally I like the movie on its face, assuming the goals of everyone are as stated in the movie, but the idea that the Inception is actually on Cobb is brilliant. I've also seen the idea that Saito is still the target, but in this case to get him to fix things for Cobb. I don't know if this is covered in this video, I'm still going through it.
Ellen Page was attractive in this movie, what a shame and a waste.
Dude's still attractive and ripped. Sorry you're not gay enough to appreciate that.
Enjoyed this video. Still have no idea what happened in this movie. Page is still a woman.
@@iaingw Page is a biological woman. Always will be.
@@Pedant_Patrol That's not how transition works. Your biology changes on a fundamental level. I'm sorry that your education is lacking in this area.
Thank You for doing this...this move is such a masterpiece...one of the greatest movies ever made
We must address the potential plot holes …
1. When Mal and Dom lie on the train tracks, they both look young. However, later in the movie, we see that they actually did age while in Limbo … so they should have looked older when they were on the train tracks.
We also see that Saito clearly ages while in Limbo.
My theory: Aging in Limbo was a psychological illusion - so, once they decided to leave, their appearance changed back to their real life age. There’s nothing in the movie to imply that’s the case … but it does fit with dream logic.
2. At the beginning of the movie, when Dom is trying to save Saito, we see him wash up on shore of Limbo. However, it’s unclear how he got BACK into the ocean.
To put the final events in chronological order:
Dom leaves the snow level, and he washes up on the shore of Limbo. So, he’s ALREADY on the beaches of Limbo. Then, after he saves Fischer, he goes to get Saito.
For years, I thought it was a plot hole … however, now, I think it’s a brilliant mystery that was created for the audience to solve!
My theory: Since Dom’s sedated, dying won’t wake him up. However, since he’s in Limbo, he can’t drop down into a deeper level. So, dying is basically a reset - which puts him back into the ocean. Then, he washes back up on the beach, and Saito’s men find him.
Also, that’s why they have Dom’s top. I think it is what HE USES as his totem, since we never see him check his hand - but they took it by force. However, I do think it foreshadows his ability to “let it go” once he awakes. : )
Ellen Page was so pretty before the lie happened.
Inception is a Masterpiece, maybe it is Nolans best Movie!
Love the Breakdown, maybe the best Breakdown ever 😉
Really enjoy these Ultimate breakdowns
Very thorough. I like it. Keep it up.