Inception

[Tribal Warfare]

Inception Rotten Tomatoes' Webpage



Consensus: Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Read up on solipsism.

After that, think about the infinite mirror scene again.

That should be more than enough explanation.

But if you are in someone else's dream, does solipsism cease to be a possibility?

I would think so. Especially if you are sharing their memories, and experiences.

Maybe I'm wrong.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Ok, I'm going to say this one thing:

Spoiler!

It's a reflexive move. The entire point of the film is to turn the act of deciding "what is reality" back onto the viewer. Normally, it's the protagonist in the film (Neo, Leonard Shelby, etc) who is trying to decide what is reality.

Ultimately, any of our decisions on "what is reality?" require us to tacitly accept that our reality is reality.

Cutting the film before the totem dropped forces you to make that choice, just like Mal and Cobb did, albeit in different ways.

Trying to find out "which one is real" is only further circling the Penrose.

It's the act of choosing that is important. And in this case, it must be done by the viewer, because a definitive answer is unknowable.

I think that's exactly it.

Spoiler!

The spinning top at the end isn't important. What matters is that Cobb walks away from it. Earlier in the movie, he's staring at it spinning with a gun in his hand -- the implication that if it doesn't stop spinning, he's in a dream, and he's going to shoot himself in the head to wake himself up.

At the end, he doesn't care anymore. All that matters is that he wants to be happy -- he wants to be with his kids. THAT'S his reality, whether it's "real" or not. That's what he is accepting. His reality is what he makes of it.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Ok, I'm going to say this one thing:

Spoiler!

It's a reflexive move. The entire point of the film is to turn the act of deciding "what is reality" back onto the viewer. Normally, it's the protagonist in the film (Neo, Leonard Shelby, etc) who is trying to decide what is reality.

Ultimately, any of our decisions on "what is reality?" require us to tacitly accept that our reality is reality.

Cutting the film before the totem dropped forces you to make that choice, just like Mal and Cobb did, albeit in different ways.

Trying to find out "which one is real" is only further circling the Penrose.

It's the act of choosing that is important. And in this case, it must be done by the viewer, because a definitive answer is unknowable.

But to what end? I don't see any stakes in the choice one way or the other. I generally love it when films mess with the audience but in the case of Inception it feels empty, and clever for the sake of being clever.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

But to what end? I don't see any stakes in the choice one way or the other. I generally love it when films mess with the audience but in the case of Inception it feels empty, and clever for the sake of being clever.

I never said the choice was rife with philosophical value. I said that the choice itself is what matters, because of what it represents relative to the normal relationship of viewer and cinema.

I don't know how many theory courses you've taken, but an analogy may be the importance of speech acts.

The final scene would represent a illocutionary act.

[underEJ]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

But to what end? I don't see any stakes in the choice one way or the other. I generally love it when films mess with the audience but in the case of Inception it feels empty, and clever for the sake of being clever.

I think it's more than just making a choice. In the same way that the subject fills the dream with their subconscious, the viewer brings our subconscious to fill out the story. Mine got pretty involved in the emotional story. Yours, and that of a couple other people I know who say similar things to your comments, didn't. I don't think that anyone is right, or wrong, or gullible, or sharp, or "got it," or "didn't get it."

I just think people experience things differently and it would be pretty damn impossible to make a movie that everyone watches and has the same experience.

I have seen it twice now, and had two different experiences, and made a slightly different choice at the end the second time around. I don't second guess myself, however, and think I was wrong the first time. I just think I watched it differently, and was in a different setting with a much larger audience the first time drawing on group reactions, too. Both were very satisfying experiences.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by underEJ

I think it's more than just making a choice. In the same way that the subject fills the dream with their subconscious, the viewer brings our subconscious to fill out the story. Mine got pretty involved in the emotional story. Yours, and that of a couple other people I know who say similar things to your comments, didn't. I don't think that anyone is right, or wrong, or gullible, or sharp, or "got it," or "didn't get it."

I just think people experience things differently and it would be pretty damn impossible to make a movie that everyone watches and has the same experience.

I have seen it twice now, and had two different experiences, and made a slightly different choice at the end the second time around. I don't second guess myself, however, and think I was wrong the first time. I just think I watched it differently, and was in a different setting with a much larger audience the first time drawing on group reactions, too. Both were very satisfying experiences.

Good post, man.

I, myself, am going to go see it for the 2nd time tonight. This time in IMAX.

[luv]

How long is this movie? Thinking about going to go see it at 10pm.

[tk13]

That was a good post. That was along the lines of what I was going to say... if it is up to the audience, that really might be the most meaningful ending of all. Kinda means the world is what you make of it. Which will seem deceptively simple but that's kind of the point. You can't really win.

[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by luv

How long is this movie? Thinking about going to go see it at 10pm.

Like 2 1/2 hours?

It's well worth it.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by luv

How long is this movie? Thinking about going to go see it at 10pm.

Two and a half hours.

[luv]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

Like 2 1/2 hours?

It's well worth it.

Sitting in an empty theater with an overpriced beer...lol. Wait people came in. No longer alone.
Posted via Mobile Device

[luv]

I enjoyed it. It wasn't hard to keep track. I only have one question about the ending, but I may just have to watch it again to get my answer.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by luv

I enjoyed it. It wasn't hard to keep track. I only have one question about the ending, but I may just have to watch it again to get my answer.

It was 2 1/2 hours long.

[Bowser]

Well, the one certainty is that this movie, like it, love it, or feel cheated by it, has brought on a ton of discussion about it, and I think that's the goal of most movies, especially of this genre.

However, I truly, truly hope Nolan and cast don't get sucked into doing some half assed sequel just for the sake of doing a sequel.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Well, the one certainty is that this movie, like it, love it, or feel cheated by it, has brought on a ton of discussion about it, and I think that's the goal of most movies, especially of this genre.

However, I truly, truly hope Nolan and cast don't get sucked into doing some half assed sequel just for the sake of doing a sequel.

I don't think so. Inception was like a favor to Nolan for kicking ass on Batman. "Sure, go for it kiddo, thanks for the bajillion you made for us with Batman, knock yourself out."

This was just a one-off project. They want Nolan focused on wrapping up Batman now, and also on breathing life back into the Superman franchise. Plus, if the studio wants a sequel to Inception, they'll have to go to Nolan and ask him for it - and that's going to cost them. I would be suprised if Nolan took the bait. By then he'll have another side project ready to turn heads.