Any Inception "Experts"?

[Beidomon]

I just rented Inception and I've watched it once so far. Really liked it, but was very confused. I'm now about halfway through my first rewatch. I'm taking it slow, trying to digest things, and I've got some questions. Here's a few to start with:

 

1. What is the deal with the Ariadne's shattering mirrors trick in the Paris scene? Any significance to that? I know there's got to be something to this, but I don't know what.

 

2. The crew is going 3 levels deep with Fischer, right? Why does the "kick" have to be simultaneous through all 3 levels?

 

3. On Level 1 with Fischer (City), Cobb's train shows up. But he's not the "dreamer" of that level - the Chemist is. So how's the train get there? Is this because parts of Cobb's subconscious (Mol, the train, etc.) are now able to actually follow Cobb into a different dreamer's dream? Any explanation given as to how that can happen?

 

4. The flight from Sidney to LA is approx 10 hours, so it seems that this is about how long the timer on the "dream machine" (don't know what its actually called) is set for, because they wake up as they're about to land. That 10 hours in real time is supposed to equal about a week on Level 1. When the Forger tries to kill Saito to wakehim up, Cobb says he can't do that, because the sedation is too heavy, and he'll go to Limbo. I guess this means the only way to get back to Level 0 (real world) is for the timer on the dream machine to expire? Well, it only takes a long car chase before the van goes off the bridge and hits the water, kicking most of the crew back to Level 1. That certainly didn't take a week. So, what, the crew just hides out in Level 1 for the rest of the week until the timer expires? If so, how'd they hide so long without the projections and security forces finding them (which is exactly what Cobb warned the Forger would happen if he stayed in Level 1). Maybe by succeeding in their mission, they deactivated the security forces, which is why Cobb said the only way to survive was to press on? I guess that sort of makes sense.

 

5. How'd Saito and Cobb come back? Saito died and went to Limbo. Cobb went voluntarily and stayed down there to find Saito. When they shoot themselves in Limbo to come back, did they wake in the real world, or rejoing the rest of the crew in Level 1 to wait out the week? When Ariadne and Fischer left Limbo, they came back to Level 1, so maybe that's what Cobb and Saito did. However, if I recall correctly, Cobb and Saito wake up in the real world on the airplane just a little bit after the rest of the crew, so maybe they skipped Level 1? Not really sure that this question matters in the grand scheme of puzzling things out.

 

6. The chase in Mombasa is supposed to be in the real world, but it seems intentionally unrealistic and dream-like. I'm not really asking for advice on this one, but if that means the "real world" is really just another of Cobb's dreams, that would really piss me off. If it's all just a dream, there is no puzzle to solve. Nothing really has to make sense because, hey, it's all just a dream.

 

That's all I've got for now. Your answers greatly appreciated!

[Leala Sedai]

I'm going to attempt to answer these. I'm not an expert, but I'll try.

 

1. I think she was just showing off how she could change the surroundings of the dream, really. She made something super complicated (at least visually) and then just made it disintegrate.

 

2. The kick is simultaneous through all levels to wake everyone up simultaneously so that Fischer isn't suspicious. If you'll notice, Cobb didn't go for the kick, which was jumping off the building in that extra layer with his memories.

 

3. I'd say that yeah, the train is like Mol. The train in the end that he revealed drove her insane. It's just another part of his regret making itself known.

 

4. There was also the "interrogation" scene that went on for a good amount of time where the...British guy whose name escapes me took on the appearance of Fischer's "Uncle Peter", I think. They didn't specify how long that scene was, but that still adds to the time. I don't know if that's a good enough explanation or not, I'm sleepy and I'm getting sick.

 

5. I'm kind of a pessimist when it comes to this movie, unlike my mom and sister, and I think that after the scene where Cobb meets Saito, what's left with Cobb is his dream. So, I don't think they came back. I don't know what could have happened in 'reality', but it couldn't have been pretty.

 

6. I'd really have to watch that scene again to come up with any kind of answer. Sorry.

 

I hope that helped?

[Emperor]

Let me blow your mind now.

 

The spinning top was not Cobb's real totem. We already know that each person has their own specific totem. The spinning top was Mal's totem. It was important to Cobb because he used that totem as part of his first inception to convince his wife what was real and not. Cobb's real totem is his wedding ring. Go back and rewatch the movie. With the exception of the flashback where we learn the fate of his wife, he only wears the wedding ring when he is dreaming. Oh btw, he is not wearing the ring at the end of the movie which indicates he was in the real world.

[Beidomon]

Let me blow your mind now.

 

The spinning top was not Cobb's real totem. We already know that each person has their own specific totem. The spinning top was Mal's totem. It was important to Cobb because he used that totem as part of his first inception to convince his wife what was real and not. Cobb's real totem is his wedding ring. Go back and rewatch the movie. With the exception of the flashback where we learn the fate of his wife, he only wears the wedding ring when he is dreaming. Oh btw, he is not wearing the ring at the end of the movie which indicates he was in the real world.

 

Right. I've heard about the theory of the ring in the real world versus the dream world. My rewatch so far seems to confirm that. I had not though about it as being Cobb's totem. You're right, though, the top was definitely Mal's totem. He says so at some point in the movie.

 

At this point, I'm just trying to figure out how all the dreaming works (my questions above, to start with).

[SinisterDeath]

Imagine if you toss in someone with split personalities and inception. ;)