08-06-2010, 05:55 AM
I recently went to see Inception in theaters without any real idea of what it was about, and no expectations. I was quite simply blown away by the entire package.
Later that night, however, a few niggling questions surfaced that I can't seem to figure out. Perhaps Lurkers who paid more attention or have seen the film multiple times can help?
I found this graphic to be helpful for setting up a frame of reference for discussion.
1. When Yusuf backs the van off the bridge in the second level, the kick is supposed to wake everyone in the third level. The first kick fails, of course, because the team is not awake in the third level at that time. Why doesn't Arthur wake up and go from 3 to 2, as he doesn't have a buffer?
2. The whole Limbo level doesn't seem to quite gel with me. If a dreamer is sedated, and dies in the dream, they descend to limbo instead of waking up. However, once in limbo, Saito and Cobb kill themselves to awaken. Why does this work? Are they not still sedated in the first level in the plane? Furthermore, when Mal kills Fischer in level 4, should he not have awoken in level 3 instead of descending into limbo? Or are they using the same sedative-laced formula to dream each time?
3. Level 2 is Yusuf's dream, level 3 is Arthur's, and level 4 is Eames'. What role, then, does the architect play? Is she an actual architect who designs the maze and explains it to each dreamer so they can create it? Or does she play a more active role during shared dreaming?
4. As stated above, each level is the dream of a different team member. Why, then, are Robert Fischer's subconscious projections the only ones there? Shouldn't each person bring their host of Sub Cons, or is he somehow given priority? In either case, Cobb's projections (Mal comes to mind) are able to manifest, while the other team members' are strangely absent.
I'll leave it at that for now, and eagerly await your ideas and explanations!
Later that night, however, a few niggling questions surfaced that I can't seem to figure out. Perhaps Lurkers who paid more attention or have seen the film multiple times can help?
I found this graphic to be helpful for setting up a frame of reference for discussion.
1. When Yusuf backs the van off the bridge in the second level, the kick is supposed to wake everyone in the third level. The first kick fails, of course, because the team is not awake in the third level at that time. Why doesn't Arthur wake up and go from 3 to 2, as he doesn't have a buffer?
2. The whole Limbo level doesn't seem to quite gel with me. If a dreamer is sedated, and dies in the dream, they descend to limbo instead of waking up. However, once in limbo, Saito and Cobb kill themselves to awaken. Why does this work? Are they not still sedated in the first level in the plane? Furthermore, when Mal kills Fischer in level 4, should he not have awoken in level 3 instead of descending into limbo? Or are they using the same sedative-laced formula to dream each time?
3. Level 2 is Yusuf's dream, level 3 is Arthur's, and level 4 is Eames'. What role, then, does the architect play? Is she an actual architect who designs the maze and explains it to each dreamer so they can create it? Or does she play a more active role during shared dreaming?
4. As stated above, each level is the dream of a different team member. Why, then, are Robert Fischer's subconscious projections the only ones there? Shouldn't each person bring their host of Sub Cons, or is he somehow given priority? In either case, Cobb's projections (Mal comes to mind) are able to manifest, while the other team members' are strangely absent.
I'll leave it at that for now, and eagerly await your ideas and explanations!
A plague of exploding high-fives.