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Questions tagged [inception]

A 2010 British-American science fiction heist thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

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115 votes
10 answers
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At which dream level did Inception end?

In the ending of Inception (2010), there is some doubt that Cobb is in the real world. But if he is not in the real world then at which level of the dream he is in? Starting at the presumed 'real ...
Ankit Sharma's user avatar
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78 votes
7 answers
12k views

Why aren't the characters floating two levels down?

If level 0 is the reality, the characters in the van are at level 1. The van drops off the edge of the bridge and goes into freefall. At level 2, in the hotel, they experience the freefall as well. ...
Beska's user avatar
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56 votes
4 answers
13k views

What was the purpose of Saito's presence during the inception job?

In Inception, Saito hires the extraction team to plant an idea or achieve "inception" into the mind of a CEO. The team consists of trained specialists who each perform a particular task. Saito is ...
steelersquirrel's user avatar
45 votes
7 answers
15k views

Why do the kicks have to occur simultaneously?

In Inception, why do the kicks on the different levels have to occur simultaneously, rather than one after another?
Casebash's user avatar
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44 votes
7 answers
19k views

Why didn't Mal use her totem (spinning top) before she actually died?

In Inception, it was told that the totem's concept was invented by Mal. Then why didn't Mal use her spinning top to find out if she is in a dream or not before jumping off the window? Is it the case ...
abhi's user avatar
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39 votes
5 answers
25k views

Can someone explain mirror scene with Ariadne in Inception?

The scene where Ariadne closes two mirror planes opposite each other and breaks one. Can someone explain what that meant?
bobbyalex's user avatar
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31 votes
7 answers
125k views

What's the significance of Cobb's ring in Inception?

In Inception, Cobb was wearing his wedding ring in some scenes and in some scenes he doesn't. After watching the movie so many times, according to me, in every scene of a dream he was wearing his ...
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
31 votes
2 answers
4k views

In the movie Inception, why does Cobb's passport not get stamped properly?

In the movie Inception, why does Cobb's passport not get stamped properly at the airport in the final scene i.e, the date was missing. Was it really intended and is there any implicit reason for that ...
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
29 votes
5 answers
16k views

Why was the movie titled Inception?

Inception means: An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events. But the movie talks about humans dreaming & lucid dreaming etc. So, why is the movie titled ...
Lars Hansen's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
53k views

Why didn't Saito kill himself when he was stuck in limbo?

In Inception Cobb tells Ariadne that he was stuck in limbo with Mal for 50 years. Then they killed themselves by lying on the railway track. So, it is possible to commit suicide even if you are in ...
Yuganka Sharan's user avatar
25 votes
5 answers
20k views

How did they bring Fischer back to life within the 3rd layer of the dream?

Near the end of Inception, Mal shoots Fischer, killing him (or at least mortally wounding him) within the 3rd layer of the dream. Dom and Ariadne go down a level to find him and bring him back. How ...
Sterno's user avatar
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24 votes
8 answers
79k views

What is the implicit meaning of Mal's riddle in Inception?

You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter, because we'll be together. ...
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
4k views

Did Existenz influence Inception?

The movie eXistenZ, which stars Jude Law, shares the concept of layered realities with the movie Inception. Was the movie Inception influenced by Existenz's concept at all?
DForck42's user avatar
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23 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why didn't Cobb talk to any of his team members at the airport in the ending of Inception?

In Inception, it always makes me wonder why Cobb didn't say a hello to his team members. He does not even smile at any of his team members at the airport. What is the reason he acts like he does now ...
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
3k views

How does the dream sharing actually work?

In Inception, dream-sharing is (obviously) a huge part in how the entire plot functions. Is there any valid references (either scientific or even just an explanation from the writers/director) as to ...
Tablemaker's user avatar
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23 votes
4 answers
15k views

Why does Cobb wake up in the water?

Inception begins with Cobb waking up or lying on the beach in the water. He is brought before Saito. Later on, we learn that this is limbo. From Eames' dream (level 3), Cobb and Ariadne go a level ...
NGLN's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
13k views

Why does Cobb use the spinning top?

In the movie Cobb (DiCaprio) tells Ariadne (Page) that the most important rule in choosing a totem is to make sure that no one else has ever touched it. This is emphasized with flashbacks showing ...
Kevin Howell's user avatar
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17 votes
2 answers
28k views

Why did Nolan choose "Non, je ne regrette rien" as a kick song in Inception?

Can someone explain to me the reason behind Christopher Nolan choosing Edith Piaf's Non, je ne regrette rien as a kick song in Inception?
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
16 votes
3 answers
2k views

How does Ariadne know that Saito is dead in the upper level?

When they are in the limbo, we see Ariadne asking Cobb to find and get Saito and not to lose himself before jumping from the building. However, before they entered this limbo Saito was still alive. ...
Bharadwaj Srigiriraju's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
940 views

What is Arthur's specialty?

In Inception, when Cobb is trying to recruit Eames in Mombasa, Eames expresses surprise that Cobb is still working with Arthur. Cobb replies "Well, he's good at what he does", to which Eames replies "...
Walrus the Cat's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why doesn't Cobb want to shoot Mal when she is about to kill Fischer?

In Inception, in the scene when Fischer is going to find out his father's last will, we see Mal standing behind him and willing to shoot him. Ariadne tells him that she is not real and that he has to ...
SauronBoy's user avatar
  • 189
15 votes
2 answers
1k views

How does Mal know where to find Robert Michael Fischer?

In Inception Cobb tells Ariadne not to show him the architectural plans so that Mal will not appear in the dream. Still, Mal appears at the end of the movie and kills Fischer who is standing in front ...
aruns's user avatar
  • 1,069
15 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why does Cobb risk drugging Fischer on the flight?

In Inception, why does Cobb slip the sedative into Robert's glass of water himself, taking considerable amount of risk at getting caught? Why didn't the Air hostess get the pre-drugged water for ...
Manjuhere's user avatar
  • 313
14 votes
2 answers
14k views

How did they make the Inception sound?

I've noticed that deep bwaaah sound from Inception in several movies and trailers. Apparently others have too--hear a montage of similar sounds (collected by Gregory Porter). I found some info on ...
Alvin Reyes's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
3k views

Why can't Mal give a kick to Cobb from the "real" world if she actually escaped

If Mal was right that it was all fake, and she jumped and got out of the dream, Then upon waking up why can't she give some sort of kick to Cobb in the "real" world? (Just like Arthur gave the kick to ...
Kashif Siddiqui's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
7k views

Why is Mal sabotaging all/only professional dreams of Cobb?

Maybe I overlooked something, but Mal is trying to sabotage (killing his teammates) all dreams of Cobb concerned with his work (theft of information in dreams, inception of ideas). But during the ...
Hauser's user avatar
  • 661
13 votes
4 answers
3k views

Who decides how a totem behaves in a dream?

In the movie - Inception, who decides how a totem behaves inside a dream? First of all, in the dream, are the totems manifestations of the dreamer? The architect creates the other parts and ...
John's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
22k views

Why was Saito old in Limbo?

The only thing that I'm missing in Inception is why was Saito old in the opening and closing scenes of this great movie? Both Cobb and Saito land in Limbo in (presumably) the same moment and Cobb ...
trejder's user avatar
  • 791
12 votes
2 answers
5k views

How did Saito know he was under attack by extractors Cobb and Arthur in Inception?

In the train scene, when Saito was having information extracted by Cobb, the extraction team were using a two-layer dream. In the lower layer of the dream Saito knew that he was in a dream because the ...
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
6k views

Why doesn't Fischer recognize Arthur, Saito and Eames as kidnappers?

In Inception, Robert Fischer was kidnapped by Cobb's team who had him in Taxi with Eames, Arthur and Saito. Robert must have known that they are kidnappers as they kidnapped him anyway. But, in later ...
Abhishek Dhanraj Shahdeo's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
3k views

How do Cobol's agents know Cobb was in the Mombasa motel?

In Inception, in the Mombasa chase scene, How do the Cobol Engineering's agents know Cobb had arrived in Mombasa?
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
681 views

Why the difference in Cobb's reaction to limbo?

In the movie Inception, at the end, when Cobb goes to limbo to rescue Saito he starts to forget "reality" and he has only been there for like 10 - 15 minutes. However, he spends decades with Mal in ...
Sam Mas's user avatar
  • 111
10 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why does Ariadne's totem work?

In Inception, Cobb's totem was a spinning top, that in reality would stop spinning eventually. Arthur's totem was a special dice, that in reality would roll a particular number more often. Ariadne's ...
enorl76's user avatar
  • 4,041
10 votes
4 answers
3k views

When did the Inception start?

Many have wondered about this and this may be the silliest question asked regarding the movie INCEPTION but here it is.... When did the Inception start? Or Could it be that the whole movie was a ...
Nishant's user avatar
  • 663
10 votes
2 answers
615 views

Why does Mal insist on communal suicide?

Why does Mal insist on communal suicide in Inception? If they were really still dreaming, she could just die alone and kick Cobb on the level above (if death would wake them up, it means there are no ...
Jann Poppinga's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
13k views

Why isn't Arthur woken up by the kick?

First the van rolls, then later the van falls off the bridge. Why doesn't this kick wake up Arthur? Related questions: Why do the kicks have to occur simultaneously?
Casebash's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
2k views

What fills the void left by the lack of character development in Inception?

Most of the characters excluding Cobb and his wife, do not have very developed roles. The roles are actually shallow and it is at times hard to see the motivation behind characters to do what they do. ...
phwd's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is Cobb's reaction honest or sarcastic/angry

In Inception there is the following dialogue between Cobb and Ariadne (forgive me for not being word-accurate): Ariadne: Why can't you return home? Cobb: Because everybody thinks I killed her (...
Napoleon Wilson's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why is everyone's limbo space the same in Inception?

Cobb, Ariadne, Fischer, Saito all die in the dream and end up in the same Limbo world, which is the world Cobb and Mal built. Does this have any logical explanation according to the rules set up by ...
Prajwal Samal's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

How did Cobb and Mal commit suicide while young in limbo if they lived decades there?

We can see the scene in Inception where Cobb and Mal commit suicide on the train tracks at a young age, but in the end of the movie Cobb reminds Mal that they lived to a very old age in their dream. ...
Kato's user avatar
  • 91
8 votes
3 answers
6k views

How many layers does the movie Inception involve?

In the third layer, there is a mountain and they ski down it and all, but after that, do they enter the fourth layer of dreaming or do they enter limbo? Is Cobb the only to enter and does he/do they ...
ghosts_in_the_code's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
984 views

Was it impossible to go into same person's dream each level down, or did it serve a purpose?

Why did they have to choose a different person each time they went one level deeper in Inception? Couldn't they have kept going into Yusuf's dream all the way down?
laggingreflex's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
16k views

Shooting of the gravity free scene in Inception

How was the gravity free scene in the hotel in Inception shot? Was zero gravity created?
Kshitij Bhandari's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
739 views

How did Cobb’s crew know about Saito’s apartment?

In the first part of Inception, Cobb’s crew leave the dream where they attempted to extract Saito’s secrets in the castle, and return to a dream (though this is unknown to Saito at this point) in ...
mitchdav's user avatar
  • 285
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why should one not share his or her totem?

In the movie Inception, why didn't Arthur allow Ariadne to see his totem, which was a loaded die?
Kshitij Bhandari's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
15k views

Why did Robert Fischer really accept the inception?

In Inception when every one wakes up in the airplane, Saito finally makes the call so I can understand he knows Cobb successfully planted the idea in Robert's mind. But I don't understand why Robert ...
Buzz's user avatar
  • 871
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Where does Limbo take place?

This question is inspired by Who was dreaming when and whose mind was being projected?, where the infographic shows very well in which mind each dream level takes place, except for the Limbo: So let'...
magnattic's user avatar
  • 15.7k
7 votes
2 answers
550 views

Why didn't Robert Fischer take his own car?

In the first level of dream, Robert Fischer took a taxi cab driven by Arthur. Robert Fischer is a billionaire. So why didn't he have his own limousine? And shouldn't there be private security for him?
user's user avatar
  • 1,763
7 votes
2 answers
788 views

Is it actually possible to transfer a totem?

In "Inception" it seems that Cobb takes over the use of Mal's totem (the spinning top). If the totem is a personal item that helps you keep your hold on reality, can the totem really be transferred ...
Andrei Freeman's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

Do they ever really wake up from the sedative test?

I distinctly remember a scene in Inception when Cobb is testing Yusuf's custom made super sedative. He then abruptly wakes up and goes to the bathroom where he proceeds to splash his face with water ...
sudobangbang's user avatar