INCEPTION left us *SHOCKED* Movie Reaction 

There are a ton of fan theories about the ending of Inception, but the ACTUAL answer according to Christopher Nolan himself is that there is no answer. Or, more specifically, that it doesn't matter. He said in an interview (actually, two interviews) that people who spend time trying to find an answer about whether Cobb is awake or in a dream at the end are completely missing the point of the ending he created. The intention of Inception's completely ambiguous ending -- again, according to Nolan himself, not me or any other rando fan -- is that Cobb's emotional journey is complete. He's let go of Mal, he can see his kids' faces again, and, whether it's reality or he's stuck in limbo forever, he is where he is, he's made his peace with it, and he chooses to live his life with his children (or with "his children," if it's a dream). That's the reason he walks away from the spinning top at the end without waiting to see if it falls over; he doesn't care anymore and it no longer matters to him. And, tbh, given how long Cobb probably spent in limbo up to that point, looking for Saito and barely holding onto enough sanity to stay on that task (look at how delirious and crazed he seemed when he and elderly Saito meet), it makes sense that, even if Cobb suspected he might still be in a dream, he's too tired (and possibly crazy) to care. He just wants to be with his children (or "his children"). As viewers, we often want a final answer to satisfy us at the end of a story. And it's fun to come up with fan theories. The good thing about an ambiguous ending is that you can decide what you think happened and that can be the story for you. But, if you're interested in what the filmmaker ACTUALLY intended, his intention is that there is no final answer because "it doesn't matter." The point was that Cobb's emotional journey to let go of his wife was successful and he found some sort of peace, real or in a dream. And despite what internet sleuths and fan theories insist, there are no clues placed in the movie for you to decipher to figure out "the real ending." The real ending is "It doesn't matter. Cobb found peace." Period.

It's not a theory. It is what it is. Remember Arthur said he can't tell Ariadne the meaning of his totem as that would defeat the purpose of his totem. So when Ariadne made hers, Cobb tried to ask her for it and she declined, but he immediately explained the meaning of the top. Just goes to show that it isn't his totem at all.

But then why are the children exactly the same age when he left? They are in the same clothes as in his memories. During the phone call with his children in one of the earlier scenes, they sounded much mature. I think it is still a dream. And also if it was wife's totem and he knew it why did he spin it at all, if it doesnt matter.

@@RhaenyraT2001 Another answer to the ending is provided by Michael Caine. When he was presented the script, he found it too confusing, in usual Christopher Nolan fashion. So he asked Nolan, how can he know if it's a dream or reality. Nolan said every scene with Caine in it is real life. But to answer your question, I think he hasn't been on the run that long. The children having the same clothes is probably a choice to give additional doubt in the viewers' mind and Cobb himself if it's happening in the real world. Regarding the totem, he uses it exactly because he knows the meaning behind it and how it works. And personally I think his wedding ring only became his totem, AFTER Mal died. Because it wouldn't make sense for him to not have his wedding ring in real life when Mal was still alive. But after her death, he had to remind himself that it's not a dream so he stopped wearing his ring, and he can only be a married man once again in his dreams.

Seen this movie thousands of times and never noticed. Thanks for the info

The wedding ring being his actual totem theory is not true. People online keep repeating that idea (based on some rando taking a guess at something they didn't understand about the movie), but the actual reason for the ring being on whenever Cobb is in a dream is because he hadn't yet let go of his wife. As he says, in his dreams, they're still together (thus, in his mind, he's wearing the ring). In the final scene, the ring is gone because he's finally let go of her. Period. Good movies don't make "the truth" something that was never mentioned and you have to wildly guess with no evidence; everything is set up and paid off. Everything revolving around the ring is tied to Cobb's attachment to his wife -- an idea that the movie hammers on over and over -- and, once he's let her go, he no longer is wearing the ring, either in reality or in the dream. The ending is meant to be completely ambiguous with no actual solution for viewers to figure out. As fun as theories can be, there is no evidence in the movie that answers the question. And this is completely on purpose. Christopher Nolan said in an interview that anyone who tries to figure out whether it was a dream or reality at the end is completely missing the point of the ending he created. His point is that it doesn't matter anymore whether Cobb is awake or in a dream. His emotional journey is complete. He's let go of Mal, he's able to see his kids' faces again, and the reason he walks away from the spinning top without checking it is because he no longer cares if it's reality or dream. He is where he is -- either back in reality or stuck in limbo forever -- and he's made his peace with it. He's choosing to go live a life with his children (or "his children," depending on your preferred view of the end). Nolan didn't place any clues in the movie for people to decipher because he didn't want there to be a final answer. Nolan's final answer is "It doesn't matter. Cobb has found his peace." There is the story that Michael Caine told about what Nolan said to him on the subject (mentioned in one of the responses here), but it's also worth noting that directors often tell actors stuff that isn't true about what's happening in a scene in order to get a particular type of performance out of them or, as could be in this case, giving Caine an answer to satisfy him in the moment without actually revealing the truth. And the truth, according to Nolan, is that it doesn't matter. THAT'S the ending. But Caine felt confused and wanted some sort of answer to ground him, so Nolan gave him one and that allowed Caine to just focus on his part without worrying about "the truth." Coming up with theories is fun, but if you're actually interested in the answer the director intended, then the answer is that there is no answer. But, if you NEED an answer, you can pick whichever you like. Just realize that the movie doesn't contain one. There's a similar thing that happened with the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Everybody had all these theories about what was glowing in the briefcase, some of them totally bonkers (e.g. "It's Marcellus Wallace's soul!"). Reportedly, Tarantino loves to read those theories and finds them fun but none of them are correct. According to Pulp Fiction's co-writer, Roger Avery, they originally wrote it to be diamonds (specifically, the diamonds from the Reservoir Dogs heist, thus tying the movies together in a subtle way) but then they decided that "diamonds" was too mundane. They instead came up with the idea to just never define what's in the briefcase and leave it completely up to the viewer's imagination, because the "super valuable" thing you imagine is always going to be better than anything they could've come up with. And, for the record, Avery hates the "Marcellus Wallace's soul" theory because he thinks its dumb and ruins the movie by introducing a supernatural element into an otherwise grounded (if slightly bonkers) movie about criminals. So, just like with Inception, no matter what the fan theories say, the only real answer to "What's in the briefcase?" is "Whatever you want it to be" because there is intentionally no actual answer.

Right??! That left us with our heads spinning hahah! Loved it!!!

Love that!!

Ooooh! we've never seen that! Thanks for the suggestion!!!

Wow, we've never seen any of those that you've mentioned!! We would LOVE to check those out!! This movie was so good and had us really thinking!!!!

@@tktopmoviesNone of those movies are very widely known except for Eternal Sunshine, with Jim Carrey in a role far from what audiences were used to seeing from him, along with Kate Winslet from Titanic. Also has a couple other known actors in smaller roles, like Frodo from Lord Of The Rings. It’s a darker, slightly depressing film, but a lot of people like it and have seen it, if you’re looking for a good reaction film.

It's not. The ring is not his "real" totem. The ring is a symbol of his attachment to his wife. He has it on in dreams through most of the movie because, as he says, "In my dreams, we're still together." In the final scene, he's no longer wearing the ring, but that's because he's finally let go of Mal. So, even if he was still dreaming, he wouldn't have the ring anymore. Christopher Nolan himself has said that there is no "real" answer and there are no clues in the movie to whether or not the final scene is real or dream. This is on purpose. He said in two different interviews that anyone looking for a real answer is missing the point of the ending, which is that it doesn't matter. Cobb's emotional journey is complete. He's let go of Mal, he can see his children's faces again, and, whether he's back in reality or stuck in limbo forever, he doesn't care anymore. He's made his peace and just wants to live his life with his children (or "his children," if it's a dream). That's why Nolan has him walk away from the top at the end instead of waiting to see if it falls over. Nolan's final answer is that it doesn't matter to Cobb and it shouldn't matter to you. What matters is that Cobb found some sort of peace. Good movies don't make the "real answer" something you have to wildly guess with no evidence. Good movies set up and pay off everything and Christopher and Jonathan Nolan are nothing if not meticulous. The ring is a symbol of his attachment to his wife, and this idea that his attachment is projecting into his dreams is hammered on over and over throughout the script. The idea that "his actual totem is his ring" is never mentioned. It's just a guess made by an internet rando who didn't understand the symbolism of the ring, and that guess has been passed around erroneously as fact since then. If you're going to listen to anybody about the "real ending" of Inception, don't listen to internet randos (including me). Listen to the man who made the film. And his answer is that there isn't an answer, that it's meant to be completely ambiguous, and the reason is because his final point is that it doesn't matter whether or not it's real, Cobb has found peace. Period.

You're right that whether or not the top fell over at the end of Inception is irrelevant, but not for the reason you stated. The fan theory that Dom's wedding ring is his "real" totem is not true. The only thing they based that theory on is that Dom has the ring on in dreams and not in reality, so the end must be real because he's not wearing the ring. But the actual reason for the ring being on in his dreams for most of the movie is because he hadn't let go of his wife. As he said, "In my dreams, we're still together." The ring is a symbol of his attachment to his wife, so, when he's dreaming, his mind puts that ring on his finger. In the final scene, he's no longer wearing the ring. BUT he's also finally let go of Mal, so, even in a dream, he wouldn't have the ring anymore. Either way, Christopher Nolan has actually given the only real answer in two different interviews. The answer is that there is no answer. Or, more specifically, it doesn't matter. He said that people who try to figure out whether Dom is awake or dreaming at the end are completely missing the point of the ending as he intended it. According to Nolan, the entire point of the end of the movie is that it doesn't matter if Dom is awake or dreaming, because his emotional journey is complete. He's let go of his wife, he can see his children's faces again, and, whether he's back in reality or stuck in limbo forever, he's made his peace and is ready to just live his life with his children (or with "his children," if it's a dream). This is why Nolan has him walk away from the top at the end instead of waiting to see if it falls over; because Dom no longer cares if it's real or a dream. This is why Nolan cuts before the top topples (although he only cuts after it wobbles, so you have that question in your mind); because it doesn't matter and you shouldn't worry about it. No matter what the fan theories say, there are no clues in the movie to be deciphered to find "the truth." This is on purpose. There is no actual answer. People will sometimes bring up that Michael Caine said he was confused by the script and asked Nolan which parts were real and which were dream. Nolan apparently told him that any scene Michael Caine's character is in takes place in reality. This would indicate that the end is real. BUT it's also worth noting that directors very often tell actors things that aren't true, either to get a certain performance out of them or, as is likely in this case, because Caine was getting distracted by worrying about whether he was supposed to be in a dream or not and Nolan just gave him a random answer to satisfy him so he'd stop worrying about it. Either way, Nolan's intention was for the end to be ambiguous, with no clues to a "real" answer, and the feeling that he wanted the audience to walk away from the movie with is "it doesn't matter if it's real or a dream, Cobb found peace." Period.

Me too! IMAX opening night! The whole audience was silent at the end. lol

He also never checked whether the top stops at Yusuf's drug den nearer to the film's beginning; a possible point where he crossed the line. I like your thought that it doesn't matter to Cobb.

The kids even have on different clothes, which is what clued me in the first time I watched it. Also, Cobb says in his dreams, he and Mal are together. The wedding ring and her presence are indications that he made it to reality.

Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) and Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Dark Knight Trilogy, DaVinci Code Trilogy, Inception, etc)...two of the greatest cinematic composers of all time!

@@SixFour0391 Definitely! I also love Ludovico Einaudi. But Hans Zimmer is my #1

According to Christopher Nolan himself, there is no "real answer" about whether or not Cobb is dreaming at the end of Inception. He said in an interview that anyone looking for a real answer is missing the point of the ending which is that it doesn't matter. Cobb's emotional journey is complete, he's finally let go of Mal (an attachment that was symbolized by his wedding ring being projected into his dreams), and he's able to see his children's faces again. The reason Nolan has him walk away from the top at the end is to show that Cobb no longer cares if he's back in reality or stuck in limbo forever; he is where he is and he's made his peace with it. He just wants to live his life with his children (or with "his children," if he's still dreaming). Either way, his story is done. No matter what the fan theories say, there is no actual final answer (other than whatever you want it to be) and there are no clues in the movie that point to an actual answer. This was done purposely because Nolan's entire point was that "it doesn't matter to Cobb anymore" and it shouldn't matter to us either. That's the beauty of a legitimately ambiguous ending though. Free from an actual final answer, we get to decide how we think the story ends. Personally, I like to think Cobb made it back to reality (because I like a happy ending), but I suspect he didn't (because it's odd that his children are in the exact same position as when he left them, as if he's picking up the scene right where he left it off). At the end, though, I'm okay with it being unanswered and knowing that, wherever he is, Cobb has finally found some sort of peace.

None of those things are true. According to Nolan himself (in at least two interviews), there is no actual answer and looking for one misses the point of the ending he intended. His intention for the ending of Inception is that "it doesn't matter" whether Cobb is back in reality or stuck in limbo forever, because his emotional journey is complete. He's finally let go of Mal, he can see his children's faces again (real or dream), and Cobb walks away from the top instead of waiting to see if it falls specifically because he no longer cares if he's in reality or a dream. Wherever he is -- and Nolan didn't place any clues to that in the movie or intend any answer -- he's made his peace. That's the only "real" answer to the end of Inception. Everything else are fan theories and, fun as they are, none of them are what Nolan intended. They're just stuff being made up by randos on the internet because people aren't satisfied with the real answer of "it doesn't matter to Cobb, and it shouldn't matter to you." THE WEDDING RING is just a symbol of his attachment to Mal, and that continued attachment projecting into his dreams is hammered on over and over in the film. Cobb even says, "In my dreams, we're still together." The idea that it's his totem came from some rando on the internet making a guess because they didn't understand what the ring symbolized (despite the movie making the point repeatedly). THE TOTEM wobbles in limbo when Saito spins it. Not a lot, but it does. That kind of shoots down theory 2. Also, even if you want to quibble with that, it's never said anywhere that the dream top doesn't wobble, only that it doesn't fall over. People who say different are just making stuff up to fill in blanks because they want the "evidence" to fit their answer. But, again, there is no actual answer and that's on purpose. MICHAEL CAINE told Christopher Nolan that he was confused by the script and didn't know if he was supposed to be in a dream or in reality. Nolan told him that any scene he appears in is reality. BUT directors often tell actors things that aren't true, either to get a specific performance out of them or, as seems likely in this case, to get him to stop worrying about something that didn't matter. He very likely just gave Caine an answer to satisfy him so he'd stop trying to figure out an answer that doesn't exist and doesn't matter and just focus on playing the scene. Fan theories are fun but, tbh, I put more trust in the filmmaker's answer than those of people who had nothing to do with the film. And the man who made the movie said straight up that that only real answer is that there is no answer and "it doesn't matter." Period.

That's not just what the ending is for you. Christopher Nolan himself has said that the only answer at the end of Inception is that "it doesn't matter to Cobb" whether he's back in reality or still dreaming, because his emotional journey is complete, he's let go of Mal, he can see his kids' faces again, and, whether he's awake or stuck in limbo forever, he's found peace. Nolan said in interviews that anyone looking for a "real" answer to the question of whether or not Cobb is awake or dreaming is missing the point of the ending as he intended it. The thing about the top not being his real totem (and that it's actually his wedding ring) is not real. It's a fan theory and is fun, but the actual point of the wedding ring showing up in dreams and not in reality is because it symbolizes his attachment to Mal. As Cobb says, "In my dreams, we're still together." And the idea that his continued attachment to Mal projects into his dreams is hammered on over and over throughout the movie. The idea that he has a "real" totem that isn't the top is not. People base the "real totem" theory on a misunderstanding of the symbolism of why the ring shows up only in dreams and on the fact that the top used to be Mal's totem. The thing is, the fact that it was Mal's totem originally doesn't change the purpose of a totem or make it "not his" now. As long as no one else knows how the top has been altered or is supposed to act, it still serves the same purpose, regardless of who's using it. And that purpose, according to Arthur earlier in the movie, is to tell you whether or not you're in someone else's dream (not just whether you're dreaming or awake) because another dreamer wouldn't know how your totem is supposed to act and would get it wrong (the way the first architect F'd up Saito's carpet, tipping him off that it was a dream). Here's some logic for you that the fan theory often misses: If the top is not Cobb's totem, why does he spin it to check if he's in reality? He very clearly does it several times earlier in the movie and is desperately checking to see if it falls over. He wouldn't do that if he wasn't now using it as his totem (the fact that he's using his dead wife's totem just being another hint that he still hasn't let go of her). And, given Nolan's intention -- from his own mouth -- about the ending (which was that Cobb walks away because he doesn't care if it's a dream or reality anymore), why would he spin the top to check? Why wouldn't he just look at his hand to see if the ring is there? The fan theory would completely undo the emotional impact and meaning of Nolan's intended ending.

I used to do a fair bit of lucid dreaming (which is what you're talking about). I had the same issue at the beginning that you have, which is that, as soon as I realized I was dreaming, I'd wake up after a few seconds (this is because the lucidity comes from hovering in a weird spot between being awake and being asleep and it's easy to lose that balance). I read an article in an old science magazine from researchers who were studying lucid dreams and one of the things they suggested to keep from waking up was this: When you feel yourself start to wake up (for me, it always felt like I was having a quick head rush in the dream, everything would fade, and I'd wake up), extend your dream arms out to the side and start spinning in place. It sounded kind of ridiculous to me but I tried it and, you know what, it worked. I can't say I fully know the reason, but my theory is that when you realize you're dreaming, your brain tilts back toward "wake up mode," but by focusing on doing some specific movement or activity with your dream body, you're refocusing your mind toward the dream and that pulls you back in. My experience the first time was that I was in a dream. I suddenly thought, "Oh, hey, I'm dreaming!" I started to feel like I was having a headrush and everything started fading to black. I remembered the article and quickly put my arms out to the side and started spinning clockwise, and the dream faded back in and continued, still lucid. It can be hard to lucid dream in the first place and keeping yourself from waking up can be kind of iffy but I found that it gets easier with practice. One fun thing I tried in a lucid dream -- and I highly recommend it if you get a chance -- is to see how high you can fly, and then see how fast you can fly. I managed to fly up out of the Earth's atmosphere and into space (leaving the dream I started with behind), and then flew so fast forward that I saw planets and stars whipping past me at ridiculous (and ever increasing) speed. What was great was that I could actually FEEL the sensation of speed as I flew. It was a crazy experience.

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