The symbolism of Ariadne's name is a compelling argument for the fan theory that Dom Cobb is trapped in his own mind for the entirety of the film. David Kyle Johnson, who has a doctorate in philosophy, wrote a persuasive article on just this subject for Psychology Today. Mal and Dom loved each other dearly and, after having a dream of the couple growing old together, Dom asked her to marry him. Cobb is also a criminal, unable to return to the United States under suspicion of killing his wife Mal, who still haunts his subconscious. Is this memory just another level of the dream Cobb is trapped in? Is he still stuck in a dream? James Cobb is the young son of Dom and Mallorie Cobb. How long were Cobb and Mal asleep? He asked for a pupil of Miles, and he brought Ariadne. Spin# 3 occurs at 2:20:03 and lasts a whole 49 seconds before cutting to black. Updated Feb 25, 2023 Years after Inception first released, the "Limbo" subplot continues to confuse many people. Cobb and Saito discuss going back to reality for a moment, and Saito reaches for Cobb's Beretta. It meant that she firmly believed in the reality (which was their shared dream) which she was in. He convinced her to wake herself up by laying down together on a train track and committing suicide. As confirmed by Rotten Tomatoes, the running time of the film is 2 hours and 28 minutes,and the length of the original Piaf song is 2 minutes and 28 seconds. Cobb's top would only tell him if he is in someone else's dream, not his own. The first time, the words are those of. He told Ariadne to take Fischer and jump out of the window to kick themselves back to the next level - but he remained, in order to find a closure between him and Mal, to seek out for Saito and to ensure his safe passage into America. Inception and the Best Fan Theories About Whether Cobb's Dreaming He and Ariadne then dreamt one level deeper, and ended up in the city that Cobb built with Mal. The successful professional relationship between Christopher Nolan and Tom Hardy began with Hardy's performance as of Eames in Inception. In his 2010 heist film, Inception, Nolan experiments with the narrative mechanics of Gothic romance through the story of Dom Cobb, a professional thief who extracts information by infiltrating his subjects' dreams. Handed over to those willing to use them, atomic weapons signaled a kind of esoteric undoing of humankind. Mal (Marion Cotillard) is Cobb's dead wife who still haunts his subconscious. Christopher Nolan has said there's an "interesting relationship" between the endings of Oppenheimer and his 2011 film Inception.. Nash (Lukas Haas) is the dream architect in Cobb's first operation involving Saito. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. In the next level up, Arthur woke Dom and Saito from their dream by tipping them into a bath. Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, and Marion Cotillard. Director Christopher Nolan believes his latest project, Oppenheimer, will remind viewers of Inception specifically when it comes to the film's notorious ending. Inception features three separate full spins of the top. Leonardo DiCaprio was 34 in Inception when he played the character 'Dom Cobb'. Biography []. In the first level of the dream, the plan goes wrong, and it is revealed that Fischer has had his subconscious trained to fight Extractors. Mal's death, and cobb after saito to keep his promise.. It is clear in this scene that despite Cobb's claims of knowing what is real, when Cobb sees Mal in his dreams, she feels so real that he isn't sure of his reality. One of those subjects, Mr. Saito, offers Dom a job he can't refuse: to take the concept one step further into inception, namely planting thoughts into the subject's dreams without them knowing. It is possible that Cobb is still dreaming at the end of the movie, so this is a meaningful quote. The top, in Inception, represents Leonardo DiCaprio's totem -- the object he uses to tell if he's still in a dream state, or back in reality. Some argue that since Cobb told Ariadne he and Mal (Marion Cotillard) are still together in his dreams, Cobb only wears his ring in the dream world, and a careful viewing of the film does suggest this is an indicator of reality for the audience. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Members. Dominick Cobb is the best Extractor in the game, as he is hired by corporations to steal secrets they would otherwise never have access to. Why does the team want to perform Inception on Fischer Jr? Still, others refute the ring theory, and there are multiple Reddit threads arguing for and against it. The Welsh Section D, for example, can be quite fiery and a sharp Read more, EOB, COB and COP in the U.S. is usually at 4:00 pm. He then appeared in films like "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), "The Aviator" (2004), and "Shutter Island" (2010). ", "Admit It: You Dont Believe In One Reality Anymore. What is an English cob? The two were close friends and Miles did not object when Dom became involved with his daughter, Mal. When the characters say things like, Downward is the only way forward, it might seem as though Nolan is intentionally trying to warp the audience's mind. A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster. Arthur, Doms accomplice, informs Ariadne that she and Dom were dreaming for only five minutes, despite the fact that she and Dom had been at the caf for what seemed like an hour. This might seem like reaching, and some in the thread point out that these letters also spell other things, including "a dream spy." Dominic Cobb was an extractor and architect of dreams who was one of the most skilled in the business. The whole movie is a surreal, dizzying trip, and its all down to the little details like this. They still enjoy the spectacle, like the snow-bound James Bond-esque action sequence and a train plowing through a city street, but their grasp of the plot might be loosening. Thus, the ending might deliberately end more like a cliffhanger for audience to imagine or interpret into varieties of ending. At the end of the film, Cobb must rescue Saito from "limbo," a scene also glimpsed in the opening sequence. An idea that is fully formedfully understoodthat sticks; right in there somewhere." - Dom Cobb 3. They cannot have clear vision and accept the fact.. However, an idea can also become embedded and impossible to escape. Cobb's lingering guilt over her death causes her projection to violently invade his dreams. Saito. They stayed to explore, and built themselves a vast city out of their imaginations. The possibility of reuniting with Phillipa and James becomes Cobb's reason for accepting an assignment from Saito to perform an inception on Robert Fischer, with the promise of Saito using his influence to clear Cobb of the charges against him for Mal's death. Michael Caine is Christopher Nolans go-to guy for a wise old mentor figure who explains things to the lead, and theres a good reason for that. Not affiliated with Harvard College. She insisted on coming on the job, because of the danger of his wife as a projection. But the conversation they have is cryptic. Theseus left Ariadne sleeping on the island of Naxos and returned to Athens without her. The concept of extraction is essentially what makes Inception a heist movie and not just a sci-fi movie. Inception really took audiences by surprise, not just for its trippy action, but also for the depth in its dialogue. His character Miles is integral to Cobbs story arc at the heart of the film, as hes Cobbs tie between reality and the dream world. After Fischer dies in the Mountain Dream, Cobb and Ariadne are able to enter Limbo by sleeping. He is portrayed by Johnathan Geare as a three-year-old, and by Magnus Nolan as a twenty month old. Both struggle to remember their situation, but slowly regain memories of their former life. When Cobb visits Miles in Paris, Cobb is ostensibly there to recruit a new architect through his father-in-law. You Mustnt Be Afraid To Dream A Little Bigger, Darling., Once An Idea Has Taken Hold Of The Brain, Its Almost Impossible To Eradicate., They Say We Only Use A Fraction Of Our Brains True Potential., True Inspiration Is Impossible To Fake., "Dreams Feel Real While Were In Them. Which Gas Turns Cobalt Chloride From Blue To Pink? Over a decade since the movie's theatrical release, many still wonder why Saito is old at the end of Inception. Inception ending theory: Does this prove Cobb is NOT dreaming? In the first scene of "Inception," Cobb washes ashore and is taken by private security to an elaborate house on the cliffs above. Considering Inception's lasting legacy and pop culture footprint, Nolan hasn't quite topped his 2010 outing, but Oppenheimer might change that. Neither James nor Phillipa appear in reality until the very end of the film, when Cobb is finally reunited with them in their home in California. The siblings have been in the custody of their maternal grandparents; their grandmother Marie appears to be their primary caretaker while their grandfather Stephen Miles is in Paris. What did Dom do to Mal? Over a decade since the movie's theatrical release, many still wonder why Saito is old at the end of Inception.Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film begins with Leonardo DiCaprio's Dom Cobb . She is portrayed by child actress Claire Geare as a three year old, and Taylor Geare as a five year old. The Shadow of Mal: Gothic Romance and Victorian Ghosts in 'Inception plot explanation - Why do we never see the faces of Cobb's children Although Yusuf's sedative induces a sound sleep, the sleeping person remains sensitive to the "kick" that brings one out of a dream. I wish more than anything. ", "Building A Dream From Your Memory Is The Easiest Way Of Losing Your Grasp On Whats Real And What Is A Dream. The word associations don't end with Cobb's last name. He refused to jump, and watched her fall to her death. The inconsistency of Cobb's wedding ring's presence probably isn't something you noticed the first time you watched the movie, but if you pay attention to the ring in subsequent viewings, it is a persuasive argument for Cobb reuniting with his children. Dom Cobb has a few monologues about ideas throughout Inception. When Saito dies in the third level and sinks to Limbo, hes already begun to age in ways that not even Cobb can fully understand. He reminded him of his past life, and the two committed suicide together and jolted themselves out of the dream. The best Inception quotes highlight the mind-bending aspects of Christopher Nolan's thriller that makes audiences think. Dom's primary associate, Arthur, believes it has something to do with Dom's deceased wife, Mal, who often figures prominently and violently in those dreams, or Dom's want to "go home" (get back to his own reality, which includes two young children). Stephen Miles is Mals father and Dominick Cobbs father-in-law. How old was Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Inception (2010)? But before he can complete his check, Cobb is interrupted by Saito and drops the top before rushing out of the bathroom. Arthur. "There is a nihilistic view of [Inception's] ending, right? While Dom always maintained the fact they were dreaming, Mal began to get lost in the world they had created and soon would not accept that their world was not real. Seeing his abilities, he is approached by Saito to carry out an almost impossible mission not to steal, but to plant the idea into the mind of the legal heir of a billion dollar enterprenauer. The film has the circular nature of both the dream diagram Cobb draws for Ariadne at the cafe in Paris and the labyrinth Ariadne draws for Cobb as a test. Mr. Saito is an immensely powerful and wealthy business magnate, and is the head of Proclus Global. The ending has fans arguing about whether Cobb is trapped in a dream or found his way back to reality. Mr. Cobb, with some specialists, must do the impossible in order to get back his life in a completely different "world of dreams" facing his own demons. The two were close friends and Miles did not object when Dom became involved with his daughter, Mal. They embrace. THEN AND NOW: the Cast of 'Inception' 13 Years Later - Insider Did Mal die, or did she jump so she could finally awake from the dream they were trapped in? When the team goes to the final level of the dream, the snow-covered mountains, Saito accompanies them into the large hospital fortress in the center of the dream world; however, he is wounded, and his condition is worsening. 1. Did Cobb get out of limbo? Philosophy and Point of View in 'Inception': How Do We Distinguish Dreams from Waking Life. Miles is also Cobb's mentor, the first person to introduce Cobb and Mal to dream-sharing technology. Kate is a member of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. Throughout Inception, projections of James and Phillipa appear in Cobb's dreams as he recalls them before their separation, reflecting his desire to reunite with them, as well as in the memories of his family during happier times. He is portrayed by actor Michael Caine. "Since you know how it behaves in the real world, it can behave that way in your dream." Some believe that every character in your dreams is a facet of you, and if this is your theory about dreams, Cobb and Ariadne are also linked by how Cobb washes up on the shore mirroring one version of the Greek myth where Theseus abandons Ariadne on the shores of Naxos to die. Acutely aware of the horrors his research unleashed, Oppenheimer took a stand against the future development and use of atomic weapons, especially in the wake of the bombing of Nagasaki. It's About Time: Revisiting 'Inception' | Arts | The Harvard Crimson Dom's associates are Miles' former students, who Dom requires as he has given up being the dream architect for reasons he won't disclose. Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within . Wanted as a fugitive for being falsely implicated for the death of his wife, Mal, Cobb is unable to return to his home. Was the whole movie a dream? During the chase scene, the license plates on the cars have "The Alternate State" writtenwhere the state name should be. Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Christopher Nolan says the ending of Oppenheimer has similarities to An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. However Saito quickly realised he was still dreaming due to the texture of the carpet, and the operation was aborted. Since Mal's death, Cobb has been separated from his two children, who have been in the custody of their maternal grandparents, Professor Miles and his ex-wife Marie. In the next level of the dream, the Hotel, Saito simply watches. If he succeeds, it will be the perfect crime, but a dangerous enemy anticipates Cobb's every move. When Ariadne can't remember where they came from, she realizes they are in a dreamscape. Reality bends and lucidity prevails in one of Nolan's most innovative pictures. A young man, exhausted and delirious, washes up on a beach, looking up momentarily to see two young children (, Our Picks: "The Witcher" Season 3, 'Indiana Jones,' More. Phillipa and her brother, James, provide Dom with motivation for accepting Saito's proposal of commiting Inception. Dir. All of these numbers use the digits "3," "5," "0," and "2" in different combinations, and we see them throughout the film in various dream levels and in Cobb's memories of Mal's suicide. At one point, Cobb compares ideas to parasites: Resilienthighly contagious." A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster. If Cobb has been on the run from authorities because he is a suspect in his wife's death, one would expect the children to have grown significantly during this separation. With such an ambitious premise, Inception deals with some big and complex concepts. Its Only When We Wake Up That We Realize Something Was Actually Strange. James Cobb is the young son of Dom and Mallorie Cobb. They woke up back on the 747, and Fischer decided to break up his father's empire as required. A cob is a small, round loaf of bread, or a small, round bread roll. Cobbs ability has made him the face of corporate spying, hence a wanted man too. Dom Cobb, the main character of the film, displays the most obvious signs of a mental disorder. Dominick Cobb was once a gifted Architect under the mentorship of Professor Stephen Miles.The two were close friends and Miles did not object when Dom became involved with his daughter, Mal. Eames then comes up behind Browning and he realizes his mistake. Together with his wife Mal, who he met at university, Cobb explored dream sharing and extraction of ideas from dreams. Cobb agreed to it, and travelled to Paris to find a new architect. Shortly before the job, Cobb dreamt memories of his wife, and Ariadne entered the dream as well. Even though Ariadnes help was essential for him to complete his quest, he breaks his promise of marriage and ditches her on a random island. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible, inception. Cobb says, Dreams feel real while were in them. that really clears things up! Its only after someone has actually taken the leap of faith that they realize whether or not it was a good thing. He then fled America and made a living as a professional thief of ideas from people's minds. The elder of Cobb's two children, neither she nor her brother James have seen their father since the death of their mother. Are all the characters in the film, as Cobb explains to Ariadne, manifestations of his subconscious trying to alert him to the unreality of his world? We never get to see if the top falls, leaving the ending open to interpretation. An idea. At that moment, the so-called "father" of the atomic bomb knew the world had changed. But I can't imagine you with all your complexity, all you perfection, all your imperfection. Christopher Nolan Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Cobs are often considered as the most suitable horses for beginners, but not all of them are fit for first-time horse owners. Appearances Inception Played by Leonardo DiCaprio Dominic Cobb was an extractor and architect of dreams who was one of the most skilled in the business. ", "Do You Want To Take A Leap Of Faith Or Become An Old Man Filled With Regret Waiting To Die Alone? Showcasing Christopher Nolan at his head-scratching finest, Inception exists in a world where shared dreaming is possible through a combination of drugs and technology. The younger child of the two, James, does not appear to understand that his . So Dom performed inception on her, planting the idea in her mind that her world was not real. Inception | Tropedia | Fandom This ring isn't always on Cobb's hand, leading to some interesting fan theories about its significance and link to the dream state. Before joining Screen Rant, they wrote for Game Rant, Ask.com, and CBR, among others. This could give a hint to Inception's ending as Cobb is so happy to be back with his kids that he doesn't care if he's dreaming. This quote from Yusuf relates to the plot, but it might as well be referring to the movie itself. Caine, who plays Professor Stephen Miles and Cobb's father-in-law, offered a bit of clarity on the film's final moments during a recent discussion at the Film 4 Summer Screen showing of . The length of the song correlates with the length of the film, giving us a reminder that dream time is experienced as being longer than real-time, meaning an entire film could take place within one song in a dream. Although Ariadne is initially disturbed by the content of Cobb's dreams, she is lured back into the scheme by the limitless and awe-inspiring architectural possibilities of dreams. The failing health of Robert's father Maurice ignites a power struggle between Robert and his uncle Peter over who will control the company. Inception: Was Cobb Still Dreaming? - CBR Although Robert is desperate for his father's approval and committed to leading the company forward, Saito wants Cobb and his team to "incept" the idea in Robert to instead break up his father's empire. The film centers on Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man with a very special skill set infiltrating a target's mind using dream-sharing technology and extracting trade secrets while they're in a dream state. Throughout "Inception," specific sets of numbers are repeated in different combinations. When Miles suggests Cobb build the dream himself rather than drawing someone else into his fantasy, Cobb says, "Mal won't let me." Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the protagonist of Inception. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In the midst of his massive Dark Knight trilogy, Nolan took some time away from the Caped Crusader to deliver the original movie Inception which took the audience inside the world of dreams. But when we see Cobb's children in the last scene of the film, they look the same, even down to their clothing. Here's all the evidence that he is. 'Inception': Summer's Best, Most Disappointing Blockbuster Originally they would have been Read more. After using the grenade to kill many projections, Saito dies, and goes into Limbo. Inception: What Happened To The First Architect - Screen Rant This might be the most thought-provoking quote in the whole movie. ", "That Many Dreams Within Dreams Is Too Unstable. ", "Who Would Wanna Be Stuck In A Dream For Ten Years? Cobb became angry at Arthur for not being prepared, and then revealed to the team that the sedation they were under meant if they die they would drop into Limbo. When Arthur takes on the goons within the dream world, Eames suggests, You mustnt be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling, before whipping out a giant grenade launcher It is a funny moment but its actually pretty sound, applicable advice for life. Everyone has those dreams that they wish they could have stayed in longer and Inception deals with this idea. Inception (2010) - Marion Cotillard as Mal - IMDb As Cobb and his crew descend through multiple levels of dream states, various clues hint at the truth behind "Inception.". Some viewers believe Cobb doesnt wake up on the plane, and never reunites with his kids in the U.S., but is still stuck in some form of limbo. Nolan's exploration of these fascinating ideas make for Inception quotes that are truly thought-provoking. Join us as we explore some details you only notice after viewing the film multiple times. What you may have missed the first time you watched "Inception" is that this film has the same dream structure that Cobb describes to Ariadne. Some believe this is all that matters, and Christopher Nolan appears to be one such person, saying Cobb "was in his own subjective reality. Finally, Cobb, noticing the constantly spinning totem, gives Saito a message: that the world is not real. He is portrayed by Johnathan Geare as a three-year-old, and by Magnus Nolan as a twenty month old. Den of Geek acknowledged this fan theory, saying, "There certainly were parallels between Cobb's catharsis with Mal and that of Cillian Murphy's Fischer, their mark who's been targeted for inception.". This is where it actually gets a little meta. Dom Cobb | Christopher Nolan Wiki | Fandom The possibility of reuniting with James and Phillipa is what motivates him to undertake the assignment offered by Saito to implant an idea into Robert Fischer's mind in exchange for "one phone call" that will clear Dom's name. It turned into one of the greatest movies in recent memory. They all entered a van and were put to sleep again, to the second level of the dream. However, the scene remains unclear about whether the totem would stop for sure as it was cut abruptly while the totem were starting to shake. Critics and fans have hotly debated the ending since we first watched the screen cut to black after Cobb is reunited with his children andthe top continues spinning. The 'Inception' Ending Has Finally Been Explained Thanks - Bustle While some viewers believe the top falls, others take the ambiguity as a sign that Cobb's still dreaming. After learning about Eames's forging ability, he accidentally confuses a projection of Peter Browning for a disguised Eames, uttering the line, "I see you've changed!". Mal appears in all of Cobbs dreams because he feels guilty and responsible for her death, and he cant purge that guilt from his subconscious. Christopher Nolan says "complicated" ending to 'Oppenheimer' is similar When the characters say things like, " Downward is the only way forward ," it might seem as though Nolan is intentionally trying to warp the audience's mind. However, given what people are capable of in a dream, it is an interesting thought. Cobb was then allowed into America, and met Miles off the plane. Beyond the complex logistics of the dream architecture of the case and some unknowns concerning Fischer, the biggest obstacles in success for the team become worrying about one aspect of inception which Cobb fails to disclose to the other team members prior to the job, and Cobb's newest associate Ariadne's belief that Cobb's own subconscious, especially as it relates to Mal, may be taking over what happens in the dreams. The so-called intellectual ambiguity of Inception's ending works so well because it invites viewers to participate more actively in an otherwise passive medium. Dom is a worlds premier extractor someone who specializes in infiltrating unconscious minds to steal secrets. It is also arguable that at the end of the film, Cobb is in the happy-ending, dream-world Ariadne created for him, rather than being awake. Dominick Cobb | Inception Wiki | Fandom Inception: How Long Cobb & Mal Spent In Limbo (In Real World Time) Cobb illustrates this by asking Ariadne how they got to the cafe. This is exactly something that would only make sense in a dream, supporting the theory that the entire film takes place in a dream. Knowing if Cobb is reunited with his children in the real world is one of the biggest questions of the film. The right idea can consume someones brain, much like the concept for Inception when it appeared in Christopher Nolans mind. It is common to have dreams about familiar things, and it is those dreams that can be hardest to distinguish from reality, much like what happens in Inception with Mal in limbo. It centers on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who helmed the Manhattan Project, and played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb. It doesnt help that hes constantly haunted by his deranged wife Mal. But the commonly accepted English meaning for the name Dom is "lord." James Cobb | Inception Wiki | Fandom When Christopher Nolan had the idea to make an action heist movie set in peoples dreams, he mustve thought he was crazy and put off developing it for quite some time. Much like Cobb, who's unable to help if he's forever dreaming his happy ending or not, Oppenheimer was powerless to stop this new reality from taking hold. He was taken to his children, but just before running out to greet them he spun his totem to see if he was dreaming. As a skilled forger, Eames is easily able to take the guise of other people in dreams. Part of the world-building in Inception deals with the specific training men like Saito have to prevent dream theft. Cobb : I wish. Cobb phoned his children before leaving Japan, promising to see them again soon. As discussed byDen of Geek, some fan theories even suggest Cobb's totem (an object used to verify reality) is actually his wedding ring and not the spinning top that once belonged to his dead wife, Mal.