next »

[Neosect]

So who's seen it?  Thoughts?

I thought it was the best thriller of the summer.  A logical next step for Christopher Nolan, he steps outside his established acclaimed works to do something original again, proving that Memento wasn't just a fluke hit.

The ending is up for debate, but in case someone stumbles in here on accident, I'll wait a few posts for details.

How do you think it ended?

[david]

The top stops spinning.

[StingRay]

Lies!

[Neosect]

The top stops spinning.

Don't you think it's a little convenient that Michael Caine's character shows up at the airport? 

[StingRay]

Don't you think it's a little convenient that Michael Caine's character shows up at the airport? 

Not really.  They were planning that for weeks, if not months, and so I can see Cobb making plans.  He'd either need someone to pick him up if successful, or someone for support when he got arrested if they failed.  Plus, I can't see Grandpa not wanting to be there for the reunion.

[david]

I think Michael Caine is too badass to ever be in a dream.

[Joe]

The ending is up for debate

It's not up for debate, it's up for personal choice. It was constructed in such a fashion that you can choose the ending you want it to be.

[StingRay]

Yeah, I have a hard time formulating any sort of argument or point of discussion about the ending.  It was very clearly put in to mess with the audience, and I think it was a weak (or at the very least, cheeky) decision.

[Joe]

Yeah, I have a hard time formulating any sort of argument or point of discussion about the ending.  It was very clearly put in to mess with the audience, and I think it was a weak (or at the very least, cheeky) decision.

I liked it. Normally I'll make a decision one way or the other, but I really just like this one to be whatever I want it whenever I want it to be. Today I think it tipped over as soon as the fade. Tomorrow, I may want it to keep spinning. I like that.

[StingRay]

I think I would have liked it more had the camera never returned to the top.

[Neosect]

I think I would have liked it more had the camera never returned to the top.

Agreed.  Then there is no debate.  It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

[Joe]

I think I would have liked it more had the camera never returned to the top.

Agreed.  Then there is no debate.  It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

But there is no debate. It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

[Neosect]

I think I would have liked it more had the camera never returned to the top.

Agreed.  Then there is no debate.  It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

But there is no debate. It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

Let's just agree to disagree.

[Joe]

But there is no debate. It is completely left to the viewer's choice.

Let's just agree to disagree.

I don't get where you derive a debate from. The top wobbled, righted itself, then wobbled again as the screen went black. Did it fall the second time or not? It's completely up to the viewer to decide. The circumstances were presented so both conclusions are plausible. Where is it that the ending as presented chooses one side or the other?

[StingRay]

The wobble is what tilts it heavily in the direction of "Cobb is awake."  In all other instances of seeing that top inside a dream, the top spins perpetually, no wobble, no deviation, nothing.

Now, you can argue that the wobble indicates "Mal" has less of a grip over what Cobb thinks is his dream state.  You can argue that Cobb's kids ought to have looked different than his memories.  You can argue a lot of stuff in favor of Cobb not waking up, but the easy counter-argument is that the top wobbled, and it never wobbled before.

We have no in-story evidence of how long prepping the job took, how long Cobb has been on the run, how old his kids might have been, or what kind of influence Cobb's subconscious has over that top-level dream state.  All that has to be inferred and guessed at.  The only hard evidence relating to that ending is that in the dream, the top never deviated.

Take away those last five seconds, never go back to the top, never show us that wobble, and it's one-hundred-percent viewer decision.  That wobble weighs heavily in favor of one side.