What’s the meaning behind the ending?
Cobb (DiCaprio) wakes up from three layers of a dream, walks through security because of Saito’s magical phone call, acknowledges his dream team at the luggage carousel, sees the faces of his son and daughter, and then spins his totem and leaves the room. It wobbles but doesn’t fall. This closing shot has made view-goers in recent years question the reality of Cobb’s situation, and it’s one reason why I appreciate Christopher Nolan’s script and his message–thrilling movies with substantive scripts are why I love going to the movies.
Christopher Nolan: “I feel that, over time, we started to view reality as the poor cousin to our dreams, in a sense … I want to make the case to you that our dreams, our virtual realities, these abstractions that we enjoy and surround ourselves with, they are subsets of reality.” (Ben Child, The Guardian, 5 June 2015)
I revisited the 2010 blockbuster Inception the other night and in the five years since its release, five things stood out this time:

- Chris Nolan’s script is intelligent; it’s a fine mind-bender, made more comprehensible when watched a second time. It’s fast paced; you’re pretty sharp in my book if you understood everything after one viewing. Check out these awesome NeoMam Studios INFOGRAPHS
- It is a fascinating thriller made more thrilling with Hans Zimmer’s pendulum swinging score.
3. The CGI stands necessary to the film’s effectiveness. Who hasn’t wanted to climb Escher’s “Penrose Stairs”?
4. CGI? Chris Nolan? Hans Zimmer? It’s a trifecta of repulsion for some. Why is that?
5. The two female actors, Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard, gave perfect performances. Where is Ellen Page these days? Marion’s Mal was sultry and haunting. It’s only a matter of time before Cotillard wins another Oscar. She’s fantastic in everything she does.
Have you seen Inception lately? What are you favorite scenes?