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Inception: The sudden realisation of problems. Ain’t that a kick in the head!

Posted by liveforfilms in Action, Fantasy, Film, Headline, News, Review, Sci-Fi | 80 comments

Jinja went to see Inception again. When he got home he wrote this. Christopher Nolan has a lot to answer for. Severe spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

I watched Inception last week, loved it but had a few queries. So, decided to go see it again last night – initially any questions or confusion I had were answered and solved. But after five minutes of leaving the cinema I suddenly realised it was full of major mistakes, contradictions and continuity errors.

The Inception rules of dreams:

· If you die in a dream, whether it’s suicide or murder, you wake up.

· If the dreamer (Architect) dies within a dream, the dream will begin to collapse but those still in the dream remain until they die.

· A five minute dream, feels like 1 hour – so this we assume is the standard dream length when not under sedation.

· When, in a ‘controlled/standard’ dream, the timer runs out you wake up naturally – but dreamers are given a 20 second warning by having the music play.

· A ‘kick’ will bring you out of a dream.

· Feelings and experiences in the ‘awake’ state can flow through into the dream.

Opening dream…

Reason for the dream: To steal information from Saito

Level 0 – Real world, on the train
Level 1 – Dream, in Saito’s secret apartment, Nash is the Architect
Level 2 – Dream, in Saito’s restaurant/private room, Arthur is the architect

We start in level 2, looking for the secret data. Saito knows it is a dream and he is being conned, Arthur gets killed so wakes up to level 1, but dream (L2) begins to collapse. Arthur wakes to level 1 and tries to put Saito under longer – but in L2 Saito is crushed to death and therefore wakes to L1 and points gun at Arthurs head. Arthurs screams at Nash to wake up Cobb, eventually using the ‘kick’ into the bath. Cobb still in L2 on the run suddenly sees the water rush into the room and eventually wakes to L1, jumps out of the bath and knocks Saito out.

So, all now at Level 1. Saito knows he was in a dream (L2) and knows the team were trying to steal information from him. He is about to give up the hidden info when he falls to the ground and realises the carpet on the floor of the apartment is polyester rather than wool and realises he is still in a dream… On L0 Tadashi puts the headphones onto Nash and starts the music when there is 20 seconds on the counter, everyone in the dream knows they have 3 minutes remaining on L1… Back on L1, Saito believes they are all in his dream and thinks he can control the rules – Arthur wakes (naturally) and disappears from L1, Nash admits to being the dreamer/architect just as the room is entered by the mob and the dream fades out. The team are all awake, pack up and leave before Saito wakes.

So we are introduced to the basics of dreams, the reason for them doing it all and some of the controls and physics within the dream world…

The new plan

Get into Fischer’s dream and plant an idea to make him break up his fathers company so Saito’s company can stay within the competition.

This is where things begin to fall apart.

Due to this having to be a multi layered dream they will need to be placed under sedation for quite a while. So Yusuf gives them a drug which will knock them out good’n’proper for about 10 hours. The only wake up from this dream is naturally after the ten hours or if the dreamer is kicked, as we are fully informed the inner ear functions are not affected by the drug.

Level 0 – Real, on plane
Level 1 – Dream, rain/kidnapping/van, Yusuf is the dreamer
Level 2 – Dream, Hotel/Fischer told he is in a dream/weightlessness, Arthur is the dreamer
Level 3 – Dream, mountains/hospital, Fischer is the dreamer

Problem 1) They are going to be on a flight for ten hours, in a dream state. And Saito buys the airline and stewardess to make sure they are all in first class so they aren’t disturbed. So therefore the only things that is going to disturb the dream is turbulence or a crash…they are on a plane so turbulence is highly likely so that would kick them out of even the deepest dream early. Surely it would have made more sense to use a sedative that would knock them out completely including the middle ear shenanigans!? By the way, some of you are probably already arguing with this statement but read on, my issues all pan out and are explained!

If you are killed in a dream you wake up. But not this time, due to the heavy sedation, if you are killed in L1 you drop into limbo for what can feels like decades until you naturally wake (back on the plane after the ten hour limit) but you may have severe mental issues.

Ok, Saito gets shot in L1 by the security Fischer has in place. If Saito dies he will fall into limbo (see above). Now they are all in the van (in L1) and Yusuf is trying to keep them all out of harms way when they drop into the next dream state – L2. At this point the ‘dream laws’ are all reset – they are in a dream within a dream, so L1 technically becomes the real world for L2 (we know the laws get reset because of the opening dream). With that in mind, they are no longer under the heavy sedation so if they get killed in this world they will wake into L1 as standard.

L2, in the hotel. Cobb explains to Fischer he is in a dream and there to protect him. Proves the point by pointing out the weirdness within the dream – using the fact that in L1 the window is smashed and rain hits Arthurs face it changes the weather and physics in Arthurs dream (which is L2). Fischer attempts to kill himself as he thinks that will wake him up, but Cobb convinces him not to as he believes that Fischer is under sedation (lie). But as we are now in L2, killing himself would bring Fischer out of L2 and cause him to wake up in L1, not to go to limbo as he isn’t sedated in L1 (remember the laws have been reset) – now stay with me here I can explain this…

L3, snow. This is now in Fischer’s dream world, he is the architect. As an aside, at no point is Ariadne the dreamer or architect – we can only assume her architectural input is showing Yusuf and Arthur the levels while they have their own double dream while in the workshop. Anyway back to L3 and remember we are now is Fischer’s dream but he thinks they are in Browning’s dream to basically get him to admit to what he knows.

Problem 2) Why does Fischer dream of exactly the layout of the dream Ariadne planned for the final level? The towers, the hospital, etc. We see all of these plans in the workshop. The dreamscape you are in is developed from the dreamer, so why aren’t we in a random world of Fischer’s doing? Cobb even asks Ariadne at one point on L3 “has Fischer changed anything, is there a shortcut?” The answer, “he added the shortcut through the vent”.

Problem 3) We need to remind ourselves of the opening dream, Arthur gets shot and wakes up from the L2 dream into the L1 dream – not straight to the real world. So, why is it when Fischer gets shot in L3 he drops to Limbo? Surely he would wake up in L2.

Problem 4) On L3 Fischer is killed and drops to Limbo – yes I’m repeating the previous problem, but bare with me. So being killed should wake him up back to L2, but instead goes to Limbo(!?). Either way he is the dreamer/architect of L3, why doesn’t it begin to fall apart like the opening dream did when Arthur was killed?

If Nolan needed an excuse for Cobb to go into Limbo to have it out with Mal, we got a perfect setup from L1, Saito is shot, and due to his sedation in the real world will drop from L1 to Limbo, directly, will not pass go, will not collect £200. How would Cobb know Saito had finally passed on L1? Well, Saito would have passed on L3 and L2 also, that way Cobb would have no choice but to go into Limbo to get Saito out otherwise he won’t have his name cleared in the real world. And due to the time differences of levels Saito dies on L1, Cobb doesn’t realise for a few minutes on L3, by the time he gets to Limbo Saito will have been there for decades – hence the age difference.

How do Cobb and Saito get out of Limbo? Right, Cobb wakes on the beach and he has a gun in his belt and then taken to see Saito. Both of them don’t really know why they are together – their minds are a little fuzzy (as Fischer’s was trying to remember the L1 scenario and explain it to the Security Guard version of Cobb on L2). But they both start to remember little bits and piece together the answer – Saito goes for the gun, we have to assume he kills Cobb then himself and they both wake on the plane to live happily ever after! ‘?’ the only way out of Limbo is to die, Cobb and Mal get themselves killed by the train, Ariadne throws Fischer off the building then herself and they wake in L3…but why do Cobb and Saito wake on the plane and bypass the other levels? Well, Saito is shot on L1 and dies and Cobb drowns on L1 and dies when everyone is brought back.

Problem 5) Why doesn’t everyone keep getting chased by Fischer’s security when they get kicked back to L1 (after the van crashes to the water)? They had to rush their way through the lower levels to make sure they didn’t get attacked while asleep – Cobb explains this on entry to L1 when Eames wants to sit out the lower levels. Basically they rushed through back to L1 and wouldn’t wake up until the sedative in the real world wears off, surely?

There is more on this I know, and I will add to it when I probably watch it again! Damn just realised Nolan and WB have already managed to extract over £16 out of me by making me think I had to see this movie…trailers are Inception!

Snoochies
They never go into Fischers dream, Earnes was the architect of the snow level and it was Earnes who added the duct. Also Cobb asks Earnes to provide distraction as he is the dreamer

Joel
That’s what I thought too. I thought they tricked Fischer into thinking it was his dream.

pam fruendt
the first scene in the film is the ocean and a man washing up on shore…cobb is already in limbo.
Bernie
YOU’RE MISSING AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM THAT DEFIES ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS:
If the “kick” is a gravitational method to awaken the sleeper by falling back or sideways on a chair, and it is – according to the movie’s logic – supposed to be the only way a dreamer can awaken while in the THIRD layer of dreams, how then did the subjects not wake up in the van when it flipped over 45 minutes into the movie when the subjects were only at the FIRST layer of dreams?
I think that unnecessary van-flipping scene – put in intentional slo-mo – completely obliterates and voids the rest of the movie!
More proof: They demonstrate one of the characters waking up after being dropped back on a chair and sideways on a chair. He immediately woke up.
Don’t you think a van flipping over would do the same?

Rob O.
This isn’t really a big problem (the van flipping over again and again is not a kick). Remember, they are under HEAVY sedation… when Arthur was being kicked on the chair they were merely experimenting with the sedative (not ready for prime time). They also needed a musical cue to know which kick they needed to ride, which wasn’t present when the van was flipping. This is why when the van hit the barrier, Arthur did not wake up from level 2 (the hotel).
If you think about it, there should have been a hundred kicks to bolt them from their dreams, but not according to the rules Nolan set forth, which he adhered to in the movie. It doesn’t necessarily reflect reality, the way we dream in real life, but it works within the confines of the film.

http://bit.ly/dzpmEC Jens Altmann
The Limbo thing was explained, but I forgot how. It had something to do with just how heavy the sedation was, I think.
All other logic problems fall aside once you accept that the entire movie is based on dream logic. Even at the end, Cobb never wakes up. It’s implied that he is still dreaming, and that he might wake up when the top falls and the cliff house the children say they are taking him to crumbles, providing the kick.
Then again, I still half believe that the entire thing is Mal’s dream. The top, after all, was her totem. Cobb would have had his own, and wouldn’t necessarily have adopted hers regardless of how guilty he feels.

Elle Lewis
Actually, if you watch through all of the credits at the end you can hear the sound of the top falling over, so we know that it is real life, not a dream.

Jinja
Snoochies/Joel – I may be wrong but just before Cobb knocks-out Fischer, on L2 the Hotel, he tells him they are going to enter Browning’s (Eames) dream. Once Fischer is out Ariadne asks “hold on, whos dream are we going into?”. Cobb replys “we are going into Fischers, but he will thinks its Brownings”
Pam – The first scene is a flash forward to the end of the movie, its exactly the same scene.
Bernie – Yes you are so right, completely forgot to mention that! The van crash is the biggest kick of all and should of at least brought Arthur out of the dream! But, it did make for a nice fight in the corridor of the hotel!
Jens – The limbo thing is explained…if you die on level 1, you can’t wake up until the sedation ends. If you dream on L1 and enter L2, if you die on L2 you should wake on L1 – you aren’t sedated in L1, just the real world.

Tim
Sorry, if they die in level 1 (or 2, or 3) they go to limbo. This is explained by Cobb in the first dream when Eames goes to shoot Saito to put him out of his misery. This resetting the rules thing is not in the movie. I’ve watched it a few times, I have the dvd. They CANNOT go 3 levels without the strong sedative. This resetting the laws simply is not so. Please point out where in the movie it says otherwise.
They don’t go into Fischer’s dream. It is explained when Cobb is teaching Ariadne. “Remember, you are the dreamer, you built this world. I am the subject, my mind populates it.” Fischer is only populating Eames’ dream with his projections.
When they return to level 1, they are no longer being chased. If you chase someone until they drive off a bridge, I think you’d be content to stop pursuing also.
Under sedation, they need synchronized kicks from different levels to wake up. This is why they don’t wake up from every little bump, or even the van rolling.

Snoochies
I think the form of sedation used means that you will go into limbo and not just move up a level. While you will awaken from a kick they can be missed as when the van hit the barrier, I’ll have to watch it again as I’m sure that was explained. They go into Earnes dream because it is Fischer who provides the image of his father, remember dreamers only build the level, they can’t populate it.

http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms
I thought it was Fischer’s dream as that was where they found his father and what was in the safe…although that wasn’t real was it and gave Fischer the idea to sell the company. Eames was the forger so it could tie in with it being his dream and making the fake info for Fischer.
Damn it makes my head hurt. Tech support!!

pat
i thought the whole time it would have been a MUCH better ending if the whole plot…fischer..his dad and all. was really just a setup to get SAITO to a) make that call to leave cobb back in the country and b) pay everyone else a shitload of money.
so really the whole fischer dream level thing was a distraction to get saito to do something they wanted, intercepting him (thats why he was with them and all that – think about it, he was useless really).
http://moonwolves.wordpress.com/ Koutchboom
Haven’t read all that yet too lazy. But my thing was why didn’t the 0-g stuff continue from dream state to dream state? Think how much cooler the Arctic scene would’ve been? Like Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon sort of.
G
The whole movie is a dream. This in itself nullifies any laws set up…
I will give you some examples to prove this theory, but the whole thing would require a dissertation.
Cobb is still in limbo, he never escaped in the first place. With no way out of limbo he needs some way to come to terms with what he beleives is real. Everyone in the movie/limbo is just an aspect of himself. examples: Ariadne = (greek mythology, leads people out of mazes) she represents youth, innocence, creativity, she is a direct aspect of himself under his fathers teachings. Saito = (Saito Benkei, japanese mythology) he represents honor, strength and loyalty.
In order to escape his guilt (in limbo), he first must discard his old architect and begin again with a young and creative mind who does not know love. This is Ariadne.. This is why Ariadne is able to create an exact replica of reality (with the mirrors) that Cobb remembers. It is also why he must visit his father in order to find her. She represents the part of him that is pure creativity, youth and innocence. Saito on the other hand asks him in the very begining if he would rather die a lonley old man wracked with guilt or perform the inception. Saito also repeatedly states his loyalty to Cobb, even while dieing.
(as a side note, the song that warns them of the kick is by Edith Piaf, who is portrayed Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose (Mal). The song is about no regrets. This begs the question if Nolan did this with all of the actors, choosing them not only for thier talents but for the iconic characters they have portrayed in recent film. Seemingly stating that Cobb has given his subconcious form through the movies that he saw in reality. IE Father figure = Micheal Cain (batman comes to mind), Creative Youth = Ellen Page (Juno), Honor and Loyalty = Ken Watanabe, (The Last Samurai)…. I realize this is really unprovable, but I would not put it past Nolan.)
The inception is really for himself, to leave the guilt behind over his wifes death, come to terms with the profession he has chosen in spite of his father, and to allow himself happinness. (Some proof is the children’s clothes, the disjointed cinematography is dreamlike throughout, the fact that Mal exists on all levels and in everyone’s dream, how everyone one in the movie is trying to tell him to wake up and let go…)
Marie F
The 3rd dream wasn’t dreamed by Fischer, they just pretended to him that they were actually entering Browning’s dream. Also you’re wrong as Cobb asks did ‘Eames’ add anything to the design.
The dream logic doesn’t reset as they go down, no matter what level they die on they go to Limbo, they are actually sedated no matter what level they’re on.
Agreed also that the van flipping should have woken Arthur up, but even more so that the first kick should have woken him up- yet he was somehow able to stay in the dream and give the elevator kick.
The fourth level is the most confusing as I can’t figure out if its actually Limbo or not, or just Cobb’s dream of Limbo- as he wakes up on the beach twice.
Overall though I thought the whole film is about exorcising Cobb’s guilt and incepting him with the truth that his Mal is not real. How often did they play ‘no regrets’ as the wake up song and repeat this mantra to him.
http://www.liveforfilms.com/2010/07/22/inception-the-sudden-realization-of-problems/ anthony
can someone plz clear this up for me, After the van reversed and started falling into the water , i seem to remember seeing Yussuf (driver) putting headphones on Arthur… how cud he have done that in mid air?
Jinja
- Im not the only one who talks about it being Fischers dream, but he is made to believe they are entering Eames/Brownings (http://www.liveforfilms.com/2010/08/03/inception-even-the-characters-from-the-film-dont-understand-it/). So this makes the Level 3 Snow dream scape completely in Fischers head – how has he had the design Ariadne designed?
- If the Dream Logic doesn’t reset then why isn’t the lack of gravity felt on every level, not just L2. The opening dream has Arthur wake to L1 rather than the real world when he is shot in L2, this is part of the explanation of the dream ‘laws’ Nolan wants us to accept. Therefore getting shot anywhere but L1 in the final dream sequence would wake you to the L1 dream state and not limbo. The sedation is only effecting the real world/L1 dream state.
- Anthony, doesn’t Yussuf put the headphones on Arthur before he reverses into the barrier on the bridge? I could be wrong.
DrKewp
I should start a FAQ of common Inception mis-conceptions:
From the points above:
1) It depends on whether the sedation used for the final run requires a kick on all ‘levels’ to bring you out of it, including reality. If so the turbulence would have to be timed with the dream kicks to bring everyone up. It was never made clear what the ‘kick’ in reality was at the end of the flight, it might well have been a little pilot-induced turbulence. Or perhaps they simply all just waited in level 1 until the timer expired on the device and drugs were shut off. But I have to admit I thought of the same thing.
And has been mentioned, on L3 the dreamer is Eames, not Fisher. The way extraction/inception works is that there is a dreamer/architect, a subject who populates the dream (the target) and then whomever else is along for the ride.
The idea is you are tricking the subject buy putting him in a dream situation that you control in order to get information out or an idea in.
2) see above.
3) The death/limbo consequence was due to the extreme sedation required to go three levels (vs two) deep. This was explained very clearly, the characters even argued about it!
4. see 1, 2 & 3.
5. Three possible explanations. One, Fisher was dead/in Limbo at the time and this either shut down or muted his subconscious. Or two, the epiphany/inception caused his subconscious to no longer fear the ‘intruders’. Three, he went straight from Limbo to a normal sleep state after dieing in Limbo.
Re: The van flipping scene. Again, two options:
1. This is Nolan playing with the audience. This wasn’t a slow-motion shot, everyone just interpreted it as such due to our exposure to movies/TV. What happened was Yusuf (the dreamer) slowed the dream state in order not to jolt everyone. He probably didn’t realize he could do this; hence his surprise and asking if anyone saw it (which of course they didn’t).
2. Again, maybe you need to be kicked on the current level as well to come out of it. Hence Arthur spending most of his time in zero gravity until he kicked himself out along with everyone else via the explosion.
Regarding the ending; there was excellent foreshadowing to this with the ‘hiding in plain sight’ comment early in the movie.
The top was Mal’s totem, not Cobb’s. That he kept it symbolized his unwillingness to let go of the past and forgive himself/Mal; as well as his paranoia regarding what was real. Cobb’s true totem was his wedding band, which is only on his finger while dreaming.
He walked away at the end because it didn’t matter. He was home, his real home and he didn’t need anything to prove it was real anymore.
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Joe b
Major plot hole, continuity error, or whatever you want to call it?:
They tell us that your experiences to your actual body (falling, rain, whatever) will affect your dreams. Hence, when the van goes off the bridge, in the dream all gravity is lost. So we are shown the characters that are sleeping within the dream all floating weightless in the hotel room.
Here’s where the problem(s) is.
Just a few minutes earlier in the film, the van is under heavy attack and flips over something like 4 times. [As also stated by the film, dream time is much, much longer than real time (especially with sedation) so the van flip, though only a few seconds, should impact the dream for a very, very long time]
At this time, Arthur is fighting off the subconscious protectors in the hotel hallway, while the rest of the characters are sleeping. They are all within the dream level, and all their bodies are in the van, being affected by their surrounding (as we witness when they are all weightless.)
Now, if the van falling off the bridge affects these dreamers and their gravity, and the van flipping over causes the hotel itself to flip violently (aiding Arthur in his fight against the protectors, as the hallways flip around and around) Why do the sleepers in the hotel room remain unaffected the entire time?
That hotel room should have been flipped around violently just like the hallway was. Yet Arthur floats his way into the room later and they are all sleeping peacefully, floating above perfectly made beds and a completely unharmed room.
The thing about the film though, is that anyone can explain anyone any plot hole or continuity error with the simple “It’s a dream, Anything can happen” line.
Sorry, but for me, that catch-all excuse doesn’t cut it when the director knows what he is getting into through this subject matter. An entertaining film for sure, but nothing that spectacular.
Personally, I prefer the film dream work of Michel Gondry or Tarsem Singh over Nolan.
jmlawrence
Okay, someone help me out. I’ve only seen it once, but I’m pretty sure that at some point in the “reality,” we see Cobb spins the top and it falls. That’s supposed to be the proof that he’s not in a dream. So, when he gets back to that level, the “real” level, why does the camera show the top not falling in the final shot?
Or, if G is right, whose planting the idea in Cobb’s mind? If it really is inception, then at least one of the other characters has to be more than just his projection.
http://diaryofamaverickledger.blogspot.com/ @maverick99sback
I don’t really have anything to add.
I just felt left out.
Also… Inception was class.
damian
After Cobb tries Yussuf dream in mombasa he goes to the bathroom to test the top and he drops it. I don’t think he ever tests the top again in the rest of the movie…
Chris
One thing alone stands out as problematic for me, while these other inconsistencies can be tolerated, and that is the following: (please correct me if I am wrong, or explain it, clearly)
When Cobb chooses to stay in Limbo, the fourth dream level, and Ariadne departs on the kick by dropping off the terrace, he is in his dream house saying parting words to Mal who is shot.
The next time we re-join him, Cobb is waking up on the beach, as in the opening of the film. Then is taken to Saito from that position, directly.
How did he get there? He entered Limbo together with Ariadne, and only after finding Fisher and his wife does he set off to find Saito ….
How is this explained?!?! For me it just does not fit. To wake up on the beach, Cobb must either sleep again or die and be re-sent into Limbo … which does not happen.

Tim
Cobb gets to Saito’s limbo because he dies. Everyone else (except Saito who is already dead) rides the kicks back to level 1, the van that just hit the water. Cobb didn’t ride the kicks and wake up, you see him drown in the van. It is also possible that he is already dead as Mal stabs him in the chest before she is shot.

http://austingamingblog.blogspot.com Austin
If the air hostess is in on the job, why didn’t they plan for her to wake them up after a certain amount of time?
http://www.thediligentslacker.co.cc SpyderPig
First off, the whole thing with the uber-sedative. It is used in L0 (reality)….so, dying in L1 will throw them into limbo, due to them being heavily sedated in the previous level. That rationale should in no way, carry over to L2, because the effects of the sedative are not evident or visible in L1. Dying in L2, should bring them back to L1. That’s pure and simple logic. I agree with the author of the post, on this one.
For the rest of my comment, let us just assume, that the movie logic is right, and the sedative’s effect works on all the levels. So, whichever level you die in, you end up in limbo. Right, agreed!
When Fischer gets shot full of bullets in L3…he gets thrown into limbo. How in the hell did Cobb and Ariadne follow him there, using the dream machine?? That would only take them to dream level L4, wouldn’t it? Instead, all they had to do was shoot themselves or something.
Speaking of which,….Fischer is dead in L3, after Mal shoots him. I may not be a doctor, but i do know, there’s no way in hell, a defibrillator can bring back a person, who’s already deader than dead…….and filled with bullets, mind you. After Ariadne throws him off the building in Limbo, he just snaps awake in L3, stands his bullet perforated body up, and walks over to his father, to have a touching moment of self discovery. WTF??
At one point in L3, Cobb says “Arthur has a couple of minutes….that gives us about 20″. Now, according to Yusuf, under the effects of the sedative, time moves 20 times faster in the dream world. So, if Cobb and Co. had around 20 minutes in L3, that gives Arthur just about 1 minute in L2. Did anyone notice the amount of shit the guy does in that 1 minute?? He floats all the way up a floor, lines all the bodies up in a neat stack, rips wiring out of the wall, ties them all up, then drags them all the way to the elevator, sets the bombs on suspension cables, then joins his team mates inside the elevator. Even The Flash aint that fast, goddamnit!!
Now, by definition, Limbo is a world between two worlds. An intermediary realm. So, wouldn’t the dream Limbo be somewhere between two dreams?? That is,….if you died in L2 and ended up in limbo, wouldn’t that be somewhere between L2 and L1? Ergo, killing yourself in Limbo would bring you to L1, not L2 again. This is just a speculation on the term, assuming that’s the concept Nolan was following. Otherwise, there’s no reason to call it ‘Limbo’, is there?? But once again, i’m just speculating here.
And another thing! If dying in the dream, when under a sedative will send you to limbo,….then how the hell did any of the kicks work?? The kick in L2 was Arthur crashing the elevator, which would probably kill the shit out of anyone. The kick in L3 was Eames blowing up the whole goddamn fortress….which i’m sure, is more fatal than “falling elevator”. L1 was the only level, where a non lethal kick was used. So either way, everyone dies one way or the other, when still under the effect of the sedative. Why didn’t they all end up in Limbo?? And even if you applied the logic of synchronized kicks,….the kicks were synched only for L1, L2 and L3…..not L0. They all wake up under water, inside the car. The whole synchronized kick hooplah would work, only if the kicks had been synched all the way from L0 through L3. Only then, would the effect of the sedative be voided.
If anyone has any plausible explanations for all this, i would much appreciate it.
Obviously the clever 1
Ok wow where to begin. For starters all of you talk about the dreamer being the architect. When u guys mention it’s yusefs dream for L1. The architect doesn’t even have to be in the dream. Which is y they argue about getting another seat on the plane for Juno girl. The article is written by an idiot who paid 16 pounds to watch it twice and doesn’t realise that the dreams don’t go bad when the architect dies. Like when third rock from the sun kid dies it’s because the subjuct who is filling the dream/architecture realises that someone is interfering with the dream. This is why Cobb says to the guy they are trying to make sell his company I’m not real and suddenly all the projections stop locking at them. As u can tell I can’t be fukked to go through all the points he didn’t understand or misinterpreted. The only real problem with the film is the time continuity between each kick. But it’s a film that is 2 and a half hours long they can’t make it ten or ten year for that matter to show true continuity. Just please don’t write an article if u make up shit like “did Fischer add the airduct.” if u listened both times u watched it retard u would hear he say eames played by tom Harding. Y do u call it eames/browning yes they both called tom in real life but one is English and about 33 34 the other is american and is like 59 60 called tom berenger from like platoon and shit. I know I’ve only done like 3 points here but trust me u misunderstood the film and clearlyust have ADHD to watch it twice and not understand so many points. When architect/dreamer die world goes fukd. Are u dumb they can’t ever be the same person otherwise what r they trying to achieve. That’s why Juno girl says don’t the dreamers realise it’s a dream due to design floors and Cobb replys with the fact that u don’t notice until after a dream. Watch it again idiot. One of the comments was more intellectal question with is y isn’t the zero gravity in all levels plus the whole point of limbo was the fact that ur heavily sedated in real life means ur lost in unconsciousness between 2 3 or 4 if you count reality. Ur mind is confused as I’ve spent a life time in 10 hours. Stick to things like the film Up or Toy Story they seem more on ur level.
Inceptor
It doesn’t reset each level as you say. If you die on any level it’s limbo. As a level is just a deeper venture into the dream world ie reality time slows down. If u die in limbo though it’s fine as you go back to reality. This is shown by adriada fischer Cobb mal fist time round on the railway lines and saito. So in retrospect it’s fine to go into limbo as long as you remember to kill yourself. Obviously this is the problem that they get confused between the real world and the dream wold as proved by Cobb and mal. The whole reason he planted the idea into her hear by spinning the totem was to make her realise she was living in a dream world. Spyder pig you one hell of a dumb guy. “Fischer shot by mal how can a
defibulator being him back” eeeeeeeeeeeeer he was in limbo with Cobb adriada they die or kick themself by jumping off building so he awakens in the dream he was in. Your asking how he survive being shot by a dead woman in a dream??????!!!!!!!!!!! Think about it. Mal isn’t there there are no guns there is no snow no snow mobile no bondesque base camp no hench men it’s a dream retard a dream. Wow u are one stupid guy.

http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms
Okay, Inceptor and Obviously the Clever 1 (who appear to be the same person) – I’ve got no problem with you discussing the film and explaining how other people may have got it wrong, but lay off with the whole calling people dumb and retard.
Using that just invalidates any points you are trying to make as people may think you are an idiot when doing so. Obviously you are not an idiot though as you have thought out your arguments, but I wouldn’t want people to think you were a small minded idiot who had to be offensive to seem cleverer than other people.

Andy
Okay like wow dude you’re like totally the cleverest dude ever! ……Actually I’m being facetious, you discredit your own argument when you insult others on boards like this. You also look like a complete moron when you use childish “mobile txt speak” to debunk someones else’s opinion and insinuate they should watch more kids movies. Save that for texting your mum you douche!
Peace!
Inceptor
To Anderson ur queston spyder pig the kicks aren’t meant to kill u your meant to wake up from the jolt. The problem is that they fuck around with breathing aparatus which defeats the point of a kick as the kick is meant to instantly wake you up. So by chance u found a mistake you just said stupid shit like the level one crash wouldn’t kill u. U try driving off a big bridge backward in an old mini van and see what happens to you. Spyder pig you open ur comment by saying you agree with the article about if you die in L2 L3 then should go to the level be4 as your not sedated in L1 but it’s the same people on a plane they are all sedated. It wouldn’t matter if you died in level79 the film states if u die while your body is unable to regain consciousness then you will be lost for a long time as each level time normal time by the power of twelve each time 5 to an hour to 50 years. You will still wake up on plane from limbo when sedative wares of but it might of felt like millions of years if you were on a level79 you understand. Being lost in limbo doesn’t mean you miss reality years. 10 hours can fell or be like 50 year in limbo. Like 5 minute can be an hour in levl one. Just think a bit please. Watch the film and listen your nearly as bad as the guy who wrote the article. Inception does have floors but the fact that you guys don’t understand and listen to a film but don’t see obvious mistakes like the fact yousef is meant to be driving for a week as the flight is 10 hours in reality times it by 12 equals 120 hours which is like 5 day which he clearly isn’t. And if your wondering to your stupid self why is it times by 12 I’ll repeat 5 minutes in reality is the equivilant to an hour in dream L1 so a 10 hour flight times by 12 is 120 hours. Instead u say dumb stuff like” how come he got shot load and then just sits up like nothing happened and then talks to his dad WTF” think idiot it’s a dream no gun. They even have a picture on this page where eames is holding granade launcher and he says “you should think bigger
http://Www.Liveforfilms.com Inceptor
Obviously it’s a dream. If u can bend the land scape so cars can drive y
upside down thing flying everywhere and people being shot in the head and surviving then how is it far fetched. How dumb would it be if I wrote this movie is so fake man WTF they sitting outside French cafe and suddenly cars and even paving stones are flying everywhere but they just hapily sitting down talking how unbelievable. They can as it’s a dream just like they can get shot and survive. Mate inception isn’t for you to be honest Friday and next Friday is to hard and interlectual for you to grasp. Just make sure you cook the burger and serve the fries well when u het back to ur day job at mcdonalds u retard
Inceptor
Ok andy look past the language or profanity or whatever nochulant rhing you want to pick up on and just read what he wrote read what I wrote and then watch the film. Ps at least I text my mum. You text your boyfriend telling him the continuity errors in your favourate film broke back mountian while mounting your boyfriend. Your American so it might take you a few days to understand.

http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms
Why would he be texting his boyfriend while mounting him? Surely he could just tell him direct without using the medium of texting….just wondering.
I suppose if their talk plan includes free texts then it wouldn’t cost anything. Then again there is the whole tricky thing of texting while having sex.

Mark Hooson
Lol @
“land scape”
“hapily”
“interlectual”
Inceptor
Valid point there is nothing I can say back to that fair play. But it just infuriates me when someone not even writting a comment but writting an article don’t just misinterpret stuff herendously out of proportion but then make up stuff to validate there stupid point. It’s spreading stupidy like that that makes people think stupid things. Especially when it’s in an article. The guy is English as well which pisses me off because not many people I know would go to a movie clearly misunderstand it and get stuff completely wrong and then go and write 400 words of complete crap and not even point out obvious mistakes in the film but find stupid farfetxhed ones that need made up quote to back. Sorry for my rude reply to the idiots but stupid people shouldn’t spread there stupidity especially online where so many people just read and accept
Lynne
I’m sorry, I lost the plot completely at ” to anderson your queston” – anyone else have a clue? Low quality hitting on others with random attacks, there may genuinely be some good points there…but I can’t be bothered O_o
Inceptor
See this is the problem with site like this. You don’t look at the information or argument you just find spelling mistakes. Lol using blackberry no spell check can’t be botheeres to look over what I’ve wrote as you guys are so dumb it doesn’t matter. Sorry bothered. Landscape. Mark is a moronic English teacher who didn’t do enough marking last night and this morning so you decided to just look at random words online and point out where they missed an L or did a gap in the word landscape. Great input mate. Guess you didn’t want to “wanna” comment on the film but instead do some marking. Mark doing marking what a boring bastard u r
Andy
…back..just been doing some good old American bumming!.. Anyway where was I? Ahh yes, inepter/clever1 or can I just call you douche…why don’t you stick to your normal boards such as “help my daddy keeps touching me” and “I’m 14, why won’t my weeeny grow?” you’ll probably fit right in there! C u l8tr!
Mark Hooson
Do not feed the trolls

http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms
An excellent point

Andy
Roger!
http:/josh-franks.blogspot.com Josh
Blackberries do have spellcheck. Haha.
http://diaryofamaverickledger.blogspot.com/ @maverick99sback
Hahaha.
Me no spell good.
Sean
Regarding your Problem #1: I’ve been on planes well into the double digits (just including flights from NY metro to Far East Asian countries alone). Turbulence warnings are not a very common thing (the bigger the plane, the less likely turbulence effects its inertia–Also briefly stated by Saito’s speculation with Eames in elevator near the beginning of L2/~86min in). Cobb wasn’t lying to Fischer when he tells the latter he was sedated. There was a scene where the L1 group dropped some L1 dream sedative onto his bagged face (while this type of force-feeding is impossible, do remember that they are already in a dream after all/~82min in). So L1 Fischer killing himself WOULD have brought him to some limbo and sabotaging the operation.
——————–
Problem #2: The line was actually “Did Eames add any features?” (~104min in) not Fischer (refer to #1, slip-up). In any case, an architect creates the dreamscape and the dreamer (“subject”) fills the world in with his subconscious (as explained during Ariadne’s training/~24, 29 min into the film).
1. This means that Ariadne was the L1-3 architect.
2. She shares her design with the team (L1 w/Yusuf, L2 w/ Arthur, L3 w/ Eames) so it becomes their dreamscapes for future use — designated dreamers, so to speak.
3. Fischer’s subconscious is used for all 3 levels (he was the first to be sedated in L0-2) — he is the subject.
How the setup is then organized must be taken with a grain of salt as the “dream technology” devices themselves are never explained (only the nature of dreaming as it exists in the movie). This explanation also solves Problem #4 for why L3 doesn’t collapse at Fischer’s death. At the intro of L3 (~100 min in) Cobb says, “Eames, this is your dream” later followed up by Ariadne, “I designed the place.”
——————–
Problem #3: Why L3 Fischer goes into Limbo can only be speculated in 3 scenarios (admittedly I have trouble figuring this one out myself):
1. L2 Fischer was again sedated after going under the machine.
Side note to other people’s complaints I’ve come across: L2′s under the machine won’t be kicked to L1′s van crash due to not being awake in L2. Furthermore, if L2′s are not kicked back, then it is impossible to be kicked back from L1 to L0 — the Nolan dream laws have it set in a series circuit path.
2. The sedation in fact crosses through all layers, which would make the L1 Fischer’s sedation redundant.
3. ~75min in, Ariadne mentioned how the deeper they enter Fischer’s mind, the deeper they enter Cobb’s. Somewhere in L3 the rules must have gone haywire because of two very present subconsciousness. Something to ask Nolan and the screenwriters.
Limbo was described in L1 when Eames nearly shoots Saito/~69min in). It was defined in this scene by Arthur to be a pool of dream-constructed knowledge that was left behind by anyone there. Eames’ “scrambled eggs” comment wasn’t a defined rule; his comment was just the idea that you’d be there so long you’d go insane from it while the L0 body effectively becomes a vegetable. Also, when they asked how one can leave Limbo, Cobb (clearly not a vegetable) never answered the question (until his backstory later to Ariadne regarding death, as usual L#’s). Instead, what occurs while in Limbo is discussed between L1 Ariadne, Cobb and Saito, “Limbo becomes your reality” (in essence, the assumption that after perceived decades you forget your L0 timeline and facts (~74min in).
——————–
Problem #4: Refer to #2.
——————–
Problem #5: It is possible that after everyone returned to L1, minus Saito and Cobb, that they were killed or suicided and sent to Limbo, only to suicide again back to the real world. Assuming they survived the remaining week then the 10hr sedative time-out would expire coinciding with the flight’s duration (perhaps L1′s subconscious change of heart following the catharsis led to a much less hostile environment).
——————–
One problem I found was at ~107 min in when Cobb says, “Arthur has a couple minutes; we have about 20.” A couple = 2, which means L3 should have closer to 40 min left. This also begs to question something everyone seems to agree upon: How the hell does Arthur accomplish his entire emergency setup within “couple min,” brief fight scene included, all within free-fall speed…
colin b
Thought I would agree with an earlier poster,
If the last scene, in which the spinning top does not fall, is supposed to signify it is “someone’s” dream, then could not the whole idea of dreams and dream states etc just be part of their dream to, as a result, errors or whatever could just be part of the dream.
Afterall, in theory, if it is a dream, would it not be an “impossible” dream, as it would be a level 4 dream and they were all saying what a big deal a level 3 dream was ?
I have only watched it once, and will again, but these are my initial thoughts,
http://www.thediligentslacker.co.cc Spyder Pig
As a mark of respect to other posters here, and out of an intense annoyance for douchebaggery, i’m choosing to ignore “Inceptor”…or whatever the fuck you are.
Anyway,
I’ve gotten answers for everything else, other than the questions i asked. As i already said,…i assumed Nolan’s logic was correct and accepted that the sedative’s effect works in all the dream levels. I didn’t necessarily agree with it. But i still accepted it. That was never my problem.
What i did have a problem with, was…how Fischer woke up with a body filled with bullets, after he was saved from Limbo? I mean, it is apparent that the laws of physics and realism apply in the dream world, as well. They can be bent….but they’re not non existent. if you’re shot in the dream world, you die in that level….that’s that. You cannot say, that the gun or the bullets do not exist. In relation to the people in the dream, they do. What would’ve happened, if Mal had blown Fischer up to bits, instead of shooting him? Which level would he end up in after returning from limbo, then? I’m sure, his body parts are not gunna reassemble themselves. So, the whole “it’s only a dream” logic doesn’t quite work. Fischer did get shot dead. He got sent to limbo. When he was brought back, he some how woke up, with the bullets still in his body, which didn’t make any sense.
The other problem i had, was with the timing. Some of their time estimates based on the dream rules were grossly incorrect.
As for the kicks, here’s what was wrong…
To wake up from dream L1 there should be a kick in L0 (None mentioned)
To wake up from dream L2 there should be a kick in L1 (Van drop)
To wake up from dream L3 there should be a kick in L2 (Elevator drop)
The series circuit (as defined by Sean) back tracks in that order. Bottom-up.
Why the hell do they have a kick inside L3 also? (The fortress being blown up with explosives).
And like i already said, the synchronized kicks would work, only if they went back all the way through the circuit, back to L0 in the plane. Since they don’t, and they all wake up in L1, towards the end….when they swim out of the car….they would still be under the effects of the sedative. In which case, the exploding fortress and elevator crash should’ve sent them all into limbo.
Also,….the van flipping over…..multiple kicks, without anyone waking up. I know, the others were dreaming in L2, when the van flipped in L1. But Arthur was still awake in L2. Atleast he should’ve woken up from that kick. Logical gaff. Any theories?
Hit me back.
Jim Tom
Wow. Lots of ideas going on here. \ But I can at least try to shed light on the stuff about the van falling, and why Arthur didn’t wake up. Had me stumped for a long time. There are 2 possible explanations.
1. L2 is Arthur’s dream. He couldn’t wake up because everyone else was still in his dream, anchoring him (and they didn’t wake up because they were 2 levels from the van, in L3).
2. Due to the heavy sedation in effect, it requires 2 kicks at the same time to wake up: the dream you’re in, and the one in which you’re sleeping. For example, the van falling + the elevator, the elevator + the hospital being blown up, the defibrillator + falling in limbo).
The movie definitely has some holes, but it makes sense enough if you’re not just trying to expose it as a hoax (you can do that with EVERY movie if you’re just that nitpicky). So I have a suggestion for you: RELAX! For God’s sake, stop trying to put yourself above everything, just breathe, and let yourself have a good time. Who cares if there are a couple holes, there are holes in my underwear but I still wear them
http://Vhfgg Spider pig
Spyder pig ur so dumb u get a kick in l1 to awake in l0. U get a kick in l2 to awake in l1 l3 to l2 not the other way around idiot
http://www.thediligentslacker.co.cc Spyder Pig
@ Jim Tom
The others being in his dream, doesn’t anchor Arthur down. He’ll still get kicked awake. But the moment he’s kicked awake, the L2 dream will start collapsing in on itself. Exactly like how it happens in the first scene, the moment Cobb shoots Arthur in the head.
There was no need for 2 kicks to be performed at the same time. The heavy sedation doesn’t affect the subject’s inner ear function, ergo their sense of balance. One kick on the previous level would suffice.
But you have to agree, the movie does have some really stupid plot holes. I never said it was a bad movie….i actually rather enjoyed it. It just wasn’t as incredible as everyone else was raving it would be. The Matrix was possibly the only movie in the genre, that lived up to the hype. I don’t really mind a few holes in my underwear, but i sure as hell would, if they were big enough to keep my jewels swinging in mid air, aye?
@ Guy before me
The kick is always applied in the previous level, numb nuts…..as is evident in the first scene. For all your mindless ranting, you really have no idea what was happening in the movie, do you?
Oh, and in the future, I would appreciate it if you would type your correspondence personally rather than having your blind, epileptic sister type for you. I understand you want her to feel useful, but from the state of your above comments, i fear she may have drooled on the keyboard one time, too many.
God bless!

Tim
It is explained earlier in the movie that they need to synchronize the kicks (using the music as a cue, why else do you think the music is playing?) in order for it to work under the heavy sedation. If you still want to argue this point, you need to watch the movie again.
And as bad as your friend’s spelling is, it does make perfect sense that Fischer (getting 2 synchronized kicks, the defib and falling in limbo) would wake up in L3. They work down the levels just like every other time, he is not phsyically dead. If the dreams are abanded or destroyed, they would go from limbo to reality, just like Cobb and Saito, or Cobb and Mal.

Tim
*abandoned* sorry.
Also, if you start hypothetical arguements (like what if his body was blown up) then you are no longer discussing plot holes of the movie, but hypothetical plot holes.

Correction
“With that in mind, they are no longer under the heavy sedation so if they get killed in this world they will wake into L1 as standard.”
This statement is false; if it were true, they would simply bring themselves out of any level below level one by killing themselves or each other. The reason they need the kick on each level is that death in any level would result in limbo, otherwise there would be no need for the synchronized kicks. This is also evident when Fischer is killed in level three and drops into limbo, rather than returning to level two.
thabisnit
I’ve got a plot hole to discuss!
When Cobb’s training Ariadne in Paris and she starts messing with the streets (folding the city over) he warns that his subconscious will start to detect her. But his conscious mind knows what’s going on – surely his subconscious would already know?

http://www.growlingmaniac.co.cc Spyder Pig
His subconscious is already aware, that the world is being controlled by someone else. That’s why some of the projections keep giving Ariadne angry stares, right from the beginning. But it is still not exactly sure as to who is the source of the control. That is why, the more she changes the world, the more aware they become of her, finally culminating in all of them converging on her.
Tim
(COBB) “It’s my subconscience remember, I can’t control them.”
Look up the dictionary definition of subconscience. Makes sense to me!

thabisnit
@Spyder Pig. I guess that’s the explanation the film wants to be true, but it’s such a wooly one. I think the point about the subconscious is that it can access everything the conscious mind knows, but the conscious mind cannot access the subconscious mind.

http://www.growlingmaniac.co.cc Spyder Pig
@ thabisnit
Yeah, like i already said….too many plot holes and fudged explanations. Great concept…just, not so much in execution.
@ Josh
Read reply to thabisnit

http:/josh-franks.blogspot.com Josh
Just a thought here: How come there’s gravity in L3? Obviously in L1 the van is toppling so there is no gravity in L2, so surely the same should apply for L3 as a result of L2?
Stephen
Okay one major beef with this. You said Fischer isn’t sedated, he is. They sedate him in the van through the bag remember.
Stephen
Oh and Fisher was sedated on the plane sooo…
justin
I’m sure I’m just missing something, but why does Mal always try to sabotage the missions, like in the beginning with Saito? And why is everyone so worried about entering Limbo if they could just escape with a kick?

http://www.growlingmaniac.co.cc Spyder Pig
@ justin
Cobb’s guilt over his wife’s death is represented as a malevolent projection of Mallorie, in his dreams. It is not Mal, herself, but rather Cobb’s memory of her.

dark
Dumbass … you didn’t understand a shit
Gavin
Geesh guys, it’s just a movie. I hope none of you ever watch Back To The Future, or Triangle, or Doctor Who, or Star Trek, or anything involving any kind of time travel or parallel dimensions cos that would really keep you talking for weeks.

http://www.thedilientslacker.co.cc Spyder Pig
Back To The Future?
Seriously? Of all the complex, convoluted, time travel centered movies, that was the first one you were reminded? SERIOUSLY?
BTTF was one big “fuck you” to every quantum physical theory, that has ever existed. Mentioning that film, anywhere even remotely in relation to time travel or good science fiction for that matter, is considered a capital crime in many countries.
So pllease….just….dont.

http://diaryofamaverickledger.blogspot.com/ @maverick99sback
Haha.
I blame Phil not liking Inception for this thread…

http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms
I had a dream where I did enjoy Inception. I’m kicking myself now
Seriously though I am really enjoying all the different takes and theories everyone has on the film

Kevin
There is the much simpler problem you’ve overlooked. The whole endeavor was supposed to be to win a pardon for Leo’s character for the murder of his wife. The whole point of the mission is to get back in the USA to see his kids. But, why not just have his father fly the kids to France? Another problem of course is the kids themselves. How old are they? How long has Leo’s character been out of the USA? How much time has passed? Just wanted to mention that good movies are the ones with incongruencies; the ones that make you ask questions without providing all the answers. Like Escher’s impossible drawings, it’s more fun and thought provoking to create unanswerable riddles.

Tim
Hahaha! Kevin, that’s amazing that a detail like that (fly the kids to France) was overlooked!!! Overlooked by everyone excpet yourself it seems!
As for the the age of the kids… They intentionally made them look similar and ever dressed them VERY in similar clothes. But they are indeed different actors (in the end credits you see 2 sets of kids were used, from memory 2 years in age difference). And I don’t have the link, but it was confirmed by someone in interview that the kids are indeed wearing different clothes in the last scene. I think it was the boy’s shoes are different and the shirt or the shirt underneath is different for the little girl.

kotaro
I only have one question, how do you go to a dream together? I get that they have that suitcase thingy to plug em up together, but is that even possible? what kinda technology is that?
nickstuart118
magic? and yeah they use the suitcase to plug into the vein and go into the same dream

kotaro
Magic? Seriously? All that dream research and it turns out Inception is a magic fantasy genre?
SON…
I AM DISSAPOINT

Bert
This article needs editing for typos. I find that pretty common online. Other than that, it’s factually correct as far as I can tell. Why is the movie what it is? It’s in the script.
Really?
I’m very surprised by all of this. They NEVER wake up. Cobb is STUCK in limbo. He goes into limbo to get Saito out, but he never gets out in the movie. At the end, the kids are the same as their idyllic selves in his fantasy dream. He is stuck in his own limbo, which started as him successfully completing the mission and getting his kids back. THAT is the reason the kicks and everything are out of whack, they are not actually kicks and waking to new levels. He is in limbo, and therefore ALL the wakeups are part of his limbo.
Tim
Nah, the kids are different… They look similiar (as they would have to) but they’re actually different actors. Check the cast, each child is around 2 years older at the end, played by different actors.
Ryan
Fischer never actually goes into limbo. Cobb brings him into another dream that he models after the time that he was in limbo
Jason
@kotaro – it’s not magic. the machine puts everyone’s brain waves on the same wave. think of a computer network. 2 computers cannot connect directly together. there has to be a hub/router between them that puts them on the same network. so your standard computer network (in any business/corporation/home) has at least 2 computers connected to a router/hub. the Dream Machine is the “hub/router” and each person is a “computer” and they are all on the same “network” (brain wave).
@Josh – that’s a good point. I was going to say that they lack of gravity only affects the subsequent level. but if everyone is ‘floating’ in the hotel, then they aren’t experiencing gravity. and if they aren’t experiencing gravity, then that would affect the subsequent level, ie. the snow fortress.
to explain how Fischer was revived after he was shot, I think when someone is killed in Limbo, they awake in the next level up with sort of a new ‘persona’. because being killed in Limbo ‘restarts’ the mind’s projection of oneself.
other than that, I see no plot holes and everything makes perfect sense. If it doesn’t to someone, the check out DrKewp’s explanation or ask a specific question.
Holls
Hey, just thought I’d clarify. At level three, Eames is the dreamer. Ariadne asks whose SUBCONSCIOUS they are entering, not whose dream. Cobb replies Fischer’s because his subconscious will populate Eames’ dream, just like it has all the others.
Gavin
@Spider Pig – very funny – sorry! Never again. But don’t be side-tracked by trivial stuff. My point is still valid regardless of which movies I mention as examples. Based on the nit-picking above I am surprised that nobody objects to the concept of the “dream machine” in the first place. I mean, SERIOUSLY, we connect ourselves to a briefcase and we can all actively engage in and influence a dream that somebody else is dreaming?!?! IT”S JUST A F@CKING DREAM, so absolutley anything can happen at any time anyway, as is does in real dreams. And anyway, have you ever tried to control one of your own dreams – you can’t, so how would anybody be able to design a dream and then do stuff in it?