Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe
Running Time: 148 minutes
Premise: Dom Cobb is a professional thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets. He is offered a chance of redemption as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
Written by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe
Running Time: 148 minutes
Premise: Dom Cobb is a professional thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets. He is offered a chance of redemption as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
Why You Should See It
It's very difficult to find an original sci-fi film that can impress with both visual effects and dialogue between the characters. However, Inception does just that. It entertains throughout its two and half hour running time and keeps the audience on their seats.
It's very difficult to find an original sci-fi film that can impress with both visual effects and dialogue between the characters. However, Inception does just that. It entertains throughout its two and half hour running time and keeps the audience on their seats.
Arthur
Although Arthur does not possess Cobb’s talent as an extractor, Arthur is not as much of a risk when entering another person’s mind. Arthur’s job involves gathering information on the target recognizing the heist. He must notify the team about the level of training of one’s subconscious as well. He makes sure that the job runs smoothly, but Cobb’s dangerous psyche puts the jobs in jeopardy. As soon as Arthur notices Mal in the dream at the beginning, he tells Cobb to get rid of her. Also, Arthur suspects that Saito knows of the dream, and advises that he and Cobb leave the dream. Furthermore, when Saito proposes inception to Cobb and Arthur, Arthur immediately dismisses it due to the risk it presents.
When the team is attacked by Fischer’s projections in the first level, Cobb blames Arthur for not doing the proper research to know what the team was going up against. Arthur stays calm since he believes that dying means waking up. Once Arthur is informed about Limbo, the tables turn and he goes at Cobb and clarifies that Cobb should have told the team that Limbo was a possibility.
In the hotel (Arthur’s dream), Arthur shows his physical prowess by dispatching a number of Fischer’s armed projections. Though he criticized for his lack of his imagination, he is able to use the endless staircase in his dream to kill a projection and he improvises a new kick for the team.
Although Arthur does not possess Cobb’s talent as an extractor, Arthur is not as much of a risk when entering another person’s mind. Arthur’s job involves gathering information on the target recognizing the heist. He must notify the team about the level of training of one’s subconscious as well. He makes sure that the job runs smoothly, but Cobb’s dangerous psyche puts the jobs in jeopardy. As soon as Arthur notices Mal in the dream at the beginning, he tells Cobb to get rid of her. Also, Arthur suspects that Saito knows of the dream, and advises that he and Cobb leave the dream. Furthermore, when Saito proposes inception to Cobb and Arthur, Arthur immediately dismisses it due to the risk it presents.
When the team is attacked by Fischer’s projections in the first level, Cobb blames Arthur for not doing the proper research to know what the team was going up against. Arthur stays calm since he believes that dying means waking up. Once Arthur is informed about Limbo, the tables turn and he goes at Cobb and clarifies that Cobb should have told the team that Limbo was a possibility.
In the hotel (Arthur’s dream), Arthur shows his physical prowess by dispatching a number of Fischer’s armed projections. Though he criticized for his lack of his imagination, he is able to use the endless staircase in his dream to kill a projection and he improvises a new kick for the team.
Ariadne
Ariadne acts as a surrogate for the audience throughout the film due to her lack of knowledge about the dream world. A student of architecture, Ariadne helps Cobb construct the mazes for each dream level. She must create challenging layouts so the projections of one’s mind cannot solve them. Although Ariadne is the least experienced on the team (with the exception of Saito), she quickly determines that Cobb is deeply disturbed by the dream world. Ariadne forms a bond with Cobb when she learns that most of his vast knowledge comes from his tumultuous relationship with Mal. Her knowledge of their relationship help convince Cobb to bring her on the plane with Fischer because she can help Cobb focus on the mission and not Mal. In both the first level and Limbo, Ariadne tells Cobb that his guilt powers Mal and he must forgive himself for what he did to her. Once Cobb is able to do that and achieve catharsis, Ariadne truly believes that Cobb will find Saito in Limbo and not stay with Mal.
Ariadne acts as a surrogate for the audience throughout the film due to her lack of knowledge about the dream world. A student of architecture, Ariadne helps Cobb construct the mazes for each dream level. She must create challenging layouts so the projections of one’s mind cannot solve them. Although Ariadne is the least experienced on the team (with the exception of Saito), she quickly determines that Cobb is deeply disturbed by the dream world. Ariadne forms a bond with Cobb when she learns that most of his vast knowledge comes from his tumultuous relationship with Mal. Her knowledge of their relationship help convince Cobb to bring her on the plane with Fischer because she can help Cobb focus on the mission and not Mal. In both the first level and Limbo, Ariadne tells Cobb that his guilt powers Mal and he must forgive himself for what he did to her. Once Cobb is able to do that and achieve catharsis, Ariadne truly believes that Cobb will find Saito in Limbo and not stay with Mal.
Mal
Since mal means bad in Spanish, it’s a pretty safe bet that Mal is the antagonist in the film. Mal’s iniquities throughout the movie define her as a person. When Arthur and Cobb are trying to get the information for Cobb’s freedom from Saito at the beginning, Mal knows that it means he will return to their children so she sabotages the mission. In Limbo, Mal chose to forget the real world and she willingly accepted Limbo as her reality. After Cobb and Mal return to reality, Mal does not accept it due to Cobb performing inception on her. In order to get Cobb to commit suicide with her, she malevolently frames him. She had herself declared sane by three different psychiatrists and falsely told others of her fear for her safety from Cobb. He is able to free himself from Mal’s grasp once he reminds her that they did spend a lifetime together (in Limbo) and she did not listen to him in reality.
Since mal means bad in Spanish, it’s a pretty safe bet that Mal is the antagonist in the film. Mal’s iniquities throughout the movie define her as a person. When Arthur and Cobb are trying to get the information for Cobb’s freedom from Saito at the beginning, Mal knows that it means he will return to their children so she sabotages the mission. In Limbo, Mal chose to forget the real world and she willingly accepted Limbo as her reality. After Cobb and Mal return to reality, Mal does not accept it due to Cobb performing inception on her. In order to get Cobb to commit suicide with her, she malevolently frames him. She had herself declared sane by three different psychiatrists and falsely told others of her fear for her safety from Cobb. He is able to free himself from Mal’s grasp once he reminds her that they did spend a lifetime together (in Limbo) and she did not listen to him in reality.
Character Comparison Cobb and Ariadne serve as foils to each other in Inception. While Cobb has experience infiltrating people’s minds and possesses a dark cynicism towards it, Ariadne’s ingenuousness towards the dream world defines her. Ariadne can construct massive complex maps with her mind easily, but Cobb cannot create anything due to Mal’s presence. Because of Ariadne’s inexperience, she does not bring any baggage into the dream. The team teaches her about the world of one’s subconscious and Arthur takes advantage of her lack of knowledge by pretending a kiss will draw the projections off of them.
Another interesting relationship in the film revolves around Eames and Arthur. When Cobb meets Eames in Mombasa, Eames tells him that Arthur lacks imagination. Eames relies primarily on improvisation while Arthur focuses on research, facts, and strategic positioning to ensure the team’s advantages against the projections. They both adopt each other’s characteristics when Arthur improvises a new kick for the team and uses the endless staircase to dispatch one of Fischer’s projections and Eames meticulously plans the role of Browning in Fischer’s subconscious.
Another interesting relationship in the film revolves around Eames and Arthur. When Cobb meets Eames in Mombasa, Eames tells him that Arthur lacks imagination. Eames relies primarily on improvisation while Arthur focuses on research, facts, and strategic positioning to ensure the team’s advantages against the projections. They both adopt each other’s characteristics when Arthur improvises a new kick for the team and uses the endless staircase to dispatch one of Fischer’s projections and Eames meticulously plans the role of Browning in Fischer’s subconscious.
Applying Aristotle's Poetics
Hamartia (flaw) - Cobb’s tragic flaw is his guilt which gives an advantage to the antagonist, Mal. As Cobb grows more guilty, Mal grows in his subconscious giving her more influence.
Anagnorisis (critical discovery) - When the team finds out that their possible deaths result in a trip to Limbo, the job immediately becomes extremely serious. Since Limbo basically becomes one’s reality, the possibility of going there is almost like death.
Peripeteia (Reversal of circumstances) - Once Mal kills Fischer in the third level, Cobb and Ariadne are forced to go to Limbo to retrieve him in order to get him back to read the will in time for the new round of kicks while Cobb must stay to find Saito so he can honor his arrangement in reality.
Catharsis (Purgation of the audience) - Cobb achieves catharsis when he admits that he performed inception on Mal and Fischer does the same at the side of his father’s deathbed and realizes that his father wanted Fischer to be his own man and not be like him. The audience attains catharsis when Cobb returns to his children and does not let the dream world control his reality.
Hamartia (flaw) - Cobb’s tragic flaw is his guilt which gives an advantage to the antagonist, Mal. As Cobb grows more guilty, Mal grows in his subconscious giving her more influence.
Anagnorisis (critical discovery) - When the team finds out that their possible deaths result in a trip to Limbo, the job immediately becomes extremely serious. Since Limbo basically becomes one’s reality, the possibility of going there is almost like death.
Peripeteia (Reversal of circumstances) - Once Mal kills Fischer in the third level, Cobb and Ariadne are forced to go to Limbo to retrieve him in order to get him back to read the will in time for the new round of kicks while Cobb must stay to find Saito so he can honor his arrangement in reality.
Catharsis (Purgation of the audience) - Cobb achieves catharsis when he admits that he performed inception on Mal and Fischer does the same at the side of his father’s deathbed and realizes that his father wanted Fischer to be his own man and not be like him. The audience attains catharsis when Cobb returns to his children and does not let the dream world control his reality.