Why is Saito so much older than Cobb when Cobb visits him in limbo?
The reason that Saito appears to be so much older than Cobb when they are in limbo is because of the time. Saito entered limbo before Cobb and due to the fact that time moves differently in limbo, this means that although Saito only entered limbo a short time before Cobb did, he will still appear much older since time moves at a different rate depending on how far down you are.
Although it doesn’t look it, the script says that Cobb has also aged slightly when he goes to visit Saito. Cobb technically spent years looking for Saito in limbo. This is why he looks so dazed and confused when he finally finds Saito. He is only able to remember Saito’s name at first, but after talking with Saito, the two start to remember everything.
Arthur was trying to deliver a kick to the team. He was unable to use gravity and he had to improvise and use the elevator shaft to create the same feeling that a kick would provide. He synced the charges with the other kicks that were going on in the level above.
The loss of gravity was due to the van in the level above falling off the bridge. The feeling of falling transferred over into the second level and therefore it seemed as if there was no gravity in the hotel. By setting off the explosive, Arthur improvises so that the people in the lift will feel a force, equal to the force of gravity. They will experience a falling sensation from the explosion.
By disconnecting the elevator from the cables and using an explosion to propel it, it is propelled as if there were gravity.
A kick is one way to pull someone out of a dream. Usually a signal will be given to the dreamer to make them aware that a kick is coming.
After the signal is given the kick is performed. A kick is the feeling of falling and this feeling is what wakes you up. For example, when Cobb was sitting on the chair and he was pushed into the bathtub or when Arthur performs the elevator explosion or when Yusuf’s van drops etc. By disrupting the equilibrium of the dreamer you are able to wake them.
Kicks were used a lot in the final sequence and it got a bit confusing. I will attempt to clarify it all by working backwards.
Fischer and Ariadne jumped off the building in level 4. This was the first kick. Since the characters were so far under, they needed two synchronized kicks to boot them out of the level. Note that Cobb, who had already been stabbed at this point, decided to ignore the kick because he wanted to go after Saito in limbo.
After Fischer and Ariadne jump off the building, Eames provides a second kick to both of them by blowing up the compound.
Meanwhile in level 2, Arthur’s elevator explosion pulls all the level 3 characters (Eames, Fischer and Ariadne back to level 2. At the same time, Yusuf’s van hitting the water pulls everyone in level 2, back to level 1. To get from level 1 to reality is the tricky part. There are two possibilities. Some people say they had to wait for the sedatives to wear off and some people say they could just kill themselves and wake up since they were only one level down in the dream.
When the music is played it acts as a cue so the person knows a kick is coming soon. That person would then set up a kick for the people who are asleep in his level (eg: like Arthur did in the hotel).
Explain the events that took place during the final sequence.
I personally think that the plane is reality and I am going to base this answer on that fact. Everyone gets on the plane and is connected. It is only once they are connected that the dream starts. The first level is the city streets and Yusuf dreams it. The team kidnaps Robert Fischer and forces him to give them the numbers. They also start to plant the idea in his head that his dad wants him to break up the company.
Now level two begins. Yusef stays awake while the team goes into level two. The second level is the hotel and Arthur dreams it. Here the team tricks Fischer into thinking that Browning is an enemy. Cobb convinces Fischer to come with them to level 3.
Arthur stays awake while everyone goes into level 3. The third level is the snow fortress and Eames dreams it. Fischer is taken to the fortress where hopefully the idea that was planted will take hold. While at the fortress, Mal shoots Fischer and Cobb and Ariadne go into level four to save him.
Eames stays awake and everyone else goes into level 4. Ariadne is able to save Fischer and they both kick themselves back up to level 3. Cobb is the one dreaming in level 4 and eventually he stays back so he can go into limbo to find Saito. While in level 4 Cobb is stabbed by Mal. After being brought back to level 3, Fischer goes into that room with his dad and that whole scene plays out and the idea takes hold of Fischer’s mind. Shortly after this, all the kicks happen. Saito and Cobb are in limbo but the rest of the group is kicked all the way back up to the top. Once they escape the van, Eames transforms into Browning to see if they got the job done.
Cobb and Saito are currently in limbo at this point. Saito is in limbo because he died from the gunshot. The reason why Cobb is in limbo is because Mal stabs him and he presumably dies and enters Saito’s limbo since he is in shared dreaming with Saito. Since Cobb didn’t die from the stab wound right away he may have been able to kick himself back up but he purposefully missed the kick and stayed back to find Saito.
A popular theory is that the film wasn’t about planting an idea in Fishcer’s head, rather it was about planting an idea in Cobb’s head. Think about it, Cobb is racked with guilt and his father-in-law (Michael Caine’s character Miles) knows this. Surely he would want to see his son-in-law get back to normal wouldn’t he?
Could it be that he hired Ariadne, an exceptionally bright and talented architect, to perform inception on Cobb?
Think about it, when Cobb is walking through the airport at the end and sees Miles, Miles says “you’re welcome”. Why would Miles say this? Is he saying it because he has freed Cobb from the guilt and now Cobb can finally get on with his life?
If anyone was capable of performing inception on Cobb it would be Ariadne. She was always eager for more information on Mal and she was the only one who got a look inside Cobb’s mind. She is also the only one who knows about Cobb’s totem and how it works.
Perhaps the inception was on Cobb all along. It was to plant the idea that he wasn’t responsible for Mal’s death and that he could still live a normal and peaceful life if he let go. As for when the inception took place, that’s another story. It could be when Cobb went to try out the drugs in Yusef’s place and everything from there was in his head or it could be that the inception on Fischer was just a cover or an excuse for Ariadne to get into Cobb’s head and perform the inception. An interesting take on this theory can be found here. I’d summarize it but its quite long and this article is already getting a bit too lengthy.
Cobb wakes up at the end and is actually able to return to his kids Most people still think that the ending is real and Cobb is back in the real world. Think about it, Cobb went into limbo to find Saito. He reminds old Saito of their deal and convinces Saito that this world is a dream and not reality. Since both of them realize that they are dreaming, perhaps they can escape limbo.
When Saito grabs the gun, and presumably kills himself and Cobb, maybe this sends them back to the plane. Or maybe the sedatives wear off by this point and they are able to escape limbo from the gunshot since they are not under sedatives. If in fact the sedatives had worn off and they were just normally dreaming, it would be reasonable to think that they can kick themselves out of limbo and back onto the plane.
The kick would be a straight kick back to the plane since they wouldn’t have to go through the other levels. This is because the other levels had already collapsed so technically they were only one level under. This theory calls into question the very very end. When Cobb returns home his kids are in the same spot and are wearing the same clothes. Another thing to point out is that the kids haven’t aged at all either, they look the exact same. This leads people to doubt this theory. The people who support it will argue that Nolan just did this to mess with us and to leave the ending open to interpretation. Another thing to point out is that Cobb is only seen wearing his wedding ring in dream scenes, never in reality. At the end of the movie he isn’t wearing the ring, maybe he is in the real world?
The ending is just a dream and Cobb is still stuck in limbo The theory I like to go with is that the Cobb is still dreaming at the end and doesn’t escape limbo. A few reasons give this theory validity. Firstly, the whole thing that was mentioned above about the children is a strong point for this theory. Another reason is because at the end, when Cobb spins the top, he just walks away. He doesn’t seem to care whether or not it stops spinning. Perhaps it’s because he knows he is in a dream but he doesn’t care because perhaps this is the only way he can see his kids.
Another reason I think this theory has some validity is because we see Saito pick up the gun at end. I think that when Saito shoots him, instead of going back up to the plane, Cobb enters an even deeper limbo. There is simply no way for Cobb or Saito to return to the plane since they both died while sedated. The very end is just a projection that Cobb created so he could be happy and at peace. By killing Cobb, Saito did complete his end of the deal, Cobb was able to return home to his kids, even if it was in a dream.
