Actually, the reason Inception ended then and there was to invite contemplation. The viewer wonders what would have happened next, and in doing so, goes over the details of the film again in his or her head. But it's only really after the second viewing that things start to click in place.jpblade666 said:
When you look at the scenario as a whole, you realize something: the entire movie was spent one layer deep. The only time you were seeing reality was in the clips of Dom's wife jumping off the balcony. Think about it. Miles says at the beginning of the movie 'Come back to reality, Dom'. Dom is pursued around the globe by faceless corporations and private security, just like projections chase an intruder. Then we move on to Ariadne. She was an entirely one-sided character who spent all her time prodding and driving at Dom's deeply hidden secrets, without any proper motivation. This is because she's, effectively, a bot. A program that Miles planted in Dom's brain to force him to come to terms with his wife's death, even though the legalities had already been handled in reality. Also, Ariadne was the one that gave Theseus the ball of yarn in the Greek Minotaur myth, helping him escape the labyrinth with his life. The end of the movie with Dom arriving at the airport and meeting Miles again was a metaphor; he could come home again, because his conscious is free. He's confronted his demons, and can look at his children's faces again without guilt.
Now, go back to that scene. The top spinning on the table. Does it fall, or does it keep spinning? The truth is it doesn't matter. The only totem ever created OUTSIDE the dream was Mal's top, and Dom knew that inside and out, so when Miles brought him into the dream, the totem came in as well. The rest of the characters, copies of people Dom knew in real life, built their totems inside the dream, and information created within the dream is persistent, like in reality, so the totems would behave as if the dream were reality.
Now, go back to that scene. The top spinning on the table. Does it fall, or does it keep spinning? The truth is it doesn't matter. The only totem ever created OUTSIDE the dream was Mal's top, and Dom knew that inside and out, so when Miles brought him into the dream, the totem came in as well. The rest of the characters, copies of people Dom knew in real life, built their totems inside the dream, and information created within the dream is persistent, like in reality, so the totems would behave as if the dream were reality.
Bloody hell, I just hopelessly confused myself. If you have any questions, just ask and I'm sure I can make this seem plausible XD
