10 Classic Movies You've Always Misunderstood
8. Inception - The Top (Or The Ring) Doesn't Matter
There was only one question on everyone's lips when they left Inception; was Leonardo DiCaprio awake or not. The entire film had been toying with the idea, although the final twist with Mal seemed to settle it. That is until the now iconic final shot of Cobb reunited with his children, only for the camera to pan down and reveal the spinning top (his method of telling whether youre in a dream or not) was still spinning, albeit a bit wobbly.
The thing is, in asking the question of whether Cobb's awake or not is missing the whole point of the film: it doesn't matter. For the past two and half hours hes been haunted by his past actions, unable to craft his own dreams and chased by the literal memory of his dead wife. The film's ending is the point where hes escaped that; he's faced his demons in limbo and has accepted this current level as his reality, irrespective of whether it actually is.
And if you're going to quickly point out that the totem was Mal's and Cobb's was in fact his ring, we know. But thats not the point at all.