FIRST TIME WATCHING: Inception!!

This was my like 8th time watching this and I still learn things. Haven’t watched it in years and I love that I kind of forget most of it.

Jay B.

I've found that basically any time Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in something, it is at minimum enjoyable and at maximum stunning. He has made some excellent choices in what he does since he came out of the money from 3rd Rock (which, itself, for a kids roll was a cute sitcom, granted... but his work as an adult has stepped up hard). I'd suggest his own written, directed, and starred by him with Scarlett Johannson movie Don Jon. It's a drama commenting on the unrealistic expectations media can create in ungrounded people and growing as a person past that. Excellently done. To this, I love this movie and it's one I rewatch every so often - above and in addition to the time levels/complexities I'm a sucker for the JG-L/projections gravity-shift/weightless scenes. I love the old technology mixed with the new to create those effects and felt they were employed in the story structure amazingly well... Nolan/his team made an excellent idea and decision to use the rotating set and such which hadn't seriously been done as a physical effect in decades. Could've just entirely fallen back on CGI methods of various sorts but simply choosing to do it mechanically makes it so much more real looking since it *is*. I'm a general sucker for when real objects/physical props and mechanics are still used in films. As high as we keep progressing with computerized methods they either turn out cartoonish at the time or in a few years look dated as the tech shifts.... whereas a quality-shot actual object/action looks like an actual object/action. So on top of the great storyline complexities I've a huge hats-off to the choices in physical effects in this film. I think it was done as a pretty solid mix of the real and generated aspects available at the time.

Rumpus Parable

"(Please note: these videos are edited in a watch along style format, so you will need your own copy of the film/show to sync up with me!)" Literally in the disclaimer lol learn to read

Matthew Belardo

Lmao, the whole movie is blurred and silent? I can’t believe people pay for this shit😂😂😂

Noah Thurman

earlier in the film he said the spinning thing was his wifes totem. It's not his totem, if it spins or not dosent actually matter....The kids faces are his totem! Every time he was in a dream, he couldnt see his kids faces. If he could see his kids faces at the end, then it wasnt a dream.

Matt Camburn

Cobb was definitely back to reality at the end. According to the credits the kids are older and played by different actors. But most importantly Cobb always has his wedding ring on in the dreams and not in reality. At the end, he doesn't have the ring on.

Xenic Mark

Now that you've seen Inception, you might be ready for more mind-into-scrambled-eggs Nolen flicks. Like Memento, and then maybe, just maybe you will be ready for the big one, Tenet. ( spelled backwards that's teneT ) I suggest you give your brain a rest between each one, like a month! lol

Gerald Corona

Holy crap, just finished watching this alongside you and it was such a good time. :) I first watched this movie in theaters years and years ago. I recently watched this, probably a few weeks ago and even after just watching it now - it was a great experience watching this. Seriously, thank you for putting this on and watching it "with us." It's definitely a lot of fun and it makes me smile. I'll be posting this onto YouTube as well, I just wanted to leave this here as well. :)

Logan Kerlee

Hi! I've noticed some of the Google Drive links won't allow download ( "Problem loading page"). Should I just keep retrying every few days?

khaliqtessi

Interstellar and Tenet! Bring a notebook to help keep track of things.

Luis Torrefranca

This was a great watch! Hopefully Nolan's films Interstellar and Tenet are also on the docket? 👀

Kepler

Great reaction! After this now, I would definitely recommend watching Tenet! Another Nolan mind twister lol

Gilbert Gonzalez

The easier question is how did he get there.

swoop_13-37

So.... To conclude the question of. Is Cobb still dreaming or not. Given the tops wobble..... The question is answered in the credits. Under the children's names/actors. Nolan has stated as much.

swoop_13-37

I don't want to be a broken record.... But the end credits answers the question. I can explain if you wish.

swoop_13-37

The end credits answers the question.

swoop_13-37

The very last thing I've noticed in this movie... Note I watched it more times I care to say.... Mal literally dies when cobb says "I we had our time together, I have to let you go." And kisses her one last time. I never noticed it before. Her projection dying in his arms.

swoop_13-37

This film and The Dark Knight make-up Nolan's career guitar solo. Just saw it in the theaters again last year (in a completely empty theater, thanks covid) for it's 10th anniversary and got to bring my daughter who was only 3 when it initially released (an element which instantly drew me into Cobb's character) so it was a really special occassion it's still one my top 5 favorite films. As far as the ending, there is an interview with Michael Caine where he recalls asking Christopher Nolan for clarification on what points in the script were supposed to be dreams or reality. Nolan replied "Every scene you're in is reality". If you haven't seen Nolan's other films aside from Dunkirk, you really cant go wrong with any of them (Insomnia maybe is the weakest link, but still...) Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, THE PRESTIGE, Tenet. OMG I'm too old to mark out like this.

Good movie. Nolan was obviously a Star Trek fan as many of these concepts are from episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. I think Star Trek did it better but of course they didn't have the large budget Inception has.

Kenny Teeology

I'm just gonna suggest this now. In addition to The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige is one of Christopher Nolan's best films. Check that out ASAP.

Nicholas Sulikowski

Late to the party as I had a busy weekend, but I’m so glad you enjoyed this film. I’m a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s work, and I absolutely loved Inception. I’m also really glad it didn’t really confuse you too much first time around. He’s often accused by his detractors of caring more about building the worlds of his films than he is about writing deep, intricate characters that inhabit those worlds. To a small extent I somewhat agree with that idea, but I mainly disagree. I love that he has big ideas, and his films are very cerebral, but I don’t think it’s true that his films are cold. Especially with a film like Inception, his films are written to be rewatched so as to get new things out of each rewatch. That’s the whole point of cinema, to make something that entertains people, and warrants multiple viewings. Sometimes people can be left confused by something, but instead of going back and trying to make sense of it, they leave it alone, and then label it a weird, confusing film. I love that he is also obsessed with doing in camera techniques and tricks to achieve his ideas rather than just relying on CGI, for instance the whole hallway fight scene with JGL was filmed on a gimbal with the set rotatating 360 degrees to achieve the effect. He’s definitely trying to say a lot of big things in his films, but he makes you enjoy it along the way at the same time. I think you’d really enjoy doing a deep dive into the Nolan-verse, and it would definitely give me another thinly veiled excuse to rewatch all his films, if you liked this you’ll love The Prestige as well, and Interstellar is a beautiful film, plus it has one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores he’s ever created. Also I’m sure someone has already mentioned it, but the spinning top (dreidel) isn’t really his totem, it was Mal’s. It’s never really explained but I think he keeps it to hold onto her memory, and I choose to believe the ending is a positive one, so he doesn’t wait around to see if it stops spinning at the end, because he’s finally able to let both his own guilt and his warped memory of her go and move on to be with his children again. The whole film is about dealing with loss, not locking yourself away within that loss and letting your grief consume you.

Andy Crawley

All I'm going to say is the top was never his totem, his wedding ring was...

Gryff

Also on this watch through I think I made up my mind about the ending in that I think Cobb is in the real world. There's all this twisty stuff with dreams and reality but the "realest" parts of the movie deal with the themes of moving on from loss and catharsis. I think because of this, thematically, it doesn't really make sense for Cobb's character decision to have been "wrong" in leaving Mal behind because if we read the movie as is then Cobb's decision to move on and not be filled with regret is the core of the film. Whereas if it was the right decision to stay with Mal then the theme becomes more like "stay with your old relationships/memories forever because that's more real" or "if you're not constantly on alert with your surrroundings you're going to be misled and wake up with your mind wiped". Even though yeah, the movie is a heist-ish film where the antagonist is being tricked I think these themes are still the core, the deepest level of the film.

Kelvin

Whoa, golly! I really enjoyed watching your experience, watching this. :) It was such a trip, watching you react to seeing this for the first time. When I first watched Inception I believe that I was at the theatres with my older brother who can't stand movies like this. xD I think that I remember him complaining throughout while at the end saying that he understood everything. Huge liar. :P When I first watched it though my jaw was on the floor more than a few times along with my mind being in shambles of confusion. IT WAS SUCH AN EXPERIENCE watching this movie for the first time!! This is my favorite style of movie, where time bends and shifts and leaves the viewer questioning at the end. Nolan is magnificent with his direction for the cast. Each of the actors in this movie impressed me. There may have been stronger performances, but hardly any weak ones. That's the reason why this movie will hold up for me. Everyone did such a brilliant job throughout. I'm so glad that you got to watch this with us. :)

Logan Kerlee

Oh man still an incredible experience of a movie to watch with you, Nat. Honestly Inception is like in my top 10 favourite movies ever, the aesthetic of the movie is so cool and neat, it’s smart enough to make you think and pay attention, hook you and engage your brain, it’s not just trying to be clever and smart for clever and smart’s sake *cough cough Tenet cough*, like the world and ideas it presents are actually cool and make for a fascinating engaging watch, still some of the best designed action sequences in a movie like ever, I even like the music if not love it, sure it’s a bit loud at times but it’s not so loud that it completely drowns out dialogue *cough Tenet cough* Cannot wait for the next sci-fi movie!

Jack Mellor

I think The Prestige is Nolan's best work, and a movie that Nat would love, and give an amazing commentary on.

Darryl Low

Great to watch this again with your reaction. Would love to see your thoughts on other Nolan films, especially The Prestige and Memento.

Mark Pingitore

Good shout Kelvin - Paprika's awesome - and mad as a box of frogs.

Pokerpope

I definitely forgot how emotive the movie so I was surprised with Nat about it lol. I didn't get it so much the last time all those years ago bc I was focused on twisty stuff and not the core of the movie, which is pretty dope. Also, although it is rather different, an animated film with some similarities you might find interesting is called Paprika. It's an intriguing companion piece in some ways with this film.

Kelvin

Holy crap! Eleven years has it already been?! I am getting old...

Ulrich Unterbrunner

I haven't seen Inception since I saw it in IMAX in 2010. My husband and i still laugh because I gasped so loud when the totem waivered and then it went to black. I gasped so loud the people around me starting laughing. Thank you for doing this one! So glad I got to rewatch. But now its 3am and I need to go to bed....to dream... lol

Lisa Tosti

OhMyGodWatchMemento!

Peter Hudson

Nolan likes to play with time... well, Interstellar puts even another layer to it. Also it was stated not only by Caine, but even the master himself let it slip at some point, that the spinner was about to fall. As always, great reaction - even better, because you appear to get the hang of it when to react to the camera and when it is better to keep the focus on the movie to avoid missing another critical piece of information that may answer the question you just had ;) (not that I could do it better - definetly not - but it is always easier for the observer to point out certain actions and habits of the observed) Science Ficiton movies had a very hard time in the past with people who considered themselves the epiphany of the cultural movie-watcher, while in reality they are the only genre which delivers worlds beyond imagination. That doesn't mean other works of fiction are boring or "unworthy", but SF is an integral part of expanding the universe of our own imagination. In that manner: Go for Interstellar and its interstellar Soundtrack.

Ulrich Unterbrunner

Glad you liked it! Have you seen Interstellar?

JerichoFalls

This was awesome! So glad I got to watch it with you, I haven't seen it for years and it was just as good, probably even better this time!

Yani Dodge

Loved your reaction Natalie! Haven't seen Inception in years and watching it again this time still blew my mind like it did all those years ago. I even forgot it ended like that haha

Steven Hok

Great reaction! So much fun, the snow scene was Nolan making his "James Bond" film, he always dreamed of making one. Even the score has a John Barry, old school, Bond vibe to it. And it features Tom Hardy (Eames) as the Bond of the sequence, a role Hardy has been up for in the past. Also there is a theory that Cobbs actual/original Totem was his wedding ring. He started using Mals "dreidel" (Not made of clay, I am guessing :) ) after she died. In the film he is wearing his wedding ring in dreams but not in real life. In addition to this Michael Caines character only appears in the real world scenes. At least according to Michael Caine in interviews. Cobb is indeed not wearing his ring when he arrives home in Los Angeles at the end. Nolan has said that "obsessing over it being reality or not is missing the point. Cobb makes a choice to walk away while it's spinning to be with his kids, thats his character arc."

Dan Careaga

Dropping the music out during action scenes is actually a fairly common cinematic technique. John Williams uses it fairly frequently, the T-Rex attack in Jurassic Park, for instance. And a lot of the attack on the Death Star was unscored as well. There probably were other people on that plane, but first class on a 747 is in the nose, so there’s no through traffic. I liked your choice of words, saying you ‘believe’ Cobb is in reality, because that’s part of what the movie is about, what we choose to believe is real.

Texas Anla'Shok

Inception isn't that hard to understand IMO, so it was surprising people said this.

Kelvin

Those "You're gonna be confused" people really underestimated you! You nailed it. Love this reaction.

Dan Hensley

Agree, Nat is pretty sharp!

crawlie

I hope you didn't watch this on a phone

Tiger Chu

He forgave himself, or rather realized that it wasn't his fault.

Thomas Malley

Yeah I think the point is that he's chosen to live in reality so it doesn't even matter to him, and I don't even think he doubts it anymore. He's home. That's the point I got from him walking away from the totem /dreidel.

Thomas Malley

The ending is intentionally ambiguous, like Butch Cassidy, but my personal takeaway is that while there is no clear correct answer -- it doesn't matter. That seeing the kids' faces is more important than the top, because the top is for "us" the audience. To make us question. Cobb seeing his kids' faces indicates based on Cobb refusing to look while he was down in Limbo that, whether or not this ending scene is now the real world, he has chosen to accept this world as the "real" one. He ignores the top and does not check for an outcome because he's home, with his kids again, and the outcome of the top one way or another makes no difference anymore. He got what he wanted.

Friendly Trumpet

Another Hans Zimmer masterpiece as well. The song at the end - "Time" is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.

crawlie

Another great reaction to a mind bending movie Nat. I do love the open ending which leaves it up to the individual to decide if he's back to reality, or not. However, if you do revisit the movie again, ask yourself one question. After Cobb meets Yusuf for the first time and tried his sedative, does he actually use his totem properly again?... Until the cliffhanger. 🤔💛

Chris Mick

I saw this in theaters and it confused the shit out of me. This time around I think I followed 90% of it. Fun reaction, as always!

Troy B.

At first I was like, "How the heck does this guy know what's on her 'to watch' list?" And then realized, "OH, right, PATRICK. Duh!" =D

Troy B.

You have to watch like all of Nolans movies, he is absolutely legendary and every movie of his is world class imo

ISeeTrees ofGreen

I agree with the sentiments about Memento. Christopher Nolan has a real gift for making movies that force me to put down the phone and pay attention 😅

Ben Wheeler

You'd love Interstellar if you haven't seen it. It's probably my favorite Nolan film and another amazing Sci-fi story

A.J. Workman

Wow - it was so cool to revisit this (a bit older and wiser)! Love the reaction, too. Just a number of people doing a lot of great work in an amazing (and mind-bending) concept of a story. There's nothing like great storytelling and this movie brings you that (on a roller coaster)!

This_Jedi_crafts

I agree that Primer is fantastic, but Inception is really straightforward in comparison. For Primer you need like a spreadsheat and four explanation videos 😂

Opti_Frog

You, more than any other reaction content creator I've seen, do a superb job of understanding the what the movie is trying to tell you and keeping up with the plot. So many get confused very easily (I'm sure there's extra mental load in doing a reaction rather than just watching, so I'm not knocking them), but you are often ahead of the movie. It's a rare plot twist that catches you off guard, and they're that much more enjoyable when they do. Your time in film and theater production give you an unique view that's educational and fun, and you're so genuine on top of it. Best content, 5 stars. Keep it up, or rather, stay golden.

Mike Slosson

What if Caine never talked to Nolan about that final scene and just said that offhand?

Robert Reichle

What a great reaction! I remember the first time I watched this and I didn't understand half of what was going on and it took several watches before I really had a grasp on the plot but you caught on really quickly and followed it so well

Danishprince

Chris Nolan said he wanted people to draw their own conclusions about the ending and would not confirm whether or not the "top" (dreidel) would stop spinning, indicating whether or not we were in the real world or not. Michael Caine accidently let it slip during an interview that all of the scenes that he is in, are in fact, the real world, so we do have a happy ending. My friends and I used to debate on this all the time on why we felt one way or another on the spinning top, I was kind of sad after the Caine interview because it takes all the discussion away, we know it was falling. Still one of my top 5 all time movies.

Ken

I really love that you liked this film. You should read more about how they filmed the hotel sets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception#Locations_and_sets

Martin Björling

I agree about memento, and I think it might even make it in a poll. But another movie that you should watch that is way too obscure to ever win a poll is Primer. That’s a fantastic little indie film that explores time travel in a very practical, nerdy, dramatic fashion. I’d simply suggest you watch it with friends. It’s fantastic, respects the audience, and rewards subsequent viewings as you recognize more and more of what is going on. But thank you for this. This was fun.

Byron

Nolan's Memento should be next. So much more fun. (No spoilers, it's on her to watch list.)

Patrick Armbruster

Ha ha ha...ha?

Scott Greene

That would make Robert Fischer the audience, of course...and perhaps Mal is the critic!

Scott Greene

I was having a bad day until I saw this.

Scott Greene

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott Greene

I have not even attempted to rewatch this movie since I saw it in theaters leaving with my brain melted with all these questions.. Let's see how this rewatch with Natalie goes....

TrackHoodie

Oh wow excellent! I have not seen this movie yet. But I plan to watch it with you. Far out thanks!

Jeremy Vickers

When this film came out, there were so many debates about if at the end he was still in a dream or not. I think people miss the point when taking sides - the ending is that he accepted that this is his reality, real or not. The entire film he's constantly spinning the top to make sure he's not in a dream, and at the end he just doesn't care anymore - he's back in America with his kids, and that's all he needs.

Justin Feldman

So glad you enjoyed this one! Here’s something interesting to note that I didn’t notice on my first time watching it...all of the scenes in dreams featuring Cobb have him wearing his wedding ring, because, as he said to Ariadne, he and Mal are still together in his dreams; the ones in the real world have his left fourth finger bare. I’m also of the opinion that he did make it back to the real world at the end, because the alternative is just too heartbreaking. Also, the reason an Edith Piaf song was chosen for the musical countdown was because Marion Cotillard played her in “La Vie en Rose”, a biopic about Edith Piaf. Can’t wait for the next one!

bytefyre

Looking forward to this. Interested to see what you think of the ending.

Charlie Keeler

Thank you Nat for to share this reaction! You made this evening easier 😌, I hope everything goes well on your side, be safe and stay golden! 💛

Calo Grsf

I highly suggest you watch both the Blade Runner films. I think you'd enjoy seeing the evolution. The first movie is a flawed masterpiece and the sequel is the greatest follow up film ever made. - Blade Runner (The Final Cut) - Blade Runner 2049

Myles Away

This movie is also seen as a metaphor for the film industry Cobb is the director making the vision a reality Arthur is the producer, making sure everything works properly Ariadne is the production designer making sure everything looks good Aims is the actor always changing faces to play the necessary roles and Fischer is the audience experiencing what the team have put in place for them.

Haven't you seen Memento (also from Christopher Nolan)? Masterpiece.

Valar Dohaeris

This movie cemented my desire to never watch a Nolan movie trailer, as every movie he has made since The Dark Knight I have watched cold. When the action really kicks off I had no idea what was about to happen, and it absolutely floored me. On a side note, I just got back from a 100 mile drive. I was taking a baby opossum that I found in the street during morning exercise to a wildlife preserve. Now I get to watch one of my favorite movies with you Natalie, which I am very thankful for. I hope everyone has a good weekend, stay safe and be as golden as possible.

JediLounger

Not everyone liked this one but I loved it. Christopher Nolan is one of those writer/directors who when they're involved, I'm down. Don't care what it is. Can't wait to watch your reaction.

Ron K

A feature length Nat for a Friday night is the perfect way to end the week. Thank you. When I go to my watchlist on Amazon Prime, it always makes me smile as I see all the movies that we've watched on your channel. It's been a while since I've seen this so it was interesting to see if I could get to grips with it again watching along with you Nat. With your ability to get into characters minds, I think you definitely grasped the thrust of this movie and was fun watching you delve through all the layers and then back again. I think most people like to think that the ending is reality, especially after everything we've been through with Cobb. I think after this movie, Tenet should be a doddle for you. I think you need to watch it and explain it to everyone 😊 Thanks for another fantastic week of videos and have a great and safe weekend Nat 💛

Darryl Low

Happy Friday, Natalie! 😊 Downloading this movie reaction to watch tonight. It's been a few years since I've actually watched this movie. Not actually a first time watching it, but it'll be a nice re-watch. I do know that Leonardo DiCaprio is in it, along with a few other of my favorite actors. Looking forward to watching this reaction this evening. Have a great day! 😊 And Stay Golden! 💛

Randee Carreno

I love this movie - A lot of entertainment in it so excited for this reaction :D

Danishprince

Happy Friday to you also Nat however I'm saving this to tomorrow cuz not being a fan of this film I'm going to need alcohol to get through this one 😅 plus your reaction will be fantastic I'm sure so that will help 💛

Ian

This should be an interesting one for me. I've only seen the movie once and I don't really remember it. I think I was half-asleep.

Jomero