Inception concludes with what many deem one of cinema’s most notorious cliffhangers. Yet, another Christopher Nolan masterpiece showcases an even more astonishing finale. The 2010 science fiction film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, a skilled thief tasked with extracting secret information by infiltrating the dreams of his targets. Cobb’s latest mission involves planting an idea into the mind of an heir destined to dissolve his father’s corporate empire, and success promises to erase his criminal history, allowing him to reunite with his children.
At the 2011 Academy Awards, Inception garnered eight nominations, triumphing in four categories: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. It also contended for Best Picture, ultimately conceding to The King’s Speech.
As the narrative unfolds, viewers are gradually introduced to Cobb’s troubled past, creating an intricate portrayal of his character. However, a confusing interplay of dreams versus reality emerges, leading to a lack of clarity by the film’s conclusion. Notably, the ending features Cobb stepping away from his totem, the device intended to distinguish between dreams and reality, and he chooses to embrace ignorance about his true situation. The audience is left grappling with the question: Is Cobb truly back in reality, or remains he ensnared in a dream?
The Prestige’s Final Scene Leaves More Questions Than Answers
The 2006 Movie Contains A Larger Cliffhanger Compared To Inception
While the ending of Inception is famously up for interpretation, Nolan’s The Prestige concludes in a much more shocking manner, leaving viewers with a multitude of unanswered questions. The film centers on a fierce rivalry between two magicians who seek to perfect the teleportation illusion known as the Transported Man. The extremes they go to in pursuit of this magic trick deliver startling cliffhangers.
The film’s climactic revelations about the workings of Tesla’s machine further complicate the story. It remains ambiguous whether the machine clones the original performer, leaving them trapped while the duplicate appears elsewhere, or if the machine transports the original to a different location entirely.
In the end, a pivotal twist reveals that Christian Bale’s character, Borden, is actually a twin, collaborating with his brother to execute the Transported Man trick. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman’s Angier utilizes Tesla’s cloning technology during his act, leading to a shocking outcome where a version of Angier is ultimately drowned beneath the stage while another appears to take his place. This disturbing finale unveils a series of water tanks, each containing a deceased version of Angier.
Although The Prestige clarifies several mysteries regarding its characters, it raises even more intriguing questions. Was the original Angier lost during the initial cloning process? If true, the first Angier to step out must have faced a tragic fate, evidenced by his haunting last words, “Wait, I’m not-“just before his untimely demise.
The Prestige Is A Lot More Disturbing On A Rewatch
The Clone & Twin Twist Make The Prestige Worth Watching Again
While the mystery surrounding Cobb’s totem in Inception is both startling and frustrating, it does not alter viewer perceptions upon rewatch. Conversely, the climactic revelations within The Prestige cast the film in a new and disquieting light during subsequent viewings. The psychological implications become agonizingly clearer when one understands Angier’s cloning secret and the Borden twin revelation from the outset.
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The Prestige Cast |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Hugh Jackman |
Robert “The Great Danton”Angier/Lord Caldlow |
|
Christian Bale |
Alfred “The Professor”Borden/Bernard Fallon |
|
Michael Caine |
John Cutter |
|
Scarlett Johansson |
Olivia Wenscombe |
|
Piper Perabo |
Julia McCullough |
|
Rebecca Hall |
Sarah Borden |
|
David Bowie |
Nikola Tesla |
|
Andy Serkis |
Mr. Alley |
Each interaction with Angier throughout The Prestige potentially showcases a new version of him. The tragic dynamics of the twins’ lives—a shared existence divided by love for different women—add an extra layer of complexity and distress. In contrast, Inception effectively remains the same experience during a rewatch, with no new revelations or shifts in perspective, as audiences anticipate the same unresolved ending.
Why Inception’s Ending Will Always Be One Of Cinema’s Best Cliffhangers
Inception Has Cemented Its Place In Film History
Although The Prestige’s conclusion is undoubtedly more thrilling and unexpected, the finale of Inception will always be celebrated as one of the most significant cliffhangers in cinematic history. Renowned for their intricate plot twists, Nolan’s films have solidified Inception as a cultural touchstone, with its spinning totem becoming an iconic symbol in film lore. Thus, when discussing Nolan’s most impactful plot developments, Inception remains the go-to example, even with The Prestige presenting twists that are arguably more compelling.