"Missing" a kick? (spoiler)

This 2010 contemporary sci-fi actioner follows a subconscious security team around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams.
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I dunno, the sense I got was that they were setting up those charges as part of a kick.

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Honestly the push-pull kick theory would explain why Arthur wasn't yanked back as well as Eames blowing up the fort. That's the only way to explain the movie without any holes. This however contradicts what is stated earlier in the movie but there will be a plothole following only the rules described in the movie.

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holzy1139 wrote:

So what was Eames doing by blowing the fort up?

Eames set the charges on the support beams so the floor would be pulled out from under them creating the sensation of falling. Like he said right before Cobb and Ariadne went to limbo, "I'm going with or without you" but the idea was that Ariadne would be back from limbo with enough time before the sync'd kicks so she would be conscious in level three just as the charges were blown allowing her to be kicked.

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Jarmel wrote:Honestly the push-pull kick theory would explain why Arthur wasn't yanked back as well as Eames blowing up the fort. That's the only way to explain the movie without any holes. This however contradicts what is stated earlier in the movie but there will be a plothole following only the rules described in the movie.
I don't know about that. The way I understand the movie, the only way to be kicked under heavy sedation is to produce the sudden and unexpected sensation of falling - which is why it is important to leave inner ear function unimpaired. I don't think there are any holes. Die in limbo, fall in level three to get back to level two where Arthur has detonated his charges to send the elevator down at high speed creating the same sensation there, and bang they arrive back in level one. They can't get out of level one until the timer runs out because they missed the first kick which would have been the van hitting the barrier.

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ks501 wrote:
Jarmel wrote:Honestly the push-pull kick theory would explain why Arthur wasn't yanked back as well as Eames blowing up the fort. That's the only way to explain the movie without any holes. This however contradicts what is stated earlier in the movie but there will be a plothole following only the rules described in the movie.
I don't know about that. The way I understand the movie, the only way to be kicked under heavy sedation is to produce the sudden and unexpected sensation of falling - which is why it is important to leave inner ear function unimpaired. I don't think there are any holes. Die in limbo, fall in level three to get back to level two where Arthur has detonated his charges to send the elevator down at high speed creating the same sensation there, and bang they arrive back in level one. They can't get out of level one until the timer runs out because they missed the first kick which would have been the van hitting the barrier.
The problem being they were planning on using the explosions in Level 3 before even proposing going to Limbo. Also the movie's definition of kicks is somewhat loose. Notice when Adriane proposes going to Limbo, she suggests using the defibbrilators as a kick when the shock should certainly not work as a kick.

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Jarmel wrote:
The problem being they were planning on using the explosions in Level 3 before even proposing going to Limbo. Also the movie's definition of kicks is somewhat loose. Notice when Adriane proposes going to Limbo, she suggests using the defibbrilators as a kick when the shock should certainly not work as a kick.
Yeah, I've seen people throwing around very rigid definitions and concepts for kicks, when the movie really didn't explicitly define kicks all that well. I think the key to understanding them comes from Yosuf in the warehouse scene where they keep kicking arthur off the chair. Right after Yosuf explains the inner ear function thing, we get a shot of Arthur waking up before the timer goes off and Ariadne is still asleep. I think this means they were experimenting with kicks by making Arthur fall in a level 1 dream to see if it would wake him up to reality.

I think Nolan was worried about the fact that an hour and fifteen minutes into the movie all there was to that point was exposition. So he left some blanks with some clues for us to fill them in, but I bet in the extended cut or deleted scenes on the DVD we will get some definite answers. I think I kind of get it though.

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freakybatman wrote:how is the top real?

i was thinking about this
Cobb found it in limbo, in a safe.
how did he get it irl ( in real life)

He got it in the hotel room, on their anniversary when Mal kills herself.

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holzy1139 wrote:In the beginning the "kick" of Cobb falling into the bathtub woke him up, he didnt need to do anything in the dream. So how come they can "miss" kicks later? Shouldn't the hospital exploding "kick" Cobb from level 4 to the hospital (level 3)? Why does Ariadne have to jump off the building to "ride" the kick. In the beginning the kick took Cobb back, he didnt need to jump or do anything. Can someone explain the concept of "missing" a kick.

you can miss a kick...because they are aware of the fact that they are dreaming, they can ignore the sensation of losing balance in the body. They miss it when the Van first drives off the bridge and their bodies float into the air, resulting in a kick. Ariadne's kick is actually the tower on the snow mountain falling.

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The only explanation that kinda makes sense is for a falling sensation kick to work, the kick needs not only come from the level above the dreamer, but must be simulated by the dreamer in the dream with another kick. Of course, this is not explained in the movie at all, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Meaning to wake them up out of level 3, the feeling of falling created in level 2 isn't enough. They also need to make themselves actually fall within the level 3 dream. I wish there were an official explanation about this.

GSV
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Was the van driving off the bridge supposed to be a kick? If it was, why didn't Arthur wake up on the van?

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