Oh, yeah, the literalness of the dreams themselves didn't bother me. Partly because I'm more and more convinced that it's a meta-commentary on movies anyway.

By literal I meant... thematically? I'm not sure how to articulate it. I guess I expected that I'd have more to ponder than the mechanics of the movie. I think Nolan usually ties some big ideas to a high concept, and this time I'm not sure that happened. But I'm open to the possibility that I may find something more there on a repeat viewing.

there was not one midget wrestler

To quote "Living in Oblivion":

Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it? Do you know anyone who's had a dream with a dwarf in it? No! I don't even have dreams with dwarves in them. The only place I've seen dwarves in dreams is in stupid movies like this! "Oh make it weird, put a dwarf in it!". Everyone will go "Woah, this must be a fuckin' dream, there's a fuckin' dwarf in it!". Well I'm sick of it! You can take this dream sequence and stick it up your ass!

I have totally had a dream with a dwarf in it. He was green and naked. This happened fifteen or more years ago, and I'm still a little scarred.

I was once chased through the streets of London by a mini-Hulk Hogan and another midget wrestler dressed as a leprachaun. ETA: In a dream, I mean. All my examples were from my own dreams.

Partly because I'm more and more convinced that it's a meta-commentary on movies anyway.

I totally agree with that. I loved where cuts in the movie that I took for granted as edits were used to demostrate dream logic. I stopped seeing them as I was more caught up in the story, but I am sure they were there.

I thought the movie really worked...but I just wanted a skooch of the absurd.

Oh, yeah, the literalness of the dreams themselves didn't bother me. Partly because I'm more and more convinced that it's a meta-commentary on movies anyway.

I loved the constant shots of the van falling. I thought the use of time dilation in dreams was a great way to have action sequences that last waaaaaay longer than should be possible (the bomb was supposed to go off, like, three minutes ago!) for a reason. But I'd love to hear more about your idea.

One thing that bothered me was that they didn't all wake up when the van flipped over. I mean, come on, that didn't qualify as a kick??

I've seen some people complain that there's a lot of exposition in the first half, but, honestly, I didn't mind or notice because it was handled so well and the characters were so compelling and entertaining (that cast!). And the second half is a fucking thrill ride that occasionally manages to be three times as intense as any other action film and features an amazing, beautiful fight scene in the midst of all the chaos. As if all this weren't enough, the action, intensity, and suspense are rooted in character emotions. Plus, the score and sound design are great. Oh, Christopher Nolan. Keep being awesome.

One thing that bothered me was

Yeah, me too.

P-C,

I made the same comment to Beau. I thought the time-shifting was pretty amusing actually.

The thing I keep coming back to is that, yes, the "A-plot" had to be trite and predictable - confronting his dying father in a dream so he can wake up and be his own man? really? - because the real story is Leo & Marion Cotillard's story, and if the *entire* movie is Leo's dream, which is likely, then the Fischer stuff is just Leo making shit up where he's the hero of his own story. Fischer's story is a metaphor for Leo's story. And on that level, it's a brilliant layering of the narrative. But on the level where the audience does have to sit through the Fischer story for almost 3 hours in order for the super-extended metaphor to play out, by the time they got to the snow level I was pretty metaphored-out and ready to move on. I felt like I was watching a bunch of people play a video game, and if I couldn't play, could I at least take a nap until they got to the interesting bit?

In other news, and probably in large part for Hec: Women Scientists in 1950s Sci-Fi

they didn't all wake up when the van flipped over. I mean, come on, that didn't qualify as a kick??

I was able to explain most of this in my head as such: in order to wake up during a kick, the characters had to be awake or falling in the next level down as well.

this is how Leo DIDN'T wake up - he didn't jump in Limbo, so he stayed asleep at the snow level, so he stayed asleep at the hotel level, so he stayed asleep at the van level. Ariadne jumped at limbo, which woke her up just in time at the snow level, which woke her up just in time at the hotel, then van levels.

This only fails, as far as I can tell, for Arthur. HE should have woken up when the van flipped, as he was awake at the hotel level. But then I thought, maybe the DREAMER can't wake up unless nobody else is sharing the dream at the time, so Arthur couldn't wake up as long as the other people were asleep.

But that fails at the snow level, because Eames shouldn't have been able to wake up out of that dream with Leo all in limbo.

Unless limbo is really special and breaks all the rules. Which I'm willing to go with.

And that's the explanation I'm sticking with right now.