Semiotics - Inception (2010)

Once again Christopher Nolan has managed to create a film that makes us question the human mind. Inception is similar to Momentum because it makes the audience pay closer attention since the storyline doesn't follow the traditional beginning, middle and end. It also doesn't follows Todorov's equilibrium theory in which he says: 'An “ideal” narrative begins with a stable situation which is disturbed by some power or force. There results a state of disequilibrium; by the action of a force directed in the opposite direction, the equilibrium is re-established; the second equilibrium is similar to the first, but the two are never identical.’ 

However, even though Inception is similar with momentum, they are very different. One reason for this is that Nolan eases or guides the audience into the story instead of plunging them straight into it like he did with the Momentum. He does this by using a familiar plot line. The protagonist is a wanted man wrongly accused of his wife's murder now he must assemble a group of people who will help him in his journey to extract a CEO's top secret information. However, he is continuously haunted by the memories of his wife and thus fails or gets distracted at the most important times. 

Another difference, is the fact that the audience is allowed to identify with the main character, Cobb. the viewers can see that he is having extreme difficulty moving on from his wife's death and to some extent he even blames himself for it. By doing this, Nolan makes the audience hope for his success and to finally see his reuniting with his children who's faces he cannot remember. Here Nolan targets the audiences' maternal, caring and soft side.

However, the third and perhaps the most noticeable difference is the fact that semiotics play a much more important role in the film than before. The main signifier in the movie is Cobb's 'anchor' a solif object which links him to the real world. In his case the anchor is a small spinning top. It used to belong to his deceased wife and it could signify his guilt or perhaps even his regeret at ever introducing her to the world of extractions. 

I personally really enjoyed this film and the idea that dreams are places where you store your ideas and deepest secrets. Even though the story was easier to follow than people said, it was still interesting and presented a new way in which to view dreams. Nolan managed to create not only a new concept of entering someone's subconscious but he also created a new world.