Why An Inception Prequel Would Be Better Than A Sequel

Despite endless talk of an Inception sequel over the years, a prequel might fit Christopher Nolan’s mind-melting 2010 effort far better. Released to widespread acclaim, Inception cemented Christopher Nolan’s status as one of the most ambitious filmmakers of his era. Leonardo DiCaprio is Cobb – a thief who uses dream-sharing technology to pluck valuable snippets of information from his victims’ minds and sells them to the highest bidder. Along with Tom Hardy, Elliott Page, Ken Watanabe and more, Cobb attempts the risky practice of inception – a reversal of his usual gig, whereby he places a thought into the target’s mind instead of taking one.

Cobb’s attempt at committing inception on the unsuspecting psyche of Cillian Murphy forms the crux of Nolan’s plot, taking the star-studded cast from car chases in rainy streets to a Bond-esque snow fortress by way of Hotel Kaleidoscope. Nolan’s depiction of a cinematic dream world captured imaginations completely and stayed the course to become arguably the greatest movie of the 2010s (or second best by our reckoning). Naturally, talk of an Inception 2 has barely ceased over the past 10 years, but Christopher Nolan doesn’t make a habit of filming sequels (when not in Gotham City, at least), and the director hasn’t offered even the vaguest hint that a return to Inception‘s world could be on the cards.

As long Inception‘s popularity refuses to wane, sequel discussion will rumble on, but rather than a follow-up to Cobb’s story, a prequel may be more exciting. Given Nolan’s reputation, another Inception movie of any kind remains highly unlikely, and many would argue that’s for the best, but while a sequel would surely only lead to disappointment, a prequel could actually enhance the 2010 original.

Why An Inception Sequel Shouldn’t Happen

Even if Christopher Nolan were to return alongside his original Inception cast members, the inherent risks of a sequel far outweigh the potential benefits. Inception might require multiple viewings to understand fully, but from the very first watch, it’s explicitly clear that Cobb’s tale is intended to stand alone. Inception begins by setting up the main mission, with Cobb unknowingly “auditioning” for Saito. Flashbacks and dialogue fill in the tragic backstory of Cobb’s family, and the mechanics of shared dreaming are mapped out through Elliott Page’s Ariadne – a newcomer to the process and a proxy for the audience to pick up the basics. Inception gives viewers all the information required to invest. By the end credits, Cobb’s redemptive journey (the true story of Inception) is complete, leaving no reason for a sequel or room for expansion. Sure, Eames feels like a character with a colorful past, and Arthur is little more than Cobb’s “glamorous assistant,” but there’s nothing in Inception that demands continuation.

Of course, the main reason Inception 2 remains such a hot topic is the original film’s ambiguous ending. Does Cobb really reunite with his children, or is he still trapped within Limbo? That question has confounded Inception fans endlessly since 2010, and a potential sequel brings hope of getting definitive, iron-clad answers. But as frustrating as that nagging doubt over Inception‘s ending may be, the ambiguity is very much the point of the whole story. Cobb makes a choice to accept his own reality, whatever that might be, thereby completing the character arc that began when he used inception on his wife to drag her back to the real world unwillingly. If an Inception sequel were to reveal whether or not Cobb was still dreaming (something it couldn’t possibly ignore), the meaning of the first film’s ending would be tarnished.

Sequels are disappointing at the best of times, and especially with a universally beloved movie like Inception. Even if the follow-up was “good,” that’s still a pale imitation of its predecessor. But in Inception‘s case, Nolan deliberately bends his concept into a standalone narrative, making a sequel even more liable to fall flat.

Inception’s Prequel Can Explore The Dream Tech’s Origins

There’s a hidden story to Inception, taking place entirely off-screen before the movie even begins. Christopher Nolan’s Inception concept is completely dependent on the dream-sharing technology used by the likes of Cobb to poke around in others’ minds. Without this, there’s no extraction, no inception, and no tragic origin. Cobb and Mal are just two ordinary parents living happily with their two children, never even thinking about delving into the dangerously experimental world of layered dreams. And yet, this technology arrives in Inception fully formed, with only the briefest of backstories given to explain its existence.

Inception‘s shared dreaming is achieved by administering the drug Somnacin through a PASIV machine – a technique initially developed for military training purposes as part of the mysterious “Project Somnacin.” Blu-Ray features add a few names and minor details to this history lesson, but the true origin of Inception‘s dream sharing remains largely untold – and would make for a fascinating prequel concept. A government military research unit developing shared dreaming under the title “Project Somnacin,” with the idea that soldiers can spend all day killing each other in a separate reality, feels like the stuff dystopian sci-fi dreams are made of. Project Somnacin raises a host of moral dilemmas, while question marks remain over how dreaming was ultimately used in warfare. Inception shows the process from a private sector viewpoint – stealing secrets and making money – but do soldiers succumb to the same detachment Mal did? Could entire wars be fought in dreams to avoid casualties? Could the government even use inception to secretly implant orders into their soldiers?

There’s a whole other side to dream sharing that Inception doesn’t have room to deal with, and it all stems from the shady Project Somnacin. A prequel could explore the real reason dream sharing was developed (surely the government’s plan goes beyond merely making training more realistic), and how the soldiers’ minds were affected by the experience. Who was the first person to discover Limbo, and is there a counter-movement who claim to know the real reason shared dreaming was introduced to the armed forces? These questions, and many more, could form the foundation of an insightful Inception prequel movie.

An Project Somnacin Prequel Can Compliment Inception, Not Ruin It

By setting a second Inception movie years before the original, as well as introducing a completely new cast and setting, most of the pitfalls that come with a sequel can be averted. The lack of obvious connections to the first movie would ease the pressure of following one of the best cinematic achievements in recent memory, and also reduce the capacity for direct comparison, since a Project Somnacin movie would be a standalone story in its own right, merely set within the world of Inception. Digging into the earliest days of shared dreaming also wouldn’t have a measurable impact upon the 2010 film. Nothing about militarizing dreams or the Somnacin origin would affect Cobb’s arc or how the story of Inception is viewed, and most importantly, the ending would remain just as ambiguous as Christopher Nolan intended. Knowing more about where Somnacin and PASIV devices came from might even add a little context to the events of Inception – perhaps by revealing Mal’s mental decline wasn’t an isolated case, or by addressing the nature of Limbo more fully.

It’s testament to Inception‘s success that a possible sequel is still being discussed more than a decade after release, and even more impressive that Nolan’s rich world-building contains untold stories worthy of being adapted into epics of their own. Inception is close to perfect as it is, and would be best served left as a single, lone venture for the rest of time. But if the lure of tapping into that lingering interest proves too tempting to resist, slipping back to the past would be preferable to reuniting with Cobb in the future.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3630 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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