This document provides a compare and contrast essay analyzing the science fiction films Inception and Interstellar, both directed by Christopher Nolan. It summarizes the basic plotlines of each film. It then identifies three key similarities between the films: 1) Both involve traveling to deeper and more distant places, represented as levels in Inception and planets in Interstellar. 2) Both feature time distortion as a result of these travels. 3) Both portray strange Earth-like worlds that seem slightly off. The essay concludes that despite different storylines, the two films share conceptual similarities and both emphasize the power of love.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
THE DESIGN SCHOOL
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
NAME: FOO JI SUN
STUDENT ID NO: 0323550
FILMS SELECTED: INCEPTIONAND INTERSTELLAR
WORD COUNT: 982
ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY
LECTURER: GOPIGHANTAN MYLVAGANAM
SUBMISSIONDATE:DECEMBER 4TH
2015

2. The word science fiction can be defined as fiction based on imagined future scientific
or technological advances and major social or environmental changed, frequently portraying
space or time travel and life on other planets. The history of science fiction films parallels
that of the motion picture industry as a whole, although it took several decades before the
genre was taken seriously. Since the 1960s, major science fiction films have succeeded in
pulling in large audience shares, and films of this genre have become a regular staple of the
film industry. Science fiction films have led the way in special effects technology, and have
also been used as a vehicle for social commentary. I love watching movies, and science
fiction films just happen to be my favorite genre. Science fiction films carry me to other
dimensions; they help me escape from my dull daily routine into a world beyond my
imagination. The movies I have chosen to compare in this essay are both masterpieces by
Christopher Nolan: “Inception” and “Interstellar”. These two movies possess several
similarities as well as characteristics that make each of them so unique.
In the storyline of Inception, A group of “extractors” perform corporate espionage
using experimental military technology to infiltrate the subconscious of their targets and
extract information while experiencing shared dreaming. The team was auditioned to perform
the difficult act of “inception”, which was planting an idea into a person’s subconscious. The
team was tasked with convincing Fischer to dissolve his father’s company. In return, the
protagonist, Cobb, will be clear of his murder charge and will be allowed to return to his
children. On the other hand, in the storyline of Interstellar, Earth is slowly becoming
uninhabitable and threatens the existence of humanity. The protagonist, Cooper, was tasked
to evaluate planets that may provide for humanity’s survival. Three of the twelve volunteers
sent to assess different planet’s suitability have sent encouraging data from planets near
Gargantua, a super massive black hole.
Although the plots of both films seem completely different, there are a surprising
amount of similarities. In Inception, Cobb and his team went deeper and deeper into the
recesses of the psyche in the form of dreams. In the first dream layer, the team abducted
Fischer, but he subconsciously creates a team of bodyguards to protect him. While pursued
by the bodyguards while they are in a van, they are sedated into the second level. In the
second level, Cobb convinced Fischer that he is kidnapped by his godfather, and that Cobb is
his subconscious protector. Cobb persuaded him to explore his godfather’s subconscious,
whereas it was actually a ruse to enter his. In the third level, the team had to infiltrate a
snowy mountain fortress and hold off the guards as Cobb takes Fischer into his subconscious.
In Interstellar, Cooper and his team travelled further and further away from Earth. The first
planet they headed to was Miller’s planet, where Miller was already dead. The second planet
they headed to was Mann’s planet. On the planet, Mann attempted to kill Cooper, revealing
that he falsified the data so he would be rescued. In the end, the third planet Cooper headed to
is Edmund’s planet, which was actually found to be habitable. The similarities to be found
here are the distance from reality and exploration into other worlds. I also found that there are

3. three levels in Inception just as there are three planets in Interstellar, all seeming like different
worlds.
The second similarity is the time distortion as a side effect of venturing into these
worlds. In Inception, time slows down as the characters venture deeper and deeper into the
level of dreams. The protagonists have the luxury of the freedom of time as they burrow
deeper into lower levels of dreaming, although safety is not guaranteed. If a person dies as
they are in deep levels of dreams, they enter a state of limbo, where they are allowed to spend
lifetimes while only a minute passes in reality. In Interstellar, Cooper and his team visited a
planet that was very close to a black hole. The black hole resulted in time contraction,
meaning every few minutes they spent on the planet is equivalent to decades simultaneously
passing on Earth. By the time Cooper and Amelia return to the Endurance, which is their
spacecraft, 23 years have already elapsed back on Earth. They meet their now-elderly crew
member, who had been waiting for their return for all those years.
The third similarity is the appearance of strange Earth-like worlds. In inception, Cobb
reveals to Ariadne that he and his wife, Mal, went into limbo while experimenting with the
dream-sharing technology. Cobb shows Ariadne the world he built with his wife in limbo.
Cobb and his wife spent fifty years constructing the world from their shared memories. There
are buildings, oceans, he has a home. But everything seemed a little bit different, everything
was more depressing. In Interstellar, Cooper plunges into the black hole. When he emerged
from the black hole, he was rescued by the crew of a space habitat orbiting Saturn. Aboard,
he finds himself on something that greatly resembles Earth, but the land was twisting upon
itself. Everything was contained in a large, rotating cylinder. Moreover, both movies
possessed similar endings as well. In both movies, the protagonist reunites with their children.
In Inception, Cobb passes the U.S immigration checkpoint and his waiting father-in-law
accompanies him to his children. In Interstellar, Cooper reunites with Murphy, his daughter,
who is now elderly and near death.
In conclusion, even though Inception and Interstellar have different storylines, there
are many concepts in the films that are vaguely similar. I really enjoyed watching both films
and consider them masterpieces. I also learned that love is proven to be a powerful and
inspiring force that drives humanity and is something that has been building in both films.

4. References
Nolan, C. (Producer), & Nolan, C. (Director). (2010). Inception [Motion Picture]. United
States: Warner Bros. Pictures
Nolan, C. (Producer), & Nolan, C. (Director). (2014). Interstellar [Motion Picture]. United
States: Warner Bros. Pictures