No. the movie is nothing without that moment. Just because you suspected it might happen in the last few seconds doesn't make the movie "predictable" or even that scene predictable. It was the
right way to end the movie. Would you have honestly prefered to see it fall? Then we don't get to take a "leap of faith" with Cobb. And if you think it spun forever... well there's obviously no way to film that without eventually fading to black.
Sooooo:
No, I think it is predictable, which is why I stated it as such.
Have you ever created a story before? Usually you have an idea and you brain storm. In this case, I'm sure Nolan always had an "end" in mind, the ambiguity of the totem. Good story telling shows that you back up this idea to cement it in the audience's minds so to speak.
This is why we have scenes prior to the ending that explain the rules and significance of the totem as both an object for the plot and a narrative tool.
Things like Cobb explaining that the totem was used to know if you were in a dream or a reality was enough to give clever moviegoers a clue of what to expect, atleast it happened with me anyway.
I fully expected it to happen, especially with the nature of a film like Inception. You can't tell me in the very beginning that audiences didn't expect to be "fooled" a number of times with a film about dreams. I was never on edge or surprised by the outcome, especially the end.
After the characters "woke up" on the plane I got this sense that there might be a closure after all, until I looked at my watch and noticed the film had a few minutes left.
But then, once he's in the house I figured it would end the way it did, thus making all my preconceptions and misgivings true.
I understand the reasoning for it and understand the film, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.
If you want to sue me for not liking it, well, so be it. I thought it was weak, and the fact that I could predict makes it weaker, in my opinion.