Best sci-fi movie questions of all time

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Superman III picture

Question: How come Superman is so nice to Gus at the end? He was working with the baddies, he created a computer and the Kryptonite to kill Superman! Yet Superman is totally cool and even asks the coal miners to give Gus a job. Did I miss something?

Answer: The only reason that Gus was working with Ross, Vera and Lorelei was because he stole money from the company he worked at. To avoid going to prison, Gus was forced to do anything that they wanted. After realizing that his computer was designed to do anything it was ordered to, including killing Superman, Gus removed a small screw which shut down the power momentarily but, after the computer brought itself back online, Gus attempted to destroy it with an axe to save Superman. Superman saw this and realised he was wrong about Gus and after the computer was destroyed decided to help Gus find a job.

That makes sense, thank you! Been bugging me for years.

Jen Hen

You're welcome.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home picture

Question: When Dr. Strange separates Peter's spirit from his body how is Peter still able to make his arm move?

Answer: His spider-sense is probably somewhat aware that his astral form has been separated from his physical body, so it is taking over and controlling his movements.

Phaneron

I concur with your answer because while he is separated from his suit you can see the aurora of his spider tingle all around his head.

Answer: I guess I missed something because I thought that suit was made with Stark tech and has nanotech in it. I figured it was the suit keeping the box away and Doctor Strange thought it was Peter.

Bishop73

That's a possibility I didn't think of, and it admittedly makes more sense than my answer.

Phaneron

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day picture

Question: One of the taglines for this film is "It's nothing personal". I have no idea what that has to do with the film and was hoping someone could explain it.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Two possibilities. 1: The Terminator is emotionless, so the killing isn't personal, but rather what it's programmed to do. 2: Sarah Connor's plan to kill Miles Dyson to stop Skynet's creation.

Captain Defenestrator

It's also a sly nod to another famous tagline, Jaws: The Revenge. "This time it's personal."

BaconIsMyBFF

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Answer: The sand from the enchanted hourglass kept the spider from killing her. She breaks the hourglass and gives the sand to Ynyr. Once the sand has been poured out from his hands there's nothing to protect her from the spider.

BaconIsMyBFF

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TRON: Legacy picture

Question: What exactly was Clu's vision of "the perfect system"?

Answer: Going by Clu's behavior and personality in the film, Clu's idea of a perfect system was likely a system where every component worked as intended and as expected. One where every action by programs could be consistently predicted. The Isometric Algorithms very existence went against everything that he believed was "perfect", in that by their nature their actions could not be predicted. Users also seem to exist in contrast to Clu's beliefs as their human emotions cause them to act irrationally and erratically.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Planet of the Apes picture

Question: At the end he sees the Statue of Liberty on the beach. How did the statue get there from Ellis Island?

Answer: He's in the same location as Ellis Island. Thousands of years have resulted in significant changes geographically.

Answer: The statue was destroyed during the nuclear war at some point in the past. The remnant of it had washed ashore to where Taylor finds it.

Bishop73

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Battle Royale picture

Question: In the original novel, it was Shogo (not Shuya) who hacked the system to discover how to disable the collars; at the same time he found out that the class would be doing the Battle Royale and transferred into that class to try and use his knowledge to mess it up. In the film, the person who found out how to disable the collars and the person who found out about the Battle Royale and transferred into it are different people. Does anyone know why this change was made?

Moose

Chosen answer: Kawada hacked the system, learned about the collars, and transferred voluntarily to the class he knew would be participtaing in both versions. The only difference is when he transferred: in the book, it was right after his win, and in the film it was just for the battle. Shuya never hacked anything in either the book or the film. As to why the change was made, I can only assume that, given the shortening of novels involved in film making, it's easier to make Kawada a complete stranger than a loner that the kids recognize.

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District 9 picture

Question: Is there ever an explanation given as to why the Aliens visited Earth in the first place?

Answer: Yes. They weren't intending to visit Earth at all, but their ship became crippled somehow and they were all slowly dying. They made their way to Earth looking for help.

Phixius

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Battleship picture

Question: In more than one scene, various officers are wearing some sort of necklace, apparently permissible additions to the uniform. They are of several different designs. What are they, and what do they represent?

MFWills

Answer: They appear to be versions of a Hawaiian lei. During ceremonies and celebrations, it is permissible to wear pins, ribbons, and other items as a show of respect or support.

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Chosen answer: They were talking about the apartment Steve Rogers lives in. Pierce is saying Nick Fury bugged Cap's apartment, one of his own agents.

Bishop73

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Answer: Martian Manhunter is played by Harry Lennix, who also plays General Swanwick, a character who appears in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman (and we can see he transforms back into Swanwick he leaves), revealing that Swanwick was Martian Manhunter the whole time, so the indication is he got to Earth before Man of Steel. He assumed Martha's identity to speak with Lois, specifically to have a heart to heart with her as she is depressed due to Clark's death. Martha is present every other time we see her, when she leaves the Kent home at the beginning and when she reunites with Clark later on. This scene was the only time Martian Manhunter used her identity.

Casual Person

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Man of Steel picture

Question: Why did Jor-El send the Codex to Earth along with Kal-El? Krypton was being destroyed, everyone on the planet was going to die and Zod and his followers were trapped in the Phantom Zone. There doesn't seem to be any need to send the Codex to Earth as Clark had no knowledge of it and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to use it.

Answer: When Jor-El stole the Codex, Zod and his followers were not yet sent to the Phantom Zone and Krypton had not begun its destruction. Jor-El was opposed to Zod's plan to use the Codex. Once Zod's rebellion against the council had begun, Jor-El stole the main Codex and hid it with Kal-El. While Jor-El knew Krypton would be destroyed, he didn't know when and wanted to prevent Zod from using the Codex as planned. Zod then killed Jor-El, the council regained control and ended the rebellion, and then sent Zod and his followers to the Phantom Zone (not knowing or believing Krypton was going to be destroyed).

Bishop73

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Spider-Man: Far From Home picture

Question: Why doesn't JJJ look like himself? True he's being played by JK Simmons but here he's bald without the trademark Jameson hairstyle.

Rob245

Answer: This is a different version of JJJ, not the one from the previous Spiderman movies, just like PP.

lionhead

Thanks folks though it's still weird looking since he should have his brush top look.

Rob245

I agree. But I'm already glad it's JK Simmons and not some other actor.

lionhead

Answer: The general movie-going audience doesn't always know the difference between MCU movies and movies that are based on Marvel properties made by other studios. Jameson's different look might have been done to avoid confusing fans into thinking that this iteration of Spider-Man is somehow connected to the Sam Raimi films.

Phaneron

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind picture

Question: Why were the aliens abducting people and why did they bring them back?

Answer: It wasn't definitively answered, but it appears the aliens took people in order to learn more about humans. It's unclear if all those who were returned had originally gone willingly, but the intent was not to keep them indefinitely or harm them, and they were returned to Earth, albeit many decades later. At the end, after the aliens had made contact, a new group of humans, including Roy, went with them voluntarily.

raywest

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Time Bandits picture

Question: Evil tells of his assistants, "tell me about computers". And he later says, "show me subscriber trunk dialing". Why does such a powerful entity have an interest in technology? (01:30:45 - 01:31:35)

Chosen answer: This technology may pose a threat, as a counter, to Evil's magic, or it could be used to enhance his own powers.

Phixius

Answer: Remember his whole speech about technology being his version of the universe, while the Supreme Being concentrated on nature?

Brian Katcher

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Waterworld picture

Question: Where did the bad guys get the cigarettes, paper, beer, gasoline, and water. All of the guys said they've never seen land, so how did they get this stuff?

Answer: Sealed stuff floats. They gather stuff just like the mariner.

Answer: Well the Black Death cigarettes and the smeat cans were both sealed items so they theoretically were waterproof. The gasoline was refined from oil which was leftover in the Exxon Valdez and the water was purified from sources? Just like how the mariner purifies his pee. I mean if you can believe he can purify his pee on the trimaran then I'm sure the crew of the Valdez is capable of purification.

Answer: These points have been brought up ever since this movie came out. I guess you have to suspend a lot of disbelief!

wizard_of_gore

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Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams picture

Question: When Donnagon is about to fire the transmooker on Juni, Carmen and Ingrid. Did Carmen try to grab Juni and protect him?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Yes.

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Chosen answer: During a mission known as the "Leningrad Ruse." He and his flight squadron were sent unknowingly on a suicide mission. During it, his goggles cracked and let in a poisonous gas, paralyzing his iris. He has to wear the patch because his eye can't focus against bright light, causing pain. This is mentioned in the novelization.

LorgSkyegon

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy picture

Question: How did Marvin get the point of view gun to function the way it did (The front part popping open and firing a huge, wide-coverage blast)? That never occurred any other time the weapon was fired, and Marvin couldn't have known how to do it since they had recently discovered the gun.

Answer: Marvin does have a brain the size of a planet! He could have easily worked out the controls or directly interfaced with the weapon.

Sierra1

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The X-Files Movie picture

Question: If the "cold drink" vending machine was unplugged and the buttons were unresponsive, WHY did the saboteurs deliberately illuminate the front of the machine? Wouldn't this ATTRACT people to the machine, only to subsequently arouse curiosity when it failed to function (as it did with Mulder)? The more logical approach would be to disable the vending machine (including the illumination) and tape an "out of order" sign on it. People would then just ignore the machine, arousing no suspicion. The illuminated vending machine gimmick looks like an illogical contrivance to advance the plot.

Charles Miller

Chosen answer: If they had put an "Out of Order" sign, or left it unilluminated, someone in charge might try to have it fixed or replaced, or could have checked to see if it's plugged in, etc. By leaving it illuminated, it doesn't look out of place and simply not taking money wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. In my own life, when I've come across a seemingly working vending machine that won't take my money or dispense drinks (but gives my money back), I just find another one instead of calling someone or reporting it. But yes, it is very convenient to the plot that Mulder just happens to try and use this particular machine.

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