Best action movie questions of 2005

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War of the Worlds picture

Question: Is there any indication as to where the aliens come from and what exactly they want?

MovieBuff09

Chosen answer: In the original George Pal version they were Martians and the reasoning for what they were doing was never explained. In this version, it's never explained where they come from, but their mission is simple, to eradicate human life from Earth, and use our bodies to fertilise the planet, probably so that they can colonise the planet for themselves.

GalahadFairlight

If it was to eradicate us they could have done that millions of years back, why now, so that doesn't add up.

You want to grow the substance (people) that grows your food source before using it. If they waited too much longer, they'd have a harder time because we'd have the technology to fight them back.

The reason which was apparently provided by Wells was that Mars was dying by lack of natural resources and that Martians needed a new home and food source.

They were waiting until the population grew large enough to sustain terraforming efforts. As they used our bodily fluids seemingly as a primary material for their terraforming.

It's an assumption that they could have eradicated us millions of years ago (which by the way would be long before we even existed). Maybe they didn't have the ability to transport themselves, only the machines. Maybe the original aliens all died. Lots of other options why they couldn't have done it.

They probably needed to wait for us to produce enough humans to use as fertilizer. Doesn't make sense to try to use several million bodies as fertilizer back then vs now with billions of people.

Answer: Maybe they were waiting for us to get up to a very high number in population. Before, we didn't have over 7 billion people in the world. More people, more food.

Answer: All versions of "War of the Worlds" are based on the novel of the same name written by H.G. Wells and published in 1897. Wells explained that the aliens are from the planet Mars, and they came to Earth for the natural resources.

Charles Austin Miller

But that still doesn't answer why did they wait till then to attack when they could have done it years ago with less resistance. The natural resources were still here.

Perhaps the Martians considered the technological advances of Mankind as "resources," also. The prologue states that the Martians had been observing humanity on Earth for a long time before they chose to attack. Why? Possibly observing our advances in engineering (dam building, for one example, mining for another). It could be viewed that the Martians allowed us to perform the hard work of making natural resources more accessible and consolidating those resources. Personally, I always thought the Martians intended to come exploit the fruits of our labor, allowing us to advance as far as we could without becoming a physical threat to them. If the Martians had waited a few decades more, they could be dealing with a technologically-dangerous human species.

Charles Austin Miller

Maybe they were still building the tripods, and when they finished, they would bury them in the ground. Then wait for the Earth's population to grow.

Answer: The alien homeland is never described in the film, but is described in the script as a lifeless, barren place, unfit for life.

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V for Vendetta picture

Question: It becomes clear that V gives his victims Scarlet Carson roses in memory of Valerie, but how does Delia work out that the murderer is V from the roses? Surely she didn't know that Valerie had written to V mentioning them. Also, are we ever told what V was originally imprisoned for?

Answer: Nothing is ever revealed about V's history before Larkhill so we don't know why he was there. As for the roses, in the original comic book, in order to keep him compliant during his time in captivity, V was allowed to tend a small garden while his health was monitored. It was during that time that he first grew the Scarlet Carson roses and also surreptitiously obtained the chemicals that he would use to destroy Larkhill and make his escape. Whether this can be considered consistent with the film storyline is an open question - certainly nothing in the film actively appears to contradict it.

Tailkinker

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Constantine picture

Question: Why did Constantine not just destroy the Spear of Destiny, instead of hiding it?

Jason Riley

Chosen answer: According to the legend of "The Spear", it is indestructible.

Nick Bylsma

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Answer: Darth Vader has a special chamber in which parts of the suit can be removed for comfort. When he is not in the chamber he must wear it at all times in order to survive.

Answer: Darth Vader does have his own personal chamber made to assist him with the equipment /suit he wears as well as, I'm sure, for resting/meditation purposes. Also keep in mind that Jedi/Sith, especially those trained to use the force (particularly those having mastered it), don't need the same sleep requirements regular folks need. They can "sleep" sitting straight up, on top of much harder elements and they can even "draw" energy from the force to help them stay awake. The expanded universe, via the books, gives more examples of Jedi/Sith sleeping or measures they take.

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Batman Begins picture

Question: Shouldn't Bruce be as insane as Falcone? Unless the dosages delivered to Batman and Falcone, respectively, were different. Also, why didn't Rachel yell and scream and go crazy like Falcone did when he was hit?

Answer: Bruce is just as infected as Falcone, however he is rescued by Alfred shortly after he is poisoned and given an antidote by Lucius shortly after that. He is then bedridden for many hours. If he had not been saved as quickly as he was, he no doubt would have been a blubbering mass just like Falcone. The reason Rachel and even Bruce don't react the same as Falcone the moment they are poisoned comes down to how each individual person reacts to fear: Bruce tries to fight, Rachel faints, Falcone screams in horror.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: Also he had taken it before, earlier in the mountains.

Answer: Bruce was thoroughly trained to deal with fear. It's likely he'd be able to hold his mind together better than most.

JokerInTheBronx

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Zathura picture

Question: When Danny presses the button, the red spaceship moves onto a white space. Later in the movie, after accepting the astronauts' help, all three discover that the red spaceship is now on a blue space. How could it have gotten there? Neither Danny or Walter kicked the board and Danny never actually moved it from its original position since they had to deal with getting rid of the Zorgons.

Answer: If you are talking about the part where Walter says that Danny cheated and Danny says "someone must have kicked the board", you're right, no one did kick the board. After again being asked if he moved the piece, Danny says "maybe I moved the piece by accident." I think this implies that Danny cheated and moved the piece himself, which is why it was on a different coloured space.

Except, it never showed Danny moving the piece at all. When Walter moved Danny's piece back to the space it was originally on, the game shot out a card accusing Walter of cheating and tried ejecting him out of the house. If Danny had moved the piece by accident and therefore technically cheated, it kind of raises the question as to why he never received a card accusing him of cheating and ejecting him from the house as well.

I think the answer to this is in the card's text - "Caught cheating" I believe this implies that since Walter was observed physically moving a piece by the other player, that is what triggered the cheating detection. Nobody saw Danny move his piece, so he was technically not caught cheating in the moment. So, ostensibly, one may be able to cheat as long as they are not caught by the other player.

Knever

Except that Danny never moved his piece at all.

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Mr. and Mrs. Smith picture

Question: How does Mrs. Smith get to know that her husband is the shooter?

Answer: It comes down to a deleted scene. And I remember it as clear as day from when I saw it at the cinemas. There is a scene where Jane is brushing her teeth at the basin. John walks into the large bathroom and begins to take a leak. As John finishes up, Jane looks over her shoulder at him, just in time to see him lift one leg and give it a couple of sharp shakes. Later in the movie, after the ailed assignment/shootout in the desert, Jane is watching the footage of the other assassin doing the very same memorable action. Right as she is in the middle of replaying it back a couple of times, John turns up at her building, and one of her agents who has answered the intercom says, "Jane, it's your husband." And that is when the penny drops! For some bizarre, unknown reason, they removed that very important key bathroom scene from every TV and DVD release, leaving people who did not see the theatrical release at the box office asking the question of how Jane realized it was her husband.

Answer: She notices that he shakes his right leg twice after peeing, just like her husband.

Answer: From the way he stands and moves, height, weight and general mannerisms.

Answer: They worked for different agencies and were unaware that they had been given the same target (Diaz?) to kill in the desert. Mrs Smith initially thought that Mr Smith was a civilian that just happened to interfere with her assignment. She was given 48 hours to identify and eliminate (kill) the "witness." While reviewing the videotape of the scene, all Mrs Smith could see was the back side of the "civilian." While still looking at him, a secretary or similar employee yelled from outside the room that Mrs Smith's husband was on the phone and was back from his trip to Atlanta. By the secretary saying, "It's your husband" during the time Mrs Smith was looking at his back side on the tape, plus the information that he was back from Atlanta, it became obvious to her... and she wondered how she could have been so stupid to not know before this time.

KeyZOid

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Answer: Spoiler alert: this gives some important plot twists away. Sometimes a bit of unresolved mystery improves a story, and I think this is the case here. But the book partly answers your questions. At the end of the last chapter it is shown that Mrs MacReady thinks the wardrobe is just a piece of furniture. She knows nothing about Narnia. But Professor Kirke amazes Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy by expressing familiarity with Narnia and explaining that a wardrobe might well be a portal into Narnia. If C S Lewis had not written any more books after completing "The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe" Professor Kirke's knowledge of Narnia would probably have been an unresolved mystery. But C S Lewis later wrote "The Magician's Nephew" which tells how Professor Kirke visited Narnia as a boy. The final chapter of this book says he took an apple back with him, which he planted in his garden. It grew into a tree, was cut down and made into the wardrobe. So Professor Kirke was not consciously aware of what the wardrobe could do, but with hindsight, he realised that he had set up a chain of events that caused the children to discover Narnia.

Answer: While Professor Kirke is aware of the existence of Narnia, as he was there when it was created, he doesn't appear to be aware that the wardrobe can act as a portal (although he may suspect that it has unusual properties, as the tree from which the wood came to create it grew from a Narnian apple). Mrs MacReady doesn't know.

Tailkinker

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Flightplan picture

Question: At the end of the movie, when they are at the tip of the plane, Jodi and her daughter slip into a tiny compartment, just as she activates the bomb. She and her daughter are safe, and the small space they were in must have been bomb-proof. Since that compartment is at a part of the plane that is rarely visited, how come a tiny place was made entirely bomb-proof? Or what was the space they climbed into and for what reason was it made?

Answer: The hatch they climb into is the hold of the plane, i.e., the section with the coffin, the car, and all the other luggage in. It only appears small because of the way it is filmed. As Kyle would have known, it would have been extra strong and reinforced, as it was a break in two sections of the plane.

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The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D picture

Question: If Lavagirl can control what she wants to burn how come she burns the diary (is it because she was too excited)?

Answer: Lava Girl is always hot to the touch. She can control when she throws magma, but the only way she can have any control over her actual body temperature is to control her emotions, which would naturally be difficult for someone her age. Even then, at her coolest possible temperature, her body temperature would still be very high. There are continuity issues with her body temperature throughout the film, ie, being able to sit on ice for extended periods of time without melting it, but the idea is she always has a very high body temperature.

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Chosen answer: I think we can safely assume that "The Man" kills Becky in the elevator, yes. But unlike the first woman, Becky had done something to piss off a lot of people (basically betraying all the girls working in Old Town), and they sent him to eliminate her.

Twotall

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Elektra picture

Question: When Elektra goes back to her old house, she uses the gas stove to blow up the bad guys. She also turns on the bedside lamp. Is someone really paying the electric and gas bills after all those years? I'm assuming she didn't call Con Ed to reup right before she went to the house to fight.

Answer: Elektra's father was a wealthy shipping magnate and could afford to maintain the electric and gas bills for a house that the family hadn't visited in years.

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Stealth picture

Question: What is the deal with a apples in this movie, is it a subtle reference to something? Aside from the main bad guy chomping on one while tailing with someone (rude), there are several scenes with large bowls of apples. In one scene, there are two tables with bowls of apples on them.

Answer: Its a Navy thing. Centuries ago, to ward off the threat of Scurvy when sailing long distances, eating apples would prevent it, and the tradition carries over into modern times.

After 21 years of Naval service (10 years destine and four ships) I have never heard of apples warding off scurvy. It was discovered that lemons were very effective. Later in time the British started using limes to avoid scurvy. While limes were cheaper than lemons, they were not as effective. This is also where we get the phrase "Limey Brits" from.

Yep you're right. It's the Vitamin C in limes and oranges that prevents scurvy. Not much of that in an apple.

stiiggy

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The Island picture

Question: At the beginning of the movie, Lincoln 6 Echo is missing his left shoe. Is there any importance in that?

Answer: As far as I could tell, it seems to indicate his growing mental awareness of himself and his environment. He begins noticing more things around him and is questioning when things don't seem right or are out-of-place. The other clones don't exhibit that type of cognitive functioning as much as he does.

raywest

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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children picture

Question: How was Cloud able to survive being shot in the head in the opening chase sequence? Did the bullet just graze his forhead, or did it bounce off of his protective goggles?

Answer: The bullet bounced off and thereby did not directly hit him. As Kadaj's gang were after their "mother", you can be sure Yazoo did not intend to kill Cloud yet, so he must have aimed for the goggles. It's impossible for the bullet to graze his forehead in that angle, even though Yazoo could have calculated that, too.

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The Crow: Wicked Prayer picture

Question: Originally this fourth "Crow" film was going to be called "The Crow: Lazarus" and be about a black wannabe rapper who is brought back by the crow after a drive-by shooting. Anyone know why this plot was dropped? Because it seemed to fit the material more than a movie about Satan and God.

Answer: As I understand it, it all had to do with a spat between the director of the original Crow movie (Alex Proyas, who had "approval" of all the subsequent Crow movies) the producer of the Crow movie franchise, Jeff Most, and Miramax. Miramax eventually caved in favor of the producer and it was made into a "non-Crow entity" when Miramax reportedly signed Eminem to play the bad guy.

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Fantastic Four picture

Question: When Reed, Sue and Ben see Johnny on TV, they see that he has a four on his uniform. Sue asks where it came from and at this point a brief glimpse of a four is also on Reeds uniform but then he quickly hides it giving the indication that he put one on his uniform as well as the others. If Reed only wanted to find a way of getting rid of their powers, then why would he place a four on his uniform? He didn't want to use his powers to help people at all. He only wanted to find a way to cure himself and the others.

Answer: From the look on Reed's face, I assumed he checked to see if he had the patch on his suit as well. He sees that he does and in order to hide it from the others in fear of Ben and Susan thinking he was involved, he hid it quickly and did not mention it.

T Poston

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Sahara picture

Question: What exactly is Kazim attempting to gain/accomplish by killing the doctors?

Answer: So they will not discover the poisonining that is going on.

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Hostage picture

Question: I have two questions. 1) What exactly does Mr. Smith do with the DVDs? 2) I don't understand the final scene, is Mr. Smith helping Jeff Talley or is he helping the masked men?

Answer: The purpose of the DVD is that the information the criminals are after is hidden in the code of the DVD. The illegal bank accounts and funds and such are all encrypted on the disk. He is also helping Jeff after he realizes that he put his life on the line for his family and saved his children.

Spaceboy_007

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Four Brothers picture

Question: This seems like a stupid question, but is Jack really gay, or are they all teasing him? I'm just a little curious as to whether there's a deleted scene or something on the special DVD which clarifies that point.

Answer: Yes he actually is gay and the other brothers tease him but as more of a loving way.

Answer: They are just teasing him, like all good brothers do.

Cybermoose

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