Question: Do we ever see the wraiths in their true forms?
lionhead
6th Oct 2017
Seven (1995)
25th Sep 2017
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: Why did Upham tell the soldiers to drop their weapons instead of shooting them? Why did they surrender instead of shooting him? And why did he then let them go?
Answer: Upham was not a hardened war vet like the men in his squad. He seen Steam boat Willie shoot Miller which made him furious because of how desperately he tried to save Willies life at the Radar tower so he felt betrayed and guilty for not listening to his squad so he finished the job he didn't have the heart to do before by killing Willie. He let the others go because he didn't have a problem with them. The surrendering Germans knew the Americans were inbound after tank was destroyed so they gave up immediately.
Chosen answer: He was alone and probably couldn't have shot them all before being shot himself. However, he was in a perfect position to make them surrender as none of them wanted to be the one to get shot for aiming their rifle at him. He didn't let them go, he told them to start walking in one direction as his prisoners.
25th Sep 2017
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: Why didn't they just shoot Steamboat Willie on sight? And once they decided not to kill him, why couldn't they call a chopper to come take him? Also, why were they so intent on committing a war crime by killing him once he'd surrendered? I know he killed Wade, but that's just what happens in war.
Chosen answer: Rules of war are when someone surrenders you take him prisoner and are not allowed to kill him, they followed the rules of war. They are all very emotional from the battle and losing a friend and fellow soldier though and they wanted a scapegoat. They were behind enemy lines so nobody could come to pick up the prisoner, as the lieutenant explained, and helicopters weren't really around in WW2.
22nd Sep 2017
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Did the clones really know that Palpatine was Darth Sidious all this time, considering they easily agreed to the Sith Lord's orders (Separatist ally), and respond with "Yes, my lord"? If so, how hard was this to keep from the rest of the Republic (Jedi, senators, etc.) for all this time that they were really under control of a Sith Lord, they were his right-hand men, took orders from him, and would turn on the Jedi when the time is right? Also, why would they even take orders from a Sith Lord (even if it was Palpatine, which the Jedi didn't know, it seems they wouldn't do this)? They didn't seem to like Dooku or Grievous, who were also a part of the Separatists? It just all seems quite confusing.
Answer: The clone troops weren't loyal to the Jedi, they were loyal to the republic and its leader Palpatine. Darth Sidious and Palpatine are one and the same person, to the clone troops there is no difference between the 2. Order 66 changed the viewpoint of the clones as seeing the Jedi as traitors that need to be eliminated and they executed the order immediately. The clone troops were not aware of the double play by Sidious and the separatists but by the time order 66 was executed the separatists were pretty much beaten already. Palpatine wasn't a Separatist ally, he used them to excuse the use of the clone army to take control of the galaxy and eliminate the Jedi at the same time.
7th Sep 2017
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
7th Sep 2017
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Question: At the end Dumbledore says that Harry's power of love allowed him to escape from Voldemort 4 times but is it not 5 times? when he was a baby, in book 1, book 2, book 4 and this book.
Chosen answer: In book 2 it wasn't love that allowed him to escape.
7th Sep 2017
The Shining (1980)
Question: Did the Grady girls also possess the shining? Did they die for the same reasons the hotel tries to get Jack to kill his family?
Answer: It is possible that one of the daughters may have had a "shine" to her. If you'll remember the exchange in the bathroom between Jack and Grady, Grady says that one of his daughters stole some matches and tried to burn the Overlook down. It's possible she did this because she could sense the evil in the hotel and attempted to end it. It's possible, also, that she realised what the hotel was doing to her father and tried to end that.
In addition to the above response, the hotel is depicted in the book as a somewhat sentient being. Its influence is behind many of the murders that took place there. It's possible the hotel wanted Grady to kill his family since one of the daughters was attempting to burn it down, therefore it was trying to protect itself.
7th Sep 2017
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
7th Sep 2017
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Did Darth Tyranus know that Sidious was going to betray him?
Chosen answer: Nope, you can see the surprise on his face when Palpatine orders Anakin to kill him. He then realises Anakin is Sidious' new apprentice. He fully expected to defeat Anakin.
I read that Palpatine/Sidious had given Dooku/Tyrannus a fake plan: Tyrannus thought they would kill Obi-wan, then convince Anakin to join the two of them.
I think that is partially right. Though I would sooner think the plan was to incapacitate Obi-Wan, which Dooku did and then focus on Anakin to get him to the dark side. Dooku had a chance to kill Obi-Wan but didn't. Besides, if Dooku did kill Obi-Wan it is almost sure Anakin will kill Dooku for it.
If I remember correctly, at the moment, the plan was described in the book "Labyrinth of Evil" by James Luceno. Although, I don't know how many books are canon now.
12th Aug 2017
Starship Troopers (1997)
Question: Is there any reason the humans can't simply use nukes, chemical weapons, fuel-air bombs, or bioweapons,, any kind of especially powerful, destructive bomb, shot from long distance, dropped from a plane, or better still, orbit, to fight the bugs? Yes, of course there are big downsides to any such action, but this does not strike me as a society restrained, patient, enlightened or with sufficient foresight to care about those.
Chosen answer: They do use nukes (to clear out bug caves) and fuel-air bombs (like they do before landing troops). It's possible biological and chemical weapons don't work on the bugs because of their physiology. Only nukes and Thermobaric weapons work.
Answer: Nukes, chemical, and bio weapons would render the planets uninhabitable. Not a goal when they want to colonize.
I have already stated these people are not that far-thinking.
7th Aug 2017
Watchmen (2009)
Question: Did the Comedian know that he was the biological father of Laurie/Silk Spectre II? His interaction with her during a flashback doesn't seem to indicate so, but since Sally knew the truth of the matter, wouldn't the Comedian have at least some suspicion that he was Laurie's father?
Chosen answer: Yes he knew, when he first meets Laurie and Sally scolds him for talking to her he is distraught and asks why he can't talk to his own... he cuts off there but he is saying he knows she's his daughter.
1st Aug 2017
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
27th Jun 2017
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Question: From the end subplot, it seems that while the primary motivation for Jack Sparrow was the capture of Black Pearl, he did have a favourable view of Will (his father has tacitly supported Jack) and Elizabeth. Also, it seems that his aim was also to take revenge from Barbossa. In light of the above fact, I don't understand what was his plan when he first went to Barbossa and the pirates, with Will (when he was made unconscious by Will). And when he tries bargaining with Barbossa about leaving him on an island, while taking the Black Pearl with him. Did he really plan to turn Will in, at those points? If not, and if he is a good guy in support of Will, then what was his plan all along?
Chosen answer: His initial plan was to use Will as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Pearl since Will could lift the curse of the pirates. He needed that curse lifted as he wanted to kill Barbossa. That failed when Will found out and knocked him unconscious and he was captured. Having lost his bargaining chip he is just out to stay alive again and try a different way of getting the pearl and his revenge. Yes he really did plan to turn Will in, Jack is not a good person.
13th Jun 2017
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Question: Why does David use his real name at the end instead of Walter's to gain access to the colonists and embryos? Wouldn't that been noticed in the log or something? He is pretending to be Walter in the first place and with the last log entry he uses the name Walter.
Answer: It doesn't matter anymore at that point. He has full control of the ship and can change anything he wants. Including the logs, if it's necessary.
31st May 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Question: Does a letter of marque absolve one person only or anyone who signs on it (for example Will, Jack and Elizabeth) can be absolved by just one letter? I don't understand how many letters are there or why Will agreed to find the compass if the governor said the letter(s) would only save Jack.
Chosen answer: The letters of marque need to be signed by the person being absolved and by the king. It can't be signed for more than 1 person. But, more letters can of course be given by the king if need be. BTW, in real life a letter of marque would make a ship property of the crown, not a person.
30th May 2017
General questions
Movie I'm looking for is a movie about a female cop who gets suspended because a robber's gun was stolen by a guy in the store after she killed him. He then begins killing people and coincidentally runs into her and begins a romance. When she finds out about him committing the murders with the robber's gun, she is unable to prove it and he kills her friend, cop friend, and rapes her.
Answer: Blue Steel (1990).
30th May 2017
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: When exactly did Dooku turn to the dark side?
Chosen answer: Dooku lost faith in the Jedi order when his padawan Qui-Gon Jinn died on Naboo at the hands of Darth Maul. He left the Jedi order and pursued wealth and power. He was contacted shortly after leaving by Darth Sidious, joined him and became a Sith.
30th May 2017
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Question: In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when the Room of Requirement is found, it is a practically small empty room so that the students have enough room to practice their magic. But why in this movie, when looking for Ravenclaw's diadem, is it suddenly an enormous room filled with what seems like centuries of stuff? Since the room changes to fit the person's needs and Harry, Hermione and Ron were so desperate to find it, wouldn't it be easier for the room to simply be empty and small so they can find it more quickly?
Answer: They wanted to find the room that held the diadem. The room simply provided it for them. The original room that held the diadem was big and full of stuff because it needed to be hidden inside it. The room of requirement can't change the location of items within it.
Answer: The room does change size, shape, and function according to a person's specific needs. However, when Harry was searching for the diadem, it appears the room simply reverted to the same configuration it was when the diadem was hidden there. The room may simply be incapable of finding a particular object.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Technically what you see is their true form after being corrupted by the rings and turned into wraiths. Before that they were simply men, you can see what is left of that when Frodo puts on the ring at Weather Top.
lionhead
I thought those white ugly faces you see, when Frodo puts the ring on at weather top, were their true forms.
Yes, that's exactly right. The rings turned them into wraiths, meaning their spirits moved on to the shadow realm and their real bodies pretty much destroyed. All that's left of them under the cloaks is invisible (in the books) and only seen in the shadow realm, where Frodo enters when he puts on the ring. The danger is too that Frodo would pass into the shadow realm too if he puts on the ring too often, becoming like them.
lionhead