Question: Extended Edition: What is the point of the avalanche of skulls that the Army of the Dead throw down upon Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli? Surely the AOTD would want to keep Aragorn alive; he was the only way that they could break their curse. Or was the avalanche of skulls something that the AOTD were not responsible for? PS: I don't want any answers like "Peter Jackson put it there because it looked cool", I want answers that fit within the context of the film.
lionhead
7th Dec 2008
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
30th Oct 2023
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Question: A question that has been nagging me for so long: When the trio is chased by the Snatchers, why don't they just disapparate?
Answer: Anti-apparition spells are a thing. It's very possible one snatcher cast it, though we don't see it.
Answer: Apparition is not an easy spell to use. Wizards are only allowed to apparate at age 17 and are given lessons from that age. Ron definitely has never apparated before, only Harry and Hermione. It's highly unlikely they would have been able to take Ron along with apparition (side-along apparition) in the stressful situation without danger. If you do it wrongly, you get what is called "splinching," meaning parts of your body won't arrive at the destination. Ron already has injuries because of that. So, in short, it's too dangerous for them to try to apparate out of the situation.
Ron took the Apparating class at Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione. He failed his first license exam only because an overly-strict Ministry tester noticed he splinched some eyebrow hairs. Ron most certainly became practiced at it while hunting the Deathly Hallows. A hasty exit can be dangerous, however, as when Hermione hastily apparated herself, Harry, and Ron to escape the Ministry of Magic and is how Ron got his shoulder splinched.
Answer: I've wondered the same thing. There's no explanation, but it could be argued they were just panicked when the Snatchers took them by surprise. For all their abilities, they are still kids and occasionally lack critical thinking and failed to have a fallback plan for such an event or if they somehow became separated. Of course, it serves the plot as the story needs for them to be transported to Malfoy Manor. You should submit this as a plot hole.
I think even adults can panic in scary situations and not think of something that seems like an obvious solution. I've read online "tips" for getting away from muggers/robbers, but when I was actually shot by one, none of those came to mind.
In one of the books, Mr. Weasley says that many adult wizards don't apparate. It needs to be precise and it feels uncomfortable. Some would rather use a Portkey or fly on a broomstick.
27th Oct 2023
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Question: Given Kate met Gizmo in the previous movie, how could she mistake Daffy for him? He looks different from Gizmo.
Answer: She only saw him briefly, never in full light either. Plus, it was some time ago. I don't think she would suspect there is another one either.
At the end of the first movie, after killing the gremlins, everyone is at Billy's house, and Kate puts a thermometer in Gizmo's mouth and looks directly at him while doing it, giving her plenty of time to look at him.
Still, very briefly, still in low light. She has had way less interaction with Gizmo overall.
9th Oct 2023
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: After the battle on Mustafar, does Vader realise that he was wrong to accuse Padme on Mustafar (of bringing Obi-Wan to kill him)? I thought he obviously did, because he asks Palpatine if she is all right. However, some fans seem to think that he still believes he was betrayed. He only asked due to his remaining love for her. Is this clarified anywhere?
Answer: He hopes she is all right, mostly because of the baby(s) in her belly. He is the father after all. His anger caused him to hurt her, but he did not intend to kill her, since she is pregnant with his child. He says to Obi-Wan, "you will not turn her against me." So he believes she is misguided by his "enemies." Of course, he is really confused, angry, and traumatized at this point, so not much rationale can be expected of him. I don't think there was much of Anakin left at that point already.
Answer: My interpretation is: he "woke up" after the procedure with his new armour and realised that he should have listened to her. I don't know which books and graphic novels are still canon, but some show him reflecting on Padme, imagining conversations with her spirit, and visiting her grave. Some images will come up in a Google search.
Question: When Gandalf remarks that there are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world, is he referring specifically to the Balrog? If not, what are some other monsters he could be referring to?
Answer: Yes, he is referring to the Balrog. Though, he doesn't know for sure, he has been suspicious that there was a Balrog awakened in Moria.
5th Oct 2023
Goldeneye (1995)
Question: Was any reason ever given as to why Bond's gadget-filled car was barely used in this film? It seems odd to give the series a fresh start in many ways, make a big deal about his car with missiles inside the lights, and then he drives it for 30 seconds and gives it away. Why bother giving him a car at all?
Chosen answer: There hadn't been a Bond film for seven years, and it was a new Bond. They wanted to get away from the gadgets and show him at his best. It was a way to let people accept Pierce Bronsan, watching what he can do. He put a lot of Sean Connery into it.
I can see that, but it just seems weird to highlight the features the car has and then not use them. Would have been simpler to omit it entirely, but presumably BMW wanted some product placement.
According to Wikipedia, the deal with BMW came at the last stage in production, so they were only able to put the car in the movie but not make scenes where the gadgets are actually used. I can imagine they'd have to rewrite parts of the script and take more time filming to do that.
11th Sep 2023
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
Question: Can anyone give a reason as to why he was made younger after being hit with that gas tanker with the lips? It's true that he was once again immortal, but that doesn't mean that he should've reverted to the age he was in the first film.
Answer: Killing another immortal grants you their life energy. The energy returned his youth and powers.
11th Sep 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
11th Sep 2023
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Question: At the beginning of the movie, it was shown that both Tony Stark and Nebula are stuck inside Peter Quill's spaceship after Thanos' snap. Here, Tony Stark says, "Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning." However, this doesn't make any sense. Why didn't the two of them just stay on Titan? It's not like they needed special equipment in order to breathe on Titan before. They could just stay there until help arrived.
Answer: If they have no way of communicating with anyone, they have no chance on Titan either. That planet is dead too—might actually be hazardous to stay there too long. Nobody knows they are there either. They took their chance with the ship and getting to Earth.
Answer: What help? Nobody knew where they were, where to start looking, or if they were even alive. Tony had a wife and daughter on Earth; he had to get back.
2nd Sep 2023
Rocky III (1982)
Question: Right at the end of the movie Rocky and Apollo have their behind closed doors deciding fight. They are supposedly alone. How did they tie their own gloves on? You try tying a boxing glove on with one free hand.
Answer: Nobody says no-one was at the dressing lockers to help them out.
2nd Sep 2023
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: What spell did Snape use on Dumbledore to knock him off the tower? It couldn't have been the Killing Curse because when that's used, it produces a green light and the light from Snape's wand was blue.
Answer: It was the killing curse. You hear him say Avada Kadavra, too. I think the lighting in the scene makes the color seem a bit off, more turquoise than real green.
23rd Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
Question: In the opening scene, why did Stauffenberg just sit in the jeep idly while watching the fighter's bullet path come towards him? Even if he saw that too soon, he could've at least tried to open the door and throw himself to the ground.
Answer: You have to understand, this is a dramatic reenactment of the incident which caused Von Stauffenberg to get his injuries. It is not based on reality. They are trying to add drama to the scene by having him watch his demise approach, which is common in movies.
20th Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
20th Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
Question: Why did all of the officers and high-ranking officials put out their cigarettes when Hitler's plane landed at the airfield?
Answer: Hitler was fanatically anti-tobacco: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-nazis-forgotten-anti-smoking-campaign/373766/.
Answer: They are supposed to stand at attention when he arrives and salute when he walks past them. It is considered bad form to salute the Führer (or any leader) with a cigarette in your mouth or hand.
19th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: The pure-blood extremists, such as the Malfoy family, don't want Muggle-born children to attend magic schools. However, wouldn't this cause Muggle-borns to be out in the world, accidentally doing magic, without supervision? For example, the things that Harry did before his eleventh birthday.
Answer: Yes, but the pure-bloods don't care what happens in the Muggle world. What damage they do in the Muggle world, they don't do in the wizarding world. They don't want Muggle-borns to be called wizards; they think they are too weak to train in wizardry. If they stay in the Muggle world, they don't have to deal with them.
Answer: In the "Deathly Hallows" book, the Ministry of Magic, now controlled by Voldemort, has a statue that depicts a witch and wizard sitting on mounds of Muggle bodies. Some of the extremists might want to exterminate Muggles or force them into servitude.
8th Aug 2023
Jericho (2006)
Question: What was the reason that several major American cities were attacked with nuclear weapons?
Answer: According to Wikipedia: "It was a cross-section of 'domestic militia, anarchists, and religious fanatics' – terrorist groups that would never ordinarily collaborate, ideologically or politically. The only thing that connected them was the desire to take down the federal government of the United States. The entire plan was orchestrated by someone with deep resources, an ability to coordinate diverse groups, and by all indications, an American. After someone (believed to be Thomas Valente) tipped off the terrorists about the government's knowledge of the plot, they moved up the timetable for the attacks."
31st Jul 2023
The Dark Knight (2008)
Question: Why couldn't Batman just follow Lau to his house and kidnap him there instead of this elaborate plan with the plane?
Answer: To add to the other answer, Lau is likely to have heavy security no matter where he is, so an equally elaborate plan would be necessary even if he left his tower.
Answer: Lau probably lives and works at his tower.
31st Jul 2023
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: After the events of this movie, why does Darth Sidious call himself Emperor Palpatine? Vader was expected to ignore his old life as Anakin Skywalker. Or was that a personal choice of Vader's?
Answer: Anakin, renamed Darth Vader, is a choice by Palpatine/Sidious. It is a Sith name. Darth Sidious, however, has two roles to play as both a Sith Lord and occupying an official position as the Emperor, so he uses his real name for that. The rest of the universe cannot know him as Darth Sidious.
28th Jul 2023
Jaws (1975)
Question: Why didn't they bring stronger ammunition on the Orca to kill on-site when the shark is surfaced, instead of using barrels and playing the slow game?
Answer: Agree with the other answers, but would add that both Quint and Hooper underestimated how big and powerful the shark would be. Until they were at sea, the shark wasn't fully seen and was likely expected to be about 15 feet and easier to kill with the weapons they had. As mentioned, the barrels were intended to slow down and exhaust the shark, keep it nearer the surface, and allow them to track and kill it.
Answer: The barrels were also used to slow or even stop the shark from leaving. They were heavy, but it didn't slow him down. Quint said, "The shark can't go down with two barrels on him." When it did, Matt Hooper asked, "Have you ever seen a shark do that?" Quint replied, "Never."
Answer: They didn't want to lose it. If the thing surfaces and you start shooting at it or use explosives and you don't kill it, you will just scare it off and won't see it again. That is, until there is someone eaten again. They wanted to be sure to kill it, so you lure it, get it to surface with the barrels and then kill it properly. It's still just a fish.
23rd Apr 2009
X-Men (2000)
Question: Jean and Storm combine their powers to get Wolverine to the top of The Statue of Liberty. Why is this? Wouldn't Jean's telekinesis be sufficient enough to levitate Wolverine to the top without Storm's power?
Chosen answer: Jean's powers were not that powerful at the time.
But they were powerful enough to lift cars, water, etc. when she was like 7.
It's more that she doesn't have enough control over it.
In addition to what Lionhead said, Xavier also says he altered her mind in "X-Men: The Last Stand" by creating psychic barriers to lock out the Phoenix personality, which also seemed to have altered her memory. So it's entirely possible (and likely) her overall power reduced when that happened, and didn't start to fully come back until the events of "X2."
Chosen answer: With the last of the line of Isildur dead, there would be no one left to hold them to their oath and they'd be free to 'pass on.'
Phixius ★
The king would have no reason to believe that killing Aragorn would free him. He thought the line was broken. He was surprised that there was an heir left alive. Therefore, he would have believed that they were never going to pass on because there was nobody to free them. Immediately attempting to kill the last person that could free them seems like an odd conclusion to come to within minutes of meeting Aragorn. A possible reason is that the army was leaving, so the magic holding the skulls stopped.
The avalanche of skulls came after Aragorn revealed himself as the heir of Isildur. It was their way of saying no to his request.
lionhead