Question: As I watched the end scene I wondered: how do James and Domino intend to return to terra firma? They were whisked out of the boat by the plane and are hanging on the end of a long cord so the plane can't land without them being dragged at high speed along the concrete.
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Answer: A helicopter could lower a line to them to attach themselves to. They could then cut the rope and be lowered to safety. A bit outlandish, but this is Bond we are talking about after all.
Question: Why didn't the Dwarves help in the fight for Middle-Earth?
Answer: Due to the overwhelming size of his forces, Sauron was able to fight the War of the Ring on several fronts. In addition to the main attack on Gondor, there were numerous other assaults - Galadriel's realm of Lorien was attacked, for example, as was the kingdom of the Wood-Elves, Legolas' people. The dwarf-kingdom of Erebor also came under attack, so the dwarves ended up fighting to defend their homeland. None of these battles were shown in the film, as it would have taken even more time, and would have taken the focus from the major characters.
Question: When Elvis trades places with Sebastian Haff, his limo plate is AZN-700. Later when he is driving Haff's car, the plate is the same. Obviously two cars with different owners can't have the same plates, so it's probably a reference of some sort. Anyone know if that's the case, and if so, what?
Chosen answer: There's no significance I can find anywhere for the number "AZN-700" - it's just a fake plate they used twice due to the limited budget, and its repeated use is a mistake.
Question: Why was only the Northern Hemisphere covered in ice? We see in the first scene of the film that Antarctica was affected too, so why didn't the Southern Hemisphere enter a new ice age too?
Answer: Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered by ocean. Large water masses have a moderating influence on temperature, and are less prone to freezing.
Question: Is the Statue of Liberty strong enough to survive that amount of water pressure, or should it have buckled/bent/been destroyed completely?
Chosen answer: The Statue of Liberty *should* have been knocked over by the tidal wave, but the director wanted to create a symbol of American values of "standing up" and persevering.
Question: I was chatting with my friends when I saw this film, and I think I missed an important bit. The Americans open something that brings a curse on them, yet O'Connell and company are the ones to open the actual sarcophagus. What are the Americans opening; and why does that bring on a curse, but not the revealing of the actual mummy?
Answer: According to ancient Egyptian tradition, four major organs (liver, intestines, stomach, lungs) were removed from the body during the mummification process and preserved in canopic jars that were buried with the deceased. The Americans found Anck Su Namun's jars whilst O'Connell and company found the sarcophagus in which Imhotep was buried alive. After Evie recites the curse that brings Imhotep to life, he needs these organs to bring Anck Su Namun back, leading him to hunt down those who are in possession of them. The opening of the sarcophagus doesn't actually invoke any curse and neither does the Americans opening the chest, contrary to what Beni says. The "curse" is only a warning that they shall become part of Imhotep's curse by taking the jars he needs.
Answer: When the Mahji catch up with Imhotep everything is all right there. They curse him with the Hum Dai, then in an effort to keep things from going bad they place the Book of the Dead and the jars containing the organs of Anak-sun-Amun into a cursed chest hoping it will stop anyone from doing what those stupid yanks did.
Answer: It's just silly screenwriting. The greedy Americans have to die but the heroes can't die, so how about a cursed chest that only the Americans open? Really though there is no logical reason the Egyptians would have put a curse on this particular chest. There's also no reason that Ankhsuamun's organs would be buried with the book of the dead again it's just silly screenwriting. Saves the trouble of having to write another scene or sequence where the organs are discovered separately. Also, lazily explains why Imhotep only targets the Americans for bodily juicy goodness and not the rest of them.
Question: Why do they place a curse on Imhotep which makes his mummy evil? What would the Egyptians benefit from this?
Answer: It's ultimately a bit stupid, but a side-effect of the horrible punishment they've inflicted on him, making him suffer for so long, is that if ever he's resurrected he'll have powers and be immortal, which is why people are set to make sure he's never awakened. Just killing him would make more sense, but since when does anyone major die easily in films?
Answer: Imhotep was already evil. As for the curse, like Judas it was a living death, even though his body died, his spirit wouldn't enter Heaven or Hell, but remain in limbo. Like a vampire, he was resurrected with supernatural powers.Unbound and all powerful.
Question: What is the black strap Mike's wearing around his neck with his uniform for? It looks kinda cool, but I don't see the purpose.
Answer: I'm not entirely sure when you mean, but at the start of the film he wears a black band round his neck that is actually his radio system. It is pressed against the skin and allows subvocal radio communication.
Question: What is the name of the catchy techno music that plays over the freeway chase, and where can I obtain it?
Answer: I believe the song is called "Mona Lisa Overdrive" by Juno Reactor. You could find this on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, I don't know where else.
Question: Why did the big freeze-over happen during the eye of the storm, and why was it then safe for Dr. Hall to continue his journey north?
Answer: Earlier in the film, Hall's team analyzes the Scotland helicopter incident and determines that it was caused by a new meteorological phenomenon like a reverse hurricane. Air from the upper atmosphere was pulled down to ground level, but remained at the temperature of the troposphere (-150 F). The eye of the storm is where the vortex from the troposphere to the surface terminates, with the air then moving outward with the storm and warming to ground temperature. This is why the freezing happens during the eye of the storm. Dr. Hall is safe continuing after the eye passes as conditions will get steadily better because he is passing out of the storm, until it abruptly ends overnight.
Question: When Gabriel killed Dracula 400 years ago, what turned him into a vampire? Because if he was already a vampire, obviously Gabriel didn't kill him.
Answer: After being killed - "murdered" as Dracula stated several times - by Van Helsing, Dracula made a deal with the Devil to regain his life. Carl tells his story when telling Van Helsing and Anna everything that he has learnt.
Question: Could someone please tell me the name of the song that starts playing in the news room, when that wild party starts?
Answer: It's a parody of the "Coors twins" song that plays during the Superbowl.
Question: At the beginning of the film, Jack Hall quickly explains how global warming could cause an ice age by altering the global ocean currents. The explanation is short and I didn't catch all of it. Could someone explain in more detail, preferably as simply as possible?
Chosen answer: Global warming melts the icecaps, releasing millions of tons of fresh water into the oceans. This upsets the delicate environmental balance of the oceans, leading to the ocean currents stopping. It's these currents that carry warm water up into the Northern Hemisphere, causing our temperate climate. The currents stop, everything cools down, fast.
Question: Why is there so much blue symbolism in Kate Winslet's house. I know her hair is blue, but are we to believe she changes the colour of everything in her house when she changes her hair colour (which is often, apparently)?
Chosen answer: Psychologists believe blue is a 'peaceful' color, as opposed to agressive colors like red. Experiments seem to show that people are genuinely effected emotionally by use of colors. Blue would promote a clear, calm - dare I say spotless - mind. Note this is also used in Forrest Gump; almost everything Gump wears is blue, suggesting again his calm, uncluttered thoughts.
Question: Right before Trinity leaves Neo on the subway station, she tells Neo: "Everything the Oracle told me has come true, except this." She then picks up the phone and vanishes before noticing in horror the agent. What did the Oracle tell her that wasn't true? Was Trinity not (yet) in love with Neo? Had the Oracle told her that Neo should leave the platform first? Or was she referring to Morpheus's rescue, which wasn't supposed to happen?
Answer: You're misinterpreting her statement - when she said "except this", she wasn't saying that something the Oracle had told her was a lie, just that it hadn't come true at that point. The Oracle presumably told her that she and the One would fall in love - by this point, it's clear that she loves him, but, what she doesn't know yet, is whether he loves her. She wants to tell him but, in typically human fashion, is afraid to, for fear of rejection.
Question: Since when do Dementors fly? Gliding is different than flying.
Answer: I think any glider pilot would take issue with that last statement. This is a choice by the filmmakers in their portrayal of the Dementors - the books never state, as far as I can remember, that the Dementors aren't capable of leaving the ground, so it's not necessarily an incorrect interpretation. J.K. Rowling is consulted during the making of these films, so she presumably has no problem with this.
Question: Why is Rupert Everett not credited? His part certainly merits it.
Chosen answer: Actors, on occasions, choose not to be credited - generally if they're appearing in a relatively small role, one smaller than you'd generally expect that person to play.
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Answer: Look up Skyhook online and you'll find out how it was done. The person hanging from the cable wold be pulled aboard by the plane's crew.