# Commonly(and frustratingly) misunderstood plot points(spoilers, I guess) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920 "2012-02-06T01:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/41 "2012-02-06T09:03:17Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I will never understand how people can look at [this](http://www.thewoodmovie.com/images/cache/screen_image_343846.jpg) in a film called Artificial Intelligence that’s all about robots getting ever more advanced and not realise it’s a robot. That’s a pretty classic design for a movie alien. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/42 "2012-02-06T09:04:24Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It’s from\*\* A League of Their Own\*\*. Dottie and her sister are players in a girl’s baseball league during WWII, with some friction between them. The sister is traded to a rival team, that just happens to be the opponents in the championship game. Dottie is the star player, but she has no plans to keep playing, she’s going home with her husband to do the family thing. The sister really has nothing going for her except baseball even though she’s really a mediocre player, and has always been in Dottie’s shadow. The scene in question is a play at the plate, with the sister attempting to score. Dottie is the catcher. There is a collision, Dottie drops the ball on purpose, allowing her sister to score and be the hero for once. Then what’s D&R? > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Dottie did not drop the ball on purpose (D&R) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/43 "2012-02-06T09:14:35Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Then what’s D&R? It means “ducks and runs” because the post was a reference to a recent existing thread. ---
**Author:** ![DarkFire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DarkFire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkFire)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/44 "2012-02-06T09:31:42Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > **Blair Witch Project**. They couldn’t find their way out of the woods because they were under a spell. Or that part of the forest was cursed. Or something supernatural. But not because they were stupid. I mean, they were, but not so stupid that they couldn’t follow a stream. They were cursed. It always seemed clear to me that they somehow ended up in the 40s (when that killer slew a bunch of people in that house) as in the end they are in that place, which was burned down later and the footage was found inside the foundation of the building. That would also explain why search parties were unable to find them (it was a relatively small area) as those parties went out after 2-3 days iirc (it’s been a while) and they were lost for a week. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/45 "2012-02-06T09:48:53Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It means “ducks and runs” because the post was a reference to a recent existing thread. As a fellow 99’er I really should have know that, shouldn’t I? In my defence, it is early and I am only on coffee number two. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/46 "2012-02-06T10:56:30Z")
Rilchiam writes: \> Blair Witch Project. They couldn’t find their way out of the woods because they \> were under a spell. Or that part of the forest was cursed. Or something \> supernatural. But not because they were stupid. I mean, they were, but not so \> stupid that they couldn’t follow a stream. They were cursed. The bizarreness of them being lost is even clearer if you understand where they are. The movie is not set in some large forest far from a big city. It’s supposedly taking place in a small woods near Burkittsville, Maryland. That’s 47 miles from Washington, DC and 55 miles from Baltimore. If you walk for five days straight, maybe you can figure out where you are by looking for the Washington Monument and the Capitol, because by that time you’re on the Mall. Nobody could be that stupid. I like this movie, but it really requires that you accept that the three people have had their minds so thoroughly confused that they can walk in circles over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/47 "2012-02-06T12:01:27Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Yeah, not everyone has the same references as you so it may be helpful if you manage to type the ten or so (presumably) extra characters so we all know what the hell you are on about. Goodness, sorry. It’s pretty popular movie and a recent thread. Dottie, the star catcher from A League of Their Own, drops the ball as her sister (on the opposing team) rushes home plate for the winning run of the World Series. Dottie is known for being the best player in the league and for having a complicated and broken relationship with her sister. There exists MUCH controversy over whether she dropped the ball on purpose to let her sister have the glory or just erred. It is the antithesis of a simple point just being misunderstood with heated opinions on each side (hence the d&r, which stands for duck & run). Not quite 10 characters, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/48 "2012-02-06T12:11:34Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > That’s a pretty classic design for a movie alien. It is similar in some ways to the classic grey (though it’s missing the big eyes), but it also clearly has circuitry sparking around its head, especially in the movie rather than as a still. It’s humanoid, like most of the other mecha, but it’s become sleeker - it doesn’t need muscles - and it’s grey/silver because of the metal. The design makes complete sense within the film. I can actually understand people maybe thinking at first that they were aliens, though surely a moment’s thought would correct that impression; but insisting they were aliens is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/49 "2012-02-06T12:24:05Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > BECAUSE THEY LOOKED AND ACTED LIKE STANDARD SCI-FI ALIENS. Not only that. They looked like the aliens from Close Encounters, another film by the same director. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/50 "2012-02-06T12:52:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It is similar in some ways to the classic grey (though it’s missing the big eyes), but it also clearly has circuitry sparking around its head, especially in the movie rather than as a still. It’s humanoid, like most of the other mecha, but it’s become sleeker - it doesn’t need muscles - and it’s grey/silver because of the metal. The design makes complete sense within the film. > > I can actually understand people maybe thinking at first that they were aliens, though surely a moment’s thought would correct that impression; but insisting they were aliens is weird. Why? The Aliens-from-Alpha-Centauri-rooting-among-the-ruins-of-human-civilization meme is an old one in science fiction. You don’t have to have expectations based upon Spielberg’s prior films to make the assumption. Both my wife and I throught the things at the end of A.I. were aliens, as did others I’ve spoken with. Kathleen Kennedy, her involvement with E.T. and other flicks notwithstanding, evidently didmn’t read enough science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/51 "2012-02-06T13:06:08Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It is similar in some ways to the classic grey (though it’s missing the big eyes), but it also clearly has circuitry sparking around its head, especially in the movie rather than as a still. It’s humanoid, like most of the other mecha, but it’s become sleeker - it doesn’t need muscles - and it’s grey/silver because of the metal. The design makes complete sense within the film. > > I can actually understand people maybe thinking at first that they were aliens, though surely a moment’s thought would correct that impression; but insisting they were aliens is weird. They looked to me like the classic Gray mixed with the “beings have ascended to a higher state of being and is partially/all energy and it’s just taking this form to interact” trope of aliens. The sparkly bits looked to me like it was supposed to be “lifeform made of energy” rather than circuits, maybe with a bit of the “ape-ing the local lifeforms” thing going on with the more circuitry-like patterns. And yes to the “happy ending” thing as well - the last time I saw it was in the theater, but didn’t they explain to David something to the effect of by giving him a little time with his mom that they were essentially destroying her soul/essence/something? And he basically said ‘awesome, that’s totally worth closure.’ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/52 "2012-02-06T13:15:40Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > They should have made them look more like robots and less like aliens then. I thought they were alien robots from outer space that were doing archaeological work on Earth. I absolutely agree that it was a design/direction error. They are 100% robot, though, whether the movie made them look like aliens or not. This, unlike some plots, is not supposed to be open to interpretation. The fact many people didn’t get it may be Spielberg’s fault, but this is how it is. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/53 "2012-02-06T14:00:51Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Goodness, sorry. It’s pretty popular movie and a recent thread. Again, all about where you are. Baseball movies don’t always do as well outside of the baseball playing countries (according to Wikipedia the film made four times as much money in the US as it did in the rest of the world put together). Sorry if I seemed overly shouty. I just get a bit frustrated in Cafe Society with people just assuming that everyone likes the same films/tv shows/music as them (because it is popular! I mean, I like it!) and thus don’t feel the need to actually tell anyone what they are referring to. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/54 "2012-02-06T14:10:30Z")
No, I get it. I was just trying to be funny and it failed. (and she didn’t drop it on purpose. Don’t listen to the sentimentalists. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/55 "2012-02-06T15:00:09Z")
I think what AI was trying (and utterly failed) to get across is the idea that artificial intelligence is the end game of all intelligent species that develop technology. The galaxy is full of intelligent life, all of it technically AI. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/56 "2012-02-06T15:57:14Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I think what AI was trying (and utterly failed) to get across is the idea that artificial intelligence is the end game of all intelligent species that develop technology. The galaxy is full of intelligent life, all of it technically AI. I wish Kubrick had lived and directed it, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/57 "2012-02-06T17:11:26Z")
I actually think I read a review from a “real” reviewer who commented that Indiana Jones 4 was a pointless thing to watch because Indiana Jones is now immortal after drinking from the cup in part 3. Anyone else ever run into anyone who thought that? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/58 "2012-02-06T17:23:50Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > That’s a pretty classic design for a movie alien. Except movie aliens don’t generally come with Bluetooth. 😃 Also, the first time we’re shown that classic silhouette in the movie is in David’s dramatic reveal, and the appearance of the future AI calls back to that directly. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/59 "2012-02-06T17:28:39Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > They looked to me like the classic Gray mixed with the “beings have ascended to a higher state of being and is partially/all energy and it’s just taking this form to interact” trope of aliens. The sparkly bits looked to me like it was supposed to be “lifeform made of energy” rather than circuits, maybe with a bit of the “ape-ing the local lifeforms” thing going on with the more circuitry-like patterns. > > And yes to the “happy ending” thing as well - the last time I saw it was in the theater, but didn’t they explain to David something to the effect of by giving him a little time with his mom that they were essentially destroying her soul/essence/something? And he basically said ‘awesome, that’s totally worth closure.’ But didn’t the title of the film and all the other themes of the film hint to you that they weren’t random aliens? The robots never mentioned her soul. They just said that they can only bring her back for one day. He thought that maybe, maybe she’d be the one to buck the trend. The script is [here,](http://sfy.ru/?script=ai_ts). I can see how ‘their very existence faded away into darkness’ could be interpreted to say that her prior existence would also be wiped out, but that wouldn’t really make sense. It just means she dies. The ending is a bit creepy though, with her seeming to forget about her husband and her human son and that being a great thing. Shame, since the future mecha were pretty interesting, and it’d would have been interesting to have a couple more scenes about how they’d developed, but I guess it was supposed to be David’s story. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/60 "2012-02-06T17:31:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Why? The Aliens-from-Alpha-Centauri-rooting-among-the-ruins-of-human-civilization meme is an old one in science fiction. You don’t have to have expectations based upon Spielberg’s prior films to make the assumption. Both my wife and I throught the things at the end of A.I. were aliens, as did others I’ve spoken with. Kathleen Kennedy, her involvement with E.T. and other flicks notwithstanding, evidently didmn’t read enough science fiction. Why? Because the film is called AI and is all about super-advanced robots. Like I said, I can understand people maybe thinking at first that they were aliens. But I don’t get why anyone’s insisting they were right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920.md?page=4)