# Your own Movie Theories **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766 "2011-06-17T00:47:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/81 "2011-06-18T12:10:36Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > But what if the crops _didn’t_ fail? What if killing him seemingly _did_ bring back their apples? Would that make the islanders more or less likely to repeat the sacrifice, or even seek out a bigger or better one? That’s what has always intrigued me. I re-watched this last night. It’s actually stated pretty explicitily, when Howie is reading about the Summer-islander’s beliefs in the library. In good years produce was sacrificed, human sacrifice was only carried out when the harvest failed. It then talks about suitable sacrifices, such as a virgin or the community leader. My edition is the director’s cut, it’s possible other versions don’t have the scene in the library. It would actually be a better film without that scene, it would be better if Howie made the leap that Lord Summerisle would be the next to burn by himself. > [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Plus I remember reading the director even confirmed the fantasy world was real…my only complaint about that movie. Yes, Del Toro is on record as saying this, but I think it’s a case where the director’s interpretation is not the best one. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/82 "2011-06-18T12:14:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The Coyote (silent in the Roadrunner cartoons) and Wile E. Coyote (who speaks and introduces himself) are two different characters played by the same actor. Cute, but I’m pretty certain that we’ve seen The Coyote receive packages from Acme Products addressed to “Wile E. Coyote”. ETA: what \*\*Robot Arm \*\*said. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/83 "2011-06-18T13:05:11Z")
Jules Winnfield is an alias concocted by Nick Fury, and Marcellus Wallace’s briefcase contained the Cosmic Cube which was in Fury’s possession at the end of _Thor_. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/84 "2011-06-18T13:15:31Z")
Ih the first Transformers movie\*, Bumblebee had arrived on Earth earlier than the other Autobots as a scout, and had been undercover for some time. He was a Camaro in the movie, but earlier had been a Volkswagen Beetle. I believe during his time undercover, perhaps just after he first came to Earth, he was Herbie the Love Bug, which explaining how Herbie was able to drive on his own. First live-action, CGI movie. There was an earlier animated Transformers movie. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/85 "2011-06-18T13:57:24Z")
Clarence the angel was cast into Hell for not having constructed a bell ringing machine while on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/86 "2011-06-18T15:17:04Z")
In the original of [The Hitcher](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091209/), the John Ryder character (Rutger Hauer) is entirely a figment of the imagination of Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell), who is in fact the murderer. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/87 "2011-06-18T17:42:51Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Snake Plissken and Captain Ron are the same person As an aside, a friend of a friend once (literally) bumped into Kurt Russell. In his shock of recognition, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “Captain Ron!” Russell curtly replied, “I’ve done other things,” and stalked off. > [@Spoke](#): > > In the original of [The Hitcher](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091209/), the John Ryder character (Rutger Hauer) is entirely a figment of the imagination of Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell), who is in fact the murderer. Perhaps Jennifer Jason Leigh is also part of Halsey’s imagination. It’s cop, killer, and victim all in one. You can pitch it as “_Sybil_ meets _Dressed to Kill_.” I bet a good agent can get you an advance of high sixes against a mil-five. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/88 "2011-06-18T17:45:24Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’d think if I were coming up with a fantasy world to escape a horrifying reality, the fantasy world wouldn’t _also_ be horrifying. I don’t know about that, sometimes my imagination can be pretty horrific. Would you like to be injected with a syringe full of spiders, and watch them crawl under your skin? Fantasy isn’t wholly about wish fulfillment. The fantasy world is challenging but ultimately rewarding for the girl. I wonder if the more horrific elements represent her anxiety and sense of guilt. > [@Chronos](#): > > We’re pretty clearly intended to at least consider this possibility, though it does raise the question of how she escaped from her room, without magic chalk. Yes, I think that’s the point where Del Toro implies the fantasy world is real. I still prefer to think that she effected a mundane escape, but was wholly immersed in her fantasy world at that point. As her situation became more desperate, she retreated further. It’s sad, but it’s a victory of sorts, an escape from her step-father’s brutality. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/89 "2011-06-18T18:03:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Perhaps Jennifer Jason Leigh is also part of Halsey’s imagination. Nah. If that were true, she would have been naked for the whole movie. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/90 "2011-06-18T19:19:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Clarence the angel was cast into Hell for not having constructed a bell ringing machine while on Earth. I always got the impression that the bells had to ring “naturally”, and that causing bells to ring for the specific purpose of winging angels was a no-no. When Georgeless Martini is ringing the cash register bell to mock Clarence, I always took that as _fallen_ angels gaining their wings. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/91 "2011-06-18T19:59:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > James Bond is a Time Lord. You’re correct. He’s [Rassilon](http://www.myremoteradio.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rassilon.jpg), to be exact. > [@Alessan](#): > > A TV theory: > > Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Frenchman who doesn’t speak a word of English. We \*hear \*him speaking English thanks to the Universal Translator. Then why do we hear him say “merde” instead of “shit”? UT profanity discretion subroutine? 😉 Mine: I think Mr. Hooper went into witness protection. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/92 "2011-06-18T20:13:23Z")
Speaking of Star Trek, during the final episode of ST:TNG Lt. Barclay was working on a plasma relay which discharged due to the time disturbance Q was orchestrating. His latent psionic gene activated and he established a one way psychic connection with his ancestor, Howling Mad Murdock, who has been catching vivid glimpses of his descendant’s life since Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/93 "2011-06-19T02:14:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > A TV theory: > > Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Frenchman who doesn’t speak a word of English. We \*hear \*him speaking English thanks to the Universal Translator. [Babylon 5 might back some of that up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yz5rx2lHNE). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/94 "2011-06-19T02:26:53Z")
That guy with the bear in _The Shining_? His name is Antigonus. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/95 "2011-06-19T02:29:14Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > In\* Blade Runner\* everybody is a replicant. As earth became depopulated, replicants were added to give the illusion of a working society for the few remaining humans. The humans gradually died off and there is nothing but replicants left. Earth is actually too polluted for humans to live on. Wow! Good one. I’ll play with this thought next time I watch BR. (My #1 favorite Sci-Fi movie ever.) ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/96 "2011-06-19T02:55:28Z")
The war against the bugs in Starship Troopers is a complete lie- service guarantees citizenship, so without a war, nobody was “earning” their citizenship… so the higher echelon made a completely planetbound insectile race the new “big bad”. As evidence- there’s no way the bugs would’ve been able to launch the asteroid at Earth, and nuking the planet from orbit would’ve been a lot safer than sending down thousands of Marines, especially when the planet is apparently completely worthless. … The dragons in Reign of Fire were actually terraforming artificial lifeforms sent by aliens to remake Earth into a new colony for the aliens. They weren’t burning things to eat- they were burning everything to raise the CO2 levels of the atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/97 "2011-06-19T03:03:11Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > The dragons in Reign of Fire were actually terraforming artificial lifeforms sent by aliens to remake Earth into a new colony for the aliens. They weren’t burning things to eat- they were burning everything to raise the CO2 levels of the atmosphere. This reminds me of another one. I believe the aliens we see fighting in the recent Battle: Los Angles were actually a race that had been conquered themselves and pressed into service by the true Masters behind the invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/98 "2011-06-19T05:46:18Z")
Not so much a theory as a literal viewing of the show. In the fifth season of _American Dad_ there was an episode “Rapture’s Delight”. There was nothing in the episode that said it wasn’t canon. In the episode, the Smith family along with everyone else on Earth experiences the Rapture. Most people get taken to Heaven but some - like Stan, Francine, and Roger - get left behind and spend the next seven years fighting the Anti-Christ. At the end of the episode, Stan dies and gets into Heaven after all. And in Heaven he gets to experience whatever makes him happy and we see him entering his house and being with his family again. The end. So basically, we have to assume that’s what happened. The world ended, everyone died, and everything we’ve seen on the show since then has just been Stan’s idealized afterlife. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/99 "2011-06-19T15:41:17Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > My own “Matrix” theory is that the Machines were actually following their basic programming of helping mankind, and the alleged war wasn’t between man and machine but between humans using computers and Luddite terrorists. > > The terrorists caused the nuclear winter, and therefore the machines are protecting people the best way they can, giving them a safe life in their minds while protecting the bodies. Even Smith is not actually “evil”. He’s a program, he doesn’t hate humans more than Photoshop does, his whole act is an affectation to psychologically instill fear on the Neo (pun intended)-Luddites. I think you’re basically correct except for the part about Smith not hating humans. He clearly does, especially in the second & third movies. But that doesn’t contradict your basic theory; plenty of social workers grow to hate their clients. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766/100 "2011-06-19T16:13:04Z")
My own Matrix theory is that the whole matrix and its safeguards was built by humans. The world became too polluted for humans to live on, so they put the population in suspended animation until it passed. In the meantime, rather than have hundreds of years of dreamless sleep, they let themselves live normal, yet virtual, lives. To prevent people from waking up and being stuck in the horrible real world they put in safeguards to try and convince people to go back to sleep. This would’ve made a better 3rd movie, I think. Instead of a pointless robot battle that accomplished nothing, the “free” humans find that for the first time in hundreds of years, there’s a part in the clouds. Similar to Wall-E, they find a single plant regrowing, see that the Earth is now inhabitable again, and begin to rebuild. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-own-movie-theories/585766.md?page=6)