blickstein@eiffel.DEC (Dave Blickstein) (07/19/85)
> Path: decwrl!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!uw-june!entropy!dataio!bright >I thought the second half was totally stupid and dull. I agree. >By the way, where does a 9-volt battery get the energy required to dig >5' diameter holes in the ground? I wish some of these sci-fi movie >directors would take a basic course in physics, or hire a consultant >to help them avoid the more obvious screwups. And don't wave the >'but it's supposed to be fun' at me, I think these glaring problems >are due to laziness on the part of the director, and are not necessary >to the plot. A good sci-fi plot is one that takes ONE assumption (such >as aliens beaming technology into a kid's brain) and logically builds >on that assumption. Continually trotting out absurdities out of convenience >shows a lack of imagination on the part of the director, and is insulting >to watch. OK, I won't throw 'but it's supposed to be fun' at you, but honestly I think the example involving the 9-volt battery, if anything, shows a lack of imagination on your part and not the screenplay. Is it unimaginable that such a technology is possible? A hundred years ago was it imaginable that a man would walk on the moon? The aliens that provided that 9-volt battery technology are supposed to be centuries ahead of us in technology. Do you think that we are not capable of creating something with more years of advancement? With an attitude like that, film-makers 20 years ago would probably never have reached even the technical achievements of making films like that. Perhaps that unit gets its power from a source other than the battery. Solar power? Perhaps you think that we've also discovered all the energy fields there are in the universe. Maybe the unit uses power that is transmitted to it. Preposterous huh? (Ever hear of a Tesla coil?) Look. I thought the film was pretty juevenile, but intentionally so. While I was watching, I was thinking "they're throwing in all kinds of stuff that a pre-teen would love: silly aliens, mushy love stuff, funny tv stuff. I think the film was entirely intended for 12-and-unders, and I can't say I found very much enjoyable, but not for reasons of scientific inaccuracies. Dave Blickstein (UUCP) {allegra|decvax|ihnp4|ucbvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-orphan!blickstein (ARPA) BLICKSTEIN%ORPHAN.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA