Something occured to me...

[Crazy Pavarotti Man]

We were watching ID4 a couple of weeks ago, and after the scene where the alien at Area 51 infiltrates the presidents brain, I remembered some criticisms about his comment on "seeing what they do, what their plans are".

And something occured to me.

Why? I mean, considering how they annihilated all the major cities on earth, and were on course to do the same to the rest of it, did we even need that bit of exposition to serve as justification for using a nuke on the aliens?

I'm just saying (and maybe I'm nitpicking), but I don't think the use of nuclear weapons would have been questioned w/o that scene, and it would have saved the criticism. Just a thought...

And um... welcome back everyone :D

[trina]

Hi! Also welcome back everyone! I missed this board badly... :)

Fungus, I guess you are this... (? hehe) What was the criticism about that comment?

I also thought, considering what the aliens did, there were no other weapons left than the nuclear ones, right? - at least it seemed so at first.

On the other hand, nuclear weapons make the land uninhabitable for a *very* long time - not very different from what the aliens did ;)... and so I also liked the hesitation in the film to use those. Just my two cents...

[Crazy Pavarotti Man]

Right. That's what I'm saying. Considering everything they *already* did, there was no reason to add the "justification exposition" (which drew a lot of ire, not to mention the much rumored remake of "Fantastic Voyage" as a sideways sequel to ID4).

[trina]

It drew a lot of ire, in fact?

[sheri]

Maybe it was a matter of "we'd rather kill ourselves than let some outside force annhialate us". Dying with dignity? After all, at that point, what did they have to lose, right?

[Crazy Pavarotti Man]

I have to laugh. We're semi-arguing, but you're all agreeing with me! LOL!

I'm saying, after everything the aliens had already done at that point. They could have just decided to use nukes w/o even ever finding a live alien, and still have been justified in that decision. But in the story, they added that alien invading the presidents mind and him being somehow able to see/discern their intentions scene (which was much derided, almost as much as the use of the computer virus) to somehow justify their decision to use nukes.

[trina]

I think it was important for portraying the personality of the president, that he is just someone who wouldn't use nukes before thinking twice and trying really each and every possibility to solve the 'problem' with the aliens in any other way. Also, it was important to build a matter of conflict with Nimzicki, and to base David's frustration on some ground...

I have to say, I liked that. It was in fact derided much? I'm sorry to hear that. Hm, it was also a bit funny, though... ;) (I still love that scene whenever I see it. :))

[trina]

What does the green point next to my name mean, by the way?

[sheri]

When it's green Trina, it means you're here. hehehe It's not green right now so I know you're not on the board at the moment. (Yes, this board has a CURRENT USERS! hehehe)

Back to the discussion....showing the president as a human being...yeah, if it had been the current president in that place he woulda nuked the bastards as soon as they entered US airspace. :P

[Crazy Pavarotti Man]

Back to the discussion....showing the president as a human being...yeah, if it had been the current president in that place he woulda nuked the bastards as soon as they entered US airspace. :P

You think it would have taken him that long? :p

[sheri]

Well, of course, cuz then he could call it a "terrorist attack" on US soil and have an excuse to go to war.

Oh wait, that's already been done. :P