MovieChat Forums > Blast from the Past (1999) Discussion > Something I never thought about till now

Something I never thought about till now

posted 18 years ago by thenamlessjon
24 replies | jump to latest

Its been a while since I saw the movie and usually you don't think about these kinds of things watching movies.

But how would they have been able to live in the bomb/fall out shelter?

I mean......how could have been able to breathe and all......I mean a bomb or fallout shelter....brings in no oxygen.

they would have suffocated......

If it did bring in oxygen/air. The Atomic particals in the air would have killed them from radiation poisoning, if there was in fact an atomic/nuclear attack. Which there wasn't but think about it.

[–] JR541 18 years ago

They mention a special air duct in the film. Adam talks about it after confessing to Eve about where he really grew up.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] thenamlessjon 18 years ago

ah ok thanks for the heads up

[–] solexes 18 years ago

As far as "Fall out" - I think the radioactive particles do not nessicarily bind to Air Molecules as they are too heavy (I aint a nuclear scientist - so dont quote me on that). They bing mostly to physical objects. Think on Chernobyl. You can go there - and breathe the air and can be fine - as long as you dont go around touching stuff. Dont leave the roadway in otherwords. Or if you do - dont do it for long.

The only thing I can think of - is the food issue. If we estimate a pound of food per meal, and there are three people - eating three squares a day --- thats 9 pounds of food a day. Almost 3300 pounds of food a year. 115,000 pounds of food (roughly) for 35 years. Thats a LOT of food.

I think it's entirely possible. They would have to have had over 10,000 sq ft. though - not hard to do - just cover the ENTIRE lot with the shelter.

That I found improbable was the fact that NO ONE found the shelter if it was only a foot or so bellow the surface. Thats insance. No water pipes broke in the vacinity? None at all? I doubt there was more than just the Malt Shop above them - it seemed small. So - the porno shop as well - probably close to the whole "block" of buildings.

So could they have lived for 35 years in that shelter?
Possible? Yes
Probable? No

[–] jescci 18 years ago

<<NO ONE found the shelter if it was only a foot or so bellow the surface>>

True. Also, the neighbors never knew what he was building - just that he spent a lot of time in the work shed. This in spite of the fact that he was bringing mass quantities of supplies and materials into the shed on a regular basis.

Another thing - very quickly, in a matter of two or three years tops, the neiborhood turned from a suburban tract-house community to an urban commercial zone. When has that ever happened?

A million needs to suspend disbelief in this movie. It always bothered me that Eve stood up to her boss when he tried to rip off Adam on the deal to buy the valuable baseball card, but then five minutes later was willing to accept the card herself in exchange for a small favor.

You know me. I'm the same as you. It's two in the morning and I don't know nobody.

[–] drwfan33 18 years ago

>>Another thing - very quickly, in a matter of two or three years tops, the neiborhood turned from a suburban tract-house community to an urban commercial zone. When has that ever happened?

A million needs to suspend disbelief in this movie. It always bothered me that Eve stood up to her boss when he tried to rip off Adam on the deal to buy the valuable baseball card, but then five minutes later was willing to accept the card herself in exchange for a small favor.<<

The reason that it probably turned to an urban commercial zone was because the house exploded when the airplane hit it, and the police assumed that the family had died.

About the Eve part - she feels guilty and returns the baseball card. I should know, because it is on TV as I type. Kind of freaky. Adam at first refuses to take it back, then he finally relents.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] cromagnom_man 17 years ago

Of all those year not being exposed to sunlight, wouldn't their bones brittle or rot.

Second of all, Adam grew up all his life devoid of human contact other than his parents. How is he able to be sociable and charismatic?

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] TVholic 11 years ago

The reason that it probably turned to an urban commercial zone was because the house exploded when the airplane hit it, and the police assumed that the family had died.

And neighboring houses certainly were damaged. A crashing plane would cause a lot more damage than blowing up one house. Their owners would probably have moved away because of the bad memories not only of the damage to their property, but also of someone presumably going up in flames in their midst. Starting with a clean slate of people and businesses not around when the plane hit would be the logical alternative.

[–] lewisworld 17 years ago

For me, the biggest issue was that he didn't get sick the second he walked out of the shelter. Think about it: no immunizations, no resistance to flu or cold, getting exposed to bacteria and viruses that have had 35 years to evolve while the family's defenses haven't. All three should have keeled over within a couple weeks of leaving the shelter.

[–] zombiesushi 16 years ago

Someone mentioned Adams personality, mainly how he can be so charming when hes only had his dad and mom for company, well his mom and dad both taught him to be that way, etiquette, dancing lessons etc. they raised him to be a gentlemen.

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[–] mrsehj-1 16 years ago

The thing that bothers me is the construction company upon seeing the door to the shelter and thinking it a septic tank don't want to fool with it, the man says just build over it, ok, if they build over it and pour a concrete foundation, How do they open the door to the Shelter later when the doors unlock, The foundation would be blocking the door.

[–] scream4056 15 years ago

Didn't the father say something about not being able to use the main doors and being forced to use the elevator he put in as a back-up?

[–] TVholic 11 years ago

They never actually said they were going to pour concrete. He just said "we'll just lay the foundation over it." The malt shop is a small, one-story building, so it wouldn't have needed a heavy foundation. A rubble foundation should be strong enough.

[–] clacton0 11 years ago

He says he has a Water well to.
At the end the dad had stocks to IBM and other well known business and they were million airs LOL
Adam redeveloped the place above and made it look like a 60s home when they came out LOL.

www.youtube.com/eastangliauk

[–] I_have_a_brain_cloud 16 years ago

These are all reasonable questions--and remember, it's a movie, and a comedy, so you can't expect the kind of realism asked for in your questions.

However, bear in mind that his father is a genius, and therefore potentially capable of having thought out and resolved all of the problems you've raised, including quantities of food. After all the Mormons are required to store a year's worth of food. Why not multiply that by 35, provided that the food is all canned, dehydrated, frozen, etc.? And remember, they had a tank where they grew fish, which they ate.

As for viruses--well, who knows what Christopher Walken's character might have been breeding in the lab? He is a genius, anything is possible.

As for Adam's personality--he was a genius/idiot personality type, pure and unfettered by the normal emotional shackles that inhibit people in society. He was like a child, only better, because he was (or is presented as being) emotionally undamaged. He is Adam because he is expected to be just that--a first man, pure and innocent. People naturally gravitated to the purity and ingenuousness of his character.

You--lighten up. You--big trouble. You--get in the car.

[–] TVholic 11 years ago

Aside from the fish, Calvin also had a greenhouse where he was growing potted crops. One brief scene had him showing his wife and son the sprouting plants. In the scene where they're teaching Adam to dance, they're surrounded by tomato plants. I'm sure Calvin was smart enough to figure out how to recycle his family's bathroom waste as fertilizer, as well as composting food waste.

[–] Racerg 12 years ago

I think Adam was too busy looking for supplies and a girlfriend to get sick and nobody coughed or sneezed on him.Maybe the people he shook hands with washed their hands before touching him. He should have gotten sick after he was sitting in the rain.

[–] adam-946 18 years ago

They did find the shelter. Remember the scene where they were digging and found it, and decided it was a septic tank?

[–] LarryBrownHouston 15 years ago

3 squares is a gross over estimation. I don't even eat 3 squares a day. 1.5 squares maybe. They would have rationed and that's not a problem. 3 squares has made us the fattest people on earth.

I like discussing plots holes more than most, but in this case I think paying serious attention to plot holes is misguided. The movie is a charming comedy/romance. What matters is that it entertains us, the plot moves along, and the major messages of the movie are made clear in a delightful way.

[–] Mike1951 13 years ago

Actually, there is a scene where it was found. Workers uncovered it and after some discussion about what it was, the contractor told them to pave over it.

Considering that, I thought it strange that the elevator still worked.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] [email protected] 11 years ago

That I found improbable was the fact that NO ONE found the shelter if it was only a foot or so bellow the surface. Thats insance. No water pipes broke in the vacinity? None at all? I doubt there was more than just the Malt Shop above them - it seemed small. So - the porno shop as well - probably close to the whole "block" of buildings.

It was deep enough to have an elevator, so it wasn't just "a foot or so". It would have been a bloody expensive shelter but I'm willing to let that slide for the sake of the story.

[–] rleonard-10 11 years ago

I think it's funny that plot hole finders keep trying to find holes in a science fiction story.