These 3 questions were raised by a person who commented on this show in our local newspaper:
1. What happened that made the human race decide to abandon their people and leave them at an underground city in order to protect them?
2. What caused the insects and animals to grow so big? radiation? evolution? hmm
3. How could cans of food last for over a century? (must be some magical preserving chemicals?)
I actually think it had something to do with children. I know in the book it was a nuclear issue, and the size of the animals seems to imply there was some radiation at least, but I don't think it was a full on apocalypse. What I think happened was there was radiation, there wasn't enough children being born (note how at the start, everyone is OLD, and there are notes about 'ensure babies are in provided baskets at all times' 'look after the babies' etc when they come out), and everyone was devestated and depressed and punishing themselves for the radiation. So they decided to let humanity forget.
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I think the reason the animals were so big is that when humans leave the planet, other species take over (namely, bugs and rodents). only one kind of animal can "reign" over the planet at one time -- for example, there were mastodons in north america before humans arrived, but then the humans took over and the really big animals got smaller or died out.
shareI wish they had not created huge insects and animals. THe book didn't have them. I don't expect it to be like the book-- but that just wasn't necessary. I suppose it was so they could have the dramatice "hungry mole" scene.
I wondered how the can would last as well- not just in the movie- but in the book as well! I guess its just one of those things you don't really need to think about too much. Because the idea of an underground city unaware of life aboveground-- really captures the imagination.
1. What happened that made the human race decide to abandon their people and leave them at an underground city in order to protect them?
2. What caused the insects and animals to grow so big? radiation? evolution? hmm
3. How could cans of food last for over a century? (must be some magical preserving chemicals?)
*beep* said-->> According to the story, scientists and engineers responsible for the construction and design of the city, moved there themselves and raised babies to ensure the survival of the species. 'Safeguarding' is a better word. <<
Ahh...So this is the sequel to "Dr. Strangelove". Did you see him among the old people? I always wondered how he and his cohorts made out in their underground "nation".
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1. What happened that made the human race decide to abandon their people and leave them at an underground city in order to protect them?
As has been mantioned, you discover the reason for the building of Ember in the second book, "People of Sparks". It had to do with the impending Disaster, which consisted of four wars and three plagues. The Builders knew that the world was getting dangerous and built Ember as they thought all of mankind would be killed off. They wanted at least some humans to survive.
2. What caused the insects and animals to grow so big? radiation? evolution? hmm
That is unknown. It is not in the book and is scientificlly highly improbable (nearly impossible) that bugs and mammals would grow that big in only 250 years. That kind of mutation takes millions of years usually. The gigantism reminded me of movies from the 50s where nuclear fallout had unintended consequences of causing humans or otehr animals to grow unusually large.
3. How could cans of food last for over a century?
That was one of the first questions I asked. While there are stories of canned foods lasting a hundred years, that is probably rare. Depending on the food, the storage, and the effectiveness of the canning process, it can last a good amount of time, but some foods will start to lose their nutirnets, color, and texture much faster than others.
Being underground, the storage rooms were more than likely cool, dry areas, which is best, but I doubt a lot of the food would have been able to survive for so long completely intact.
Bob
<<That is unknown. It is not in the book and is scientificlly highly improbable (nearly impossible) that bugs and mammals would grow that big in only 250 years. That kind of mutation takes millions of years usually. The gigantism reminded me of movies from the 50s where nuclear fallout had unintended consequences of causing humans or other animals to grow unusually large.>>
There was an article in Scientific American (I think) about 15 years ago that explored the concept of giant insects as portrayed in movies and the conclusion was that insects are small for a reason. There exoskeletons and basic construction could not support the weight they would carry if they were as large as a human, for instance. Plus there brains are developed to just the size necessary for the instinctive behavior they exhibit and a larger brain mass would more than likely lead to (if evolution were the reason for the change) a completely different design path. The concept of animals and insects growing to gigantic proportions due to radiation is a creation of Hollywood and not science or nature.
One possibility is that the food was not in fact canned by the builders, but by earlier, more capable, better equipped generations of Ember residents. Just as they once had phones/answering machines, they might have had a cannery. Just as they once knew how to grow good potatoes, they might have had a pineapple farm years earlier. The food is old, but not 200 years old.
shareIs it known how far in the future the story takes place ?
shareI don't really think you need to know all of this to enjoy the movie. It gives space for imagination. The movie isn't about the disaster that pushed mankind undergroud, it's about 2 people looking for a way out. If you really want to know more I guess you can read the books, or even imagine your own scenario.
As for the insects and the cans, I think the story takes place far, far, far in future, so by then they might have had new chemicals ect, that could have made this possible.
But then again, you do not need to know that to enjoy the movie.
how long were they actually underground? because i thought it took longer than 220ish years to get rid of all of the nuclear fallout and for the world to look like a utopian paradise.
do you like fish sticks?
The nuclear plants would have had meltdowns by the tenth day of non-action by humans after the water boils out of the reactors. In three months time, the rdioactivity is out of the air. The areas would recover within 200 years.
Bob
One could argue how simple overhead lights could sustain a civilization for two hundred years as well. As much as I enjoy arguing aspects of any science fiction movie or TV show you have to allow for a certain degree of suspension of disbelief.
I have not read the Ember books (I plan to now) but I get the feeling that it's in a universe different than our own and that the pre-Ember civilization was slightly more advanced than our own. Consider the fact that there were robots employed to keep the city streets clean. (There's a poster on a city wall stating just that with a picture of robot) Therefore, I don't think it too crazy to assume that there was some kind of super-duper canning process could have been employed to keep food preserved for a long time.
Uhh Bob wrote...The nuclear plants would have had meltdowns by the tenth day of non-action by humans after the water boils out of the reactors.
BLob, you are mis-informed. Those plants are staffed 24/7 -- and they wouldn't "melt down" on their own but shut themselves down.
And puh-leez...radioactivity would not cause enlarged critters anyway.
BTW
I really enjoyed this movie
Why without any light wasn't their skin very very pale and possibly no colour to their hair?
I thought possibly uav bulbs.. ?
It was just something that annoyed me. Some of them looked slightly tanned.