Heat/Death Ray and the clothes

[Peter]

How come the heat ray only exploded people, buildings and bridges yet left the clothes?

Is it a different ray that hits the buildings and bridges than the one that hits the people?

[tripod58]

peteruk said:

How come the heat ray only exploded people, buildings and bridges yet left the clothes?

Is it a different ray that hits the buildings and bridges than the one that hits the people?

1: I don't know.

2:Yes, it made a different sound.

[jeffwaynefan]

I think it was Dennis Murren who said that the Heat Ray in the film vaporises living particals hence the cloths remaining. But for the buildings and bridges, not too sure. Maybe they have a knob they turn that says "Small bang, big bang, huge bang, bloody big bang, hollywood style bang"

[Poyks]

Don't forget the "ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzztt" button! ;D

[ArmoredTrackLayer]

It said in a SFX article that the ray absorbed all moisture from the human body, leaving only the clothes and dust afterwards

[RustiSwordz]

better get the 'shake n vac' out then...

[<[Iron Man]>]

jeffwaynefan said:

I think it was Dennis Murren who said that the Heat Ray in the film vaporises living particals hence the cloths remaining. But for the buildings and bridges, not too sure. Maybe they have a knob they turn that says "Small bang, big bang, huge bang, bloody big bang, hollywood style bang"

Perhaps they had a 'ACME' button too eh

I did post an excerpt ages ago from an interview with Dennis Murren although i can't find it! So here's what he said in the August issue of 'Empire' film magazine.

"Q: The Superbowl trailer suggests that there are no lasers?

A: That's part of the updating. What would the aliens do today if they had that power beyond what they could have back then? There's now so much more. There's actually two or three different types of weaponry they use. None of them are actually lasers, but depending on the purpose they use different weapons. There's something akin to a 'super-annihiliator', and other things which i can't discuss until you've seen the movie!"

Clearly if the 'Heat Ray' we see in the film only fries organic matter. Then they'd need something else to take out solid matter such as bridges, buildings, vehicles etc.

[Topaz]

Clearly if the 'Heat Ray' we see in the film only fries organic matter. Then they'd need something else to take out solid matter such as bridges, buildings, vehicles etc.

Apparently everyone's wearing synthetics, then. Cotton and wool are organic.

Or perhaps Hollywood didn't think the 'Heat Ray' through very well?

[lonechild1]

Am I the only person that noticed that the tri-pod's "heat ray" didn't vaporise any of the buildings, or for that matter, anything that wasn't a living organism? it just tossed everything around and made a mess. So my point of view is that is vaporizes only living organisms and leaves the rest behind. As for the clothing, they don't exactly come out in one piece, they get tossed around and damaged just like the buildings. they just don't vaporize.. or whatever it is you want to call it! oh and as for the clothing, well... sorry to kill that theory but, cotton and wool is organic, but they are dead cells, just like human hair... but then I guess we'd have to explain why the hair didn't fly off the people who got vaporized heh! I guess I got myself stuck on that one!

[lonechild1]

I also noticed the Aliens attitude, in that they didn't seem to care much about the buildings or anything of the sort... they just wanted to get the people inside. other than that, there is no reason to destroy any of the infrastructure, it poses no threat to the aliens or they're invasion. they wanted to exterminate the human race. they created the perfect weapon to do so without destroying everything that they might of needed or wanted to examine after taking over the planet. call me crazy, but, if I wanted to take over a planet and had the technology to do so, I'd create a weapon that would destroy the enemy and keep the rest as a trophy!

[Moorkey]

Further to your infrastructure point:

Any invading army throughout history (Romans, Greeks, Germans, British, American) have had Three Aims:

1- Neutralize the enemy quickly.

2- In the case of 1 being unlikely or impossible, limit their ability to rapidly regroup, redeploy, or rorganise by destroying bridges, transportation, and roads/Railways (and Locomotives.)

3- With as little material expenditure as possible, set up command/control infrastructure, where possible, using existing buildings in locations that are easily defensible (example, Bunkers, Basements, areas of good defilade ((a depression where the enemy will be silhouetted before an effective line-of-sight engagement can be effected by the enemy)))

In my opinion, each ray has two settings to go with these tactics.

1- Anti-personnell- A microwave-basd emission that basically flash-boils all of the moisture in a living thing.

2- The classic Heat Ray. An emmission of enormous power that, on contact, superheats matter to the point of fracture. (for Structural/vehicular damage)

The use of 2 on targets intended for 1 would be, again, instant atomisation. The use of 1 in situations where 2's intended targets are a factor would destroy living matter, with minimal damage to the vehicle/building (bar where water is present).

So in short, in their first wave, they would attempt to vaporise every living thing that dare show itself. This, by sheer numerical quantity, is impossible. Then the second wave begins. They start to tear down bridges, destroy aircraft, trains, roads, boats, any means of rapid mass transportation. Thirdly, they start to 'set up shop'. They secure a (poorly researched) food source, and water supply, investigate buildings for ComCon purposes, and continue the subjugation of the host population.

(PS. Yes, I do know that the Romans or Greeks didn't have railways.)

[Rocka]

I thought the whole point of the movie was that you were never too sure of what the aliens true intentions were. That the facts were presented as they happened to our main character, and the audience was left to make up their own minds as to what they'd seen/ what the motives were, etc.
I personally thought that they had a number of different weapons; the ZZaap! People Disintegrator, The Mega-Destructo-thingyter-Beam, etc. Each one just pretty much means we're scuppered!

[sunnyrabbiera]

the magic powder ray is one of the biggest flaws of the film...
I perfer the 1953 heat rayt because.... well it actually did heat things up...

[<[Iron Man]>]

topaz said:

Clearly if the 'Heat Ray' we see in the film only fries organic matter. Then they'd need something else to take out solid matter such as bridges, buildings, vehicles etc.

Apparently everyone's wearing synthetics, then. Cotton and wool are organic.

Or perhaps Hollywood didn't think the 'Heat Ray' through very well?

Missed another one.

Then it would be living organic material. All we know is the human body gets vapourised, but the clothes are untouched. So i guess you better ask David Koepp on that one. Anyway the tripods used a different kind of weapon for buildings, bridges etc.