The Portal : Capa Did Not Die!

[tocwa]

I believe that Capa did not die as probably everyone believes. The other crewmembers had endured conditions which resulted in their demise, however Capa had not. He was surrounded by the light and heat of the Sun, yet did not die. The combination of the Sun with the Bomb created a flux in space, a portal, which opened up and drew Capa inside. He of course believed he was about to die and so accepted his fate with a smile, content in the knowledge his efforts saved the Earth from destruction. He himself said the Bomb would create a black hole ("a star within a star") and black holes are portals into another universe, drawing energy/matter through them. Normally they would crush and elongate this matter however this "black hole" Capa had created was special. It was incredibly stable and maintained itself through the energy release of the Bomb. Capa was drawn into another dimension..

[vichar]

While I am fond of your interpretation of what happened, the scientist in me is skeptical. We really do live on the finest edge of survival--think about how even minute changes in cosmic conditions would probably wipe us out of existence.

Human beings can't survive simple chemical reactions like boiling water. Anything more significant--like the creation of a black hole, probably would have instantly killed Capa. Even if a portal to another universe was created, it is unlikely Capa would have survived the process.

Now, as to whether death itself is the end of Capa's existence, I leave to another discussion.

[tocwa]

I agree with your observation, based as it was on a normal black hole. However, I stated it was a "special" one, created as a reaction of the Sun coming into contact with the ignition of Capa's bomb, coupled with the fact that a Q-ball was germinating inside our dying star. It caused a confluence of chemical reactions to be sure but also something far more spectacular. It literally tore a hole into another universe..it was this hole that Capa passed through. He believed he was about to die and if you observe from the final moments he experienced on-screen, he did not immolate, nor boil but basked in the energy of the Sun..he literally placed his hand inside it and saw his flesh glow semi-translucent. As you say, it was "unlikely" that he would have survived..under normal conditions, he would never have gotten anywhere near the Sun. He was already inside it..the cube passed through the outer layer as it fell close enough for the bomb to be detonated. These were not normal conditions..Capa did not die~

[sonnenwind]

Oct 1, 2010 14:16:19 GMT -5 tocwa said:

He himself said the Bomb would create a black hole ("a star within a star") and black holes are portals into another universe, drawing energy/matter through them.

He never said the bomb would create a black hole. "A star within a star" is not a black hole. The claim that black holes are portals into another universe is a speculative hypothesis.

[tocwa]

Speculative hypothesis or not, the events in the film went beyond normal physics. As an example, Pinbacker should have died from his severe burns due to horrendous exposure to the Sun, yet he did not. He had super-human strength, which was just plain bizarre..as shown when he lifted Capa in the air with one arm. Partially based on that divergent example of supra-normal physics at work, I believe that the conditions inside the cube and the internal action of the stellar bomb generated a specialized effect..in other words, a portal.

[kaliszewski]

But if we were to ask the "experts," certain folks who were close to the production who, unfortunately, don't post much around here any more, they would tell you that that moment at which Capa is "stroking" the sunlight takes place in about a millionth of a second... (i.e., he is burned up: we're just seeing the slow-mo beginning of it)...

... which, to me, never made any damn sense, as Capa's hand is moving in "real time," and his name ain't Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash.

Be that as it may: Unless someone has some real old-school, hardcore Heinlein/Clark/Asimov/Delaney sci-fi aspirations here, wouldn't he just be better off dead...? So he enters some sort of "portal"; maybe he's whisked (or scattered) off to exist on some different quantum plane: he's still ninety million miles from home, he's all alone (unless Dr. Manhattan stops by for a visit), and he's likely unable to communicate with anyone. A lonely, one-of-a-kind quantum ghost...? Paging J.G. Ballard...! I say let the kid die... or add a few I.Q. points to the original script (less bickering, more discipline, more drama from the environment itself and not from death for death's sake-- death and drama aren't necessarily synonymous, Mr. Garland!), and let's give a few of 'em the chance to head home.