do you think this would be a clever or ridicules premise for a sci-fi film?

[slimjim]

perhaps about three or four times a year I have really bizarre/fantastical but very coherent dreams, some time last summer I dreamed that I was a 1930s archaeologist who comes into possession of a supposed map leading to a tropical paradise in the Arctic circle populated by the inhabitance of an Islamic civilisation descended from the crew of a ship blown of course during a diplomatic mission to England during the crusades. Eventually I follow the map and find this civilisation not only exists but has become a very technologically advanced civilisation and live in cities that look like a cross between Alderaan and Agrabah
when I woke up I told my self that that would be a brilliant premise for an Indian jones style adventure movie

[Ukko]

It makes no sense.

[The Urban Spaceman]

In essence, what you have is not a premise for a film, but a setting/location/period for a film. Any form of media requires far more than this. It needs an actual story, a real plot, with definable characters. Dialogue would help too. Why don't you try thinking about it for a while and see what you come up with? Invent characters, give them personalities and backgrounds. Make notes as you go along. Then when you have enough, start writing out a rough outline for a story, adding more detail as you go along. Then try writing more in-depth; there are many free web-hosts out there, for aspiring authors.

Of course, if you have no desire to write, ignore my post.

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

It makes no sense.

That. Why is there a tropical paradise in the article circle? That's totally impossible. why were a group of Muslims on a diplomatic mission to England in the crusades, when both sides hated each other? Further the only Crusades England was more than peripherally involved in was the 3rd and 9th crusades. And if there needed to be diplomacy then, they wouldn't need to go to England, since Kings and Princes led the crusades themselves. How does the ship manage to get from near England to the Arctic circle? They aren't right next to each other. Further even if they did get that far, how did they manage to survive and not freeze or starve to death in the long voyage it would take? Also why haven't they been discovered sooner, Arctic exploration has been going on since the Middle Ages, by the 1930's someone would have noticed cities in the arctic circle.

Basically as a story it's got more holes than swiss cheese, and while audiences must often willingly suspend disbelief somewhat to make stories work, if you take it too far as in this case, it just comes off as silly.

[The Urban Spaceman]

That. Why is there a tropical paradise in the article circle?

Actually, that part is lifted right out of the X-Men. The place is called "The Savage Land".

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Land

So I guess, slimjim, even if you could get your idea to fly, Marvel would sue the pants off you before it could lift off the ground.

[Ukko]

That. Why is there a tropical paradise in the article circle? That's totally impossible. why were a group of Muslims on a diplomatic mission to England in the crusades, when both sides hated each other? Further the only Crusades England was more than peripherally involved in was the 3rd and 9th crusades. And if there needed to be diplomacy then, they wouldn't need to go to England, since Kings and Princes led the crusades themselves. How does the ship manage to get from near England to the Arctic circle? They aren't right next to each other. Further even if they did get that far, how did they manage to survive and not freeze or starve to death in the long voyage it would take? Also why haven't they been discovered sooner, Arctic exploration has been going on since the Middle Ages, by the 1930's someone would have noticed cities in the arctic circle.

Basically as a story it's got more holes than swiss cheese, and while audiences must often willingly suspend disbelief somewhat to make stories work, if you take it too far as in this case, it just comes off as silly.

Also, you kind of need land for a tropical paradise where cities can be built. Unless they settled in Greenland, Canada, Svalbard or Scandinavia, there wouldnt be any land. The Arctic is just ice, i believe (correct if wrong). Antarctica is the bit with land.
I doubt the folks on the ship (note, not an ice breaker) would have enough food to survive the long journey and, as M6 said, they would freeze to death (peaple dont realize just how cold the arctic is). One would also need to bypass (unless its where they landed) The Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Scandinavia, otherwise they would have either settled there, or bought supplies and headed back.

If its fantasy, then fine. go nuts. You could have a tropical island floating above the Arctic.

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

Actually, that part is lifted right out of the X-Men. The place is called "The Savage Land".

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Land

So I guess, slimjim, even if you could get your idea to fly, Marvel would sue the pants off you before it could lift off the ground.

The Wikipedia article says Antarctic actually. And it also says something about aliens setting it up as a tropical game preserve with technology. Which makes more sense than random tropical land in the Arctic, and the Antarctic was not explored as rapidly, and is a favourite for writers who want hidden lands, such as H.P Lovecraft. Even today much of it is still quite unknown to us. In comparison, the Arctic circle is surrounded by areas that have all been inhabited in one form or another since the Middle Ages and was heavily explored. And as Ukko points out most of it is ice, not land.

[The Urban Spaceman]

The Arctic is just ice, i believe (correct if wrong). Antarctica is the bit with land.

That's correct.

I think it far more likely that people would find a "hidden" refuge in the arctic circle by crossing glaciers during glacial periods. Then during the inter-glacials, when the ice bridges retreat it could potentially leave the refugees stranded. But I don't see how they could have remained undiscovered all this time (unless it's alternate reality). Nor do I understand what Arabs or Indians or whoever else would have been doing so far from home. Unless they got massively lost on the channel crossing between England and France of course.

The Wikipedia article says Antarctic actually.

Yes, I'm quite familiar with this particular X-men arc. Marvel, on the other hand, are unlikely to show leniency just because somebody's tropical island paradise is located in one icy area rather than another. They are not particularly famed for their clemency where their artistic rights are concerned.

And it also says something about aliens setting it up as a tropical game preserve with technology. Which makes more sense than random tropical land in the Arctic,

They did that, yes. But if you're suggesting slimjim should use this idea just because it makes more sense than his wacky dream, I think he should not be encouraged to do so.

[Ukko]

That's correct.

I think it far more likely that people would find a "hidden" refuge in the arctic circle by crossing glaciers during glacial periods. Then during the inter-glacials, when the ice bridges retreat it could potentially leave the refugees stranded. But I don't see how they could have remained undiscovered all this time (unless it's alternate reality). Nor do I understand what Arabs or Indians or whoever else would have been doing so far from home. Unless they got massively lost on the channel crossing between England and France of course.

Massively lost? Thats an understatement. Mr. Bean couldnt get their ship that lost.

[The Urban Spaceman]

Maybe they had a woman navigating.

*ducks behind the nearest large object to avoid the fall-out*

[knowles2]

Muslims could have been on a trading mission or perhaps a mission to destabilise the English in the hopes of creating a second front in the crusades. May be they thought they could convert us.

Perhaps these were scholars running away from there homeland because they felt there knowledge was being abuse or was about to. This perhaps could be the hook that made them so advance.

Put it somewhere where there is land, Greenland or Iceland, somewhere remote in Canada, then you need a reason why they have not been found, invisibility cloaked, high level influence subverting knowledge of there existence among government. May be that the bigger story, someone uncover a high level manipulation of society and in exploring this, they find it leads to this civilisation in the Artic.

You need a way for them to survive, some sought of underground cavern heated through geo thermal energy, a bit clinche, perhaps a crash space, or ancient artefact, some sought of mineral that naturally generate large amounts of heat.

Well that enough of me writing the story for you, I got my own novel to get back to.

[Ukko]

Put it somewhere where there is land, Greenland or Iceland, somewhere remote in Canada, then you need a reason why they have not been found, invisibility cloaked, high level influence subverting knowledge of there existence among government. May be that the bigger story, someone uncover a high level manipulation of society and in exploring this, they find it leads to this civilisation in the Artic.

They would still freeze to death. Unless they brought food, other provisions such as the right clothing, equipment and people who knew what they were doing in Arctic conditions for extended periods of time, they would die. People dont seem to realise just how cold and inhospitable the Arctic can be. Its tough enough for those who have been there for a thousand years or more.

[slimjim]

it's annoying me somewhat that people seem to be annoyed with me about how implausible they think this scenario is, when it's just something that came into my head in the middle of the night rather then something I deliberately thought up without doing any research

[Ukko]

Dude, people are just discussing it.

[knowles2]

They would still freeze to death. Unless they brought food, other provisions such as the right clothing, equipment and people who knew what they were doing in Arctic conditions for extended periods of time, they would die. People dont seem to realise just how cold and inhospitable the Arctic can be. Its tough enough for those who have been there for a thousand years or more.

That why you need to give them something to help them survive. Some ex deus machine which solves those problems or at least some of them. If you read all of my last post who would have read some ideas on what could give them that leg up. I am sure a creative writer could think up even more ways it could be done.

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

It makes no sense.

[The Urban Spaceman]

it's annoying me somewhat that people seem to be annoyed with me about how implausible they think this scenario is, when it's just something that came into my head in the middle of the night rather then something I deliberately thought up without doing any research

Well, you did ask for opinions.

[blueray]

i once had a dream that the main character (who wasn't me) had the ability to change choices that she made (like if she regretted not going to a party she could go back and time and make a different decision). as the dream progressed it turned out other people could do it too, and there was a whole secret society time thing (kind of like the wizarding world).

[rlr149]

wait....

hold on.....

i think i may have this....

travelers on their way to wherever get blown off course to antarctica, as has been said its very cold in antartica but through a fortunate set of events they arrive at..... lets call it a device..... maybe a ring, obviously rings spin so they spin it and it activates something like ..... a pool of water with a big stone thrown in...... but, and get this bit..... ITS A VERTICLE POOL!!!....... how cool is that!! anyway it turns out that you can walk through this 'pool' and the protagonists do, almost instantly being 'transported' too a tropical paradise with all kinds of wonderful/interesting advanced and ancient technologies.

still with me? i hope so because if you remember i said the device was a 'ring'...... and you can spin it in different ways....... AND IT TAKES YOU TO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES!!!

i think it could make quite a good tv series.... surprised no ones thought of it.

[Gollumpus]

perhaps about three or four times a year I have really bizarre/fantastical but very coherent dreams, some time last summer I dreamed that I was a 1930s archaeologist who comes into possession of a supposed map leading to a tropical paradise in the Arctic circle populated by the inhabitance of an Islamic civilisation descended from the crew of a ship blown of course during a diplomatic mission to England during the crusades. Eventually I follow the map and find this civilisation not only exists but has become a very technologically advanced civilisation and live in cities that look like a cross between Alderaan and Agrabah
when I woke up I told my self that that would be a brilliant premise for an Indian jones style adventure movie

Edgar Rice Burroughs was doing this sort of thing about a century ago...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lan...ot_%28novel%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peo...ot_%28novel%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_...2%80%99s_Abyss

However, you could incorporate this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_Reis_map

regards,
G.