"Object from Planet X" was the first work in Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy! ※note! Contains spoilers.

“Doubt” that remains stuck in the hearts of the audience

At the climax of the story, McCready and Childs are left alone in the snow after blowing up the base. Even at this point, the two are still haunted by the suspicion that the other person is Object X. However, McCready finally murmurs:

"Well, let's wait. We'll see."

The screen fades out and the movie ends. The life and death of the two people is left ambiguous, and it is not clearly shown whether humanity will be destroyed. There was also an idea that a helicopter would appear to rescue the character at the end, but Carpenter rejected it.

"This movie should end on an ambiguous and dark note."

Carpenter decided to leave a ``thorn'' of doubt in the hearts of the audience. What did he finally say? Isolated human existence opens the door to the end of the world, so is this a Arrival to believe in each other? You won't know the true meaning unless you ask the person in question, but you can imagine it. While ``Revelation'' depicts the end of the world, it also depicts the birth of a new world order. In other words, Carpenter may not have a pessimistic image of the end of the world.

“Object X from the Planet” (c) 1982 UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Kurt Russell, who starred in `` The Planet X ,'' later teamed up with Carpenter again in ` `Escape from LA .'' At the end of the film, the main character Snake, played by Russell, lights a cigarette in the darkness, where civilization has probably collapsed, and murmurs with satisfaction, ``I'm back to being human...''

Carpenter does not hide his ``doubt'' or urge to destroy the society and civilization in which we stand. Maybe he sees some kind of light ahead of him.

``The Planet X'' was released in 1982 and did not perform well at the box office, and was severely criticized by critics. It is said that a major factor was that ET , which was released two weeks ago, was a big hit. Carpenter was devastated and despaired that his career as a film director was over. However, he has continued to make apocalyptic films depicting the end of the world, and continues to express his ``doubts'' about the world.

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``Gekiga The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW) and ``Takeshi's Birth: Master of Oira and Asakusa'' (NHK). Currently, he is planning a documentary about a famous manga artist.

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*Information at the time of article publication in November 2018.