BBC Focus Magazine

[Colm]

Thought I'd post this link just in case anyone doesn't know about it already... interesting site, reviews films from the point of view of the physics used within them

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

[M Paul Lloyd]

A useful volume, although I assume they want money for it??

[Merlo]

play katamari damacy and you realise just how far physics can be pushed in the make-believe. Although at least, it doesn't try to be real. film wise, it's things like die hard 4.0 that annoy me most.

[Colm]

A useful volume, although I assume they want money for it??

Heh, I was talking about the website! I never even noticed there was a book for sale!!! Until I went back to check what you were talking about...

[worldmaker]

...it's things like die hard 4.0 that annoy me most.

Fat computer geeks, why is it always fat computer geeks!?
It started with "Jurassic Park", went through "Transformers", and "Die Hard 4.0" to name but three of untold lots of Hollywood stereotypes.
Delete them all!

(note to self - go on diet)

[M Paul Lloyd]

A useful volume, although I assume they want money for it??

Heh, I was talking about the website! I never even noticed there was a book for sale!!! Until I went back to check what you were talking about...

Ah I'm good at spotting things like that.

[Shadowwolf]

In certain movies defence, we don't exactly expect any particular adherence to strict real world physics

[M Paul Lloyd]

I think the phrase 'suspension of belief' is appropriate here?

Also we have to accept that some science fiction may actually occupy a different dimensional universe to our own??

Try to imagine, for example, a universe where magic is possible and what we might consider 'normal' physics simply doesn't apply.

[Colm]

Except, of course, when they try to use "real-world" physics to justify something or at a pivotal point in the movie, and elsewhere ignore it completely.

[M Paul Lloyd]

You make a good point Colm.... 'The Core' comes to mind....

[conduit]

I think the phrase 'suspension of belief' is appropriate here?

Also we have to accept that some science fiction may actually occupy a different dimensional universe to our own??

Try to imagine, for example, a universe where magic is possible and what we might consider 'normal' physics simply doesn't apply.

The Matrix anyone?

all those disaster movies are quite funny really, like The Core, The Day After Tomorrow, etc, all that psuedo-scientific hollywood adventure stuff. its all bollocks. but funny.

[Shadowwolf]

And can often be entertaining, which is the point really.

[M Paul Lloyd]

So some of us at least are reasonably happy to accept 'bad' science if it is entertaining, which I guess depends on our individual taste really. Such as an alien creature growing from the size of a small cat to tower over its hapless human prey in a matter of hours, as in 'Alien' etal, it is after all a fictional tale of space monsters etc.

On the other hand we are perhaps less willing to accept 'bad' science if it is intended to mislead. Such as 'An Inconvenient Truth' which was not only hopelessly inaccurate but also proposed as a factual document rather than fictional and needlessly scared an awful lot of people?

[nemisis39]

On the other hand we are perhaps less willing to accept 'bad' science if it is intended to mislead. Such as 'An Inconvenient Truth' which was not only hopelessly inaccurate but also proposed as a factual document rather than fictional and needlessly scared an awful lot of people?

The film didnt scare me but Al Gore sure did

[The Beige Avenger]

It's cool sometimes when the science is there too... I was disappointed in the recent star trek movie's black-hole science (apart from it being a kick-ass movie!)

Die Hard 4.0 was also extremely awesome.

I think I'm in favour of completely bastardising anything so long as the movie makes up for it in awesome.

It's movies that seem to be trying to 'educate' with piss-poor science there... those are the kind that really get on my bristols.

PS another vote for the core to be put in room 101.

I find that a lot of disaster movies are ruined by pointless sentimental bits of terrible acting!! Just die and give me explosions

[M Paul Lloyd]

Yes Awesomeness is an important factor, along with the all important 'secret ingredient' of course.

[Colm]

I think the main problem is knowledge!

If you know something is blatantly obviously wrong, it's as bad as a plot hole. Many people would be annoyed with a movie if the hero escaped through some ridiculously outrageous means, like he jumped out of the plane at 33,000' , landed safely on the ground and walked home. Or if he was riddled with bulllets but still walked away unharmed. Because they know that just can't happen.

So I suppose I, (unless it's some kind of horror or fantasy or comedy where the ridiculous is sometimes possible) with my interest in physics get annoyed for the same reason when someone, say, gets their head put through a plate glass window without a scratch, or blows up a car with a pistol.

[M Paul Lloyd]

I'm thinking of a few Vampire films where such things happen on a regular basis Colm. Lol.

Anyway here's one to put a spanner in the works.
Shooting tyres with a handgun, apparently it doesn't work.

My eldest did a course when he was with the MoD so this is horses mouth stuff not some second hand thing I overheard down the pub. Thing is no matter how hard you try a fully inflated car tyre cannot be punctured by even a heavy calibre, long cartridge, magnum round, they just bounce off, indeed you are more likely to do yourself or other onlookers more serious harm than the tyre.

I'm not suggesting that the tyres internal structure will not be severely compromised but the idea that a Wiley cop can reduce a Firestone to shreds with his trusty 38 is pure fantasy.

[Merlo]

I think a movie becomes "awesome" when... well you know it when you see it. But a film that takes itself too seriously is NEVER awesome, you know they know that everything is wrong with the physics but you couldn't care less and are willing to make an exception based on what you're seeing. I once watched an anime with theoretical physics as the main plot device. it was really good actually, but every so often they would try and include a complex physics term and get it wrong. This made me writhe. the only bad part of a very good show. for those interested it was called noein.

[The Beige Avenger]

I'm thinking of a few Vampire films where such things happen on a regular basis Colm. Lol.

Anyway here's one to put a spanner in the works.
Shooting tyres with a handgun, apparently it doesn't work.

My eldest did a course when he was with the MoD so this is horses mouth stuff not some second hand thing I overheard down the pub. Thing is no matter how hard you try a fully inflated car tyre cannot be punctured by even a heavy calibre, long cartridge, magnum round, they just bounce off, indeed you are more likely to do yourself or other onlookers more serious harm than the tyre.

I'm not suggesting that the tyres internal structure will not be severely compromised but the idea that a Wiley cop can reduce a Firestone to shreds with his trusty 38 is pure fantasy.

But you see American police shooting the tires in the police chase programmes...