Selected Review
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Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics
Zowie! I gotta love a website that takes a big old schmack at Hollywood's misrepresentation of reality! Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics does just than and then some. This website delivers just what its title promises. They explain the stupidity behind Hollywood movie physics – then set the record straight.
Don't be intimidated here – while these guys are physics geeks enough to give even the tightest of the pock-protector crowd a run for their slide rules – they break things down in easy to understand segments before diving too deeply into the nerd pool. What that means is even non-physics friendlies like you and me are going to fully comprehend the logic to go with their science.
The fun starts with the statement of "Yes, we do have lives and also do enjoy movies. No, we are definitely not "normal" but then we have never met a "normal" person…" and is followed quickly by a top ten list of Generic Bad Movie Physics. These are the physics violations that they find so common place within movie industry they consider them to be "visual clichés". Right at the top of the hit list is Flashing Bullets. While your brain may start to flash & burn trying to understand such statements as KE = ½ mv2 by the time such is presented in the explanation, you too will be enjoying the laughter and have a better understand of how kinetic energy is generated by the mass and velocity of the bullets fired from your average handheld gun. Besides, along the way to the scary math statements, you learn that, "The vast majority of bullets are made of copper-clad lead. They simply don't create bright flashes of light when they strike objects, even if the objects are made of steel". Humm – I found myself doing the, "oh, well duh, I should have known that", self-reflection when reading their explanation. Their clarifications of other such movie phenomena are just as easy to digest. What? You don't quite find vehicles always exploding into flames, breaking glass & outer space explosions with sound all that believable? Well neither do the science nerds here. Not only do they de-bunk those myths, they do it with enough physics prose & wit to quell even the loudest of the "what if" trekkies.
Moving on from their list of visual clichés, Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics delves even further in to exposing Hollywood's faux pas by rating a number of recent movies. Films are rated by their level of good, bad or deplorable physics.
GP = Good physics in general
PGP = Pretty good physics (just enough flaws to be fun)
PGP-13 = Children under 13 might be tricked into thinking the physics
were pretty good; parental guidance is suggested
RP = Retch
XP = Obviously physics from an unknown universe
NR = Unrated. When a movie is obviously a parody, fantasy, cartoon or
is clearly based on a comic book it can't be rated but may still have
some interesting physics worth discussing.
PGP-13] Speed (1994)
[RP] Eraser (1996)
[RP] Independence Day (1996)
[GP] Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
[PGP-13] Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
[PGP] Titanic (1997)
[XP] Armageddon (1998)
[XP] Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace (1999)
[RP] The Matrix (1999)
[RP] The 6th Day (2000)
[PGP-13] Pearl Harbor (2001)
[PGP-13] Swordfish (2001)
[PGP] The Score (2001)
[XP] Planet of the Apes (2001)
[XP] A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
[PGP-13] Collateral Damage (2002)
[NR] Spider-Man (2002)
[PGP-13] The Bourne Identity (2002)
[GP] Road to Perdition (2002)
[RP] Reign of Fire (2002)
[PGP-13] The Sum of All Fears (2002)
[PGP-13] K-19 The Widowmaker (2002)
Each of the movies listed here has a special section detailing why the rating and science behind it. And while yes, it does seem that the more I enjoy a film, the higher the retch level of believability, I find this true of Hollywood style when it comes to many of their depictions. For instance their portrayal of Vampires. If we were portrayed as we really were it would not sell movie tickets!
As Vampires so much of our day to day well being revolves around energy. Physic is one the languages that best interprets its portrayal and gives us a means for a common understanding. While I do not find it necessary to wear a science nerd pocket-protector, I do find that having a better than basic understand of physics & its principals makes understanding myself just a little easier. Insulting Stupid Movie Physics just helps learning & understanding be a bit less painful & a lot more fun.
Veritatem dies aperit.
Reviewed by: LA / nodecaf