# Favorite "defy-physics" Movie/TV plot hole? (SPOILERS!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893 "2003-05-08T13:45:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/61 "2003-05-09T18:42:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NameAlreadyTaken \* > \*\*Sorry **Jeff** , in case you missed it, in Battlestar Galactica, the term micron is misused to represent time rather than distance. That’s what we are whining… uh, complaining, about. \*\* Ah. **KWM** ’s post was a bit misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/62 "2003-05-09T23:39:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke of Rat \* > \*\*But I think the OP meant stuff like in _Speed_ where the bus jumps the missing section of freeway. In the universe I know, it would have plummeted to the bottom and Sandra Bullock would have been squished. > > But in the altered physics universe Keanu et al occupy, the bus gains altitude, easily clearing the several-bus-length gap. Evil Knevil would be so proud, no ramp, no rockets…just a bus, a gap and…glory. \*\* It’s interesting because if you watch that scene, it’s clear that the bus begins to lose altitude almost immediately after leaving the freeway, but when they cut to the next scene, the bus isfalling forward. Sure guys. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/63 "2003-05-10T02:53:57Z")
Having defended Arnold Schwartzenegger in _Predator_, I will now proceed to bash him for _Commando_. At the end of the movie, Arnie is fighting with Matrix (the boss bad guy) in some kind of utility room. Arnie knocks Matrix into an electrical panel, and Matrix gets shocked. Instead of being stunned or killed, however, Matrix is energized by the jolt and continues the fight with with renewed strength. Apparently, he works like the Delorean in _Back To The Future_. Maybe he’ll travel thru time if he gets struck by lightning? 😉 This movie brings to mind a closely-related group of movie mistakes: The illogical movie/TV plot hole. Arnie breaks into the bad guy’s compund armed with about five different guns: a machine gun, a shotgun, an assaunt rifle, an uzi, and a handgun (IIRC). All of these apparently only have one clip of ammo, since he throws them away as soon as they run out and switches to the next gun. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just take one assault rifle or machine gun and bring a bunch of extra ammo for it? Maybe one of those M16/grenade launcher combo things. And what about a kevlar vest? Why don’t the guys in these movies ever wear any kind of body armor? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/64 "2003-05-10T03:22:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > Why don’t the guys in these movies ever wear any kind of body armor? Robocop does. Speaking of ammo, I’ve wondered why Robo’s custom-made handgun uses a conventional magazine clip that he has to reload. Tricky, since he doesn’t seem to have pockets where he can keep extra mags (though possibly he keeps them in his thighs), nor do his fingers seem dextrous enough to reload his mags. I thought it would make more sense if his right arm had some kind of feeder mechanism built into it so he could store dozens of rounds within his right forearm, and no-one else could use the weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/65 "2003-05-10T05:32:32Z")
Nifty thought, but at that point, you might as well just turn his forearm into a belt-fed chain gun and have done with it, I think. Besides, he needed to be able to swing the thing around before slapping it back into his holster, so his partner would recognize him. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cmonidareya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cmonidareya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmonidareya)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/66 "2003-05-10T13:30:57Z")
Just for those interested, I recommend “The Physics of Star Trek” by Lawrence M. Krauss (a physics professor who is a fan) who attempts to explain which technologies in Star Trek would be possible and why and which would not and why not. And then there’s the sequel “Beyond Star Trek” in which he uses other movies and examples including the aforementioned problems with the large spaceships over cities in Independence Day. I enjoyed these books because he seems to know his stuff but that doesn’t prevent him from enjoying Star Trek (and you can tell he’s an actual fan because he can go into detail about plot points) or other science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/67 "2003-05-10T13:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*Having defended Arnold Schwartzenegger in _Predator_, I will now proceed to bash him for _Commando_. > > At the end of the movie, Arnie is fighting with Matrix (the boss bad guy) in some kind of utility room. Arnie knocks Matrix into an electrical panel, and Matrix gets shocked. Instead of being stunned or killed, however, Matrix is energized by the jolt and continues the fight with with renewed strength. Apparently, he works like the Delorean in _Back To The Future_. Maybe he’ll travel thru time if he gets struck by lightning?\*\* Gotta make a correction: “Matrix” is the last name of Schwarzenegger’s character. The bad guy’s name is “Bennett”. So, y’all want bad physics, I got some bad physics. **Goldeneye**. The opening scene. A plane with no pilot speeds off the end of the runway, over a cliff. James Bond chases the plane on a motorcycle. They both go over the edge at about the same time. Somehow, Bond catches the plane, which is _accelerating downward_ by virtue of its propeller. There would have to be one _very_ generous parabolic arc for him to have even a snowball’s chance of catching up, and needless to say, no such arc was evident. ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/68 "2003-05-10T14:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > **True, a parsec is a measure of distance, not time – in our universe. But Star Wars is specifically set in a universe “Long ago and far away,” so there’s no reason why their unit for time is not a parsec.** Err… In case no one posted this, in _Attack of the Clones_, they correctly use parsec as a unit of distance. I love how Lucas doesn’t give a second thought to continuity. ---
**Author:** ![Dugrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dugrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dugrik)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/69 "2003-05-10T19:29:26Z")
I saw this most recently on an episode of Smallville, but the scenario’s been used in other movies and tv shows: A man will use super-strength to hold a helicopter and prevent it from flying away without anchoring himself to anything on the ground. It’s just him, standing on the ground, holding back the helicopter. The helicopter should just lift him off the ground. Also, on DS9, it always bugged me how they portrayed Odo’s shapeshifting with respect to conservation of mass. I don’t care how talented he was about changing his shape, his mass should remain the same. When he morphed into a tray of glassware, the bearer should have strained himself trying to carry a 175-lb tray. He morphs into a bird and flies about, even though a 175-lb bird with a short wingspan would never get off the ground. And no, he wasn’t just very light – he could tackle and subdue normal humanoids quite handily. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_the_CC)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/70 "2003-05-10T20:29:14Z")
**Chronos** I can’t believe you nitpicked a Ninja Turtles movie. That’s beating a one-armed kid at billiards. Another movie that blatantly throws out the law of conservation of mass is **Honey, I Shrunk the Kids**. After the 4 kids are made tiny, Rick Moranis actually sweeps them up into a garbage bag and carries it out of the house. It’s even stated earlier in the movie that the macine works by reducing the space between the atoms, so we know they should weigh the same. The law is broken all throughout the movie as the kids are able to slide down a blade of grass, sit on flowers, or ride on an ant. ---
**Author:** ![Escapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Escapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Escapee)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/71 "2003-05-10T21:49:38Z")
How about this old gem: In the old Superman T.V. show, the bad guy empties his gun at Supes, while the Man 'o Steel just stands there with his hands on his hips - But when said baddy _throws_ the gun at him, He ducks! Gotta love that one! ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/72 "2003-05-10T22:13:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*How about **Eraser**? I haven’t seen it in a while, but I remember these two: > > 1. Arnold falls a rather large distance out of plane at one point without a parachute and lands on a car. No major injury. > > 2. There is a shoot-out between two people in a hall, on either side of a bulletproof glass wall. Of course the wall stops their bullets from hitting the other guy, but I’ve always thought they’d both be dead from the ricochets. \*\* Not to mention the shoulder-mounted weapon that fires projectiles at half the speed of light. Imagine the recoil on that thing…! ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893/73 "2003-05-10T22:38:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lazlo \* > \*\*Err… In case no one posted this, in _Attack of the Clones_, they correctly use parsec as a unit of distance. > > I love how Lucas doesn’t give a second thought to continuity. \*\* But that just reinforces his explanation that Solo didn’t always know what he was talking about. Y’know, I always thought Chewbacca was the brains of the outfit… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-defy-physics-movie-tv-plot-hole-spoilers/173893.md?page=3)