# Science mistakes that ruin films for you (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771 "2005-11-06T07:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/121 "2005-11-09T00:48:54Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > The cut, insulation value, and weave/convective permissivity has far more to do with comfort than the pigmentation. The people who make sweeping statements that black/white/violet with yellow polka dots is more comfortable in the sun are probably the same folks who insist that glass panes are thicker at the bottom because of viscous flow, and who need to pick up a copy of Jearl’s [The Flying Circus of Physics](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047102984X/002-7289523-1251213). _Hey!_ Why, I oughtta… For your information, I know perfectly well that glass panes are actually thicker at the _top,_ due to centrifugal force from the earth’s rotation. I’m not _that_ ignorant. In any case, I was only considering the relative comfort of black versus white clothing where all other factors are equivalent-- so, to take the original example, the mathematician from **Jurassic Park** would in fact actually have been more comfortable in the tropical heat wearing a white shirt and pants rather than black. As far as violet and yellow polka dotted clothing is concerned, I’d guess that the heat wouldn’t be as much a source of discomfort as the cruel laughter of children. Now, of course, I also have to add \*The Flying Circus of Physics \* to my reading list, right under Preston and Child’s _The Ice Limit_. I’m thinking that I’d better not let the two books get close enough to touch one another, or something bad might happen. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/122 "2005-11-09T02:30:24Z")
_28 Days Later_ was in general a pretty decent zombie flick. But the whole premise of it…(spoiler boxes, just in case): You get bitten or somehow infected, and you can immediately feel it ‘in’ you - fine, whatever. Within something like 30 seconds, you’re a full-fledged zombie? I’m no expert, but I am fairly certain that it takes a vrius a little bit longer than that to take over a fully-grown human. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/123 "2005-11-09T05:29:23Z")
You mean to tell me that I’m the first person to mention _10.5_? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/124 "2005-11-09T12:00:15Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I have not seen the '98 Godzilla movie because of one thing I noticed in the previews. This giant lizard is stomping around Manhattan without setting off any car alarms! It also fluctuated in size noticeably throughout the film so as to be convenient to whatever the director wanted a shot to look like or to fit a plot point. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/125 "2005-11-09T12:23:49Z")
> [@](#): > > It also fluctuated in size noticeably throughout the film so as to be convenient to whatever the director wanted a shot to look like or to fit a plot point. This is a reason to be annoyed at a film? It happens _constantly_ in movies. In the original **King Kong** they scaled him up by a factor of 1.5 when he got to New York City, because they thought he looked too small compared to the buildings. and Jessica Rabbit’s hands change size relative to her bust depending upon what they want to emphasize at the time. I really like watching this one, to see if I’ve caught all the nuances. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/126 "2005-11-09T12:30:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This is a reason to be annoyed at a film? In Godzilla I think it was, because it was so blatant. We’re talking the heros escaping form Godzilla into a tunnel at one point in the movie that it can’t fit into, only to have it chase them into another tunnel of the same size later on with no problems. If it wasn’t so blatantely stupid they might get a pass but when it’s that obvious that scale seems to change every scene it’s a real mood breaker. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/127 "2005-11-10T14:29:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > …and Jessica Rabbit’s hands change size relative to her bust depending upon what they want to emphasize at the time. I really like watching this one, to see if I’ve caught all the nuances. Yeah, I don’t mind watching Jessica Rabbit at all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/128 "2005-11-11T02:06:17Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > You mean to tell me that I’m the first person to mention _10.5_? Oh dear, you just HAD to bring it up, didn’t you? JUST when I’d managed to control the frantic eyerolling the first (and only) five minutes I saw of this excrescence you have to bring it back up, and all typos I commit from this point will b e yhour falut because I cn’at see straight enogho to see wha’t I’j tyhpojmg, yosu batsard! ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/129 "2005-11-11T02:19:07Z")
You know, thinking about it… a gigantic machine intelligence that powers itself with the collected electrical impulses of human bodies is actually kind of a stupid idea. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/130 "2005-11-11T03:27:24Z")
To go back to _Armageddon_ for a moment, there were a _number_ of things about that film which bugged the piss out of me: [ul] [li]NASA has a pair of high tech space shuttles they’ve kept hidden. Yet other than looking slightly different than the regular shuttles, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly high tech about them.[/li][li]These high tech shuttles are launched within close proximity of one another, even though the folks at NASA [would have to know this was a really bad idea.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=121372)[/li][li]Adding a Russian cosmonaut to one of the shuttles doesn’t screw up things like air supply, fuel, etc., etc., etc.[/li][li]The debris from an exploding Mir somehow manages to miss both shuttles.[/li][li]NASA scientists can find a “debris field” _behind_ the asteroid, but can’t figure out that a shuttle passing through that debris field would be at risk for damage (and thus **not** have the “astronauts” fully suited up).[/li][li]The rover vehicles can drive at _any_ speed, yet fail to reach escape velocity.[/li][/ul]That’s the short list, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/131 "2005-11-11T04:03:59Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > Hmm… totally off-topic here, but as a resident of Florida (“The Sunshine State\*”–really! Practically no hurricanes this year, honest!\*), I strongly suspect that Staff Report is in fact almost completely wrong. At any rate, my many years of admittedly anecdotal experience with different-colored clothing says otherwise; I’m not sure what qualifies as “loose-fitting clothing,” but I generally wear my T-shirts pretty baggy, and black hots up a lot more than white, breeze or no. Regardless of whether black, fluffed plumage cools birds better or not, I think scaling up the data to apply to humans might well result in one of those “bumblebees can’t fly”-type situations > > I’d also take issue with the contention that arctic animals’ insulation is white for more than just camouflage, although this is no doubt a beneficial side effect in winter. The arctic fox and hare shed off their white fur during the summer months, whereas the Emperor penguin retains its mostly black plumage despite living in the coldest environment on earth, probably because it does not have to fear predation when away from water. It’s true that the polar bear keeps its white color year-round, but my understanding is that their hair structure has quite different insulating properties from other Arctic animals. Penguins have black dorsal plummage because they’re aquatic predators, and it provides countershading. Aqautic predators and prey species are generally countershaded. Examples as extreme as penguins include orcas, who often swim in the same waters, and try to eat them. Much of polar bear fur isn’t so much white as it is transpearant. It’s also a very complex heat traping mechaism. I’m a resident of florida too, and the color of shirt makes pretty little difference to me. White shirts allow more light through, to hit me, and black shirts absorb light, and warm up. I think the straightdope report means “loose” more in the sense of an aba, with a light, breathable, moisture absorbant under layer. The black outgarment should probably be loose and flowing, like an aba for example. [http://www.desertstore.com/products-For-Sale/SA-bst-01.html](http://www.desertstore.com/products-For-Sale/SA-bst-01.html) Oh my word, desert peoples actually have thought of this system! Me, I turn on the AC. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/132 "2005-11-11T04:50:20Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Oh dear, you just HAD to bring it up, didn’t you? JUST when I’d managed to control the frantic eyerolling the first (and only) five minutes I saw of this excrescence you have to bring it back up, and all typos I commit from this point will b e yhour falut because I cn’at see straight enogho to see wha’t I’j tyhpojmg, yosu batsard! I tend to have that effect on people. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/133 "2005-11-11T21:33:50Z")
> [@mk57](#): > > And giving an IV injection to an uncooperative patient is not an easy thing. I like how they give people all those IV injections mainline, rather than actually starting an IV. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/134 "2005-11-19T18:02:55Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > To go back to _Armageddon_ for a moment, there were a _number_ of things about that film which bugged the piss out of me: > [ul] > [li]NASA has a pair of high tech space shuttles they’ve kept hidden. Yet other than looking slightly different than the regular shuttles, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly high tech about them.[/li][li]These high tech shuttles are launched within close proximity of one another, even though the folks at NASA [would have to know this was a really bad idea.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=121372)[/li][li]Adding a Russian cosmonaut to one of the shuttles doesn’t screw up things like air supply, fuel, etc., etc., etc.[/li][li]The debris from an exploding Mir somehow manages to miss both shuttles.[/li][li]NASA scientists can find a “debris field” _behind_ the asteroid, but can’t figure out that a shuttle passing through that debris field would be at risk for damage (and thus **not** have the “astronauts” fully suited up).[/li][li]The rover vehicles can drive at _any_ speed, yet fail to reach escape velocity.[/li][/ul]That’s the short list, BTW. Not to mention the illogical premise. At one point, Billy Bob Thornton, or maybe it was Ben Affleck, asked, “Wouldn’t it be simpler to teach astronauts to drill instead of drillers to be astronauts?” Michael Bay’s reply: “STFU.” ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/135 "2005-11-19T19:47:33Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > You mean to tell me that I’m the first person to mention _10.5_? Run, run! The earthquake is coming! It’s RIGHT BEHIND YOU! RUN FASTER!!! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/136 "2005-11-19T22:52:15Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > _28 Days Later_ was in general a pretty decent zombie flick. But the whole premise of it…(spoiler boxes, just in case): > > You get bitten or somehow infected, and you can immediately feel it ‘in’ you - fine, whatever. Within something like 30 seconds, you’re a full-fledged zombie? I’m no expert, but I am fairly certain that it takes a vrius a little bit longer than that to take over a fully-grown human. Not to mention, at the very start of the movie, the main character (the guy) wakes up on an operating table with no urine or feces on him, and he’s completely fine despite not having had any food or water. Wasn’t he there for 28 days? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/137 "2005-11-19T23:20:53Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Not to mention, at the very start of the movie, the main character (the guy) wakes up on an operating table with no urine or feces on him, and he’s completely fine despite not having had any food or water. Wasn’t he there for 28 days? Well, he’s not exactly completely fine–the first thing he does, after staggering around is suck down several cans of soda. He does have an IV in his arm (presumably saline and electrolytes), and if he’s not eating solids it’s not surprising he hasn’t had a bowl movement. (Urine could have dried.) But yeah, he’s been without supervision for three weeks or more; it’s surprising he can move around at all. And he’s bloody lucky he came acrossed Selena and Mark at the exact time he did; why wouldn’t they be holed up somewhere out of the way instead of wandering the streets? I love the graffiti he sees on the wall of the church, though, at the beginning of the film: The end is _fucking_ nigh! I just think they should have had one of the infected have an astonishing resemblence to [Sandra Bullock](http://imdb.com/title/tt0191754). Stranger ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/138 "2005-11-19T23:36:25Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > The largest nuclear bomb ever constructed (and never detonated at full capacity) was the Tsar Bomba, with a yeild of 100 Megatons. > > The K-T impact was something like 75,000,000-100,000,000 megatons. Shyte . . . we’re woefully under-armed! ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/139 "2005-11-20T01:57:51Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] To go back to _Armageddon_ for a moment, there were a _number_ of things about that film which bugged the piss out of me: [ul] [li]NASA has a pair of high tech space shuttles they’ve kept hidden. Yet other than looking slightly different than the regular shuttles, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly high tech about them.\*\*[/li] I would have to watch it again , but I think the advanced orbiters were actually airforce , not nasa. But beyond a C-130 style cargo ramp , they just looked like they were an evolution in orbiters. Nice how the buggies they used had some sort of mini gun, as part of the complete package. [QUOTE] [li]These high tech shuttles are launched within close proximity of one another, even though the folks at NASA [would have to know this was a really bad idea.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=121372)[/li][/QUOTE] At time when the movie opened , some nasa type said it was no big deal , two ships , launch em both. [QUOTE] [li]Adding a Russian cosmonaut to one of the shuttles doesn’t screw up things like air supply, fuel, etc., etc., etc.[/li][/QUOTE] It was pretty much a sucide mission anyways , one more body might have affected the enviromentals ,but … > [@](#): > > [li]The rover vehicles can drive at _any_ speed, yet fail to reach escape velocity.[/li][/ul]That’s the short list, BTW. I thought those things had attitude jets on the roof of the rover to keep it from taking off . Declan ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771/140 "2005-11-20T02:02:28Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > NASA has a pair of high tech space shuttles they’ve kept hidden. Yet other than looking slightly different than the regular shuttles, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly high tech about them. I would have to watch it again , but I think the advanced orbiters were actually airforce , not nasa. But beyond a C-130 style cargo ramp , they just looked like they were an evolution in orbiters. [QUOTE] [li]These high tech shuttles are launched within close proximity of one another, even though the folks at NASA [would have to know this was a really bad idea.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=121372)[/li][/QUOTE] At time when the movie opened , some nasa type said it was no big deal , two ships , launch em both. [QUOTE] [li]Adding a Russian cosmonaut to one of the shuttles doesn’t screw up things like air supply, fuel, etc., etc., etc.[/li][/QUOTE] It was pretty much a sucide mission anyways , one more body might have affected the enviromentals ,but … > [@](#): > > [li]The rover vehicles can drive at _any_ speed, yet fail to reach escape velocity.[/li][/list]That’s the short list, BTW. I thought those things had attitude jets on the roof of the rover to keep it from taking off . Nice how the buggies they used had some sort of mini gun, as part of the complete package. Declan Better coding on this one , mods can ya delete the other [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-mistakes-that-ruin-films-for-you-open-spoilers/329771.md?page=8)