What are some inaccuracies in movies that bug you?

[minstrelboy]

There's a lot of things in the movies, especially in action movies, that are just not plausible and will always bug the hell out of me:

99% of the time, cars don't explode.

Shooting at a gas tank doesn't cause an explosion, unless you're using tracer rounds - and then only maybe. Bullets are lead. Lead doesn't spark. And sparks don't always guarantee ignition - you need enough confined vapors to make it ignite.

Hitting someone on the head doesn't knock them unconscious. If you hit them hard enough, they can receive a concussion, or even die from blunt force trauma. But how many times do you see someone hit over the head and knocked out, and then just wake up fine? In the movies - all the time. In real life? Never.

Likewise, blood doesn't come from a wound the second it is made. And not all bullet wounds would cause a victim to cough up blood.

Ordinary fragmentation grenades do not explode in a giant flaming fireball. They explosion is generally small, and only consists of some sparks, flying shrapnel, and any dirt, dust or other debris kicked up by the explsion. Unless there are secondary explosives ready to go off next to the grenade.

I hate when there is a big explosion, they show a sequence of the same explosion from different angles.

In real life, people usually don't die the instant they're shot or stabbed. Even people who receive head shots live for a while after, albeit they're probably not going to continue to move about much during that time. But in a lot of movies (unless it's relevant to the emotional trajectory of the story), people get shot by random gunfire and drop dead. Okay, maybe they got hit in the heart. You're done then. But how about when someone is stabbed in the gut, and then grimace in pain, and then fall over dead? Not likely. They're going to bleed out long and painfully.

Also, a bullet hitting a human does not throw them back off their feet. Maybe if the bullet had a broader impact zone - say, the size of a cinder block - then it might. But a bullet hitting flesh, even a large claiber round, still goes through as best it can, which means there will be evidence of blunt force trauma (such as hitting bone), but a far less display that usaully is shown in cinema.

In movies, the "good guys" always have an over emotional scene when one of their own die. The "bad guys" don't even blink as their own are gunned down right in front of them - they just keep coming, charging headlong into the bullets, without a single thought of their own personal safety. It's just not the way it happens. Even the bad guys have internal thoughts, and can loose their cool under fire.

I hate over the top villains. But that's just a personal thing. There are enough of those throughout history and into today.

Being right next to an explosion scrambles your brain. A lot of studies are being done on veterans who have received concussions from this. Usually, the short term effects go away after a while (blurred vision, tinitus, loss of taste or smell), but nobody really knows what the long term effects are yet. But squatting down as an explosion goes off, and then getting up and walking away perfectly fine is not how it happens.

The same with gunfire - without proper hearing protection, and after firing off several clips of ammunition in confined quarters, you won't be able to hear a truck pull up behind you, let alone a stealthy assassin.

Also with gunfire, there's no need to randomly shoot on full-auto. Unless you're laying down supressing fire, it's just a waste of ammo. And they never need to reload.

And in military films, if you've spent any time around or in the military, you can always point out stuff that is wrong. And it's usually small stuff - like the proper wearing of rank, or the types of weapons used. Do some research.

In sci-fi, there is no sound in space. Sure, for fantasy purposes, I'll let it slide and suspend my disbelief. But to keep sci-fi plausible, there is no sound in a vaccuum. Ditto with being able to fly through space like there's an atmosphere and gravity working out there. There isn't. You need to use attitude adjuster nozzles placed all over the ship to have it make any sort of maneuvers.

Some people will argue these things are devices to keep the story moving without distraction. I say it robs the film of any credibility, while glamorizing violence, giving it cartoon-like qualities that some people no doubt take at face value. I know a lot of people that think all of the stuff on shows like CSI are the way it's done.

Anything I miss?

[Cavbeast]

Do you go to orphanages and explain to the kid how there's no such thing as Santa?

Actually you covered most of my pet peeves in a very detailed way and it just depends how much I'm into the movie that I'll be forgiving case in point, turbo boosts on vehiciles that leap you over cars so you don't harm innocent bystanders. Last time I checked that involved complicated physics, thrust and boost otherwise straight line baby.

[minstrelboy]

I agree that with certain kinds of movies, I can give them leeway, especially if they take place in alternate realities. I'm more pointing my finger at action movies, war movies or any other type of film that exists within the world the rest of us live in.

And what do you mean "there's no such thing as Santa?"

[Cavbeast]

Originally Posted by minstrelboy

And what do you mean "there's no such thing as Santa?"

I don't know, just something I read between Shadowcat and Emma Frost.

[crock master]

the transformers movie i feel resembled the t1000 memory metal. basically if all the transformers wanted to be the same car they could.the movie should have taken place in the 80's with old ass cars and funny haircuts.also they should have left out any govrnment forces and the war

[Cobra88]

"RELOADING" no one seems to have to reload the guns in movies!!!!!!!!!! or when there pistol only holds 12 bullets but yet they shoot off 25 rounds "and still dont reload!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that always gets me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[butter_the_pure]

Originally Posted by crock master

...the movie should have taken place in the 80's with old ass cars and funny haircuts.

YES! I wanted the G.I.Joe movie to take place in the 80's, but noo it's in da future, how original. lame.

[darth_henning]

I'm willing to forgive the construction of ships in Sci-fi, because the average person doesn't understand how these things work (and because they may have technology we don't have yet). Again, I'm willing to forgive the sounds in space thing through the simple solution that inside ships they have sound simulators to provide another sensory element to the people aboard.

However, all the other comments made are perfectly true, and very annoying.

[LaDracul]

Somehow, the ones that are in TV shows bug me the most.

Like on "Family Guy"...why is Lois advocating condom use in one episode when she said that a broken condom resulted in Chris being conceived and a lawsuit in which they won enough money to buy their house? Yeesh.

[Barefoot Jedi]

Ummm...pretty much EVERY component of the romantic comedy genre. I think there's more fantasy in those films than in actual fantasy and science fiction films.