Second Term Paper: Science Fact or Cinematic
Fiction?
The physics in media entertainment has been done more
inaccurately than people may think. Some movies, television shows, and video
games often seem fake and unbelievable because a lack of physics was applied to
help make environments or character movements convincing. The principle of
action and reaction, for every action force there was an equal reaction force
in the opposite direction, was one of the various physics concepts that have
often been inaccurately demonstrated in the media. The film Space Jam, the video game, Grand Theft Auto III, and the animated
cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants, all
proved that the physics principle of action and reaction has often been
demonstrated inaccurately throughout media entertainment.
The film, Space
Jam had demonstrated that physics of action and reaction could often be
done inaccurately throughout film entertainment. During the movie, Space Jam, Michael Jordan inaccurately
demonstrated action and reaction throughout an overly exaggerated half court
dunk that appeared very unrealistic and unnatural. The action of this cinematic
moment was the successful half court dunk. This action was unrealistic for the
following reasons: humans cannot create enough running force to successfully
make a half court dunk, humans cannot use slow motion for having a jump hang time
of over five seconds, and human anatomy would not allow Jordan’s arm to overstretch
like a rubber band to reach objects that were too far away. The reaction to
Jordan dunk occurred at the same time of the dunk by gravity, and two giant
aliens pulling down on Jordan’s legs to prevent him from dunking the
basketball. Although the reaction force of gravitational pull hardly affected
Jordan’s jump force, this dunk still demonstrated inaccurate physics through the
reaction of the aliens pulling on Jordan’s legs. The giant aliens pulling on
Jordan’s legs made the jump inaccurate because in reality the aliens’ force
would have been greater than Jordan’s jump force and would have made Jordan
fall onto the ground quickly. In reality the aliens’ force would have caused
Jordan to miss his half court dunk. Jordan’s slow motion half court dunk proved
that Space Jam inaccurately demonstrated
the physics of action and reaction because this dunk could never exist in
reality.
The video game, Grand
Theft Auto III also proved that principle of action and reaction was often
shown inaccurately in video games. During Grand
Theft Auto III’s game play inaccurate action and reaction occurred through a
character getting hit by a speeding car and not getting seriously injured. The
action of this car accident was the force of a speeding car driving front on
into a character that was standing innocently in the street. The reaction occurred simultaneously by
the character getting hit by the speeding car, dramatically falling, and not
getting seriously injured. The inertia of the speeding car created a greater
force then the character could handle and launched the character into the car’s
windshield. This action then resulted by the character reacting by falling
several yards into the air for over five seconds until the character finally
hit the ground with no serious injuries.
The car reacted by continuing to drive fast, not stopping, and having no
indents or damages from this car accident. Inaccurate physics occurred during
this action and reaction by the character spending too much time falling in the
air and falling too far away after being hit by the car. In reality the
character that was hit by the car would be in the hospital, the character would
have damaged the car windshield, and the character would have quickly hit the
ground by following a path of action. Here the action of a character being hit
by a car was accurate, but the over exaggerated reaction appeared fake.
The television show, Spongebob Squarepants, proved that the physics of action and
reaction has often appeared inaccurate and fake on television. The character,
Spongebob Squarepants, was able to demonstrate inaccurate action and reaction
by flipping and catching hamburger meat patties with a spatula while cooking
burgers under the ocean. In this situation, Spongebob’s action was picking up a
hamburger meat patty with a spatula and tossing it into the air. The
simultaneous reaction from Spongebob’s action allowed the patty to naturally
and successfully fall back onto Spongebob’s hamburger cooking grill. Although
gravitational pull had very little effect on the hamburger meats’ motion, the
inertia of the meat patty compelled the meat patty to run out of ascending
momentum, and fall back onto the grill after reaching an apex. Spongebob’s hamburger
flipping action and reaction proved that this television show had inaccurate
physics. Since the environment in this show took place under the ocean, in reality
it would be impossible to throw, flip, and catch an object while deep under the
ocean. In reality the ocean water would cause the meat patty to become soggy,
break into pieces, and instantly float to the ocean’s surface. It would be
impossible to cook, throw, and flip hamburger meat under water because the ocean
water’s current would control the action of an object’s motion and the weight
of the object would determine the reaction of it sinking or floating
underwater. Although the action and reaction of flipping hamburger meat was
unconvincing, the humor of cooking food underwater compensates for having
unbelievable physics.
The media has broken the action and reaction
principle with inaccurate physics quite often by exaggerating and creating
motion that does not exist in reality. Since films, video games, and television
shows break the logic of action and reaction, the physics in these sources of entertainment
often appear fake and unconvincing. The film Space Jam, the video game, Grand
Theft Auto III, and the animated cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants, all proved that the physics principle of
action and reaction has often been demonstrated inaccurately throughout media
entertainment. Films, video games and television shows can only get away with
inaccurate action and reaction if the action and reaction was broken for
entertaining the audience and progressing story. Although humorous gags, fun game play, and story can compensate
for having inaccurate physics, cinematic fiction should be based on believable
action and reaction so motion does not appear fake and unconvincing.
