Introduction
Everyone knows that Hollywood bends the rules of reality to bring stories to the big screen.
Even movies based on true events fudge things up a bit.
It’s called artistic license, and many viewers accept it as part of the film industry.
The problem is when the “truths” movies present are so prevalent, they become accepted
as actual fact.
People have a misconstrued vision of how society operates because of movies, and they may be
surprised to learn how much films get wrong.
Here are 10 movie myths you probably still believe.
Laser Blasts Are Visible
A staple of any sci-fi film, laser guns are the go-to weapons for the characters.
They look cool and don’t require ammunition reloads, but there’s one issue.
The laser blasts are visible.
If laser guns were every created in the real-world, people wouldn’t be able to see the blasts.
Beams need something to reflect on to be seen.
In addition, invisible laser blasts would be more powerful, since visible beams scatter
photons, making it less potent.
This would certainly make all the fun Star Wars dogfights a little less exciting.
Thankfully, it’s simply science fiction.
Cops Have to Read Miranda Rights
If you’ve seen any cop TV show or film, chances are you’re familiar with the Miranda
rights.
Beginning with the famous line “You have the right to remain silent,” police officers
say this upon arresting a suspect before bringing them in.
If they forget to read the rights – as shown in 21 Jump Street – the criminal can go
free on a technicality.
But that’s not how it works.
The Miranda rights are only for people about to be interrogated by authorities and are
not required when someone gets arrested.
This way, perpetrators can’t claim the officer didn’t read the rights and exploit a loophole.
They’re still in police custody.
The Insanity Defense Works
Frequently, when a character commits a murder in a movie, their lawyer will attempt to prove
insanity so the alleged criminal gets off free.
As long as one of your multiple personalities did it, it’s OK, right?
Wrong.
The insanity defense is rarely used, only in less than one percent of all cases.
Even then, it’s successful less than 25 percent of the time.
There are also states that don’t even allow that defense to be heard.
Considering a criminal can prove insanity, they’re not “free” per say.
They have to stay at a mental institution until the doctors deem them fit to return
to society.
That could be twice as long as a jail sentence.
Explosions Aren’t a Big Deal
As the Lonely Island once told us, cool guys don’t look at explosions.
Turns out, they wouldn’t survive any, either.
Several action movies showcase jaw-dropping explosions that shatter just about everything
in its path – except the main protagonist.
The hero will typically make a dashing escape by using the explosion as a means to propel
him through the air.
Unfortunately, should John McClane try his antics in real life, his body would be torn
to pieces by the shockwave.
Explosions go through things, which would obviously kill somebody and end a film franchise
quicker than any villain could dream.
Airplanes Are Easy to Start
Whenever the heroes need to make a quick getaway, there’s always an empty aircraft for them
to use.
All it takes is the flip of a couple of switches, and the plane can take off.
If only it were that simple.
Being a pilot isn’t the same as driving a standard car, and there’s typically a
huge checklist of things to go through before flying a vehicle.
A 747 jet requires 123 items before going off the ground, and the helicopter from The
A-Team has a 9-page list.
In real life, even fighter jets take 15 minutes to take off when they’re called into action
in an emergency, so Hollywood needs to find a new way to get heroes out of a jam.
Tracing Calls Take a Long Time
In a game of cat-and-mouse, the villain may call the hero to taunt him or her, and there’s
a mad dash to trace the call and track down the evildoer’s location.
When the good guys get oh so close to completing the task, the villain hangs up, smug in victory.
But if movies were following real world practices, they’d find the baddies in no time.
Police usually know where you are as soon as you call them, and the FCC requires wireless
networks to have location-tracking technology.
They only time this would work is if the villain was using a stolen or prepaid phone, and it
still wouldn’t take a minute to find.
Mid-Budget Movies Are Easy to Green Light
Movies are a business driven by profits, so one would think that smaller budgeted projects
would be welcomed by executives looking to make a quick buck.
That isn’t the case.
As you may have noticed, franchises are the dominant form of film these days, with the
studios banking on well-known intellectual properties to drive their release slates.
If a movie isn’t a huge tentpole based on something, it’s harder to get approved.
Mark Wahlberg spent years developing the boxing drama The Fighter, which went on to be an
awards player.
It doesn’t matter how great a film can be, it needs to be recognizable or it could never
be made.
Hacking is Only Done By Criminals
There’s no denying that hacking is illegal and can lead to serious consequences.
Just ask Sony.
Still, it isn’t something that’s exclusively done by criminals looking for a way to get
ahead.
Hacking is actually a legitimate career, and professional ones are usually hired by companies
to look into their systems for weak spots.
These are typically normal, everyday people just trying to make a living and have no malicious
intent when they hack into servers.
Finding vulnerabilities can lead to a substantial payday, so this really doesn’t sound so
bad after all.
T-Rex Can’t See Things That Don’t Move
When the t-rex breaks out of its Jurassic Park paddock, Alan Grant tells Lex that the
dinosaur can’t see them if they don’t move.
Sure enough, the t-rex is right in front of his prey but doesn’t know it.
Studies have shown that Grant and the kids would have been a tasty meal for a real-world
t-rex, whose eyesight rivaled that of a hawk or eagle.
In the novel, this trait was explained by the amphibian DNA used to fill in the genetic
gaps impacted the eyes, but the film makes no mention of it.
It’s a plot hole that bothered scientists, but general audiences didn’t seem to care.
Instant Communication Is Possible Across Great Distances
Sci-fi movies love to show people communicating with each other, even when they’re on completely
different planets.
Their messages get across instantly, and there’s typically no delay.
They have a conversation as if they were in the same room.
If someone tried this in the real world, they’d be disappointed.
The average time lag for a message from Earth to Mars can be almost 21 minutes, with another
21 added for a reply.
That certainly paints Mark Watney’s plight in a new light.
Thankfully, his communications system in The Martian seemed to be more advanced.
Those are our picks for movie myths you still believe.
Are there any we missed?
Which ones are your favorites?
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