Outline of the Second Term Paper

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

Introduction:

A.    Films Discussed: 1) The Matrix 2) Fast and the Furious 6 3) The Avengers

B.    Thesis: The degree of believability varies in the world of cinema. From traditional live-action films, to CGI and Special EFX animated films, we often see mistakes in which laws of physics are pushed, broken, and incorrectly illustrated. One of the principles of physics that is often disobeyed in the film industry is the action/reaction principle. Newton’s Third Law of Motion was violated in films such as The Matrix, Fast and the Furious movies, and The absence of the principle of equal and opposite reaction was done in these action scenes on purpose in order to push story and create visually appealing images that are interesting to see, while allowing the viewer to live in that scene and in that moment.

Body Paragraphs:

1.     Scene 1 (The Matrix). The scene when Neo and Trinity shoot and kill all the agents inside the lobby while they are trying to rescue Morpheus. The film bends the law of action-reaction, when their heavy-duty riffles do not show the recoil effect, allowing Neo to look like a cool superhuman as he launches forward while shooting the agents.

2.     Scene 2 (The Fast and the Furious 6). The scene where Dominic Toretto jumps out of a speeding car and flies over a bridge, into the air to save Letty, the love of his life. At that speed and height in the air, he would die at impact when landing, yet he saves Letty with practically no scratches on him. Vin Diesel is now a superhero.

3.  Scene 3 (The Avengers). The scene where Loki drops Thor from the sky in a    glass-cage and Thor is able to use his superhuman powers and hammer to jump up and break out of the cage just in time before impact, defying gravity and real life movements in a falling object. At that speed and height of drop, Thor should have resembled a human-tortilla.

Conclusion

-       In conclusion, films left and right tend to bend and violate laws of physics in order to provide visually entertaining images on the big screen. Traditional and CGI films often ignore or push real-life physics in order to portray funny, dramatic or intense action scenes. A law of physics that is often illustrated incorrectly in films is Newton’s Third Law of Motion. The principle of action/reaction is minimal or totally dismissed in films such as The Matrix, The Fast and the Furious, and Avengers in order to provide beautiful moments and scenes within the cinematic world that have the “wow-factor” effect on the audience.