10 movies based on popular misconceptions

1. Matrix

USA, 1999.
Science fiction, thriller.
Duration: 136 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 7.

The cult film authored by the Wachowski brothers (that is, already sisters). The invention of artificial intelligence has turned into disaster: machines have completely enslaved humanity, and billions of people are being used by artificial intelligence to generate energy. Immersed in sleep, they feed their mechanical enemies with the heat of their bodies and bioelectricity, while their minds are in the world of virtual reality - the Matrix. And only the Chosen One named Neo will be able to subjugate the Matrix and free humanity.

What is the delusion

Human energy efficiency in this film is somewhat overestimated. When Morpheus tells Neo about the real world, where humans are only a power source for artificial intelligence, he makes the following speech:

The human body creates more bioelectricity than a 120 volt battery, plus 6,300 calories of heat. Combined with thermonuclear energy, the machines have more than enough.

Morpheus ("The Matrix").

The bioelectricity is different from the current at the outlet. Electrons flow through cables, and in living things energy is transmitted by sodium, potassium, calcium and hydrogen ions, as well as chloride anions. But despite this, in theory, you could charge your iPhone with the energy of your own brain. Biophysicist Bertil Hille of the University of Washington calculated it would take 285 days.

The human body is extremely inefficient in converting the food it receives into energy - an efficiency level of about 25%. Compare with the efficiency of an electric generator - from 60 to 80%. Morpheus says that a person generates 25,000 BTU (British thermal units), or 6,300 kilocalories of thermal energy (in our dubbing, the units were correctly translated, but calories with kilocalories).

He's exaggerating. In reality, a person generates from 6,000 to 10,000 BTUs per day, which does not come close to the declared number. And even if Morpheus is right, in order to "squeeze" 25,000 BTU of thermal energy out of a person, machines will have to feed him 100,000 BTU of food. That is, to get 6,300 kilocalories instead of 25,000 kilocalories, working at a loss.

2. Jurassic Park

USA, 1993.
Adventure, fantasy, family friendly.
Duration: 127 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 1.

Using DNA material extracted from blood-sucking insects frozen millions of years ago in amber, scientists successfully clone dinosaurs. Rich man John Hammond creates an unprecedented amusement park, inhabited by the most amazing reptiles of the past. Unfortunately, dinosaurs are not easy to tame.

What is the delusion

The film's book by Michael Crichton is impressive in its authenticity and detail, but it is based on one serious assumption. DNA degrades very quickly, and 521 years are enough for its molecules to decay to a state from which they cannot be restored.

This conclusion was reached by scientists at the University of Manchester when they studied bloodsuckers frozen in copal, an ancient resin of tropical plants. Not to mention the fact that you can hardly collect the complete genome from the contents of the mosquito's abdomen. So dinosaurs cannot be revived in this way.

Another misconception that is present in the book and in the film is the inability of dinosaurs to distinguish between stationary objects.

Taking advantage of this weakness, Professor Grant and the children he tried to save eluded Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptors more than once. And they tried to scare them with their roar, so that the victim jerked and betrayed himself.

Amphibians really have this feature: they do not consider stationary objects as food and rush to the target only if it moves. Reptiles and birds, which have more in common with dinosaurs, have much more complex eyes, and they know how to distinguish prey from non-prey, even if it is frozen.

Studies on the remains of tyrannosaurs show that they had excellent binocular vision that rivaled that of a bird of prey. So you clearly would not have protected yourself from this monster by simply frozen in place.

3. The Martian

UK, USA, Hungary, 2015.
Science fiction, adventure.
Duration: 144 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 0.

A group of scientists is urgently evacuated from Mars due to the fact that their base was covered by a monstrous dust storm. One of them, Mark Watney, is lost, and the expedition, finding the poor fellow dead, flies away without him. However, Mark survived the storm. And now he has to find a way to make himself known to people on Earth. And to survive on the planet, to the conditions of which a person is not at all adapted.

What is the delusion

There are enough scientific inaccuracies in "The Martian", but there are three of them on which the whole plot rests.

The first is dust storms on Mars. They really are, and dust clouds rise as much as 50 kilometers! Therefore, many people sincerely believe that such storms are much more dangerous there than on Earth. And they imagine that Mars is somewhat similar to the planet Arrakis from "Dune". At the latter, by the way, dust hurricanes with speeds of up to 700 km / h rip flesh from people and crush bones.

But storms, Mars, are not at all like that. The size of the dust clouds is due to the planet's low gravity, not powerful winds. The latter are not very strong there, since the planet's atmosphere is too thin.

Even the worst dust tornado cannot flip a rocket or damage a base, unless they are made of paper. So the astronauts had no reason to leave, and in such a hurry.

The second inaccuracy is the cultivation of potatoes. The presence of many perchlorates and oxidants in the soil of Mars makes the environment extremely unpleasant for terrestrial bacteria necessary for plant growth. And the situation cannot be corrected by adding human excrement to the soil, since their microflora is not conducive to using it as fertilizer.

And the third inaccuracy is the gravitational maneuver of the Hermes spacecraft, which an astrophysicist from NASA thought of at the most decisive moment. Yes, this is a great way to accelerate a ship, but for this Mars and Earth must be in an advantageous position.

If Hermes returned to our planet, Mars definitely could not be in a state of opposition to it, since it does not stand still. And there could be no question of any gravitational maneuver to return to Mars.

4. Bourne identification

USA, 2002.
Action, thriller, detective.
Duration: 113 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 9.

Jason Bourne is a former CIA officer and assassin with excellent hand-to-hand combat and shooting skills. He does not remember his past and is forced to restore the picture of the events that led to the loss of memory bit by bit. But the CIA is not interested in having a decommissioned asset dig into their secrets.

What is the delusion

The retrograde amnesia shown in the Bourne series has nothing to do with real illness. The hero does not remember who he is, but at the same time he has not lost his skills at all. This is not the case with true amnesia.

Typically, brain-injured people with amnesia forget only parts of their lives. Memories can be restored with therapy if the injury is not severe and the patient is completely healed. When it comes to complete loss of memory - up to a certain point, as happened with Jason Bourne - everything will be much more serious.

Along with his memory, Bourne would have lost most of his skills. He could not only fight and shoot, but also speak, and sometimes even fully think.

Complete memory loss is rare, writes clinical neuropsychologist Sally Baxendale of the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. And it is accompanied by symptoms such as loss of control over one's own body and even intellect.

So if the adventures of Bourne took place in reality, he would at most forget some of the events of the last days before the injury. Or, if the brain damage had led to complete amnesia, he would have turned into a vegetable, unable not only to remember his name, but even to eat without assistance.

5. Kingsman: The Secret Service

UK, USA, 2015.
Action, comedy, crime, adventure.
Duration: 130 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 7.

The action-adventure Kingsman follows a secret spy organization confronting a variety of terrorists, drug dealers and eccentric megalomaniac rich men. Eggsy, a young guy with good inclinations, Kingsman agents take on training in memory of the exploits of his father.

The evil billionaire Richmond Valentine is contemplating mass genocide, spreading electrical impulses through his SIM cards that drive people crazy, provoking murder. And because of an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, it is Eggsy who will have to save the world.

What is the delusion

In the film's finale, Eggsy and his curator, Merlin, infiltrate Valentine's base, high in the snow-capped mountains, to thwart his plans. And their assistant, agent Roxy Morton, rises into the upper atmosphere in balloons - to shoot down the billionaire's satellite and stop broadcasting signals that cause outbreaks of violence around the world. This is not easy for her, because Roxy does not like heights and skydiving, but she copes.

But in reality, Roxy Morton would not have been able to climb to the height from which the satellite was visible.

A hot air balloon can take off a maximum of 41 kilometers - a record set by Alan Eustace. The unmanned balloons rose 53 kilometers, but this is still not enough to reach the satellite in a stable orbit - they revolve at an altitude of 160 kilometers.

And even if Roxy took off, right up to airless space, it would not help her to damage the satellite. He would have swept past at a speed of 7, 91 km / s, and no rocket from a shoulder gun would have caught up with him.

People have a wrong idea of flying in space: to enter orbit, you need not only fly up, but also gain horizontal speed. In general, a spy chasing a satellite in a balloon would definitely not harm him.

6. Zatoichi

Japan, 2003.
Action, thriller, drama, comedy, crime.
Duration: 116 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 5.

A blind swordsman performed by Takeshi Kitano wanders Japan, earning a living as a massage therapist and playing dice. He has an account with an old yakuza named Ginzo. And although no one considers the blind man to be a skilled warrior, Zatoichi is more dangerous than he seems, and intends to take revenge.

What is the delusion

A person really has such an ability as echolocation. Some blind people are capable of making any sounds (clicking with their tongue or tapping with a cane), determine the distance to objects in space and interact with them without using their eyesight. For example, Daniel Kish, an echolocation expert, can walk without a cane when he is blind and even takes blind children on mountain hikes.

But the public conscience overestimates echolocation.

It won't help in battle, so Zatoichi, Nick Parker from Blind Rage or Daredevil from the comics and TV series of the same name will not be able to fight as effectively as they do on screen. A blind person will need relative silence to use echolocation, but you cannot ask enemies to be quiet in battle.

In addition, the accuracy with which Zatoichi or Daredevil determine the movements of opponents is never achieved by the blind. Otherwise, there would be no rule in "blind football", the famous Paralympic sport, that players make a special sound when they touch the ball.

7. Macho and nerd

USA, 2012.
Action, comedy, crime.
Duration: 109 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 2.

Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko are completely different: one is squeezed and unsure of himself, and the other is an uninhibited bully and a handsome bully. They used to be in conflict, but after studying at the police academy, they became best friends. They are now partners and must work together. However, they are unlucky all the time …

What is the delusion

In one scene, a macho and a nerd detain a suspect and take him to the police station. They did not read Miranda's rule to him, and because of this formality, the department was forced to release the suspect. And when Deputy Chief Hardy asks Schmidt and Jenko what the rule sounds like, these boobies cannot squeeze anything intelligible out of themselves.

Here is this phrase, which is uttered by American and not only police officers:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. Your lawyer may be present during the interview. If you cannot pay for the services of a lawyer, one will be provided to you by the state. Do you understand your rights?

Miranda's Rule

It allows the detainee not to testify against himself.

But when a suspect is detained, a police officer is not at all obliged to read it out - this is a common misconception, which is supported by the Americans themselves and we, having watched Hollywood films. In reality, Miranda's rule is pronounced during arrest or interrogation, but not detention.

Consequently, the detainee in "Macho and Botan" would not have been released, but simply notified of the right not to incriminate himself and began the interrogation as usual.

8. Independence Day

USA, 1996.
Science fiction, action, adventure.
Duration: 145 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 0.

The earth is attacked by aliens. They intend to pump out all the resources from the planet and, along the way, to exterminate humanity, so as not to get confused underfoot. But a group of scientists and the military enter into an unequal battle with them, in which not force can help, but cunning.

What is the delusion

In many science fiction stories, aliens attack the Earth to take advantage of its resources. And this is extremely unrealistic, since, for that matter, she does not have any special resources. All the elements that make up our planet are found in abundance in space. And there is simply no need for an alien civilization to fight with people instead of simply collecting the ownerless riches of the Universe lying here and there.

But the main blunder of "Independence Day" is the way the earthlings still defeated the invaders. A scientist named David Levinson infects the alien ship with a computer virus, and the force fields that made the alien technology invulnerable are turned off.

However, only those who know nothing about computers could admit that a computer virus created on Earth will be able to destroy devices of alien origin.

Even viruses (and all other programs) of earthlings, created for one operating system, are not able to open in another. Believe it or not, try running some EXE program from Windows on Linux without resorting to emulators and virtual machines. And the computers of the aliens probably have much more differences from the terrestrial ones.

So the compatibility of a virus created by people without many years of research and reverse engineering with onboard computers of alien ships is a monstrous absurdity.

9. Lucy

France, 2014.
Action, science fiction.
Duration: 89 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

Luc Besson's fantastic action movie starring Scarlett Johansson. The heroine Lucy is accidentally drawn into the affairs of the Asian mafia. A sack of some kind of experimental drug is sewn into the woman's abdomen to be smuggled across the border. Accidentally, the plastic bursts, and a huge dose of the substance enters Lucy's blood. But instead of killing, it fully reveals the powers of her brain. And Lucy becomes superhuman.

What is the delusion

The story that we only use the brain by 10% is sheer stupidity. The neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield somehow conducted an experiment by acting on the brain with electrodes. He found that most of it reacted imperceptibly to electricity. And obvious changes - for example, unusual sensations or twitching of the subjects - occur when the electrodes come into contact with only separate parts of the brain, which make up about 10% of its mass.

Writers who create all sorts of books on self-development, for example Lowell Thomas and William James, having seen this figure, began to assert in their writings that this is exactly how much we use the brain. But if you unleash your potential …

Then you will master telekinesis, learn kung fu, travel back in time and eventually turn into a USB flash drive.

But this is a myth. People use their entire brain, and there are no areas in it that don't work at all.

10. Comatose people

USA, 2017.
Horror, fantasy, thriller, drama, detective.
Duration: 109 minutes.
IMDb: 5, 2.

Remake of the 1990 film of the same name. Several medical students decide to find out what awaits a person in the next world. In turn, they introduce each other into a state of clinical death, and when the subject is already on the brink, they urgently reanimate him. But those who come back to life change forever, and not for the better.

What is the delusion

Students use a defibrillator to bring the subject back to life. When the heartbeat stops and the electrocardiograph shows a straight line, the heroes wait for a while, and then try to start the heart with an electric shock again.

But a defibrillator doesn't work that way. It is used when the heart beats, but does it wrong, and it is necessary to restore the normal rhythm.

The defibrillator causes the heart to stop briefly, after which it begins to contract itself normally. But in case of asystole (absence of bioelectric activity of the heart, when the ECG shows a straight line), the device is not used, and in general, rather, it will help to finish off the patient.

If real doctors tried to resuscitate a patient in a state of clinical death, they would obviously not do it the way it is shown in the film.