Spectacular, but unreal: 12 movie deaths that could not happen in life
'18.06.2021'
Source: Big Picture
Death in the movies is sometimes portrayed so far-fetched and spectacular that it is difficult to believe what is happening on the screen. And sometimes the fantasy of directors goes so far that it does not fit into the framework of logic, and tragic incidents seem completely unreal, says Big Picture.
The main highlight of action films are often spectacular scenes of the death of heroes. Explosions, raging flames and chilling killings heat up the viewer's imagination and make an indelible impression on him. But often the circumstances of death in cinema are very far from reality - it is not as vivid as on the screen.
- Eaten by piranhas
Piranhas are considered the most dangerous fish after sharks. The common belief that they can tear to pieces everything that they meet in their path, we often meet in the movies.
In fact, these floating predators, like all fish, swim away if a creature larger than them appears nearby. Piranhas attack only those who are smaller than them, or are already dying, so in real life, eating a person to the bone by piranhas is impossible.
- Wire cutting
Most people saw in the movies the old trick of cutting a person's body in two with wire, which he stumbled upon on the way. A spectacular sight, when parts of the body are cut off, like a razor, with the help of strong tension, in fact - a fake. The wire can really inflict terrible injury and even lead to death, but it is not capable of cutting off a piece of the body like a knife. If a person stumbles on a wire, it will simply bend over.
- Suction in quicksand
Such a plot has become so popular in cinema that researchers have devoted a lot of time to studying this phenomenon. Slow suction with quicksand looks impressive, but virtually impossible. In fact, everyone who gets into the danger zone drowns first, and then pops up, getting stuck on the surface. Death in this case can occur only from exhaustion.
- Rapid suffocation
In Hollywood films, it is often shown how the killer strangles the victim with his hands and she quickly dies. In reality, strangling a person is much more difficult than we see in the movies. This is certainly not a quick process, it can take up to five minutes until the victim dies. Sometimes a strangled person may lose consciousness and wake up in a few seconds if you loosen his grip.
- Death from a gasoline explosion, set on fire by a cigarette
Spectacular scene: the killer throws a burning cigarette into gasoline and watches the victim and everyone around her catch fire. This is found in many action films. But the problem is that gas is not so easy to ignite.
Although cigarettes burn at a higher temperature than fuel fluid, it is very difficult to use them for ignition. Researchers tried to light gasoline from a cigarette, but none of the two thousand such attempts were successful. They believe that the liquid either extinguishes the cigarette, or reduces its temperature before it can ignite the gas.
- Breaking the body to smithereens after freezing with liquid nitrogen
In the films, liquid nitrogen is portrayed as a kind of magical substance that can freeze flesh or any object with which it comes into contact. While this chemical can be used to smash small objects, it certainly won't do the killing as shown in the movies.
Liquid nitrogen can quickly reduce skin temperature, but it takes a long time for it to lower the temperature of the entire human body. In addition, a very large amount of the substance is needed, because it evaporates when it gets on the skin in small doses.
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- Car explosion with pistol shots
Just a few bullets into the gas tank of a car and it instantly explodes or ignites: this scene in movies can be seen quite often. It's actually not that simple.
Gas tanks in cars are made as safe as possible and are able to withstand even severe damage during accidents. There is not enough oxygen inside the tank to cause an explosion. In addition, most bullets are not powerful enough to pierce tank walls or ignite fuel from the inside.
- Killing with a palm blow to the face
The heroes of the films have an amazing ability to kill their enemies in hand-to-hand combat. One of the deadly tricks is a palm strike on the nose. The cinematic legend claims that the nasal bone is pressed so hard inward that it pierces the brain, as a result of which the victim dies.
Such death is impossible for an obvious reason: our noses are almost entirely made of cartilage and there is no bone in them that can seriously damage the brain. The solid particle is located only at the top of the nose, but its size is not enough to lead to death.
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- Explosion of a body in a cosmic vacuum
Sci-fi films claim that a person who goes into outer space from a ship without a spacesuit immediately explodes and scatters into thousands of particles throughout the Universe.
In reality, the human body will swell, approximately doubling in size, because the fluid inside the body will begin to bubble. However, the skin is so elastic that it can withstand such pressure, and the fact that the body will burst is almost impossible. Lack of oxygen in 15 seconds will lead to loss of consciousness, and then to death.
- Death by a bomb shot from a pistol
Terrorist films often feature a scene where a villain shoots a bomb directly and it explodes instantly. Some explosive devices can actually be detonated when hit by a bullet, but most are designed to last longer. Ammunition makers do not want them to explode instantly, because this can happen in the wrong place.
- Drowning in burning lava
Another striking death in action-packed and fantastic films is a fall into the mouth of a volcano or into a pit with fiery lava. The spectacular sight, when the victim slowly drowns while fully conscious, is a real fake. In fact, lava has a high density, and bodies falling into it will simply float on the surface. Death in this case will occur from combustion.
- Head off in one fell swoop
In films, the head is easily chopped off - just like a warm knife goes into butter. In reality, it’s very difficult to cut off someone’s head. The muscles of the human neck are very strong and strengthened by the spine. The executioners had to chop their heads with a heavy ax or sword several times to complete what they started.
Death is a frightening and, at the same time, impressive phenomenon. Filmmakers try to make this moment as effective as possible, so they often do not pay attention to such trifles as logic and the real possibility of events. The main thing is that the viewer likes it and the ratings grow, because without tickling the nerves, there is nothing here.
