We
all understand physics, and whether or not we understand the
mathematics and science behind it all, we all have a natural
knowledge of how things behave in the world we observe. Entertainment
media, such as films and television shows, are known for pushing what
is physical possible to create fantastical scenes and situations, and
while these things are naturally jarring to us as humans with an
understanding of physics, our lack of understanding behind the actual
laws allows us to have some suspension of disbelief. One of these
laws that is often broken is Newton Third Law, which dictates that
every action has a reaction, that is of equal magnitude as the action
itself but in the opposite direction. I have found three shows and
movies that have been guilty of disobeying Newtons third law, defying
the concept of action with reaction, in some way or another.
Dragon Ball Z
One
television show in particular that is violating this principle of
physics is the japanese animated cartoon “Dragon Ball Z”. In this
show, the heroes are a group of saiyans, aliens with incredible super
powers, and their ridiculous powers are tested by the constant
arrival of super villains who are more or equally powerful. In this
show, the average character weighs below 200lbs, has the physical
strength to move mountains, but when one character is considered
stronger than the other, the other character can not move him or hit
hard enough to provoke a reaction.
In
one episode, Goku is fighting the antagonist Freeza, a powerful and
evil alien intent on enslaving the universe. During their fight,
Freeza, while floating in the air, grabs Goku by the neck with his
own tail, and manages to push him to the ground with his tail while
remaining in place in mid air. It is important to note that Freeza
has no wings or physical means to maintain flight outside of “hes
so powerful, he just can”.
In
another fight, Vageta, the other protagonist, blasts his opponent
with a powerful beam that destroys the land, including an entire
mountain that was nearby. Not only does this blast not push vageta
back, the blast also fails to push his opponent or even harm him.
Hancock
In
the superhero film “Hancock”, Will Smith, the superhero and
protagonist, calmly goes out of his way to rescue a man in his
vehicle who is stuck on the train tracks just as a train is headed
his way. After Hancock/Will moves the vehicle our of the tracks, he
realizes that he is seconds from being hit by the speeding Train head
on, and instead of moving out of the way Will Smith braces himself to
receive the impact. He remains unmoved by the incoming force and is
also unscathed, as if he himself weighed more than the locomotive and
emitted just as much force back at the train without actually
physically pushing.
Lord
of the Rings: Return of the King
In
the climax of this film, Aragorn, the king of Gondor, leads the
remains of his army to draw out the armies of Mordor, an evil kingdom
of beasts and demons. He does this to distract the forces and the
eyes of the dark lord of Mordor, Sauron, so that his companions Frodo
and Sam can traverse the dark lands to destroy the one ring in the
fires of Mt. Doom. It is a hopeless fight, and while his army is
engulfed by the ocean of orcs sent against them, a single, armoured,
and gigantic Troll seeks out Aragorn to destroy him. The troll swings
down on Aragon with a giant machete, and Aragon blocks it instantly,
as if, for a split second, he had the strength and mass of a troll.
Conclusion
Newtons
third law is a part of physics that all things must obey, but in
entertainment, exaggerations are often taken, breaking the very laws
of physics, to make some point. During the dragon ball scenes, where
people are shown to resist reactionary force, we are made to feel
that these characters have obtained a sort of unnatural power that
has helped them transcend our own powers and understanding. Vageta is
shown valiantly shooting his beam standing perfectly still against
the reactionary force adding to his epicness, and in the opposite end
we see his enemy, a seemingly simply enemy who in his absolute
resistance to the incoming force paints him as some kind of “out of
this world” power, capable of defying the power of our protagonist
and not submitting to our understanding of physics.
In
Hancock we see a hero, Will Smith, refuse to move out of the path of
an incoming Train, and choosing to simply take the hit out of
laziness to exert excessive force in jumping or running away. He
could have been shown being launched far away, as he should have
been, but the depiction of him absorbing that immense amount of force
and the fact that he chose it as an easier thing to endure than
moving a few steps away shows us that he is a truly amazing
powerhouse that has not even tapped into his full potential for what
ever reason he has to not care for it.
Aragorn,
a king of men, has been fighting with the strength of an average man
but with superior fighting technique, allowing him to contend with
any enemy that opposes him. It is with the arrival of the large troll
in the climax that shows us that he is truly in peril, because he
couldn’t possibly have the power to compete, and showing him
parrying a direct blow from the giant troll without showing any force
exerted on him tells us that he has gained some kind of new strength
now in the end of all things, where he could very well die.
These
erroneous depictions of physics are done with intention, with the
purpose of accentuating the heroism or the raw power that these
characters have achieved, increasing our interest and excitement in
the scenes. Lesson to take from this: laws are meant to be followed,
unless you have good reason not to, dont break them because you are
careless, but because you are taking care in the story telling.
