Action films are exciting, entertaining, and can get people on the edge of their seat to see more. The action genre has increased its popularity since the 1990’s. Action genre has been widely successful in the film industry from hold films starring Jackie Chan to Ip Man 3 starring Donnie Yen but what about these action films draws the audience in so much? We all know those punches look fierce, strong, and over the top. The main reason for the success of this genre is that it breaks the laws of physics. It creates the illusion of impact in fighting scenes. According to Newton’s Third Law, it states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction; however, in Spiderman ll, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Grandmaster, the physics has been broken in order to deliver more excitement in the films.
Spiderman II is one of these action films that bends the rule of physics. The film is an adaptation of the popular comic series "Spiderman" created by Stan Lee. The film was released in 2004 and was directed by Sam Raimi. One scene that bends the rule of physics is when Spiderman tries to stop the passenger train using his web and his body. He stands in front of the train and shoots the webs to both sides of the track. Using his body in the middle as a mean to stop the train. In reality it would take an immense amount of effort and force to stop a moving train.
According to Newton’s Second Law, force is equal mass time acceleration. In this scene, the train actually travel with the speed limit due to the damage caused by Doctor Octopus. The train obviously has a larger mass and force. On the other hand, Spiderman has smaller mass and force, which means it is impossible for Spiderman to stop the train. The force that Spiderman applies is less than the force that the train applies that it is physically impossible for that. In reality the mass and acceleration of the train, realistically Spiderman would die if he continues to hold on to his webs because his force and mass is no where near close to those of the moving train. It is obvious that Newton’s Third law Law is also bent on purpose especially for this shot. It would lose its entertainment aspects if the end of this scene Spiderman could not save all the passengers on the moving train. The director purpose was to demonstrate the outstanding ability of the main character. While maintain other rules of physics, the main character will stand out in our own physical universe. On top of that show how heroic Spiderman is able to things no ordinary people can.
Startrek: Into Darknesss is a science fiction film directed by J.J. Abrams and released in 2013. It is a sequel to the first installment. During the scene where Khan finally makes his way to Admiral Marcus’s battle ship, Khan grasps Marcus’s head in his hands and crushes it easily. The rules of physics is pushed to the extreme. To fracture a skull, it requires 1,100 pounds in normal gravity. A man need to weight around 1,100 pounds and step on the head to be able to crush any human skull. It is impossible to do so with hands alone even if 90 percent of strength or force are biceps muscle. Following the Newton’s Third Laws, it states every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This mean bones in the hand need to be made out of stronger material than the skull to be able deliver the force. If the material is the same, the hand would be smashed into pieces during the process. The hand is exerting a force on the skull but so is the skull to the hand.
Therefore, in reality, there is no way a normal human can achieve that because a study shows that human skull can withstand 6.5 GPa of pressure. It maybe possible coming from a species unlike human but in terms of human physics, no. If the film did not have such a gruesome and intense scene it will lose the plot point of showing how Khan is a rustless villain who has super strength. The audience will still consider Khan as a human though he is a superior alien specie, appearance goes a long way.
The Grandmaster is a live-action film based on the life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man. The film was released in 2013 and directed by Wong Kar-wai. Though the film set in a reality world, the director really wants to emphasize the fantasy concept of martial arts. Because Ip Man is known as a Grandmaster, his kung-fu fighting style is almost effortless., smooth, and graceful. At the beginning of the movie, Ip Man stands against a group of man under the rain at night. With just his kicks and punches, he send people flying. The climax comes when another significant character who seems like a boss steps into the fight. He kicks the wagon toward Ip Man without getting pushed back. Ip Man just standing with his leg up and he is able to stop the wagon effortlessly. The proceed by trading kicks with the wagon in the middle that leads to break the wagon into pieces. Close to the end, Ip Man delivers final punches that send the boss few yard back.The laws of physics is bended in this sense because according to Newton’s Second laws that state force = mass x acceleration, it is impossible for Ip Man to actually send men flying with his punches. First of all, he almost stands in one place and his swing motion is really close to his body which mean his swing could not create enough acceleration. His weight is about the average asian male around 145.5lbs. This means the data is lacking of realistic number in acceleration to prove that the force of his punch is enough to counter those of the wagon and the boss. If Ip Man is able to land a punch with that much force, the recoil force will be strong enough to push him back. Also his body’s motion will need to be tremendous large to generate enough acceleration.
In addition, Newton’s Third Law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Ip Man barely move an inch after punch the boss back to few yards. This is defying Newton’s Third Law. The boss receives a great force that send him flying but does not give a reacting force back to Ip Man. If the director has Ip Man got pushed back after send the man flying than it will stay true to Newton’s Second and Third Laws. However, this scene will be ruined if it follows Newton's laws. The audience will unable to see the strength of Ip Man, and the fight will just a normal brute fight from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA.) The fantasy concept of Kung-fu will be dismissed and will affect the overall impact of credit of how incredible Ip Man is.
Newton’s Laws are absolute, yet it is not entirely applied to action films. The films discussed here were Spiderman II, Startrek: Into the Darkness and The Gradmaster; all are action films that bends Newton's Third Law in one way or another. In films, every action does not need to follow strictly to the rules. It can be distorted to fulfill the needs of creating excitement, entertainment, and/or drama. Many can debate doing so is not logical and looks wrong but in forms of entertainment and in the universe of the film it can be as real as how far the director's and audience's imagination can take them.
