Top 10 Movies Ruined by MythBusters
#10: “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) This franchise is all about epic set pieces. One particularly memorable scene from the first film sees Jack and Will stealing a rowboat and turning it into a makeshift submarine. They use the rowboat to weigh themselves down, allowing them to walk on the ocean floor. Meanwhile, the rowboat provides a nice pocket of air. Unfortunately, this scene is a load of baloney. As the MythBusters eventually proved, keeping the rowboat underwater would take approximately two thousand pounds of force. Otherwise, humans are far too buoyant to pull a rowboat under the surface. Even with an additional sixty pounds of pirate gear, both Adam and Jamie were unable to pull the rowboat underwater.
#9: “Titanic” (1997)
This James Cameron blockbuster took the world by storm upon its release. Its heartbreaking ending has become one of the most famous in movie history. Jack, ever the chivalrous gentleman, lets Rose bob on the floating door while he slowly freezes to death in the water. But as it turns out, this outcome could have been avoided. Just like Jack and Rose, Adam and Jamie found it hard to stay afloat on the single door. However, if Rose were to tie her life jacket underneath the door, the jacket may have provided enough extra buoyancy to keep them both afloat—and, quite possibly, alive. Still, we can’t exactly blame Rose for not thinking of that in the moment.
#8: “Shoot ‘Em Up” (2007)
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This action film is intentionally outlandish and unapologetically ridiculous, so it’s not exactly surprising to hear that its action sequences cannot be recreated. The MythBusters have actually tested this movie on more than one occasion. The first test saw the Build Team shooting at a merry-go-round and attempting to make it spin with the bullets. Needless to say, it didn’t work. The second test saw Adam and Jamie seeing if someone could hold a bullet over fire and cause it to discharge with a lethal amount of force. They found that the primer and power do ignite, but only after 43 seconds, not two. Owing to the lack of a gun barrel, it also does not carry a lethal amount of force or speed.
#7: “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004)
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In one of this movie’s most famous sequences, Budd buries the Bride alive inside a wooden coffin. She then remembers Pai Mei’s teachings and literally punches her way out of the coffin before clawing her way to freedom. To test this scene, the Build Team conspired with a martial arts expert to determine the most powerful punch a human can deliver while restricted by the confines of a coffin. Grant then built a robot that could deliver the proper amount of force, but after 600 punches, it only managed to crack the coffin’s wooden lid. They then tested what would happen if the coffin could be broken and found that dirt would have poured in too quickly to escape. Bummer.
#6: “American Graffiti” (1973)
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In George Lucas’s “American Graffiti”, Curt hooks a chain to the rear axle of a police car. When the car takes off at high speed, the rear axle is ripped clean off the car. It makes for a spectacular movie stunt, but sadly, a mere movie stunt nonetheless. When tested by Adam and Jamie, they found that the rear axle remained firmly in place. It was only when they removed a few necessary bolts that the axle was torn from the test car. But even then it wasn’t like the movie, as the axle wasn’t ripped clean from the car. Rather, it got caught in the undercarriage.
#5: “Hellboy” (2004)
Hellboy is obviously incredibly strong. But is any being strong enough to break the very laws of physics? In the 2004 film directed by Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy punches the hood of a moving SUV, causing it to flip in the air. The Build Team determined that 5,000 pounds of force was required to cause an SUV’s hood to touch the ground. While they were successful in punching an SUV into the ground, the SUV did not flip over. During further tests with a toy car, they found that flipping one with a punch was simply out of the question, and the stunt was firmly busted.
#4: “Wanted” (2008)
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The central gimmick in “Wanted” sees the characters curving bullets around objects to assassinate targets. The method of curving varies, but sometimes it’s as easy as swinging an arm really fast while shooting a gun. Of course, this is utter nonsense. As the Build Team discovered, swinging your arm in an arc while shooting a gun never results in the bullet curving around an object. The bullets even remained straight after being shot by a robot flinging its arm at superhuman speeds. As much as we “wanted” this stunt to be confirmed, the laws of physics had other plans.
#3: “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004)
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After Jason Bourne strangles Jarda, he disconnects some pipes to cause a gas leak and sticks a magazine in the toaster. Sure enough, the magazine eventually catches fire inside the toaster and causes a huge explosion. It makes for a badass scene, but while it may seem plausible on paper, the magazine explosion is pure Hollywood fabrication. The MythBusters tested the scene exactly as it’s depicted in the movie, but the flaming magazine and gas failed to generate an explosive reaction. It’s only when they increased the methane concentration to 9% and set up circulating fans (along with diffuser hoses) that they were able to blow out the walls.
#2: “Speed” (1994)
There are more than a few ridiculous scenes peppered throughout “Speed” - some which have been tested (and busted) by the MythBusters. In one episode, they tested the idea that passengers would have to sit on one side of a bus that was taking a turn at 50 miles per hour to stop it tipping over. They performed two tests - one with the “passengers” on one side and one with them evenly distributed. In both tests, the bus remained upright. The Build Team also tested the infamous scene that sees the bus inexplicably launching itself through the air to jump a 50-foot gap in the freeway. Needless to say, this was not possible. The bus continuously dropped off the ledge, and even when a ramp was installed, it failed to jump the gap. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “The Grey” (2011) A Wooden Spear & a Shotgun Shell Does Not an Effective Weapon Make “The Green Hornet” (2011) A Car Will Not Be Sheared in Half Upon Hitting the Top of an Elevator “Point Break” (1991) You Cannot Hold a Conversation While Skydiving “Goldfinger” (1964) Covering the Body in Gold Paint Will Not Result in Death
#1: “Jaws” (1975)
In one of the most famous endings in movie history, Chief Brody tells Jaws to smile before shooting the scuba tank and blowing the deadly shark to kingdom come. The MythBusters actually tested this scene on two separate occasions. In the Jaws Special, they deduced that shooting a pressurized scuba tank will only cause it to quickly decompress, not explode. However, their testing methods were criticized by fans, and they re-tested the scene in a later episode. Sadly, no matter what they did, they couldn’t get the scuba tank to explode. Watching Jaws blow up certainly makes for a cathartic ending, but in reality, Brody would be in for one heck of a letdown.
