Outline of the Second Term Paper

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

Introduction

Thesis: Newton’s Third Law - every action has an equal and opposite reaction. These are movies that break Newton’s Third Law.

1. Batman Begins
1. Introduce the film Batman Begins.
2. Near the beginning of the film -- about 17 minutes in -- Bruce Wayne duels with his mentor, Ra’s Al Ghul. They are fencing with swords on top of a frozen lake. However, when their blades connect, there is no power behind the attack. Whenever one of them defends from an attack, they are not appropriately pushed back.
3. With every action, there is not an equal and opposite reaction. How come? Is it out of safety or shoddy swordplay?
2. The Punisher (2003)
1. Introduce the Punisher character and film.
2. About an hour and five minutes into the film, Frank Castle is cornered against by a mob hitman. The hitman uses a sawed off shotgun to shoot at Frank’s car. However, the shotgun doesn’t seem to have any recoil. The hitman shoots at Frank’s car multiple times, but barely reacts to the gun.
3. Stardust
1. Introduce the film Stardust and the novel it was based on by Neil Gaiman.
2. An hour and forty-seven minutes in, Prince Septimus throws his sword at Lamia, the Dark Queen of the Witches. The sword knocks her back several feet, which is too much force being directed at Lamia.

Conclusion: These movies may break the laws of physics, but some are done on purpose and others are done accidentally.