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Weird & Odd Movie Tropes

Vertigo Credit: Universal Pictures

There’s a lot to love about movies, which is good, because there are a lot of movies to watch. Some movies take us too far off worlds and scenarios that would never occur in real life. While others try to be more realistic but end up with strange things that would never occur in the real world. Movie worlds can be full of things that are great if you’re a main character but would be a nightmare for anyone just living their life. Below is a list of weird things that only in happen in movies.

Infinite Ammo (Until it’s not)

Commando features lots of guns, but it’s rare he needs to reload in the middle of a fight (Credit: 20th Century Fox, 1985)

The scene of one or two heroes taking on a room full of bad guys comes up a lot, and with good reason. It shows our hero’s skills and usually looks cool. What is less cool is watching those heroes, fumble around in their pockets for spare bullets. So, the simple solution? Just activate an infinite ammo cheat! Some films go even further and don’t even require our heroes to reload, able to defeat all their enemies with just a pistol. Except, that’s not quite true. Because there are many crucial moments when our hero has the villain in their sights (or vice versa), pulls the trigger and- click. If only they’d brought one extra bullet.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

breakfast in movies
So much food for a small family // Credit: New Line Cinema, 1998

Breakfast in movies look amazing. So many film families get a full spread of waffles, toast, pancakes, orange juice etc. Barely any of it gets eaten of course, as a character is inevitably running late and will hurry out the door after nothing more than a quick bite of toast. What’s more impressive is that all of these characters are up, awake and still have a reasonable amount of time before their day starts. Do they not start work until the afternoon? Is someone getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare all this food?

Underwater Vision

Eggsy lives in London, so probably doesn’t swim in the cleanest water… // Credit: 20th Century Fox, 2014

Most people in the real world struggle with keeping their eyes open in the shower, but somehow, everyone can keep their eyes open underwater. Even if you do manage to open your eyes, it’s usually not for very long. Certainly not long enough to save someone from a sinking car. It’s not like you can see particularly well when underwater either, what with all the water in your eyes. It’s usually not very good for you either. And that’s not even mentioning how long people can hold their breath…

When and Where?

Harry and Sally
Harry and Sally keep bumping into each other even when they don’t want to // Credit: Columbia Pictures, 1989

When arranging to meet someone, there’s usually a whole conversation about it. One of you is probably working, and on days you aren’t working, they are. Then you have to decide on a time and place to meet. Not so in the world of movies though! Chances are, the protagonist’s best friend or love interest is also free Saturday night, and magically knows exactly where to be and when to be there without further discussion.

Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel

Don't Look Up - Netflix
With so many tv and news stories to choose, it’s amazing it’s always the right one // Credit: Netflix, 2021

As well as people knowing exactly where to be, they also know exactly where to tune TV’s and Radios. When someone rushes home and yells “Turn on the TV”, it’s always on exactly the right channel. It’s always exactly at the important bit, with the character’s favourite show being interrupted for breaking news. Not even an advert or more important news, it’s like the TV is sentient. Still, if characters did have to wait for the important bit, it could be awkward.

Super Hearing

Daniel Craig as James Bond
James Bond has been in enough firefights that it’s a wonder he can still hear M give out new missions // Credit: MGM, 2021

Night clubs are loud. Shootouts are also loud. Yet somehow, our heroes manage to have full conversations in both of these situations, or anywhere full of loud noise, and hear each other perfectly or even eavesdrop on a private conversation from a distance. Some films do get around this with earpieces or some other technology, but many would just have us believe that the characters can hear mice’s footsteps. Yet somehow they don’t go deaf

Also Read: Seven Creative Movies Dealing With Memory Loss

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