Take adventure and fantasy films, for example: We have no problem accepting a superhero who can fly, breath fire, perform magic, or scale walls like a spider. Nor do we have a problem accepting an arch-enemy who can direct magnetic force fields, or a monster who can freeze people merely by looking into their eyes. But we balk at any hint of sound to be heard during a battle between starships in space or at an unrealistic wound rendered by a light saber, even though the whole idea of a light saber itself is preposterous.
When the three women Van Helsing has been pursuing turn into vampires and begin to fly, it doesn't phase us in the least. But we balk at the idea of Van Helsing's use of a mechanical device that propels arrows to extreme distances, scoffing at the lack of realism because the distances seem impossibly long.
Why do we have no problem accepting the supernatural in any form, yet we find simpler violations of physical laws entirely preposterous?
2006-06-22
07:49:45
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4 answers
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asked by
la_paienne
2