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These can give some false notions of what the human body can and can’t tolerate and might even lead to some brash youthful stunts among its viewers, that’s why calling them out is almost necessary sometimes. Here’s which injuries are much more severe than implied in movies.
8 Concussions
Turns out getting hit in the head is always assumed deadly, regardless of the presence or absence of blood. It just so happens that films tend to take a lot of liberty with this idea and even make it a narrative device for when time needs to move forward a few hours or minutes through a head-trauma-induced blackout.
The worst that could happen in movies? The person just wakes up all groggy with maybe a few drops of blood on the floor and a head wound that conveniently clotted after gushing for a few seconds. In real life, any head trauma that can knock someone out always has a chance to off that person permanently, especially if they’re not athletic.
7 Punches To The Head
While on the topic of blows to the head, punching is a different story altogether. Too often in films with fight scenes, punches get thrown a lot where the receiver barely flinches or still has a pristine face. While the damage does depend on the puncher’s skill and accuracy, it actually doesn’t take much to knock loose a few teeth. Doesn’t really happen much especially to film protagonists.
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Moreover, punching a person while the back of their head is resting on pavement almost always results in multiple concussions and is actually enough to kill them or make them wear dentures for the rest of their lives. Suffice to say, it’s not an injury that will allow the receiver to just get back up, scream, and suddenly defeat their opponent through sheer force of will. That’s just plot armor.
6 Bulletproof Vest Shots
The funny thing about bulletproof vests is that they’re not exactly bulletproof. They’re bullet-resistant only. Moreover, they can only stop certain calibers of bullets, usually the small ones (usually from handguns). So the next time people see John Wick’s “bulletproof” tux cracking up bullets like pistachio, it’s perfectly valid to raise some eyebrows.
Also, in the event that the vest’s wearer does get lucky, the vest doesn’t do anything to mitigate or dissipate the impact or force of the bullet. That means the human body part that gets hit will take the full force of the impact, which is more than enough to break bones. In this case, it’s usually the ribcage since that’s what the vest protects. Repeated assault rifle shots to a bulletproof vest protecting that bodily area would’ve turned the ribcage into a jigsaw puzzle.
5 Open And Bullet Wounds
Ever seen apocalypse and zombie films? Most of the survivors have cuts, bruises, and bleeding wounds that they just shrug off all while covered in dirt, dust, grease, and debris. Most of them, particularly in zombie films, still walk around all well and healthy apart from some cosmetic damage to their skin.
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In reality, they’ll be flaring up with a fever after a few days or even hours after obtaining the open wound (especially if it’s muscle-deep). That’s because the body’s immune system is programmed to cause a fever in case it detects bacteria-laden foreign objects that managed to bypass the skin or the respiratory system.
4 Joint Locks Or Sprains
Action movies regarding martial arts are some of the most blatant offenders here. MMA joint locks are moves designed to dislocate joints (at most) or make the joint and its connecting muscle tissue sore or numb. So when someone does that to Black Widow or some other movie spy whose enemy loves to grapple, they have no business recovering too quickly.
Joint locks tend to cause an immediate sprain. Ever tried to run with a twisted ankle? That’s what it feels like after getting joint-locked, even more so if an opponent has the intent to kill or maim. But suddenly, our movie hero can still walk and fight at his full capacity despite getting their joints twisted like a pretzel.
3 Blast Injuries
It’s clear that a lot of film directors or stuntmen have never seen blast victims. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a surplus of movie heroes and heroines tanking explosions with their faces at point-blank range and still retaining their makeup. In reality, that whole explosion would have blown off not just their face but also their whole being. Is that right, Yelena from Black Widow?
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Other films that put their characters too close to explosions are also guilty of this. Those who get knocked back from the blast at the very least should have suffered some concussions and are knocked out consequently, probably even in a coma. But it seems a lot of films are intent on wanting their explosions without most of their consequences.
2 Waking Up From A Coma
Speaking coma, it’s quite a common trope for a protagonist or another character to wake up fresh from being bedridden and still look like Sleeping Beauty or be able to move immediately without any assistance and even fight in a zombie apocalypse. That’s never the case in real life thanks to muscle atrophy and whatever happens to the brain during a prolonged sleep.
For one, a person who’s been bedridden motionless for years or even just months will lose a huge chunk of their muscle mass due to inactivity, almost rendering them physically disabled. This requires an extensive amount of physical therapy. Moreover, they’ll probably have some kind of amnesia or memory loss from the ordeal. So sorry Kill Bill fans, but The Bride has to be taken down a few pegs here when it comes to power.
1 Blood Loss
Oh no! The hero got shot or stabbed and is now bleeding profusely. No big deal, right? They’ll just use the dripping blood to lure an enemy. Or if they’re in the other end, they’ll just chase their surviving target by following the blood trail. Except, abiding by physical limitations, anyone bleeding profusely wouldn’t be able to move that far or move at all.
Because there’s a big chance of fainting or passing out a few seconds after blood starts flowing out. This is a natural reaction of the circular system to preserve blood where the slowed heart rate and blood redirection can cause light-headedness and tunnel vision. Pair that with shock, and there goes consciousness for the typical citizen. Still, that apparently won’t stop the protagonist from fighting.
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