impossibly cool situations

Favorite Moments: Vin Diesel Destroys A Nuclear Submarine With A Car

/ Imperfect Glass / Leave a comment

We all have our favorite moments in movies, books, and games, moments that stay with us long after the story is over. This column is my attempt to examine my favorite moments and see why they stick with me.

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The movie:

‘The Fate of the Furious’

The scene:

Why it’s great:

There comes a point in every action franchise where the laws of physics are thrown out the window in favor of crazy action scenes that strive to be as fun as possible. The Fast and Furious franchise has gotten to that point, having gone from a simple movie about Vin Diesel participating in illegal street racing, to a movie about Vin Diesel outracing a nuclear submarine, and then proceeding to destroy said submarine with a car.

Is the scene dumb?

Oh yeah.

Is it scientifically implausible at every turn?

You betcha.

Is it fun?

Oh so much.

Favorite Moments: ‘Open the Door!’

/ Imperfect Glass / 1 Comment

We all have our favorite moments in movies, books, and games, moments that stay with us long after the story is over. This column is my attempt to examine my favorite moments and see why they stick with me.

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The Movie

‘Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation’

The Scene

Why it’s great

No story-related clips today, or musings on story and action. Instead, I wanted to take a moment to showcase one of the best stunts I’ve seen in years: Tom Cruise, hanging off plane.

While many moviegoers may groan about the deluge of CGI replacing practical effects, some movies do make them work, and I can think of no better example than seeing Tom Cruise hanging onto a plane in mid-air. This shot is the perfect example of how CGI and practical effects can work together: The CGI compliments and aids the shot by digitally removing the safety harness, instead of dominating it by having the whole thing be shot on a soundstage.

While practical effects and CGI have their places in filmmaking, this shot shows how, when working together, they can create movie magic.