No, don’t run because I mentioned physics! It’s okay!

There’s this really funny website, by a guy who obviously knows what he’s talking about and he takes apart the scientific claims of movies.

Here’s an example from The Hulk (2003):

[About the giant dogs, one of which is a pit bull.]

According to pit bull lore, they have been matched against virtually every other dog breed not to mention lions, tigers, and bears. More often than not the pit bull wins. Yes, this has a lot to do with the breed’s strength and stamina but it’s also because, at around 60 pounds, pit bulls are exactly the right size.

Dog breeders have produced huge fighting dogs such as the Japanese Tosa Inu which can reach 200 lbs but it typically doesn’t make them better fighters than the pit bull. If a dog is scaled up, its strength will increase with the square of the scale up factor while its mass will increase with the cube of the scale up factor. For example double the size of the dog and its strength will increase by a factor of 4 but its weight will increase by a factor of 8. At some point the sheer mass of the dog will begin to limit its stamina as well as its ability to move quickly.

The best way to convert a pit bull into an assassin’s tool would be to make it super smart rather than super large. A truly intelligent dog would not have to rely on the vagaries of following a scent. It could read maps, plan its attack for the best possible situation, sneak up, and quietly dispatch its victim with a quick bite to the throat. The dog already has all the jaw strength, agility, and jumping ability required to do so.

Or from The Core (The Worst Science Movie Ever, according to him):

Without examining anything, Keyes takes about five seconds to surmise that the victims all died from malfunctioning pacemakers and the malfunction was definitely not due to a secret weapon. We’re supposed to be impressed, but our experience with real scientists and engineers indicates that when they’re on-the-record, top-notch scientists and engineers won’t even speculate about the color of their socks without looking at their ankles. They have top-notch reputations because they’re almost always right. They’re almost always right because they keep their mouths shut until they’ve fully analyzed the data.

Naturally, General Purcell is totally satisfied with Keyes speculation and immediately dismisses him. Amazed at General Purcell’s lack of curiosity, Keyes sets out to find answers. After a detailed analysis he concludes that the Earth’s core has stopped spinning and is causing the Earth’s magnetic field to collapse.

Keyes is apparently the only one in the world to discover this fact. (Where are all the compasses? Are there no Boy Scouts?)