The Best Movie Myths Tested On MythBusters

Wanted, starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, may have taken nothing from the original graphic novel, but it did introduce the concept of bullets that could curve to go around walls and in circles. The idea of this being remotely true is absurd, but it’s exactly the sort of thing that’s perfect for the Mythbusters to test. This time it’s the Build Team that tackles the myth, including a very pregnant Carrie, and when no one on the team could curve a bullet, they resorted to what Grant does best: building terrifying robots.

Even with a mechanical arm swinging the gun while firing, it was impossible to get a bullet to arc. The Mythbusters may have busted it, but that doesn’t make the film any less cool.

Jaws is the original Summer blockbuster and remains beloved by fans to this day, which is why when Adam and Jamie originally busted the film’s climatic explosion, fans had some…issues…with the process of getting there. That makes this one of the myths tested multiple times, first in Season 3 and then later as part of Discovery’s Shark Week in the eighth Mythbuster special. Both times, the scuba tank rammed down the shark’s gullet refused to explode, though they did eventually get an interesting result.

The second time around, Mythbuster fans wanted the pair to experiment with different types of guns and bullets, which is why Jamie used a .50 caliber sniper rifle on a scuba tank. Instead of an explosion, the released air made a missile out of the tank, shooting it down the shark’s throat. Yet that’s not the explosion found in the movie, which means that while potentially lethal, it’s still a myth busted.

Indiana Jones is never caught without a few things, his fedora, leather jacket, and most importantly, his trusty bullwhip. In a rarity for a Mythbusters episode tackling a movie myth, the end result is that everything done in the first three films with the bullwhip is technically plausible.

Adam and Jamie put the whip through a few tests, first, if it’s possible to disarm someone with a gun using a bullwhip, and yes, it’s possible, just not likely. Secondly, the tip of the whip does break the sound barrier, proving the playground urban legend is correct. And finally, snagging a beam overhead and swinging to safety can be done, though again, in a life-or-death situation, it’s unlikely.

When the Galactic Empire was defeated by a bunch of teddy bear aliens on the forest moon of Endor, it seemed implausible from the get-go, yet the Mythbusters put the log trap to the test. It’s impossible to replicate the exact materials used to make the AT-ST, so the team decided to crush a van instead. When that worked, the Build Team stepped up and put an armored truck in the line of fire.

Amazingly, two large tree trunk-like poles that wind up and collide, were able to go right through the armored truck. That was enough to get the myth labeled as plausible, even if it wasn’t quite as destructive as the walkers getting bashed in Return of the Jedi.

Being buried alive is a terrifying thought for anyone, but the Mythbusters decided to test one of the most iconic scenes in cinema, The Bride’s one-inch punch from Kill Bill Vol. 2. After testing the maximum force a human could generate, Grant again, put together a machine capable of reaching maximum human potential with a three-inch wind-up. Even with this cybernetic power boost, the most that the machine could achieve is a dent in the wood, after 600 strikes.

The Build Team, not content with the outcome, decided to make an adjustment and test getting out of a coffin while sand is pouring in. The result was horrible for anyone that fears being buried alive, as it was functionally impossible for Grant to climb out against the torrent of sand. Kill Bill Vol. 2 may be more realistic than the first film, but this myth was soundly busted.

James Cameron was a good sport about the Mythbusters Titanic episode, as Jamie and Adam tackled the myth that Jack and Rose could have both fit on the door. To the shock of no one, this was one movie myth that was found to be plausible, with both of the show’s stars fitting on top and floating for a while with no issues. The catch is that they took the lifejacket Rose was wearing and placed it under the door.

With that one adjustment, Jack and Rose could have grown old together, and when the episode ended with the presentation to James Cameron, the director playfully brushed it away. The Mythbusters tackled shows, movies, idioms, folk sayings, urban legends, and even internet myths, but nothing could compare with the Titanic survival, which immediately became one of the show’s most iconic episodes.