Jump to content

Hollywood potrayals of computer usage


DragnFly

Recommended Posts

If you have watched any television or films, there is a good chance you've seen somebody on them using a computer. Frequently, the potrayals of computer usage in these shows and films is so far removed from reality, that they are often cringe worthy. Even if you have never touched a computer in your life, you would still likely think to yourself "Theres no way it could possibly happen that way".

 

Now I am not saying that these shows and films are bad, but in many of cases the use of computers is highly unrealistic. They are sometimes used in means similar to magic, where a scene with a computer can be used in almost any method to advance the plot.

 

This is a post for these sorts of moments. Inspired by an article on cracked, which I highly recommend reading first. Heres the link.

 

Now I will not repeat the examples in that article, given that they are discussed in far more detail than I plan on delving into in this initial post. However, I will expand upon it by providing additional examples:

 

 

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

There was an episode where a demon got sucked into a computer, simply because a book in which the demon was already trapped in was scanned into it. This made him without form, where he was able to reach any computer on the planet seemingly that was connected to the internet.

 

 

 

Son in Law:

 

First off I have trouble believing Pauly Shore could use a computer, especially back in 1993. That said though, all one needs to hear is a quote from his character in the film.

 

"Your PC got harshed, right? Cause your system heaps at the wrong parameter. So l toasted the dated directory, tweaked the P-RAM...and reglazed your subroutine."

 

 

 

General Hospital:

 

The character of Damian Spinelli often assist his mobster friends by "hacking" into computers. Whether it be the police department, a hotel, or a hospital... He seems to be able to hack his way into any computer and do whatever the situation at hand calls for him to do. He refers to himself as "The Jackal", and tends to nickname everybody he knows (such as "Stone Cold", "The Valkyrie", etc...)

 

You can basically some more details about him here: http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/other/spinelli.html

 

 

 

Weird Science:

Lets see, they basically used their computer to create what amounts to an attractive genie while wearing bras on their heads. What else needs to be said?

 

 

 

I'm also not even going to go into detail on either TRON or Wargames, as the entire premise of both movies is entirely unrealistic as well. Not unlike hackers, which was mentioned in the cracked.com article.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic.

 

You know what else is highly unrealistic and similar to magic? A demon possessed computer.

 

Also, my first thought was that you must have read cracked... GOOD JOB!@

 

Anyways, as best as I can tell, when Hollywood deals with computers they're basically hoping that they can come up with something using complicated enough terms that people don't immediately recognize it as [cabbage]. And, altho most hacking seems to involve a hacking program of some sort, you do occasionally wind up with the occasional autistic kid who hacks the CIA or something.

Squab unleashes Megiddo! Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.
[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]

my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them me

Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupine

The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

 


7ApdH.png
squabharpy.png
Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic.

 

 

First off, I am quite a fan of Buffy. I never claimed the show itself was intended to be realistic, its a show about vampires.

 

That said, it was mentioned as its an example of unrealistic computer usage. I never said the show itself had to be realistic in order to qualify as an example.

 

 

What? No mention for Hackers? At all?!?!?!

 

190474.1010.A.jpg

 

No surfing through giant towers of binary towers and 'super awesome 80s laptops'?

 

C'mon!

 

The only reason I omitted hackers was because it was already covered in the article itself, which I felt sufficiently covered it with more detail than I intended on delving into with the initial post. It was one of the 8 examples mentioned in the article that inspired the post.

 

The ones I listed where further examples, that where not listed in the article.

 

But yes, it is among the first examples I think in regards to this subject, along with Wargames and TRON.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how to explain it, but in a lot of films and tv-shows, they use programs (mostly police) where there are several different windows just floating around, maybe someone knows what i mean, bit difficult to explain, but it looks kinda stupid.

 

Also, i suppose CSI with their magnification of images is pretty funny.

J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff movies

Je trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vie

Je ne me reconnais plus dans les gens

Je suis juste un cas désespérant

Et comme personne ne viendra me réclamer

Je terminerai comme un objet retrouvé

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic.

 

 

First off, I am quite a fan of Buffy. I never claimed the show itself was intended to be realistic, its a show about vampires.

 

That said, it was mentioned as its an example of unrealistic computer usage. I never said the show itself had to be realistic in order to qualify as an example.

 

 

 

In my opinion, a show has to be realistic in order for you to complain about how unrealistic certain aspects are. Until such a time occurs as demons are actually able to possess computers, thus enabling man-kind to study the actual effects of such an occurrence, a demon possessed computer can pull almost whatever crap it wants. It can fly. It can shoot lasers. It can hack into any internet connected computer. Hell, it can hack into a computer near an internet connection, because, [bleep] you, it's a demon, that's why.

 

Sorry to sound all negative. TV does often really, really screws up when it comes to computers. It's just, I don't think the Buffy example is a good one.

Squab unleashes Megiddo! Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.
[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]

my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them me

Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupine

The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

 


7ApdH.png
squabharpy.png
Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moved to MM&T as I think it's more appropriate.

 

I remember Mickey rourkes "hacking" in iron man two was viewing the source of an html page..which isn't even bad as far as the portrayals go.

polvCwJ.gif
"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CSI...sucks at that.

 

Also in every show where they use a computer. "Look at this awesome website." *uses nothing but the keyboard*

 

:huh:

 

Ever heard of a mouse?

"The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is."

siggy3s.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for that, brilliant article. The CSI "GUI/IP" thing and the Xbox Prince of Perisa hidden MS Office File were my favourites. Hollywood is so [developmentally delayed]ed.


"Imagine yourself surrounded by the most horrible cripples and maniacs it is possible to conceive, and you may understand a little of my feelings with these grotesque caricatures of humanity about me."

- H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I checked out those 2 links - very funny. I have to give most props to CSI, though. Especially in the GUI scene:p I always noticed that hackers are portrayed as super-cool people who are smart but geeky. That kind of stuff. There are also ofcourse more accurate Hollywood films on that.

Final1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heh, this is why perhaps even the cheesier martial arts movies are better than some of these CSI movies, mainly because they're horrible inaccurate and often wrong.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXW-HnRSrbQ

 

That's a good example of how wrong film makers can be.

 

EDIT - It gets worse.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to edit this in my previous post but it'll make it too long to read.

 

http://www.adequacy.org/stories/2001.12.2.42056.2147.html <- My god people are stupid. There's more logical fallacies in there than there is bots on RuneScape. Perhaps the worst troll article I've seen thus far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CSI...sucks at that.

 

Also in every show where they use a computer. "Look at this awesome website." *uses nothing but the keyboard*

 

:huh:

 

Ever heard of a mouse?

Similarly, the writers of both NCISes must have never seen a computer, and presumably write out their scripts either by hand or on a typewriter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is annoyingly ridiculous when serious programs, CSI etc try to do computer usage and fail miserably. The same goes for programs in which actors try to 'act' playing a game with a control pad, they usually end up just pressing buttons repeatedly.

 

Films like TRON imo are fine as they know that isn't real, they know their interpretation isn't realistic, they are just making a fantasy of it, as much as die hard does fantasy police officers.

Want to be my friend? Look under my name to the left<<< and click the 'Add as friend' button!

zqXeV.jpg

Big thanks to Stevepole for the signature!^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Some of it is just so absurd, but simultaneously completely unexciting, that stupidity and ineptitude must also factor in there somewhere.


"Imagine yourself surrounded by the most horrible cripples and maniacs it is possible to conceive, and you may understand a little of my feelings with these grotesque caricatures of humanity about me."

- H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Some of it is just so absurd, but simultaneously completely unexciting, that stupidity and ineptitude must also factor in there somewhere.

Or it's just the way they push the story forward. As Nom pointed out, magical computers are a lot more exciting than realistic computers for the average viewer. It's just that a lot of times they go far beyond suspension of disbelief.

 

Something like "Zoom and enhance", that can move the story, because they've got a ~45 minute episode to catch the killer in and real forensics is far less exciting to people who aren't forensic scientists or don't work with computer science for a living (Read: Most of the world).

 

Something like two people typing at once o out-hack a hacker, though... You have to wonder where the writers get their drugs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing that's always annoyed me is when characters are playing a game and they just swing the controller around and mindlessly mash the shoulder buttons, in real life I probably move around more when I'm reading than when I'm gaming

Piscis_Rex.png

99.99999998465% of the world's population is not me, if you are the 0.00000001535% that is me, put this in you signature

 

-"being famous is like being a woman, if you have to tell people you are, you aren't"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.