I appreciate the input thus far, but I honestly have to say that judging from some of the responses I've seen (only some, and I'm sure everyone knows which ones) that it's very little wonder why some stupid ass Hollywood garbage does so well at the box office.
There's an enormous difference between suspension of belief (genetically engineered dinosaurs, a super suit) and outright stupidity. Go ahead and make a movie based on a comic or silly idea. As movie goers we all enjoy fantasy and something that allows us to see beyond the reality of everyday mundane life.
But why put in scenes such as those mentioned above? We're already suspending belief in most movies anyway, so why go that extra step to make it not only implausible, but undeniably and unbelievably silly?
Couldn't Tony Stark have fallen from a much, much less violent trajectory? Or, did he even have to blast off in the first place? Why not just show that he took care of all the bad guys, took the armored suit off, had a coke and a smile while he enjoyed their supplies (which actually would have fit his persona) while waiting for a rescue from a search party that would have seen the smoke, rather than wandering out in the vast desert with nothing but a scratched arm from his 300 foot slam into the sand?
The Gandalf scene was simple. Have him stab an ork, then quickly look up to see the butterfly (or moth or whatever it was), then go back to slaying baddies. Instead he stops, makes a sandwich, props his feet up for 15 minutes while none of the bad guys try to kill him. I guess he just looked too important for them.
The gymnastics scene....well, lets just say it's hard to believe someone actually defended it (enjoy watching Wanted and Transformers 2 in a continuous loop). I think most everyone else would agree it took years off some people's lives who watched it.
I covered the frig scene already. Simple fix. Show a less violent fall. The door falls open (show from an angle we can't see inside), but Ford doesn't come out. Later he's shown in a hospital beaten up. Or, better yet, nix the whole damn scene (or the whole movie) and do something else.
Willis? Here's an idea...don't put so many bullets in him. Or maybe don't have him fall from that height. Acknowledge that massive blood loss is actually bad for some people. And don't put him in some of the situations he finds himself in. However, I will grant you that Die Hard movies are what they are and don't pretend otherwise. But would just a *touch* of authenticity be such a bad thing? I'm willing to cut these type of macho action movies a break, though. At least the original DH, anyway.
My point/question is only this: Why ask so much of the audience when it doesn't have to be that way?
Better yet, lets try it this way - who thinks the aforementioned scenes actually made the movies better? Or, who watched their wives or whoever roll their eyes during these types of scenes due to the silliness?
Also, don't forget the original question (if anyone knows since I sure don't): Who gives these scenes the green light, but more importantly, WHY? Audiences have been spoon fed **** for so long from Hollywood we've forgotten we don't enjoy the taste. It'll only get worse, I fear. Personally, I find less movies each passing year that I wish to see, but that's another topic altogether.
