16 Facts About Weapons Used In Famous Movies

We've been looking at weapons in movies. That meant the excitement of real weapons but none of the terror, since it's all make-believe. We discovered that some weapons are so cool that fans are trying to construct them for real, while other ones are so ridiculous that no one would ever use them for real. Some actors fall in love with their roles so much that they become weapons experts, while others make do with grabbing the (very valuable) prop weapons as keepsakes. And some people are very concerned about fictional depictions of weapons, while other productions end up working with actual arms dealers to source their inventory.

Here's a look back at some of the facts we've learned. The links all lead to full articles with much more info, so do the brave thing and click every single one that interests you.

1. You can't pull out a grenade's pin with your teeth.

It requires so much force that you'd yank your teeth out of their sockets before the pin comes free. 

2. NASA sent a lightsaber into space.

A group of Stormtroopers and friendly droids attended this 2007 ceremony. 

3. The guns weren't the worst change in the special edition of E.T.

They changed Elliot's proposed Halloween costume from a terrorist to a hippie, angering the screenwriter, who didn't see why mom objected to hippies. 

4. The MCU keeps forgetting its most badass weapons.

Comic movies introduce tools that can solve everything, then never mention them again. 

5. A family played with Oddjob's hat for decades before getting it valued.

It was worth £25,000. Turns out several other Oddjob hats from Goldfinger are worth even more. 

6. Hailee Steinfeld practiced archery for Hawkeye, in vain.

7. In Britain, the Ninja Turtles were instead called "Hero Turtles."

And their nunchucks were censored, because of a supposed wave of British nunchuck street crimes.

8. All of the My Little Ponies could lift Thor's hammer.

You might think they lack the muscles, but we've actually thought this through and are convinced. 

9. Predator was specially designed to mock our gun fantasies.

The director aimed to make the guns look "impotent." This was lost on viewers and imitators. 

10. It's weird how much the Harry Potter stories rely on wands.

Wand fights are so similar to gunfights, and there are many more interesting kinds of magic out there. 

11. The flamethrower in Mad Max: Fury Road is made of bedpans.

12. Fans are going overboard creating their own Batmobiles. 

These cars don't just look elaborate, they shoot fire. 

13. As Nic Cage shows, real guns can be cheaper than prop ones. 

The director of Lord of War bought 3,000 real AK-47s for the film, then sold them afterward. 

14. Indiana Jones uses a whip as an homage to Zorro.

Except, it actually made some sense with Zorro, unlike with Dr. Jones. 

15. Scientists strapped lasers to sharks.

Soon after, the company faced problems because its lasers became too powerful to sell legally. 

16. Jurassic World's dinosaurs would make lousy weapons.

We've tried using ferocious beasts in warfare, and militaries know better than to embrace that disaster again.  

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