Suspension of Disbelief

The other day, I reviewed Air Force One and in that video I mentioned how many of the reviews on the IMDB page complained of the unlikeliness of the entire situation, that having six people sneak onto a plane using fake credentials or shooting guns in the airplane. I’m not here to argue about whether or not those things are possible. What I want to do is talk about one of my favorite concepts: The Suspension of Disbelief.

Now, to get started it’s best we figure out what suspension of disbelief actually is. We, as humans, live in a world full of laws and constants. Not legal laws but scientific, laws of gravity, the speed of light, the limits of our technological advancement. Everything we know can be generalized under our beliefs. If you jump, you will come back down, if you get hit by a car, you will get injured. It’s just what happens.

Logically, then, disbelief is when those things aren’t true. If we jump and don’t come down, if we are impervious to getting hit by a car. Those are disbeliefs and frankly we see them all the time in films, from superhero movies to Sci-Fi, and even real world scenarios. So then why do we accept what’s on screen as being able to happen even though we know it can’t?

The suspension of disbelief.

When you walk into the movies (or the theater, television, or any form of entertainment really) it’s expected that you follow the laws of the movie being watched. We all know that (unfortunately) The Force doesn’t exist. But as we watch Yoda lift the X-Wing, we accept it because it’s in the world of the movie

However, there is a tricky grey area when it comes to the amount we, as an audience, are willing to suspend. With genres like Sci-Fi and Fantasy, our suspension is easy. They exist in different worlds and behind curtains. We know going into the movie that what we’re about to see isn’t necessarily true.

As you get closer and closer to the movies set in the real world, our suspension becomes more difficult. Yes, there are some outlandish movies that are set in our world and there are movies based on a true story. Each of these has a little bit of wiggle-room. Every movie ever made about a real person has some embellishment, it’s just a fact of the cinema. But provided it’s reasonable, we allow it to slide.

There are a multitude of movies that are set in our world that ask us to suspend our disbeliefs, from Ghostbusters to Jaws and any alien invasion movie. Of course these tend to fit into sci-fi/fantasy, but as they exist in our world we still need to suspend our disbeliefs.

And then, we have the reason why so many critics don’t like Air Force One. The movies in which we’re asked not to entirely suspend our disbelief but to suspend it just a bit. Air Force One is not a fantasy/sci-fi movie, it must exist within our world. However, it’s also not based on a true story so really it’s up to the filmmakers to finesse their way into a movie that is both believable AND interesting.

In the case of Air Force One, the filmmakers ask us to just roll with it. Sure, maybe the real plane doesn’t a have a full armory and much stricter security and would crash if bullets were fired inside of it. But that’s not the point of the film. If you want true realism, watch a documentary. If you want action and adventure, watch a movie. Don’t get me wrong, the filmmakers still have to make it believable. Had a bomb gone off and the plane stayed in the air then believability is out the window. But I think it’s also fair to say that not many of us have seen a bullet shot in a plane before and therefore aren’t counting the rounds. Plus many of those rounds probably went into chairs and furniture, not necessarily the side of the plane.

For the security aspect, well, how else can you get those characters on the plane? Plus they had inside help and this was all before 9/11. Sure it’s the president’s plane but it’s a movie. It’s not that outlandish to think that someone could make fake press badges. And by the way, there’s no escape pod on the real Air Force One. It’s just a part of the movie and we can reasonably say that it could exist.

When we go to the movies, we allow ourselves to be transported to another world. Maybe it’s similar to the real world, maybe it’s a fantastical creation. Regardless, film asks that all viewers suspend what they believe, just for those two hours. Just allow the movie to happen, accept that people will break into song in a musical and that a traveling salesman can convince an entire town to buy uniforms for a band. Even movies that are based on a true story, there has to be a little spice otherwise nobody will want to watch them.

I hope this clears things up. As you can tell, I love suspension of disbelief. That Air Force One did so many good things yet gets hounded for having guns on a plane is something that gets under my skin. Allow movies to show you their world and go with it!

As always, let me know if you agree or disagree. Comment down below what your opinions are, and don’t forget to check out my Instagram Page (@ChrisMovieReviews), look at all the movies I’ve yet to review, and submit which movie you want me to review next!