History Main / HollywoodMagnetism

* Mostly averted by the magnet used in TheCaper in ''Series/BreakingBad''. [[ScienceHero Walt]] points out that the frame of his glasses and his wedding ring are aluminium and gold, respectively, and the crew have to add a second row of batteries to get enough amperage to [[spoiler: get through the wall of the evidence room.]]

Subset of YouFailPhysicsForever. Often overlaps with SelectiveMagnetism and sometimes MagnetismManipulation, but there are distinct differences:

** In the pilot episode of , [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] builds a magnet so strong it even attracts ''aluminum'', a metal not normally known to react to magnetism.

* The work portrays the force of magnetism as acting on all metallic objects, whereas in RealLife only ferromagnetic materials (such as iron, nickel, and cobalt) are attracted by or can become magnets.

* In ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' there is a ''magnetic mushroom''. Even more mind-bogglingly, it can be equipped so that instead of ferrous items, it collects silver and gold coins.

* HollywoodMagnetism occurs when the work clearly portrays magnetism differently than RealLife.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Played for RuleOfFunny and cartoon physics in the ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'' episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E48 "Vault Assault".]]

[[folder:ComicBooks]]
* In the British newspaper comic ''ComicStrip/ThePerishers'', there's a strip where Wellington is demonstrating a magnet to Marlon, and he turns it backward so it will repel things. In reality, magnets will only repel other magnets, and only when their like poles are facing each other.
** Magnets will repel [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamagnetism diamagnets]], but it's not nearly as strong as what you'd expect, and they're repelled regardless of which way the magnet faces.

[[folder:ComicStrips]]

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* Parodied in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', where Eddie uses a large toon magnet to try and wrest a sword off Judge Doom's hands, the magnetic force depicted as lightning bolts that literally grab the sword and pull it.
** Also [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as being a toon prop (and literally a Hollywood magnet) it follows the laws of toon physics, so it acts exactly as you think it should or would, except (or especially) if the outcome would be funny.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* The ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' proved that magnets can't deflect a bullet, as in ''Film/LiveAndLetDie''.
** Or rather, they can, but only with a large amount of supermagnets, nothing like the wristwatch-sized magnet in the movie, and custom-made steel bullets. And even then it only caused the bullet to ricochet off the magnets, continuing its general direction.

[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[folder:WebComics]]
* [[CoolTrain The Beast]] in ''WebComic/GirlGenius'' is able to magnetically influence non-ferrous metals like gold. The characters [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20141126 explicitly comment]] about the seeming impossibility of this. [[JustifiedTrope Then again]], it ''is'' a [[MadScientist Heterodyne]] contraption, and the Heterodynes were never really hindered by minor details like the laws of physics.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner Wile E. Coyote]] got bitten by this once. In his attempt to catch Bugs Bunny with an iron carrot, his super-magnet ended up attracting all sorts of metal junk instead, including the Eiffel Tower, an ocean liner and finally a ballistic missile, which blew him to kingdom come.
* Another ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short, "Bugsy and Mugsy", culminates with Bugs putting roller skates on a tied-up Mugsy, then using a magnet under the floor to move Mugsy around...and slam him repeatedly into Rocky. This, of course, won't work for the same reasons ''The Simpsons'' example above won't work.
* In still another ''Looney Tunes'' short, "Zipping Along", Wile E. Coyote tries to capture the Road Runner by mixing bird seed with small balls, so that when the bird eats the seeds, he eats the steel balls as well. The coyote then brings out a huge magnet to bring in the Road Runner, only to get an already-lit-canister of TNT instead. OhCrap.

* In the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr.]] [[UnfortunateNames Doof]][[HerrDoktor enshmirtz]] builds a magnet so strong it even attracts ''aluminum'', a metal not normally known to react to magnetism.

* In WesternAnimation/TheMightyHercules episode ''The Magnetic Stone'', Daedalus is caught by Hercules, using an iron pot, which flies at Daedalus while the villain is holding the magnetic stone.

* Several bosses in WorldOfWarcraft have magnetism-related abilities. One example is [[http://www.icy-veins.com/wow/siegecrafter-blackfuse-strategy-guide-normal-heroic Siegecrafter Blackfuse,]] who will periodically drop electromagnets on the raid that inexorably pull players across the stage. One can understand how [[StoneWall plate and mail wearers]] would be affected, but why the [[GlassCannon cloth and leather-wearers?]]

** The Magnetic Gloves in the GameBoyColor ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames''. Most objects which you can attract towards you/pull yourself towards are not only magnets, but monopolar magnets (the gloves switch between a north and south magnetic charge so you can push and pull). The only thing that's attracted to both north and south charges are Hiploop masks, but only if the monster is in a direct line and facing Link.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coyote13_compressed_hare.png]]]]

* ''Film/OceansThirteen'' has the team send the BigBad a supermagnet that will be used to set off the security protocols of an undefeatable AI gaming security system. A supermagnet that only has to be in the room to set off the reboot measure. A supermagnet the size of a non-smart era cell phone. [[RuleOfThree A supermagnet]] that had no effect on anything metal and presumably functioned as a cell phone up to this point.

* The Magnetic Gloves in the GameBoyColor ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames''. Most objects which you can attract towards you/pull yourself towards are not only magnets, but monopolar magnets (the gloves switch between a north and south magnetic charge so you can push and pull). The only thing that's attracted to both north and south charges are Hiploop masks, but only if the monster is in a direct line and facing Link.

* In ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' is a ''magnetic mushroom''. Even more mind-boggling, it can be equipped so that instead of ferrous items, it collects silver and gold coins.

* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Guts is able to grasp his {{BFS}} with his prosthetic hand thanks to magnets. It would take an industrial-strength electromagnet to lift that thing.

* Often happens in MortadeloYFilemon. Examples include them using a big magnet, so a plane will crash... but instead blowing off an airliner's engine that crushes them, a device by [[MadScientist Profesor Bacterio]], that repels metal -up to ''submarines''-, or as a punishment tying a magnet to Profesor Bacterio and having him attempting to escape of a nuclear bomb attracted by it.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' may have an aversion in the person of [[ChaoticEvil Eustace Kidd]], who has magnetism powers; the main way he uses them is magnetizing multiple objects together in chains (like you can do at home with paper clips) to give himself CombatTentacles. It's played straight when he uses his power to wrest guns from peoples hands.

* In the ClassicDisneyShort "Donald and Pluto", Donald Duck is a plumber who uses a magnet to retrieve his tools from atop a ladder. Pluto ends up accidentally swallowing the magnet, and spends the rest of the cartoon dealing with the various objects that are mysteriously following him around.

* ArchieComics once had a story in which Archie acquired a very large magnet, which he carried in the back seat of his car. As he and Jughead traveled, the magnet attracted anything and everything that was made of metal.

In RealLife, the strength of a magnet's pull decreases over distance, much like radio waves, sound, and (for astronomical distances) gravity. This is frequently forgotten in fiction; not only are [[SelectiveMagnetism magnets selective]] in ''what'' they attract, they're also selective in ''how'' they attract it: They have effectively unlimited range, and can attract metal with the same force from any distance. Also of note is that this trope tends to treat ''all'' metallic objects as though they were ferromagnetic. In reality, many commonly used metals such as aluminum and gold are not ferromagnetic and do not react appreciably to magnetic fields. Another thing to note is that objects under a magnetic pull tend to close in on the magnet at a constant rate of speed, rather than accelerating over time as they move.

In video games, applications of magnetism are functionally similar to {{Inconveniently Placed Conveyor Belt}}s.

In comedic works, the RuleOfFunny will often take precedence.

Subset of YouFailPhysicsForever and SisterTrope to SelectiveMagnetism. See also MagnetismManipulation.

* In the 1959 ''JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' film, the pole at center of the earth rips away Hans's gold tooth and Carla's wedding ring, which Sir Oliver takes the time to point was also gold.

* Often happens in MortadeloYFilemon. Examples include them using a big magnet, so a plane will crash... but instead blowing off an airliner's engine, a device by [[MadScientist Profesor Bacterio]], that repels metal -up to ''submarines''-, or as a punishment tying a magnet to Profesor Bacterio and having him attempting to escape of a nuclear bomb attracted by it.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:ComicStrips]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

*** Well, plausible until you realize that even if you don't have them equipped, you still have to be carrying them, and would be subject the exact same attraction. It's the same thing with earlier games and having the boots allow you to sink in water and walk on the bottom, but once you take them off, you're magically lighter.
**** Either that or Link's BagOfHolding is magnetically-shielded when closed, preventing the magnetic field from entering and attracting the boots while stored. Makes about as much sense as the fact that he can jump or even walk straight with those boots in his inventory, at least. Now that I think about it, maybe it's a literal PocketDimension?

->'''Exeter:''' Place your hands above the rails. They're magnetized.
->'''Mike:''' And if your hands were metal that would mean something.
-->-- ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', MysteryScienceTheater3000TheMovie

* In the ''{{Superman}}'' (1940s) episode "The Magnetic Telescope", the title device is used to drag comets in space down to Earth.