History Main / DesperateObjectCatch

* ''[[Series/WonderWoman1975 Wonder Woman]]'': In "A Date With Doomsday", Wonder Woman leaps to catch the virus thrown from a helicopter. [[spoiler: She succeeds.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'''s "Less Than Hero", Leela and Fry have gained superpowers and are trying to stop the theft of a valuable jewel. The culprit drops the gemstone from a balcony to buy time to escape; Fry leaps after it, but can't fall any faster than it does. Leela uses her superspeed to race down the stairs in time to safely catch the stone, while Fry lands on top of Bender.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Fear of Victory", Scarecrow tosses a vial of fear-inducing powder off the overhead scaffolding at a Gotham Knights football game. Robin fights through a previous exposure to the powder and snatches the plummeting vial in mid-air. Lampshaded (kind of) by the sports announcer's simultaneous narration about a "fumble" and a "recovery" on the playing field.

* In Ken Follett's novel ''The Man from St. Petersburg'', the bad guy, a Russian anarchist, is carrying a nitroglycerine bomb. Cornered by the authorities he chucks the bomb into the air and runs for it. The good guy dives and catches the device before it hits the ground, thus saving everyone's life.

** In ''Film/AntMan'', while lost in the Quantum Realm, Scott is unable to activate his suit to grow back to normal size. He fumbles while retrieving his last grow-disc from his belt, and barely manages to grab it before it can drift out of reach.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts'''s "Back in Creature Time", Martin carelessly drops the remote time-trampoline, and Koki catches it with a DivingSave.

* In ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'', Freddy alters Carlos's hearing aid to make the teen hypersensitive to sound, then drops a pin from a high balcony. Having already experienced the bone-rattling roar of water dripping from a faucet, Carlos frantically dives to catch the pin before it can crash to the floor. [[spoiler: He catches it, but Freddy (being Freddy) follows up by dropping a whole ''handfull'' of pins.]]

* In his fourth test in ''Film/Saw3D'', Bobby has to toss a key to his blindfolded friend Cale, which will unlock the cable that will haul Cale up and hang him when the timer runs down. [[spoiler:The key bounces off Cale's cupped hands in slow motion and falls through the damaged floor, dooming Cale to hang.]]

* The Franchise/HarryPotter franchise has a situation in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', in which the ''baddies'' try to catch the object. The prophecy everyone is after is confined in a glass globe that's about to hit the floor. Lucius Malfoy makes a desperate grab for it but misses and it shatters.

* In the scifi war movie ''Film/FinalEncounter'', Stoner is cornered by enemy troops on the opposite side of a corridor from Southerland. He makes a HeroicSacrifice by throwing a critical MacGuffin to his companion, fatally exposing himself to enemy fire.

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/Saw3D'', Bobby has to toss a key to his blindfolded friend Cale, which will unlock the cable that will haul Cale up and hang him when the timer runs down. [[spoiler: The key bounces off Cale's cupped hands in SloMo and falls through the damaged floor, dooming Cale to hang.]]

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** The Infinity Stone in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' is a powerful gem that destroys everything it gets into contact with. The villain forged it into his warhammer but during the film's climax it gets blown out and threatens to destroy the planet on contact with the ground. Both the villain and the hero dive for the stone in dramatic BulletTime fashion. Guess who saves the day.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/03256673436523af737f6a4dcb7a80fb.jpg]]]]

* In the scifi war movie ''Final Encounter'', Stoner is cornered by enemy troops on the opposite side of a corridor from Southerland. He makes a HeroicSacrifice by throwing a critical MacGuffin to his companion, fatally exposing himself to enemy fire.

* In ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'', Neo desperately tries to catch a bullet that's been shot at a [[TimeStandsStill frozen Trinity]], while both [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame he and the bullet have been forced into]] {{bullet time}}]]. [[spoiler:He doesn't make it by a hair, but [[BigBad the Analyst]] [[BulletCatch plucks it out of the air]] [[IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure just before it hits Trinity's temple]], [[JustBetweenYouAndMe and the ending of his monologue.]]]]

-->-- '''Odysseus''', ''FanFic/TheVictorsProject''

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'''Puss''': [[DeadpanSnarker Finally, a good use for your mouth]].

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[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In Creator/SimonRGreen's ''Beyond the Blue Moon'', an assassin/sorcerer under powerful magical protection takes the infant king hostage, and demands that the Queen Regent trade her life for the boy's. At the last moment, the Queen's father tosses a protective amulet for his royal daughter to catch, and its power lets her bypass the assassin's shielding spells and cut his throat with her own concealed dagger.

* In ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'', Kira throws the Shard to Jen just before [[spoiler:she's stabbed]] so he can heal the Crystal when the three suns align.

* Symbologist Robert Langdon holds a cryptex while Sir Leigh Teabing points a revolver at him in ''Film/TheDaVinciCode''. Langdon simply flings the cryptex to one side. Teabing makes a desperate effort to catch it but, being lame, fails. [[TheChessmaster Teabing]] is left in tears as vinegar runs through his fingers, certain that the cryptex's failsafe is dissolving the papyrus note inside, destroying a critical clue to the location of the Holy Grail.

[[caption-width-right:350:"I got it, I got it, I-[[PhelobitinumOverload AAAAAAAAAARGH!]]"]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"I got it, I got it, I-[[BodyHorror AAAAAAAAAARGH!]]"]]

-->'''Shrek:''' Nice catch, Donkey.[[DeadpanSnarker Finally, a good use for your mouth]].

* Another villain version in ''Series/BlakesSeven''. Tavis has sent an android disguised as a female RebelLeader with a tiny sphere of virus to Blake's ship. Our hero discovers the plot, and reprograms the android for a HostageForMcGuffin trade so it will drop the sphere on a verbal command or (unstated) movement. After Blake beams out with the real rebel leader, Travis tries to edge close to the android...then makes a desperate lunge as she opens her hand, grabbing the sphere before it hits the ground.