The Impossible Movie Technology Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Impossible Movie Technology Quiz
Image: refer to hsw

About This Quiz

Hollywood's over-the-top effects are often far-fetched and unbelievable. How much do you know about impossible movie technology? Test your knowledge of ridiculous fictional science by taking this quiz.
In many movies, what important feature hides spaceships in plain sight?
solar panels
shields
cloaking device
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But cloaking devices would have to hide everything, from visual clues to heat signatures.

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In "Star Trek," which devices allow people to disappear and rematerialize elsewhere?
replicators
tricorders
teleporters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When teleporters malfunction, they send people into terrifying limbo.

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What is probably the most critical (and unlikely) capability of many space-faring sci-fi ships?
tractor beam
faster-than-light speeds
replicators
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The concept might not be impossible, but we certainly haven't figured it out yet.

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Which tool does Doctor Who use to fix just about everything?
sonic screwdriver
TARDIS
duct tape
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The sonic screwdriver is mainly a tool but has also been used as a weapon.

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In the "Austin Powers" film series, cryogenics technology is used to preserve what?
cultures
human bodies
fish sticks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Freezing people for future purposes is currently an iffy technology.

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In "The Fifth Element" which vehicles dominant the urban landscape?
flying cars
hoverboards
Google cars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Flying cars are still fictional, but the technology is emerging .

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In "Star Wars," which direction are the Millennium Falcon's engines facing when it docks?
down
backward
sideways
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Somehow this machine docks with the engines facing backward.

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In "Terminator" which characters travel through time and hunt down prey?
zombies
gunslingers
cyborgs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Current technologies struggle just to make robots walk on uneven terrain, much less hunt people.

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Which hovering machines were often used for travel on Endor in "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi"?
speeder bikes
Imperial troop transport
Jedi cruiser
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The speeder bikes hovered above the forest floor and zipped along at breakneck speeds.

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In "The Matrix," human bodies are used for what?
blood
food
power
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Using bodies for power is a flawed concept.

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The laser-spewing drones in "Prometheus" perform what task?
radar jamming
real-time mapping
defense
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The real-time mapping drones aren't really that useful, but the special effects are cool.

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"Star Wars" and "Star Trek" ships use what to ward off attacks?
deflector shields
titanium alloys
impulse drive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To date, there's no way to make an invisible shield that fends off various weapons.

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What's the name of Tony Stark's (Iron Man's) computer that features advanced artificial intelligence?
Cortana
Travis
J.A.R.V.I.S.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Current artificial-intelligence technologies are rudimentary compared to J.A.R.V.I.S.

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The Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous device uploads dreams to people's minds in which film?
"Transcendence"
"Inception"
"The Matrix"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The whole concept of the PASIV device in "Inception" seems confusing and creepy.

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The neuralyzer in "Men in Black" does what important task?
erases short-term memory
implants false memories
causes total amnesia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With one push of a button, the device erases classified deeds from witnesses' minds.

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Time travel might be possible but may require how much power?
All the power in the solar system.
All the power of the sun.
All the power on Earth.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Time travel may require all the power of the sun. Unless physicists find a workaround, theoretical time travel will guzzle too much power to be useful.

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In "The Matrix" characters have a wide-open "headjack" data port that receives a data probe in spite of which obvious problem?
It is made of metal.
It is susceptible to germs.
It's an old USB 2.0 connection.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An open hole that lets in bacteria and viruses by the billions seems like a quick way to die.

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In "Elysium" the med-bays accomplish which amazing feat?
They can predict a person's future illnesses.
They make a person younger.
They heal every ailment.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People are almost instantly healed of any physical problem you can imagine.

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What does the Mr. Fusion in "Back to the Future" accomplish?
It produces gigawatts of power.
It fires a death ray.
It sends messages through time.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mr. Fusion produces gigawatts of power and runs on just about any fuel, including banana peels.

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Just about all space warriors carry this kind of sidearm.
stun guns
ray guns
laser spears
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ray guns, or laser-gun sidearms, aren't quite a reality, although the U.S. government is slowly installing versions on large vehicles.

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What sort of ship might allow people to colonize the galaxy?
generation ship
the Enterprise from "Star Trek"
starfighters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A generation ship would act as an ark of sorts, but resources like food and water would become a problem.

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In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," the electronic thumb lets you do what?
jab your enemy's eye
instantly grow a garden
summon a ride from a spaceship
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You could summon a ride, but of course the off-duty light will be on.

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What are the trademark weapons of "Star Wars" Jedi knights?
fiber-optic lassos
light sabers
laser guns
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Who doesn't wish light sabers were a reality?

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What is special about Marty McFly's shoes in "Back to the Future"?
They tie themselves.
They help him levitate.
They sync with the time machine.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shoes that tie themselves would be helpful for parents of toddlers around the world.

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In the movie "Transcendence" researchers do what with Johnny Depp's mind?
rebuild it
transfer it to a recently deceased person's body
upload it to a computer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The consciousness-to-digital storage concept isn't a reality … yet.

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Which device ends arguments in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"?
an instruction manual
a point-of-view gun
a laser blaster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The point-of-view gun allows foes to see an argument from your perspective and ends conflicts.

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In "X-Men" Professor X uses a Cerebro machine to accomplish which hard-to-believe task?
levitate enemies
cause explosions
sort humans from mutants
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It helps identify and track dangerous foes as well as friends.

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Tom Cruise uses complicated gestures to control computers in which sci-fi movie?
"Oblivion"
"Minority Report"
"Mission Impossible"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The large virtual-reality screens appear throughout "Minority Report."

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Marty McFly uses which gadget to zip around in "Back to the Future Part II"?
hoverboard
teleportation pad
warp machine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kids have been clamoring for scientists to build hoverboards in real life ever since.

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Iron Man relies mostly on which device to fight his foes?
flying surf board
powered exoskeleton
large bank account
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Exoskeletons do exist, but not ones that fly and do the other incredible feats in "Iron Man."

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