Action movies and TV are filled with archery these days. Whether it’s Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games films, Hawkeye in The Avengers, Legolas in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises, or Oliver Queen on Arrow, the bow and arrow is a choice weapon among many of today’s heroes. Even some bad guys prefer going medieval over machine guns, such as Chayton Littlestone on Banshee.
But as Danish archer Lars Andersen demonstrates in a YouTube video, action heroes don’t quite get the craft right on the big and small screens. For one thing, they can’t draw and fire nearly as quickly as this guy does. I can only imagine if Oliver Queen fired arrows this fast on screen, you’d think “Oh, there’s no way someone could really do that.” Yet Andersen does it easily, as you can see for yourself.
Would you have ever guessed that quivers could be so impractical to an archer? But really, where else could Arrow keep his arsenal when he’s prowling the streets of Starling City? And Hawkeye’s quiver is a technological marvel, loading special arrowheads with the touch of a button. Of course, that’s superhero fiction. Lars Andersen is dealing in reality.
I think he might be more convincing if he went with attire more badass than a t-shirt and jeans. He kind of comes off like a guy doing wrestling videos in his backyard. But maybe regular guy clothes gives his demonstrations some authenticity. And that really is the point of his video.
Still, next time you watch Arrow or a Hunger Games movie, will you be paying closer attention to whether or not the hero loads his or her arrow on the right or left side of the bow? Will you notice how fast he or she can fire off a shot? It may be impossible not to after watching Anderson in action.
[Nerdist]
