"Home Alone" reality: the "wet bandits" wouldn't survive half the traps

With the festive season in full swing, audiences are revisiting Home Alone 2, but the film has an uncomfortable 'grown-up' question: how on earth could Harry and Marv (of 'Wet Bandits' fame) survive Kevin's traps - and still avoid disability?

The author of the article in The Conversation, Adam Taylor, explains popularly: many of the stunts that look like comedy in the film would in reality mean severe head trauma, fractured neck vertebrae and internal injuries.

For example, being hit on the head with a bag of cement or being hit by a brick dropped from a height creates a load that a person's neck cannot handle. In these situations, the risk of permanent damage to the spine and brain - up to and including fatalities - is high.

Even the anatomy of the skull, which is partly "designed" for protection - for example, the sinuses can work as a kind of deformation zone, softening the impact - does not make a person invulnerable. A severe blow can cause dangerous haemorrhages, brain swelling and compression of vital centres.

And the danger is not limited to the head. Falls, blows with heavy objects and "squeezing" the body can traumatise the chest and major blood vessels. In extreme cases, the aorta can rupture - an injury that is often incompatible with life. A separate problem is "hidden" injuries: broken ribs can damage internal organs, and internal bleeding sometimes builds up gradually and is not immediately apparent.

The text also deals with "less obvious" moments: a fall on the back of the head is dangerous because of the relatively thin bone at the back of the skull; electric current in domestic scenes does not "show the skeleton", but can cause uncontrolled muscle contractions and heart rhythm disturbances; a nail in the foot threatens tissue damage and serious infections (including the risk of tetanus); and episodes with fire and flammable liquids in reality would mean deep burns, prolonged treatment and a high risk of complications.

The author's conclusion is unequivocal: the villainous heroes in Home Alone are "walking medical miracles." To survive the second round of traps, they would need not only incredible luck, but also emergency trauma care and months of rehabilitation.