Happy Birthday, Upside-downland! The greatest inverted moments in movie history

Posted on Tuesday January 26, 2010, 14:17 by Chris Hewitt in Empire States

Strewth! It’s Australia Day! And so, to celebrate yet another birthday for our cousins Down Under, we’ve come up with, erm, a selection of the greatest upside down moments in movie history. Um, because Australia’s upside down, you see.

Batman
How unhinged is Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne? The answer, as seen in this brief scene where Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale wakes up to find Master Wayne sleeping upside down like a bat, is “very”. It’s a cute little clue to his identity, an in-joke for audiences who already know that he’s the Batman and a sign to Vale that all may not be kosher with her billionaire boyfriend. Mind you, as a journalist, she should have her Pulitzer instantly revoked for not being able to work out that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same. It’s all there, for pity’s sake!
 
Men In Black
Throughout the film, Will Smith’s Agent Jay has been told by Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent Kay not to press the red button on top of the gearstick in their souped-up MIB-mobile. Of course, Jay -– and we –- are desperate to find out exactly what it does and, as the duo race to stop a bug from destroying the earth, we finally do. What it does, as it transpires, is shoot the car from 60-200 in two seconds; oh, and enable it to drive upside down on the ceiling of a jam-packed tunnel. We’re amazed Top Gear hasn’t tried to recreate this.
 
Top Gun
How did Maverick and Goose see a MiG28 do a 4g negative dive? Well, they started up on a six, when their opponent pulled from the clouds, and then moved in above him. Oh, and they were the ones who were inverted, so they took the opportunity to flip their Soviet (we assume) opponent the bird. Cross-cultural communication: it’s great! A word of advice, however: if attempting this move, make sure to secure all loose items in the cockpit first (see Hot Shots for the alternative).

Spider-Man
For all the CG acrobatics and teenage angst, THE iconic moment of Sam Raimi’s first stab at Spidey was the kiss, as Peter Parker,- having rescued his one true love, Mary-Jane Watson (Dunst), from some evil thugs,- goes back for a sneaky smacker, hanging upside down in the pouring rain as MJ lifts his mask just enough to plant one on his lips. You can make all the sticky fluid jokes you like, but there’s genuine romance here, and if Marc Webb gets even close to this with his Spider-Man reboot, he’l be doing well.
 
Welcome To The Jungle
 What’s better than The Rock? The Rock hanging upside down. And what’s better than that? The Rock hanging upside down, with Seann William Scott, getting molested by monkeys. But not in a sexual way, you filthy-minded lot! More in the sense of having stuff thrown at them until they beg for mercy. The moral of the story? Watch where you’re stepping when walking through the jungle. See also: Return Of The Jedi.
 
A Fish Called Wanda
Having refused to apologise to the batshit insane Otto -– “Aare you totally deranged?” – - for some imagined slight, John Cleese’s Archie Leach quickly finds himself dangled out of a window, legs first. Luckily Archie is a barrister and has the required legalese with which to couch his contrition: “I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.” But the MVP here is the choice of shot by director Charlie Crichton, which starts with an upright Cleese, before spinning through 180 degrees. Lovely touch from the Ealing veteran.
 
The Poseidon Adventure
The whole bloody ship’s upside down! Shot on location in Sydney, we hear.

And, of course, before some of you get your knickers in a twist (what with this being the internet and all), let's just stress that we know that Australia isn't, in fact, upside down. In fact, we love Australia. How can you not admire the country that gave us Stefan Dennis?