Chick 1 says:

Ever get a giggle at the completely-not-connected-with-reality computer screens that are often shown in the movies?  I’m looking at you, Mission Impossible.  Remember the screen when Ethan is sending emails to Job.  It’s awful.  Granted, it was 1996 and the internet & email were still relatively new but most folk knew it looked nothing like that.

Sometimes the unrealistic screens work within the world of the movie.  In The Matrix, the computer interface is obviously an important part of the script and we’re willing to believe that the strange characters and the falling green columns are meaningful to the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar.  Even the touch screens in Iron Man make sense as Stark is so ludicrously wealthy and technologically advanced.  We get the feeling that right now, Apple engineers are holed up somewhere slaving away on the same technology and Tony just beat them to the punch.

There’s an interesting piece over at NPR.org covering this very issue.  For me the most important point from the interview is that these screens have to tell a story (like everything else in the movie) and have only a few seconds to do it.  Thus, reality is not always the most important goal.  You can check out the story here. 

What is your favorite unrealistic movie computer screen?