Science has advanced to a point where scientists are debunking one or the other myth day in and day out. Hollywood though continues to rely more on lies for movie plots, than facts. While movies that are scientifically inaccurate keep earning big dollars at business, science takes a back seat so far back, that it almost disappears from view. Here are some science fiction movies that should more appropriately be labeled total-fiction than the former.
- Lucy
A Sci-Fi thriller where the opening statement is a speech by a neuroscientist explaining how humans use only 10% of their brain, the movie discredits itself right at gun-fire. This rumor that continues to be the base of many Hollywood movies, is believed by over 65% of Americans. A rumor invented by the self-help industry with figures pulled right out of thin air, this myth has been shunned numerous times. Scientists explain that the human brain might not be functioning 100% at a single point in time, because of specificity of functions to areas of the brain. But, humans utilize 100% of their brain’s capabilities easily in the whole day.
- The Day After Tomorrow
The movie which describes Global Warming taking a turn towards a second Ice Age has been widely criticized for its inaccurateness. When the protagonist Jack Hall addresses a convention on his recent discovery he lists plausible scientific theories like Younger Dryas. Where he fails is, when he begins predicting a sudden climatic change identical to Ice Age happening again. The movie forgets to consider that no two climatic events are identical, and basing predictions on events of the past is far-fetched. Jack Hall predicts the shutdown of the Gulf Stream, which flies off the face of science. The storm, sea level rise, climate modeling and the theories are all concocted out of thin air with no relevance to actual facts whatsoever. And of course, it’s not really possible to outrun cold.
- Jurassic Park
The much-adored book and movie series claims it combines art with science when all it does is tell a tale of fiction. Resurrecting an extinct species is not as easy as the movie makes it look, it is, in fact, impossible. For paleontologists to bring back dinosaurs, they would need to find the DNA of the all the species, sequence it for the whole genome, assemble it back to chromosomes and then inject the same into a living, compatible egg. Hence, not possible. 65 million years ago dinosaurs perished because the tropical land was not enough for their survival. Imagine the climatic and environmental changes that have occurred since, and the possibility of delicate species existing with these changes.
- Wanted
This popular action movie blatantly ignores all and every form of science. From biology to physics, nothing seems to matter anymore. The protagonist has a condition that is basically an extreme rush of adrenaline through his body. While, such high doses of adrenaline would ordinarily result in anxiety, palpitations, tremors, heart conditions and eventual death, in the movie they render the lead with superhuman powers. This is where practical physics stands embarrassed. With his adrenaline rush, our lead can turn the paths of bullets, shoot the wings off of a fly and much more.
- The Core
This movie is a series of scientific factoids getting publically humiliated for entertainment. With incoherent geology where the inner core of the planet completely ceases to rotate, the magnet field breaks down and empty spaces are discovered in the mantle, the movie also uses geological terms incorrectly. The movie does not shy away in presenting wrong biology principles and incorrect physics too.
6. Sharknado
The movie shows a massive hurricane approaching LA and three separate tornadoes that are so strong that they lift sharks and drop them in the city. If geography ever did permit a hurricane to travel the distance to LA without bursting into storms and causing destruction, and tornados started picking sharks without harming buildings, the movie would be totally realistic.
Science and movies have been teamed up in the genre of science-fiction, which in reality takes much more from its fiction side than the former. Movies like Lucy, Twister, Absolute Zero, and Jurassic Park etc. make people laugh at the baseless theories and impossible events. But if you are looking to be entertained, then you must take everything with a pinch-of-salt.
