It’s calledscience fictionfor a reason, as these stories of traversing the stars, traveling through time, or jumping into one another’s dreams don’t always hold up to scientific scrutiny. The best sci-fi movies require audiences to suspend their disbelief and be whisked away to alternative worlds of technological advancement, unimaginable gadgetry, and far-fetched concepts that have their initial basis in real-world science. Just because a sci-fi film doesn’t make sense in the real world, that’s no reason it can’t be an insightful piece of escapism that offers unique and thoughtful insight into humanity’s endless pursuit of knowledge.
Some ofthe best sci-fi movies of all timedon’t always make complete sense, asconcepts around time travelcan often lead to paradoxical situations that result in viewers scratching their heads when they think about them too deeply. However, this is also part of the magic of filmmaking, as movies can explore ideas that real life rarely encounters and offerhighly engrossing narratives of dinosaur theme parks or life on Mars. Just because a sci-fi movie doesn’t make complete scientific sense, that does not mean it should be dismissed by viewers.
Inception
Cast
Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, features a skilled thief who uses dream-sharing technology to steal corporate secrets. He is tasked with planting an idea into a CEO’s mind, while confronting his troubled past, which threatens the mission and his team.
While the action heist stylings ofChristopher Nolan’sInceptionmade for truly thrilling viewing, its concept of inserting oneself into other people’s dreams has absolutely zero scientific basis. The harsh truth was thatInceptionwas fantasy through and through, as the only way of appearing in someone else’s dream is the good old-fashioned way of being stuck in their subconscious due to the everyday activity of the brain. While Nolan got a lot right about the mind and sleep inInception, the rules that govern dreams are still something of a mystery as the depths of the unconscious mind continue to stump scientists.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill. Abducted from Earth as a child, Quill navigates intergalactic adventures, becoming entwined in a conflict centered on a powerful orb coveted by Ronan the Accuser.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always played it fast and loose with scientific accuracy, Guardians of the Galaxytruly took things to the next level as its galaxy-spanning alien creatures came in every imaginable shape or size. While it’s exciting to see a talking tree and a genetically engineered raccoon bounty hunter interact with one another, it would also be more exciting to see the scientific explanations about how all these things came to be.Guardians of the Galaxywas a creative exploration of the endless possibilities of the universe, but it should all be taken with a pinch of salt.
Déjà Vu
Déjà Vu, directed by Tony Scott, follows Federal agent Doug Carlin, who investigates a deadly explosion on a New Orleans ferry. Utilized by a secret government lab, a time-altering surveillance device becomes key to preventing the crime, leading Carlin into unforeseen complexities of time and reality.
The late, great filmmaker Tony Scott was responsible for some of the best action movies of all time, such asTop GunandCrimson Tide, yet when he tackled sci-fi, he wasn’t exactly concerned with real-world accuracy. This was certainly the case forDéjà Vu, Scott’s time travel thriller with Denzel Washington that saw an ATF agent attempt to travel back in time to stop a terrorist attack in New Orleans before it happened. Time travel movies bend logic at the best of times, but the wayDéjà Vutried to explain itself through shaky sciencejust left viewers scratching their heads.
Armageddon
In Michael Bay’s sci-fi action thriller Armageddon, a colossal asteroid is found barrelling toward Earth, guaranteed to wipe out all life. To stop it, NASA concocts a plan that involves drilling into its core to denote a nuclear bomb inside of it - and to make that happen; they’ll need the right crew. Led by the head of an oil drilling company, Harry Stamper, a group of blue-collar workers are given the crash course for Astronaut preparation as the crew races against time to save the planet.
While a giant asteroid on a collision course toward Earth was scientifically possible, the idea of training oil drillers to be astronauts makes absolutely no sense. This was precisely what happened inArmageddon, which begged the question of why, if NASA wished to drill a role in an asteroid to save humanity, they would not instead train their engineering, computer science, or mathematics experts to learn how to be oil drillers. Although it was thrilling to watchBruce Willis take on a mission to save humanity, it feels like NASA made things needlessly complicated for themselves.
Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller Gravity tells the story of Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) after they end up stranded in space after the destruction of their shuttle. Faced with near-impossible odds of survival, the pair plan to get themselves safely back to Earth despite the relentlessly harsh reality of space threatening to claim their lives at any moment.
The Best Picture nominationGravitywas a visually spectacular sci-fi filmthat took viewers on a death-defying journey of astronauts attempting to return to Earth after their space shuttle was destroyed. WhileGravitygot a lot right about the science of space, it was also packed with inaccuracies, as everything from the way debris would interact with their communications satellite to orbital parameters making it impossible to travel through the two spacecraft (viaWashington Post.) These scientific liberties were taken in the name of good storytelling and helped keepGravityentertaining and engaging throughout.
Interstellar
From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.
The science behindInterstellarwas thoroughly researched, as the theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne acted as a consultant and executive producer on the film. But, like in most sci-fi movies, the facts don’t hold up to rigorous scrutiny, as aspects like the dire blight that was plaguing humanity were criticized by experts like astrobiologist David Grinspoon (viaMother Jones), who said it would take millions of years to reduce the Earth’s oxygen content. However, the most glaring error wasInterstellar’smessage that love transcends dimensions, a thought which, although sweet, holds no scientific weight.
Logan’s Run
Set in the 23rd century, Logan’s Run follows inhabitants of a domed city where citizens live luxuriously but are not allowed to live past 30. Renewal is promised through a ceremony, but escape becomes the sole alternative, challenging the societal constraints.
Logan’s Runwas a 1970s dystopian classicbased on the original novel by William F. Nolan that was set in a world where everyone was killed once they turned 30. While this was a powerful showcase of extreme solutions to the very real issue of overpopulation, the truth was that from a scientific point of view, this action causes more issues than it solves.Logan’s Run, at its core, misunderstands population density because if everyone were killed at 30, it would mean far too many children for the minority of adults left to support with their limited time left alive.
Total Recall
Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”, Total Recall tells the story of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a construction worker who receives an implanted memory of an adventure in humanity’s colony on Mars. Quaid finds his memories playing out in real time, hunted by agents of a mysterious organization as he works to topple the tyrannical regime of a Martian dictator (Ronny Cox).
Total Recalltold a sci-fi story about a man who receives implanted memories of a fantastical adventure on Mars, although as it progressed, the lines between reality and fiction began to blur, and it was uncertain which version of the man was real. WithArnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid / Carl Hauser,Total Recallwas a fun-filled journey into sci-fi concepts full of inaccuracies. The most glaring issue was that inTotal Recall, people had to pay for breathable air on Mars, a concept that an article onMediumexplained does not make sense within the confines laid out in the film.
Prometheus
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
FromAlientoBlade Runnerright through toThe Martian, Ridley Scott has directed several sci-fi classics that, although wildly entertaining, also feature their fair share of scientific issues. Perhaps the most glaring example of this was Scott’sAlienprequelPrometheus, which an article inForbesstated left scientists baffled. From the improper movement of thousands-of-years-old specimens to the inaccurate depiction of objects moving at the speed of light,Prometheuswas certainly a movie where audiences were required to suspend their disbelief.
The Matrix
The Matrix, released in 1999, is set in the 22nd century and follows a computer hacker, Neo, portrayed by Keanu Reeves. He joins a group of underground insurgents led by Morpheus to combat the domineering computers that control the earth, in a battle that blurs the lines between reality and illusion.
The cyberpunk stylings ofThe Matrixwork far better as a philosophical thought experiment than a genuine scientific possibility. While there’s merit to the idea that humanity lives within a simulation, the idea that machines use humans as energy sources contradicts the laws of thermodynamics. WhileThe Matrixhinges on the idea thatrobots can run on human power, the simple truth is that this would be a wildly inefficient way to run a machine-led society, even if Morpheus asserted to Neo that humans produce “more bioelectricity than a 120-volt battery and over 25,000 BTUs of body heat.”
