Worst "science" movie

[TheAuldGrump]

I don't think it had any explosions, but 2001: A Space Odyssey correctly portayed silent events in space. Can't think of any others right off.

The otherwise pretty horrible Moontrap. It also has guns acting as a reaction engine - fire the gun in Zero G and get blown the other way. (And yes, guns will work in a vacuum thank you very much! There is a series of books about guns that I will not buy because of an author who stated otherwise on these very forums... He obviously does not know enough about guns to be writing on the subject.)

Bad Astronomy is another good 'scientist poking fun at the movies' site. He considers The Core to have the worst movie physics ever.

The Auld Grump

 

[jasper]

The Day After (1984) Atom bombs fall over american but limited damage. Plus standard story line of horny girl wanting to be former maiden. This thing is still spoke of as great movie in the hollywood crowd.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I enjoyed The Core

The Day After Tomorrow was crap.

 

[Umbran]

There's a huge difference between bad movie science, and bad science movies.

Superhero movies aren't science movies. They are, in essence, fantasies. Unless you're also goign to pick on The Hobbit because Smaug shouldn't be able to fly, superhero movies shouldn't be held to task for bad science.

 

[Warrior Poet]

Yeah, Total Recall had that subtle little twist

Total Recall and "subtle little twist" are two elements I never thought I'd see together in the same sentence.

Warner Brothers thought nobody would ever understand that, but using people as batteries, that made sense (supposedly).

Never underestimate the ability of studio executives to underestimate the ability of the viewing public to embrace (more) intelligent movie scripts.

Warrior Poet

 

[Warrior Poet]

There's a huge difference between bad movie science, and bad science movies.

Superhero movies aren't science movies. They are, in essence, fantasies. Unless you're also goign to pick on The Hobbit because Smaug shouldn't be able to fly, superhero movies shouldn't be held to task for bad science.

Agreed, which is why in that bad science linked page, I don't think Reign of Fire should be on the list.

Warrior Poet

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

What about "Fantastic Voyage" (1966)? It's a fun movie, but full of bad science.

If I recall correctly, if you shrink objects down like that you have to collapse the "spaces" between the atomic particles and they would weigh the same, but be much denser. Or, if you somehow shed mass, people wouldn't have enough brain matter to function. Larry Niven wrote something about this once, I think.

 

[Warrior Poet]

Weren't there a few volcano-disaster-themed movies a few years ago that were pretty execrable? I never saw 'em, but I can only imagine.

For a bit of bad geological science, how 'bout XXX? Vin Diesel's character snowboards ahead of an avalanche. I know, the guy's an extreme sports junkie, or something, but avalanches achieve speeds of 60 mph or more. I don't know what top speed on a snowboard is, but c'mon!

Warrior Poet

 

[Kahuna Burger]

wolves being in a zoo is implausible?

I think its more the wolves escaping from the entire zoo (as opposed to eating the yummy animals there) and avoiding all the similarly yummy carrion lying around to visciously attack the only potential food source that would actually fight back...

Whatever the crapfest with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz (why, Rachel? WHY?!) with the hydrogen explosion that levelled Chicago was.

I think it was called chain reaction or something. Ironicly, its crappy science was (slightly) redeemed for me by a brief moment of movie realism where the hero and heroine fall through the ice into a freezing stream climb out and stumble wet across the windswept winter plain - and actually start dying of hypothermia shortly thereafter.

On Total Recall, the realty of the situation is ambiguous, but I could never fully accept the "its all a dream" explaination because the film shows scenes where arnie's character is not present and has no knowlege. If the director intended a definite dream answer, he should have avoided those scenes.

 

[iwatt]

I hated the scene in Mission to Mars in which the characters jump ship, and catch up with each other and slow down at whim....