Worst "science" movie

[Wombat]

No, it's not scientific, but it tries to be at a couple of points:

The Horror of Party Beach!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058208/

Imagine crossing The Creature from the Black Lagoon with an Annette Funicello-Frankie Avalon beach flick...

A scientist in the film discovers early on that the only way to defeat the monster is to dowse it with sodium, but no sodium is available from any pharmaceutical group from miles around!!!

...think about it ...

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Ooh, one more I forgot that nobody has mentioned. The remake of Planet of the Apes.

Ignore the time travel, which is science fantasy. What got me was the whole "train chimps to fly spaceships" theme.

 

[Prince Atom]

No, it's not scientific, but it tries to be at a couple of points:

The Horror of Party Beach!

Imagine crossing The Creature from the Black Lagoon with an Annette Funicello-Frankie Avalon beach flick...

Was that the one where the creature was created out of -- apparently -- nothing by nukular waste dumped in the ocean, not three miles off the shore, and then it waded ashore and started killing people at pajama parties?

Cuz I actually saw that one. With Mike and the Bots, thank someone, but still....

TWK

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I just got done reading the intuitor review of "What the **** Do We Know". I was actually interested in seeing that when it came out but now I'm SO glad I didn't. Wow.

I actually saw it upon the recommendation of a college professor of mine. I couldn't have been more disappointed in the movie. I found out later that he hadn't actually seen it but was going on a relative of his recommendation... I told him that to me it amounted to a long advertisement for Transcendental Mediation (not that there is anything wrong with that, I just felt I was misled)... he was kind of deflated after that...

Well, actually, it could also be said to be an advertisement for living in Portland too. Portland does look to be a beautiful city in it.

 

[Umbran]

Ooh, one more I forgot that nobody has mentioned. The remake of Planet of the Apes.

Ignore the time travel, which is science fantasy. What got me was the whole "train chimps to fly spaceships" theme.

More important than that - Where did the horses come from?!?

 

[Rel]

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.)

This is true but the impulse generated by firing a single round from a typical small firearm (like a pistol) won't send you flying very fast. Although I do imagine that in zero G it would impart enough momentum to send you tumbling slowly backwards, ruining your aim, if you didn't fire it perfectly in line with your center of mass.

I can forgive a lot of bad science in movies if they'll at least stay internally consistant. Once they violate that rule then I'm lost as a viewer.

And nothing could save the unbelieveable crapfest of Day After Tomorrow. If your going to chuck the science out the window then perhaps at least make me give a damn about the characters. :\

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

(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.)

The Auld Grump

I had always assumed that you couldn't fire a gun in a vacuum, but as I consider the idea, it makes sense. If a bullet required atmospheric oxygen, where would it get it when first fired? The powder is sealed in a casing that has to be pretty airtight, or else moisture would easily penetrate and ruin the powder.

Well, I've learned my new thing for the day, I can coast from here.

 

[JimAde]

But will the mechanics of the gun function in vacuum? What about vacuum cementing? Could the oil in the gun freeze or something? I have no idea, just saying that space is a very hostile environment for gadgets. Not too good for people, either.

 

[mojo1701]

I had always assumed that you couldn't fire a gun in a vacuum, but as I consider the idea, it makes sense. If a bullet required atmospheric oxygen, where would it get it when first fired? The powder is sealed in a casing that has to be pretty airtight, or else moisture would easily penetrate and ruin the powder.

Well, I've learned my new thing for the day, I can coast from here.

Well, according to IMDb's goofs on "Firefly," they weren't supposed to fire in a vacuum. It's just that they asked the wrong "expert."

But will the mechanics of the gun function in vacuum? What about vacuum cementing? Could the oil in the gun freeze or something? I have no idea, just saying that space is a very hostile environment for gadgets. Not too good for people, either.

Well, since there is no matter to transfer heat to, it wouldn't exactly freeze.

 

[Rel]

But will the mechanics of the gun function in vacuum? What about vacuum cementing? Could the oil in the gun freeze or something? I have no idea, just saying that space is a very hostile environment for gadgets. Not too good for people, either.

My understanding (and I admit that it could be very flawed) is that vacuum cementing is mainly a property of small, granular particles. I've always heard it referenced to things like moon dust and so forth.

The mechanics of many firearms are very simple. Think of something like a Colt Single Action Revolver. Pull back hammer. Release hammer. Bang. I doubt that oil freezing is something to be overly concerned with in a case like that.

Granted, more modern firearms might have more complex mechanisms that are more prone to the harsh environment of space. None of this would pose a difficulty to my suspension of disbelief.

More thorny would be the reason why you'd have a gun in space in the first place. Even if they function perfectly, it's a highly impractical weapon for the environment from an operational standpoint. You'd better hit whatever you're aiming at on the first try.