While watching the science fiction films, we usually debate about their accuracy. Often such films twist theories and facts to accommodate the narrative. However, there are several movies which are so accurate scientifically and are backed by real scientific research as well as facts. Today let us have a look at ten such films which were flawless from a scientific point of view.
1. Interstellar
The Christopher Nolan directed Interstellar had an illustrious cast comprising McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon. This 2014 hit was based on the concept that humanity was under existential threat and NASA launched an expedition to find an alternate world where humans could live. Apart from the ending, the film was scientifically accurate for most parts. It depicted the space and ground time variations perfectly. It was reported that California Institute of Technology director Kip Thorne supported Nolan to depict black holes and space travel with absolute accuracy.
2. The Martian
The 2015 film by Ridley Scott featured Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels and Kate Mara. The film was a cinematic adaptation of the Andy Weir novel ‘The Martian’ that came out in 2011. The film is about an astronaut who was left stranded on Mars when his fellow astronauts abandoned him assuming that he was dead. The film had a scientifically accurate portrayal of survival techniques and how to cultivate potatoes in space. The film also had a perfect display of time required for space travel and things that astronauts do in the space.
3. Doctor Strange
Scott Derrickson directed Doctor Strange came out in 2016 and it starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong and Michael Stuhlbarg. The film is about a neurosurgeon who learns mystic arts to regain the usage of hands which he had lost in an accident. The film features things such as multi-dimensional travel and magic, and we wonder if any of that had a real scientific connection. As stated by astrophysicist Adam Frank, the film is possible scientifically because quantum effects can indeed cause the universe to split into various parallels.
4. Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 movie directed by Ridley Scott which featured Harrison Ford, Sean Young, RutgerHauer, Edward James Olmos and Daryl Hannah. The film is about a Blade Runner who is tasked to kill the genetically engineered replicates who enter the Earth. The Replicants shown in the film are not real. However, a lot of specialists believe that the depiction of future in the film is accurate and such situations will occur in the future. Another thing that we couldn’t overlook is the flying cars in the movie and the fact that such flying cars are now under development by a European company.
5. Arrival
Arrival is the cinematic version of a short story titled ‘Story of Your Life,’ by Ted Chiang. This Denis Villeneuve directed film features Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg and Tzi Ma, released in 2016. The film is about the first contact between humans and aliens wherein Adams is the linguist tasked to communicate with aliens. The film’s crew was assisted by Scientist Stephen Wolfram and his son Christopher to create an accurate cinematic portrayal. Most experts agree that a lot of things in the movie especially the communications part was a great deal accurate.
6. Deep Impact (1998)
An amateur astronomer locates a giant comet hurtling on its way to destroy Earth. As any govt is likely to do, they shoot missiles to destroy this space rock. The outcome is purely scientific as the comet fragments and its pieces splash into the Atlantic Ocean causing a destructive Tsunami. A NASA scientist stated:
“[Deep Impact is] almost a lesson,” “To find a movie that was accurate to asteroid physics was a nice surprise.” He added.
Another interesting thing about the film was that it had predicted the first black president of USA.
7. Minority Report (2002)
Some of the pre-crime systems that we saw in this film are now already under development in the US. The futuristic film was set in 2054, and it has been called one of the most accurate sci-fi films ever, and the critics appreciated the environment and technology displayed in the film. A lot of other things that we saw in the film are already a reality such as motion tracking computer interfaces, retina scanners, and a lot. Many other devices shown are under development as well.
8. Her (2013)
This 2013 film is based on the dynamics of relationships between an AI and a human. It gave an insight into the future relationships and received a lot of appreciation from renowned people like the famous computer scientist Ray Kurzwell. He said:
“[Her] compellingly presents the core idea that a software program (an AI) can – will – be believably human and lovable. This is a breakthrough concept in cinematic futurism in the way that The Matrix presented a realistic vision that virtual reality will ultimately be as real as, well, real reality.”
9. Gattaca (1997)
This film depicted a society where geneticists inspect human embryos and discard those which display undesirable symptoms. This is now technically a reality as scientists have been able to manipulate the gene sequence in worms and mice which altered their nature and made them super strong. This is likely to further advance into the creation of designer babies who would be disease free and might also have some special powers.
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969)
Stanley Kubrick directed this film, and he took support from several scientists and authorities to ensure that everything was perfect. The centrifugal force, the spacecraft’s proportionate sizes, the time required to travel to Jupiter and the snacks that astronauts eat, all the things were deeply researched and based on absolute science. The film is generally regarded as the all-time greatest science fiction movie in the history of cinema.
