The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shared its selection of the most scientifically accurate films after analyzing more than a century of cinema.
The US space agency said its choices were based on an accurate representation of science and technology with careful experimentation, skepticism and problem-solving, rather than an accurate prediction of the future.
Here are NASA’s top picks for the most scientifically accurate films:
Metropolis (1927)
Metropolis was a German science fiction film depicting class divisions within a society. It presents a futuristic city with a society divided into two classes: opulent elites and an oppressed working class.
NASA said Metropolis accurately anticipated the ethical concerns surrounding machines and the replacement of human labor.
Woman in the Moon (1929)
Another German sci-fi film featuring a love triangle. Major scientific themes in the film include weightlessness, countdowns, and rockets. As a reminder, the film was released almost 50 years before humanity was able to land a man on the Moon in 1969.
The Thing from Another World (1951)
It was a classic black-and-white science fiction film featuring plant-like aliens, scientists, and air force personnel in a remote Arctic outpost.
The precise scientific reasoning and experimentation aimed at countering the threat of alien-like plants made it a top choice for NASA’s most accurate science films.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
It featured an alien who lands on Earth (in Washington, United States) with a robot named Gort. The aliens threaten humanity to abandon violence and catastrophic weapons or face the wrath of extraterrestrial life.
NASA praised him for portraying aliens as advanced but logical beings.
Gattaca (1997)
This film depicts a futuristic theme where humans are divided into naturally born and genetically engineered groups. It depicts a society where humans are judged on the basis of their DNA, where genetically modified people feel privileged.
Although the technology is speculative, NASA praised the film for its realistic depiction of DNA-based discrimination.
