And now for something completely different: The New Scientist has put together a list of five science-fiction movies that manage to get the science right—or at least, sound reasonably plausible overall.
The list starts with the predictable 2001: A Space Odyssey, which the New Scientist says depicts space travel realistically (complete with a lack of sound in space). In second place is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with its future where people can erase selective memories, followed by Alien, which dispenses with the usual deus ex machina of faster-than-light travel and makes the titular alien creature's growth believable. The fourth and fifth entries are Gattaca and Solaris (both the original and the remake). The former deals with genetic discrimination, while the latter focuses on the potential strangeness of alien life.
These five movies may do a good job of sticking within realm of plausibility, but they can't be the only ones. Are there any films you'd add to the list? Also, do you think one of the aforementioned doesn't belong?
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