It’s no secret that disaster movies take some creative liberties for the sake of spectacle, but an early 2000s sci-fi disaster movie that just hit Paramount+ is one of the most scientifically atrocious sci-fi disaster movies ever made. Released in 2003 following the genre’s resurgence in the ‘90s, the movie topped NASA’s top 10 most unrealistic movies and even served as a major catalyst for the creation of The Science & Entertainment Exchange, an effort from scientists to improve scientific accuracy in media.
That movie is The Core, and it’s not a film to watch if you’re looking for scientific accuracy. Directed by Jon Amiel, the movie centers around a team of scientists and astronauts who must journey to the center of the Earth in a specialized ship to set off nuclear explosions, aiming to restart the planet’s stopped rotation and prevent global destruction. Although the film’s screenwriter John Rogers defended the movie’s science, arguing that the film’s premise was rooted in existing geophysics rather than pure fantasy, many scientists agreed the movie displayed some seriously extremely inaccurate scientific concepts.
The Core Ignores Scientific Reality for a So-Dumb-It’s-Fun Plot
The Core really is one of the best examples of bad science. The movie disregards pretty much every known law of physics, geology, and material science, packing one scientific inaccuracy after the other, and it starts with the premise itself. While the movie’s team of scientists constantly refer to the Earth’s “electromagnetic” field as breaking down, Emory University Physics Professor Sidney Perkowitz told Salon it is actually the magnetic field that would be disrupted. Everything after that, from the immediate rapid electronic malfunctions to the use of unobtanium to withstand extreme pressures and heat and even terranauts’ plan to restart the core using nuclear bombs, which Perkowitz described as “just a crazy idea,” is inaccurate.
But bad science doesn’t necessarily make The Core a bad movie. While the movie is listed among the most unrealistic sci-fi films of all time, its absurdity is exactly what makes it a guilty pleasure. Its so-bad-it’s-fun scientific inaccuracies deliver the exact kind of high-stakes, earnest disaster action and spectacle that have helped make it a cult classic. The movie thrives on disaster movie tropes, ridiculous CGI, and intense, dramatic acting, and if you can overlook the absolutely ridiculous scientific flaws, it’s actually pretty darn fun.
What’s New on Paramount+?
The Core is one of several movies freshly streaming on Paramount+ this April. The streamer added the largest number of titles on April 1st when movies like Airplane!, Arrival, Deep Impact, Galaxy Quest, Million Dollar Baby, and Shutter Island joined the platform. Later in the month, the streamer is scheduled to add Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie (April 20th), as well as several shows, including Tyler Perry’s Ruthless (April 7th), The Loud House: European Adventure (April 15th), and American Gangster (April 29th).
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