Author: David A. Kirby

Mad Evolutionists and Missing Links: Evolution in Cinema

Evolutionary biology has been a consistent theme in movies going back to the earliest days of cinema. Filmmakers come back to evolutionary themes because evolution is about transformation and transformation always makes for good drama and for good cinematic visuals. As it turns out, this summer has been a banner year for evolution at the movies as a large number… Read more →

A Fistful of Science!

This post originally appeared on Physics Today. I study and write about movie science for a living. As such, family, friends and colleagues constantly ask me if I hate movies with “bad” science. To which I always answer: No! I hate bad movies regardless of whether the science is “good” or not! My book Lab Coats in Hollywood explores how… Read more →

Preaching with Prometheus: Religious Responses to Alien Visitors in Science Fiction Films

A version of this post originally appeared on the Science and Entertainment Exchange’s X-Change Files blog. One of the more intriguing, and controversial, thematic aspects of Ridley Scott’s film Prometheus involves its overt discussions of science and faith. The character of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw is a scientist whose father was a Catholic missionary.She retains her religious faith even after she… Read more →