I'm disappointed by biopics about great scientists, mathematicians, and engineers that gloss over, exclude, or misrepresent the science, math, and engineering that made them great.

I am a scientist. I just finished my doctorate.

Science is not exciting.

Not all science is the same. Obviously tedious decades of study and lab work with relatively little progress or recognition on a boring subject is very unexciting. But imagine how exciting it would be to make a major breakthrough, and how cinematically that can be shared just like an athletic performance or military victory. Think of an average athlete who struggles their whole life and doesn't achieve any significant victories or recognition vs. one who goes through the same struggles and wins an olympic gold medal. In sport, it's the story of winning that medal that's interesting, just like in science biopics the story of why so-and-so made the amazing discovery and what that discovery was are intrinsically interesting, but Hollywood dumbs it down and ignores the interesting parts in favour of melodramatic pap.

/r/movies Thread Parent