Movies About Science Experiments

From Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn
Rated PG

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 black comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. The story follows an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. As the Soviet ambassador desperately tries to stop the attack, the president, his advisers, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff struggle to stop it. The film also features a deranged former Nazi scientist who advises the president on how to survive a nuclear war. The film satirizes the nuclear scare of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as Cold War politics.

From Steven Spielberg, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
Rated PG-13

Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, with a screenplay written by Crichton and David Koepp. The film centers on the fictional Isla Nublar near Costa Rica, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, the release of the cloned dinosaurs into the wild forces the remaining visitors to try to escape the island. The film stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, and Wayne Knight in supporting roles. The film's visual effects were created through groundbreaking computer-generated imagery and animatronics, and received universal critical acclaim upon its release. Jurassic Park was a box office success, grossing over $914 million worldwide, becoming the most successful film released up to that time. It is considered a landmark in the development of computer-generated imagery, and was followed by two commercially successful sequels, The

From Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle
Rated PG

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Peter Boyle as the monster. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman. The film is a spoof of the classic horror film genre, in particular the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's novel of the same name. In the film, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, an American descendant of the mad doctor, inherits his ancestor's castle and experiments with reanimating dead bodies. The mad doctor's assistant Inga, the hunchbacked Igor, and the enigmatic Frau Blücher help him in his experiments, while obstacles come in the form of the fearsome Monster, the village doctor and the local police. Young Frankenstein is a hilarious blend of sight gags, slapstick comedy, and parodies of classic horror films. It was a box-office success and has since become a cult classic.

From James Whale, starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles
Rated Passed

Frankenstein is a 1931 American horror film based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. Directed by James Whale, it is widely considered to be one of the most influential horror films of all time. The story follows a scientist named Henry Frankenstein, who is obsessed with creating a living being out of parts of corpses. After creating the creature (Boris Karloff), it turns out to be a horrifying, uncontrollable monster. As the creature goes on a rampage, the townspeople hunt it down, culminating in a tragic ending. Along the way, Frankenstein must grapple with the consequences of his actions, and the creature must confront the prejudice and fear of those it encounters.

From Alex Garland, starring Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Rated R

Ex Machina is a 2014 British science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland. It stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac and follows a programmer who is invited by his CEO to administer the Turing test to an intelligent humanoid robot. The film follows Caleb Smith (Gleeson), a computer programmer who wins a week-long visit to the luxurious, isolated home of his reclusive boss, Nathan Bateman (Isaac). Nathan reveals to Caleb that he has built a humanoid robot named Ava (Vikander). He also challenges Caleb to a game: he must interact with Ava and, if he can determine whether her behavior is truly autonomous, he will be rewarded with his freedom. Over the course of the week, Caleb becomes increasingly suspicious that Nathan's intentions are not what they seem, and that Ava is not quite as innocent as she appears. As he begins to uncover the truth, Caleb realizes he may not be able to trust either of them. As the tension builds, the audience discovers with Caleb who and what may be real or artificial.

From James Whale, starring Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers
Rated TV-PG

The Invisible Man is a 1933 science fiction horror film directed by James Whale and starring Claude Rains. The film tells the story of a scientist, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains), who discovers a formula that can make him invisible. As his invisibility progresses, his sanity begins to unravel, turning him into a dangerous madman. The film follows his descent into madness as he terrorizes a small village and hunts for a cure to his condition. The Invisible Man is often considered one of the great horror films of the 1930s, and it was the first in a series of Universal monster movies that included Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein.

From Paul Verhoeven, starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Rated R

RoboCop is a 1987 science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The movie stars Peter Weller as the title character, a cybernetically enhanced police officer who fights crime in a corrupt and violent future Detroit. The film follows Murphy, a police officer who is brutally murdered and then brought back to life as an indestructible cyborg law enforcement officer. With the help of his partner Anne Lewis, RoboCop is able to take on the criminal underworld of Detroit, led by the ruthless Clarence Boddicker. His mission is complicated by the machinations of the mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products, which seeks to control the city's police force. RoboCop ultimately succeeds in cleaning up the crime-ridden city, but not without a cost to his own humanity.

From Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon
Rated R

The City of Lost Children is a 1995 French dark fantasy film directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It stars Ron Perlman as One, a strong but gentle giant who lives in a post-apocalyptic world and is the adoptive father of a little girl named Miette. One searches for the evil scientist Krank—who is stealing the dreams of children—in an attempt to save Miette's lost brother. Along the way, he meets a group of strange characters, including a thief, a former circus strongman, and a mad scientist. The film is notable for its dream-like atmosphere and its use of surreal imagery. It also features a rich visual style that mixes elements of steampunk and robotic designs. While the film was not a commercial success in its initial release, it has since become a cult classic, and critics have praised its unique visual style and interesting characters.

From Danny Boyle, starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Rated R

28 Days Later... is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston. The plot follows an epidemic that causes a mass rage-inducing infection that spreads across the United Kingdom, leading to the complete breakdown of society. 28 days later, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma to find London empty and marauding with abandoned cars and bodies. He soon meets Selena (Naomie Harris), Mark (Noah Huntley), and Frank (Brendan Gleeson), who are trying to stay alive in the chaos. With the help of the two survivors, Jim learns of the virus and tries to find a way to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. The group finds a safe haven at a military base, but they soon realize they must face their worst fears in order to survive. In the end, Jim leads a group of survivors out of London and into hope for a better future.

From Sam Raimi, starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
Rated PG-13

From Sam Raimi, starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco
Rated PG-13

From Dan O'Bannon, starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews
Rated R

From Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Rated Unrated

From Kurt Neumann, starring David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall
Rated Not Rated

From Frank Darabont, starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Rated R

From Ken Russell, starring William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid
Rated R

From Joe Johnston, starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell
Rated PG-13

From Marc Webb, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan
Rated PG-13

From Colin Trevorrow, starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer
Rated PG-13

From David Cronenberg, starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman
Rated R

From Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorel, Ken Foree
Rated R

From Robert Zemeckis, starring Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini
Rated PG-13

From Louis Leterrier, starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
Rated PG-13

From Julius Avery, starring Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, Pilou Asbæk
Rated R

From Paul W.S. Anderson, starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey, Oscar Pearce
Rated R