About the science of this science fiction film ... ask a scientist.
Someone in another thread suggested that this isn't a film for the "smartest guy in the room types". I think he was using the term with his tongue firmly in cheek, but it did get me thinking. Many IMDB posters aren't impressed by the science. What do actual scientists have to say?
So I googled, and the following seem to be pretty representative. Broad approval. Occasional geek-love.
There are a few mistakes here and there, but I have to say it's well above average in terms of scientific accuracy. I love this sort of documentary-from-the-future way of framing the movie. The Europa Report is singularly believable film, from the conflicts within and among characters, to the premise of the mission and what it might look like.
There's a balance the writers and directors tried to achieve: They wanted enough realism to make it believable, but needed to advance the stories and characters to make the movie enjoyable. I thought they did a good job of developing characters you could get emotionally invested in. They were multidimensional, and I could identify with them. That's hard to do. (Kevin Hand, astrobiologist and expert on Europa at NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. in Popular Science - Dr. Hand served as a science consultant for the production)
Britney Scmidt, planetary scientist at UT Austin who led a study of Europa's surface that found evidence for vast bodies of liquid trapped under the surface of the ice - submerged lakes - reviewed Europa Report for Scientific American. She noted scientific errors, but also stressed that they were few in number. According to Dr. Scmidt, "The producers said they cared about the science, and they proved it." She goes on to conclude "The movie is fun. It’s beautiful. [...] Overall, the film is an enjoyable voyage not short on awe for those who care to jump on board."
Astronomer Salman Hameed, Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts, declares that Europa Report is mostly successful in effectively commuminicating "the fear and joy" of exploration. He says that, for him, the film evokes the golden era of polar exploration. He cites the ill-fated Shackleton Expedition as an example.
Just saying. This is science fiction for scientists.
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