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Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind the Movies
Can we resurrect dinosaurs, Jurassic Park-style? Are we living in The Matrix's digital simulation? Do aliens with acid blood exist somewhere in the universe? Will we ever go back and visit 1955? And just why were the original Planet of the Ape movies so terrible?
In Science(ish), Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks confront all the questions that your favourite movies provoke. Inspired by their award-winning podcast, this popular (hopefully) science (definitely) book dedicates each chapter to a different sci-fi classic, and wittily explores the fascinating issues that arise.
Covering movies from 28 Days Later to Ex Machina, this is a joyous ride through astrophysics, neuroscience, psychology, botany, artificial intelligence, evolution, and plenty more subjects you've always wanted to grasp. Now's your chance: stylishly designed and illustrated throughout, Science(ish) is the perfect gift for every curious mind.
In Science(ish), Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks confront all the questions that your favourite movies provoke. Inspired by their award-winning podcast, this popular (hopefully) science (definitely) book dedicates each chapter to a different sci-fi classic, and wittily explores the fascinating issues that arise.
Covering movies from 28 Days Later to Ex Machina, this is a joyous ride through astrophysics, neuroscience, psychology, botany, artificial intelligence, evolution, and plenty more subjects you've always wanted to grasp. Now's your chance: stylishly designed and illustrated throughout, Science(ish) is the perfect gift for every curious mind.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2017
306 people are currently reading
1108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
October 14, 2017
Seeing the subtitle of this engaging hardback it would be easy to think 'Oh, no, not other "Science of Movie X" book - they were great initially but there have been too many since.' Somehow, though, the approach that Rick Edwards and Michael Brooks have taken transcends the original format and makes the whole thing fresh and fun again.
I think the secret to their success is that they don't try to cover all the science of a particular film, but rather that they use each of their ten subjects to explore one particular topic. It also helps that, rather than focus entirely on franchise movies we get some great one-offs, including The Martian and Ex Machina. I suspect you may find the interest level of the chapters reflects to some extent whether or not you've seen the films. So, for instance, In found 28 Days Later and Gattaca, which I haven't seen, less interesting. The only other topic that suffered a bit for me was Planet of the Apes, which I have seen but hated (even the authors say it's a terrible film, which makes you wonder why they picked it with so many others to choose from).
For the rest, though, Edwards and Brooks impressively manage to weave a whole lot of science into the topics they link to the movies. As well as the obvious subjects of The Martian and Ex Machina, Jurassic Park is good on de-extincting (is that a word?) from ancient DNA. Similarly, Interstellar on black holes (even managing to get a very up-to-date chunk on gravitational waves in) and Back to the Future on time travel, for example, all balanced readability, fun and a fair amount of science. It would have been nice if each chapter had ended with some further reading suggestions, as in each case, inevitably, the topic had to be covered in quite a summary fashion. At the very least I would point readers to Destination Mars for The Martian and Build Your Own Time Machine for Back to the Future.
One of the reasons I liked the book a lot was that it turned my initial impression around. About page six I was close to giving up. This was partly because of the agonising attempt at humour in the constant backbiting 'conversation' between the authors that tops and tails each chapter (I can't say this got any better, but I got used to it). But mostly it was because of the painfully juvenile adjectives in the main text. We are told something is a ‘bum-busting 33.9 million miles away’, and something travels at a ‘pant-soiling 36,000 miles per hour’. Thankfully, this style disappears after page six, making me wonder if the whole book was like this originally and page six missed the edit.
There were a couple of small errors - John Wheeler is credited with originating the term 'black hole' (something most of us thought until a few years ago, but it's now widely known he didn't), and the year of the first direct detection of gravitational waves is given as 2016 on one page and 2015 on another (it was 2015), but this is minor stuff. It doesn't in any way undo the fact that this is a great book which will appeal to a wide range of readers. Recommended.
I think the secret to their success is that they don't try to cover all the science of a particular film, but rather that they use each of their ten subjects to explore one particular topic. It also helps that, rather than focus entirely on franchise movies we get some great one-offs, including The Martian and Ex Machina. I suspect you may find the interest level of the chapters reflects to some extent whether or not you've seen the films. So, for instance, In found 28 Days Later and Gattaca, which I haven't seen, less interesting. The only other topic that suffered a bit for me was Planet of the Apes, which I have seen but hated (even the authors say it's a terrible film, which makes you wonder why they picked it with so many others to choose from).
For the rest, though, Edwards and Brooks impressively manage to weave a whole lot of science into the topics they link to the movies. As well as the obvious subjects of The Martian and Ex Machina, Jurassic Park is good on de-extincting (is that a word?) from ancient DNA. Similarly, Interstellar on black holes (even managing to get a very up-to-date chunk on gravitational waves in) and Back to the Future on time travel, for example, all balanced readability, fun and a fair amount of science. It would have been nice if each chapter had ended with some further reading suggestions, as in each case, inevitably, the topic had to be covered in quite a summary fashion. At the very least I would point readers to Destination Mars for The Martian and Build Your Own Time Machine for Back to the Future.
One of the reasons I liked the book a lot was that it turned my initial impression around. About page six I was close to giving up. This was partly because of the agonising attempt at humour in the constant backbiting 'conversation' between the authors that tops and tails each chapter (I can't say this got any better, but I got used to it). But mostly it was because of the painfully juvenile adjectives in the main text. We are told something is a ‘bum-busting 33.9 million miles away’, and something travels at a ‘pant-soiling 36,000 miles per hour’. Thankfully, this style disappears after page six, making me wonder if the whole book was like this originally and page six missed the edit.
There were a couple of small errors - John Wheeler is credited with originating the term 'black hole' (something most of us thought until a few years ago, but it's now widely known he didn't), and the year of the first direct detection of gravitational waves is given as 2016 on one page and 2015 on another (it was 2015), but this is minor stuff. It doesn't in any way undo the fact that this is a great book which will appeal to a wide range of readers. Recommended.
January 11, 2019
Do you want to read something fun, that is both nerdy and serious at the same time? Are you a lover of movies, science, or both? And have you ever wondered if potato farming on Mars (like in The Martian) is possible, or if dinosaur DNA can really be replicated from a mosquito's belly trapped in amber? Then look no further than this book right here. I wish I had the idea for it, because it fits wonderfully together - and I kinda hope there'll be a sequel, with more movies being dissected.
April 24, 2020
Although sometimes the dialoug are cheesy and lame, but they did choose great titles to discuss lengthy and ask the WHAT IFs
Entertaining and recommended
Drink Tea
Entertaining and recommended
Drink Tea
October 1, 2020
This is an engaging and lightly humorous book that consists of 10 chapters exploring the science behind 10 sci-fi movies (The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina, and Alien). In each chapter, the authors pose and discuss 3 questions raised by the movie, such as "how will we get to the red planet?" or "are black holes real?" The authors also address ethical questions, such as "should we use science for de-extinction" or "should we use genetics to create the perfect human?"
The book is written by two authors (a TV presenter and a PhD in Quantum Physics) who also present a podcast of the same name and concept as the book. In the context of the 10 movies covered in the book, the authors provide an overview of various scientific topics including space travel (explaining Elon Musk's SpaceX departure sequence using the Interplanetary Transport System); evolution (and how a mutation in a gene called MHY16 might've helped our brains grow bigger than those of primates); time perception and brain interfaces (including experimental neuroscience techniques to enhance learning such as decoded neurofeedback and transcranial direct current stimulation); viruses and immunity (explaining the difference between innate and adaptive immunity, though I spotted some inaccuracies in this section); gene editing and CRISPR; topics in artificial intelligence (such as Turing test, neural networks, Deep Blue, and AlphaGo); and the Drake equation used to estimate the probability extraterrestrial life.
Despite the range of topics, the coverage is not very in-depth and I would've preferred the book to have included a list of references or suggestions for further reading. Nevertheless, it is an informative and entertaining read. I even enjoyed the chapters that explored movies I haven't watched. The book discusses scientific as well as ethical and philosophical concepts in a lucid and accessible style which makes it suitable for a wide range of readers.
The book is written by two authors (a TV presenter and a PhD in Quantum Physics) who also present a podcast of the same name and concept as the book. In the context of the 10 movies covered in the book, the authors provide an overview of various scientific topics including space travel (explaining Elon Musk's SpaceX departure sequence using the Interplanetary Transport System); evolution (and how a mutation in a gene called MHY16 might've helped our brains grow bigger than those of primates); time perception and brain interfaces (including experimental neuroscience techniques to enhance learning such as decoded neurofeedback and transcranial direct current stimulation); viruses and immunity (explaining the difference between innate and adaptive immunity, though I spotted some inaccuracies in this section); gene editing and CRISPR; topics in artificial intelligence (such as Turing test, neural networks, Deep Blue, and AlphaGo); and the Drake equation used to estimate the probability extraterrestrial life.
Despite the range of topics, the coverage is not very in-depth and I would've preferred the book to have included a list of references or suggestions for further reading. Nevertheless, it is an informative and entertaining read. I even enjoyed the chapters that explored movies I haven't watched. The book discusses scientific as well as ethical and philosophical concepts in a lucid and accessible style which makes it suitable for a wide range of readers.
July 1, 2019
Nice book on the basics of 21th century science and its interpretations in the popular sci-fi movies. (Except the dialogues and jokes of Rick and Michael; I skipped them.)
November 30, 2022
Fascinating and hilarious!
April 3, 2018
As I'm the sort of annoying person who buys presents for people that I'd like instead of thinking too deeply about what THEY might like, I picked up the Kindle edition of this shortly after buying the hardback for a friend's Christmas gift and as much as I enjoyed it (a lot) it still irked me (a little).
In discussing the scientific and ethical issues raised by their selection of films (The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina and Alien) the authors, Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks cover space travel, de-extinction, black holes, human evolution, time travel, viruses, whether we're living in a simulation, genetics, AI and of course, aliens.
It's a nice selection of subjects and, largely, they're explained and explored in a straightforward and entertaining way. Some of the physics and quantum, erm, stuff in the Interstellar chapter is a little dry but they make up for that with a great final chapter (Alien) speculating on how contact with an advanced alien species might turn out and what they might look like. Instead of just looking at what is, (or might be) possible, they discuss the ethical issues well without getting preachy and at times, they're very funny.
So, what was it that irked me? Largely, it's their treatment of the films they use as a sometimes gimmicky springboard. In the case of Ex Machina, their discussion of the film's plot is heavy on spoilers. Though, let's be honest, only an idiot (like me) would read the chapter before seeing the film. Yet in the chapter on Planet of the Apes they simply dismiss the film as dreadful (their opinion is wrong) and move on, barely bothering to mention it (although there's plenty of discussion about the various sequels).
It's a small criticism really, and a highly personal one that shouldn't put anyone off reading an accessible, humorously written, wide-ranging collection of essays.
In discussing the scientific and ethical issues raised by their selection of films (The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina and Alien) the authors, Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks cover space travel, de-extinction, black holes, human evolution, time travel, viruses, whether we're living in a simulation, genetics, AI and of course, aliens.
It's a nice selection of subjects and, largely, they're explained and explored in a straightforward and entertaining way. Some of the physics and quantum, erm, stuff in the Interstellar chapter is a little dry but they make up for that with a great final chapter (Alien) speculating on how contact with an advanced alien species might turn out and what they might look like. Instead of just looking at what is, (or might be) possible, they discuss the ethical issues well without getting preachy and at times, they're very funny.
So, what was it that irked me? Largely, it's their treatment of the films they use as a sometimes gimmicky springboard. In the case of Ex Machina, their discussion of the film's plot is heavy on spoilers. Though, let's be honest, only an idiot (like me) would read the chapter before seeing the film. Yet in the chapter on Planet of the Apes they simply dismiss the film as dreadful (their opinion is wrong) and move on, barely bothering to mention it (although there's plenty of discussion about the various sequels).
It's a small criticism really, and a highly personal one that shouldn't put anyone off reading an accessible, humorously written, wide-ranging collection of essays.
January 7, 2018
Loved this. Not generally a fan of non-fiction, but this was an easy, fascinating, educative and very funny read. Now just need to watch/ rewatch all the films covered.
I still understand bugger all about science, but this was the best lesson I've ever had. :)
I still understand bugger all about science, but this was the best lesson I've ever had. :)
February 7, 2018
Excellent book. If you like watching sci-fi movies this is the book for you.
Because of this book, I don't want to be an astronaut anymore.
Because of this book, I don't want to be an astronaut anymore.
January 16, 2019
It was a very fun read!
June 12, 2022
Glad to have stumbled upon this book. It’s been a while since a book made me laugh as much as this one did. I loved the book as much as I love the movies they have handpicked. It was interesting to learn that its not just movies that get inspired by science but sometimes it works the other around too!
September 10, 2025
This is an interesting book - what you have are the two authors looking at the science from a number of recent films - from the Matrix to Back to the Future each chapter takes a film and asks three questions that the film centre around.
They then go and discuss the merits of the science from the films and their view from current scientific thinking. It makes for thought provoking reading thought I do advise read them a chapter at a time as they can get heavy going.
I would say that my thoughts on this book vary - after all they are discussing 3 questions raise from the film - they would not necessarily be the 3 questions I would have raised and so at times I feel they do go off on tangents or disappear down those metaphorical rabbit holes but in general it is a clever book with a very clever premise
They then go and discuss the merits of the science from the films and their view from current scientific thinking. It makes for thought provoking reading thought I do advise read them a chapter at a time as they can get heavy going.
I would say that my thoughts on this book vary - after all they are discussing 3 questions raise from the film - they would not necessarily be the 3 questions I would have raised and so at times I feel they do go off on tangents or disappear down those metaphorical rabbit holes but in general it is a clever book with a very clever premise
March 3, 2018
A light, entertaining and informative read, I really enjoyed this look at the real science behind some popular movies.
November 22, 2019
3.5↔，脫口秀太搶眼逗趣以至於內容反而顯得有點淡而無味，討論的內容比較大眾化。
January 18, 2022
Entertaining, well written, easy read.
October 20, 2025
funny and scienc-y. I liked it.
February 14, 2024
Love the concept, enjoyed the podcast, didn’t like this so much. Hated the little quips
September 30, 2025
O carte care abordează cu umor probleme de știință foarte complicate. Dacă filmele luate ca exemple sunt mai mult decât cunoscute ( Matrix, Marțianul, Alien, Interstellar etc) ideile științifice și explicațiile nu. Din acest motiv cei doi autori au apelat la simplificări drastice, mult umor și comparații carachioase tocmai pentru a fi înțeleși de un public neinstruit în ale fizicii sau chimiei. Într-un final, ceea ce a rezultat este o carte care se citește ușor, plină de umor, de exemple practice, care explică parțial și pe înțelesul unui public larg fenomene complexe și abordări științifice de ultim nivel. De citit!
January 20, 2019
Science(ish) covers questions science-fiction lovers might have after watching movies about space, dinosaurs, zombies, viruses, AI and other sci-fi topics nobody really wanted to take the effort to look up yet. It is possible to recreate real dinosaurs? Will robots take over the world someday? Why haven't aliens found us yet? These questions may sound funny to you, but the writers answer these questions and more by using real sources and research, putting it together in a fun package with some jokes to keep the reading light.
I enjoyed this book, even though I have only seen two of the movies the book talks about. The information given is not too difficult to understand and is presented straight and to the point, and does not take dozens of pages to talk about. What made me like the book a bit less though, was the constant bickering of the writers throughout the book. I know they are trying to make the book extra fun this way, but I am not reading this to enjoy their gibberish in which they are trying too hard to be funny that they are not funny in the slightest.
I enjoyed this book, even though I have only seen two of the movies the book talks about. The information given is not too difficult to understand and is presented straight and to the point, and does not take dozens of pages to talk about. What made me like the book a bit less though, was the constant bickering of the writers throughout the book. I know they are trying to make the book extra fun this way, but I am not reading this to enjoy their gibberish in which they are trying too hard to be funny that they are not funny in the slightest.
March 10, 2025
Interesting but a bit dated.
November 8, 2019
Really enjoyed this slightly tongue in cheek discussed on the possible science behind well loved sci-fi !
March 30, 2025
This is such an enlighteningly informative and easy-to-digest work of both authors who wrote with light hearts and in colloquial style. The range of science topics covered is also comprehensive and useful. The authors take care to identify which parts of the movie are beyond scientific credibility and which are sensible.
The designer of this book also deserves high praise for exquisite ability to produce such a valuable pop science book for general public's healthy intellectual indulgence. The presentation of the book is admirably tailored especially to be bright and attractive to young readers who should not miss the chance to enrich themselves with these abundant coverage of contemporary useful science.
As I have read too many pop science books of various scientific areas in the past 3 decades, I learn very little new knowledge but it is not an issue for me here as there still are some tidbits I can appreciate along my reading experience. For example, I appreciate the trivia about the case when the father of computing science, Alan Turing, wanted to publish his paper on Intelligent Machine (AI), his boss, Sir Charles Darwin (the grandson of that famous pioneer of evolution science who shared his name), denied him with the reason that his paper is like a "schoolboy essay"! Boy! what an opinion. His grandfather would have stirred in his grave!?! :-)
I find in the book that the authors are well knowledgeable in the topics they cover as they refer to all relevant established substances in the science world that I have already read about before this book. They also write in a pleasantly relatable way for readers who admire the movies discussed in the book. I also watched many of these movies - Alien, Back To The Future, Jurassic Park,The Matrix, Planets of The Apes.
This book serves well as a launching point for young readers so they get to know as many aspects of contemporary science areas and be able to pick which ones they want to know more about. More of such a book should be encouraged to be published in order to help maintain the interest of the young generation in science and technology.
These authors also write another similar book which I will try to get hold of soon: Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies.
The designer of this book also deserves high praise for exquisite ability to produce such a valuable pop science book for general public's healthy intellectual indulgence. The presentation of the book is admirably tailored especially to be bright and attractive to young readers who should not miss the chance to enrich themselves with these abundant coverage of contemporary useful science.
As I have read too many pop science books of various scientific areas in the past 3 decades, I learn very little new knowledge but it is not an issue for me here as there still are some tidbits I can appreciate along my reading experience. For example, I appreciate the trivia about the case when the father of computing science, Alan Turing, wanted to publish his paper on Intelligent Machine (AI), his boss, Sir Charles Darwin (the grandson of that famous pioneer of evolution science who shared his name), denied him with the reason that his paper is like a "schoolboy essay"! Boy! what an opinion. His grandfather would have stirred in his grave!?! :-)
I find in the book that the authors are well knowledgeable in the topics they cover as they refer to all relevant established substances in the science world that I have already read about before this book. They also write in a pleasantly relatable way for readers who admire the movies discussed in the book. I also watched many of these movies - Alien, Back To The Future, Jurassic Park,The Matrix, Planets of The Apes.
This book serves well as a launching point for young readers so they get to know as many aspects of contemporary science areas and be able to pick which ones they want to know more about. More of such a book should be encouraged to be published in order to help maintain the interest of the young generation in science and technology.
These authors also write another similar book which I will try to get hold of soon: Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies.
November 6, 2018
I occasionally like to read books of popular science, books about film, and books of critical analysis of sci-fi. Science(ish) is sat squarely at the intersection of all three. It's a short and breezy read, lightly humorous, full of simple explanatory visual aides and textual asides in pop out boxes. I didn't realise it was based on a podcast until I'd bought it, though I may have to give that a listen.
The format is clear and consistent. Its ten chapters of roughly 25 pages each cover ten well-known sci-fi films, from blockbusters like Jurassic Park and The Matrix to more niche successes like Gattaca and Ex Machina. Each chapter poses and discusses three major questions raised by the film (or franchise, in the case of Planet of the Apes). We then get a brief overview of the current state of science's answers (or lack thereof) to those questions.
It's necessarily brief, surface-level material. Even so, it gives every appearance of being up to date, and does provide a wealth of information. Certainly it's sufficient as food for thought for non-specialists and assists in a deeper appreciation and re-appraisal of the films, especially when their speculative science since proved somewhere near the mark of subsequent research.
I can't say I agree with the very first sentence that describes The Martian as an 'excellent book', but otherwise if the subject matter appeals, I don't hesitate to recommend it.
The format is clear and consistent. Its ten chapters of roughly 25 pages each cover ten well-known sci-fi films, from blockbusters like Jurassic Park and The Matrix to more niche successes like Gattaca and Ex Machina. Each chapter poses and discusses three major questions raised by the film (or franchise, in the case of Planet of the Apes). We then get a brief overview of the current state of science's answers (or lack thereof) to those questions.
It's necessarily brief, surface-level material. Even so, it gives every appearance of being up to date, and does provide a wealth of information. Certainly it's sufficient as food for thought for non-specialists and assists in a deeper appreciation and re-appraisal of the films, especially when their speculative science since proved somewhere near the mark of subsequent research.
I can't say I agree with the very first sentence that describes The Martian as an 'excellent book', but otherwise if the subject matter appeals, I don't hesitate to recommend it.
November 1, 2017
When I started reading this book, I was expecting it to be similar to The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence Krauss. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's actually not that similar. Although I very much enjoyed Krauss's book, I found that this book was, dare I say (and I do), a better read. I sometimes find that popular science books are either too light on the explanation of scientific facts in order to appeal to a wider audience or too full of jargon, which could potentially put non-sciency people off. I feel that Edwards and Brooks managed to write a fun, educational and for the most part scientifically accurate book that appeals to both audiences. Not to mention how well they managed to address the issue of ethics within science. Well done Sirs, well done.
As biological sciences is my thing, I was naturally very much looking forward to the Jurassic Park chapter because, Dinosaurs. Although I absolutely enjoyed it, given Brooks's physics background, it may come as no surprise that they did a superb job on The Martian and Interstellar chapters. I feel that this book definitely has the potential to become the latest popular science craze. I would most definitely recommend it to quite literally, anyone.
As biological sciences is my thing, I was naturally very much looking forward to the Jurassic Park chapter because, Dinosaurs. Although I absolutely enjoyed it, given Brooks's physics background, it may come as no surprise that they did a superb job on The Martian and Interstellar chapters. I feel that this book definitely has the potential to become the latest popular science craze. I would most definitely recommend it to quite literally, anyone.
November 18, 2017
Loved it, loved it, loved it....
I'd thoroughly recommend this book for someone like me who enjoys popular science fiction (e.g. has seen famous science fiction films but not *all* the Star Treks, for instance) and has a preoccupation with whether science will bring about the End of Days. Downside: I did have a vivid nightmare about killer dinosaur chicken coming to wreak their revenge on all our nugget-eating hides after the "Jurassic Park" chapter.
That probably makes it sound bleak - as well as all the Doomsday stuff, this book suited me as I have an inquisitive enough mind to really enjoy the Big Ideas behind science but not enough patience for the numbers (don't let that deter you from a career in STEM, girl-children! Do as I say, not as I do!). This book is written in a lively, informal way that reminds me of a cool textbook - broken up with mini panels and cartoon banter between the two writers. It explains the principles that inspired science fiction stories and ideas for how they could play out in reality in a way that hits a nice balance between simplifying matters for the layperson and demonstrating how complex some areas have the potential to get. I think the most important thing about this book is that is makes you keen to learn more.
I'd thoroughly recommend this book for someone like me who enjoys popular science fiction (e.g. has seen famous science fiction films but not *all* the Star Treks, for instance) and has a preoccupation with whether science will bring about the End of Days. Downside: I did have a vivid nightmare about killer dinosaur chicken coming to wreak their revenge on all our nugget-eating hides after the "Jurassic Park" chapter.
That probably makes it sound bleak - as well as all the Doomsday stuff, this book suited me as I have an inquisitive enough mind to really enjoy the Big Ideas behind science but not enough patience for the numbers (don't let that deter you from a career in STEM, girl-children! Do as I say, not as I do!). This book is written in a lively, informal way that reminds me of a cool textbook - broken up with mini panels and cartoon banter between the two writers. It explains the principles that inspired science fiction stories and ideas for how they could play out in reality in a way that hits a nice balance between simplifying matters for the layperson and demonstrating how complex some areas have the potential to get. I think the most important thing about this book is that is makes you keen to learn more.
August 3, 2021
A fairly run-of-the-mill pop-science book. Science(ish), commissioned off the back of a successful podcast, takes ten sci-fi movies and goes into the scientific plausibility behind them. As a history buff who enjoys comparable discussions regarding historical accuracy in movies, I was looking forward to Science(ish), particularly as I had seen nine of the ten movies being discussed (Gattaca being the exception).
However, the discussion of the movies themselves is rather limited; each title being only a jumping-off point for a wider scientific discussion. This was disappointing, but would've been fine if the science had been particularly engaging or original. Unfortunately, it isn't; it's mostly Science 101 and not delivered with any especial flair or erudition. (That said, reading the book in 2020, the discussion of a possible global viral pandemic in the 28 Days Later chapter was curious, to say the least.) There's also some hackneyed banter between the two authors in between the scientific passages (most likely a carry-over from their podcast), which only reinforces the contrived nature of the book. Though not bad, Science(ish) is only competent and there are much better examples of agreeable pop-science out there.
However, the discussion of the movies themselves is rather limited; each title being only a jumping-off point for a wider scientific discussion. This was disappointing, but would've been fine if the science had been particularly engaging or original. Unfortunately, it isn't; it's mostly Science 101 and not delivered with any especial flair or erudition. (That said, reading the book in 2020, the discussion of a possible global viral pandemic in the 28 Days Later chapter was curious, to say the least.) There's also some hackneyed banter between the two authors in between the scientific passages (most likely a carry-over from their podcast), which only reinforces the contrived nature of the book. Though not bad, Science(ish) is only competent and there are much better examples of agreeable pop-science out there.
September 16, 2023
3.5* - an interesting look into the science behind some of the biggest names in movies. With everything that has happened since this book was published (pandemic, AI development), there are several chapters where this book does feel pretty dated however it really does all make for fascinating reading especially with today's knowledge and insight. It's a great read to dip in and out of being that each chapter is one movie, and it's really interesting to take a look at some of my personal favourite films. The style is very lighthearted and jovial and does read like a podcast so you may not enjoy that style (it grated a little at times and I think I'd enjoy the conversational style pieces more as an actual podcast). However, if you're interested in taking a look at how science fiction may not be so fictional after all this is a really accessible and fun read and definitely worth taking a look at.
May 23, 2024
If you prefer science books with a dash of humour and a scarcity of formulae, then this is for you. Although the scientific chapters are inspired by the movies The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina, Alien, it's not absolutely necessary to have seen all of these films (as I haven't) to enjoy this book, as the premise is mostly described therein. As such, 'everyday questions' on topics such as space travel, time travel, DNA, evolution, AI, life on other planets, are all examined. The humour is not especially prevalent and doesn't trivialise the other content, whereas the bitchy 'Podcast' conversations between the two authors make for an unusual touch. Given the option, I would still plump for Human Universe which covers similar ground more extensively, but this is a close second. 4.5/5
December 7, 2025
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/scienceish-the-peculiar-science-behind-the-movies-by-rick-edwards-dr-michael-brooks/
This is a popular science book, aimed perhaps at the older end of the teenage market. It takes ten well-known films – The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina and Alien – and hangs a series of short reflections off them about the state of play in real science of the concepts developed in each film. It is breezily presented as a dialogue between the two podcast hosts. I found the sidebar sections a little annoying, and would have preferred them to be integrated into the main text, but otherwise it is harmless enough. Of the films I have not seen, Gattaca sounds the most interesting.
This is a popular science book, aimed perhaps at the older end of the teenage market. It takes ten well-known films – The Martian, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, Gattaca, Ex Machina and Alien – and hangs a series of short reflections off them about the state of play in real science of the concepts developed in each film. It is breezily presented as a dialogue between the two podcast hosts. I found the sidebar sections a little annoying, and would have preferred them to be integrated into the main text, but otherwise it is harmless enough. Of the films I have not seen, Gattaca sounds the most interesting.
January 15, 2018
As with the majority of Dr Michael Brooks titles, this is the perfect read for the science novice who is keen to learn more. Using ten popular and well known science fiction films, Brooks, with help from Rick Edwards, attempts to tackle some of the most fascinating and hotly contested areas of modern science.
While readers with a scientific background may find the content a tad oversimplified, the free-flowing, genuinely funny, and easy to read conversational writing style adopted by Brooks and Edwards makes this the ideal starting point for layman looking to learn more about modern science.
While readers with a scientific background may find the content a tad oversimplified, the free-flowing, genuinely funny, and easy to read conversational writing style adopted by Brooks and Edwards makes this the ideal starting point for layman looking to learn more about modern science.
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