What do you think?
Rate this book
Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies
Asteroids, killer sharks, nuclear bombs, viruses, deadly robots, climate change, the apocalypse - why is Hollywood so obsessed with death and the end of the world? And how seriously should we take the dystopian visions of our favourite films? With wit, intelligence and irreverence, Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks explore the science of death and mass destruction through some of our best-loved Hollywood blockbusters. From Armageddon and Dr Strangelove to The Terminator and Contagion , they investigate everything from astrophysics to AI, with hilarious and captivating consequences. Packed with illustrations, fascinating facts and numerous spoilers, Hollywood Wants to Kill You is the perfect way into the science of our inevitable demise.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 2019
50 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Michael Brooks
43 books115 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Michael Edward Brooks is an English science writer, noted for explaining complex scientific research and findings to the general population. Brooks holds a PhD in Quantum Physics from the University of Sussex. He was previously an editor for New Scientist magazine, and currently works as a consultant for that magazine. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Times Higher Education Supplement. His first novel, Entanglement, was published in 2007. His first non-fiction book, an exploration of scientific anomalies entitled 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, was published in 2009. Brooks' next book, The Big Questions: Physics, was released in February 2010. It contains twenty 3,000-word essays addressing the most fundamental and frequently asked questions about science.
Michael Edward Brooks is an English science writer, noted for explaining complex scientific research and findings to the general population. Brooks holds a PhD in Quantum Physics from the University of Sussex. He was previously an editor for New Scientist magazine, and currently works as a consultant for that magazine. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Times Higher Education Supplement. His first novel, Entanglement, was published in 2007. His first non-fiction book, an exploration of scientific anomalies entitled 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, was published in 2009. Brooks' next book, The Big Questions: Physics, was released in February 2010. It contains twenty 3,000-word essays addressing the most fundamental and frequently asked questions about science.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
September 29, 2019
This book has everything, humour, movie references and science told in a quirky, relatable and most importantly of all in a way that a casual reader can understand!
I feel I learned a lot from this, the way it was written and the layout, full of diagrams and jokes and simplistic explanations.
Some topics covered are viruses, climate change, robots, insomnia, plants and many others.
I enjoyed this so much I am buying the partner book Scienc(ish) to go with it.
Such a great read.
I feel I learned a lot from this, the way it was written and the layout, full of diagrams and jokes and simplistic explanations.
Some topics covered are viruses, climate change, robots, insomnia, plants and many others.
I enjoyed this so much I am buying the partner book Scienc(ish) to go with it.
Such a great read.
May 18, 2025
Zu allererst Mal: vielen Dank für das Buchgeschenk an Nicola!
Hier sieht man mal wieder, wie schnell sich wissenschaftliche Themen selbst überholen können. Obwohl das Buch erst 6 Jahre alt ist, ist die Welt doch sehr deutlich eine andere.
Tatsächlich geht es hier auch sehr wenig um Filme, obwohl das der Titel vermuten lässt. Filme sind hier bestenfalls Stichwortgeber. Gleich das erste Kapitel - Hollywood wants to kill you...with a virus! - ist nach 2020 komplett obsolet. Das Kapitel über böse Killerroboter und KIs ist ebenfalls überholt aufgrund von technischen Weiterentwicklungen - und echt voller fachlicher Fehler (z.B. bezüglich der Modelle und Entwicklungen bei Boston Dynamics) 2019 war scheinbar auch noch kein Jahr in dem Elon Musk als Terrorist sondern als Held galt. Ist schon seltsam, wie schnell sich Dinge heute entwickeln.
Die übrigen Kapitel fand ich überwiegend inhaltlich gut.
Was mich aber richtig gestört hat, sind diese "lustigen Chat-Clouds" der Herren Autoren. So lange sich die beiden auf wissenschaftliche Themen außerhalb dieser oben beschriebenen Kapitel beschränken, sind die Texte informativ neutral gehalten. Wann immer ihre "Comedy" Anfälle in diesen Chat-Clouds oder zwischendurch bei der Erwähnung von Filmen auftauchen, möchte ich beide ins Gesicht schlagen. Nein, es ist nicht mein Humor. Man könnte beide für Incels halten. So auf diesem Niveau bewegt es sich.
Deswegen in der Summe auch nur 3 Sterne, wobei ich schon aufgerundet habe. Keine Leseempfehlung für zukünftige Generationen.
Hier sieht man mal wieder, wie schnell sich wissenschaftliche Themen selbst überholen können. Obwohl das Buch erst 6 Jahre alt ist, ist die Welt doch sehr deutlich eine andere.
Tatsächlich geht es hier auch sehr wenig um Filme, obwohl das der Titel vermuten lässt. Filme sind hier bestenfalls Stichwortgeber. Gleich das erste Kapitel - Hollywood wants to kill you...with a virus! - ist nach 2020 komplett obsolet. Das Kapitel über böse Killerroboter und KIs ist ebenfalls überholt aufgrund von technischen Weiterentwicklungen - und echt voller fachlicher Fehler (z.B. bezüglich der Modelle und Entwicklungen bei Boston Dynamics) 2019 war scheinbar auch noch kein Jahr in dem Elon Musk als Terrorist sondern als Held galt. Ist schon seltsam, wie schnell sich Dinge heute entwickeln.
Die übrigen Kapitel fand ich überwiegend inhaltlich gut.
Was mich aber richtig gestört hat, sind diese "lustigen Chat-Clouds" der Herren Autoren. So lange sich die beiden auf wissenschaftliche Themen außerhalb dieser oben beschriebenen Kapitel beschränken, sind die Texte informativ neutral gehalten. Wann immer ihre "Comedy" Anfälle in diesen Chat-Clouds oder zwischendurch bei der Erwähnung von Filmen auftauchen, möchte ich beide ins Gesicht schlagen. Nein, es ist nicht mein Humor. Man könnte beide für Incels halten. So auf diesem Niveau bewegt es sich.
Deswegen in der Summe auch nur 3 Sterne, wobei ich schon aufgerundet habe. Keine Leseempfehlung für zukünftige Generationen.
December 8, 2020
A fantastically entertaining book. As the authors put it, this book is for people who enjoy watching movies and going to die someday. It takes as through Hollywood's most popular doomsday scenarios (viruses, robots, nuclear armageddon, etc.) and explains why they might be scary and their realistic probability. I must say, knowing what we know now, the chapter on viruses and a possible global pandemic is spot on (the book was written in 2018 and published in 2019). While the subject might sound grim, don't worry, it is written in a smart and witty manner.
January 7, 2024
If you have a morbid imagination like me and have thought about all the different ways you could DIE - and you like movies - then this is for you
Death by DISEASE, COMETS, ROBOTS - covered..... PLAGUES, ZOMBIES, A.I, - covered. And the list goes on.....
Basically, if you can think of a way to die and it has been featured in a movie, then it's in this book... It's kind of a morbid educational movie guide. Full of fun facts about these death scenarios, the science behind them and about the movies too.
Death by DISEASE, COMETS, ROBOTS - covered..... PLAGUES, ZOMBIES, A.I, - covered. And the list goes on.....
Basically, if you can think of a way to die and it has been featured in a movie, then it's in this book... It's kind of a morbid educational movie guide. Full of fun facts about these death scenarios, the science behind them and about the movies too.
February 5, 2020
At first I was afraid, I was petrified ... Seriously, when I saw this book, I thought the authors took a lot of movies and spoiled them. Well, they didn't. Spoil a lot of them I mean. The book still contains some spoilers but you are warned ahead (sometimes). The book actually describes different ways to die and for each type of death it finds reference in a Hollywood movie. I enjoyed and learned some new stuff along the way. Money well spent.
October 15, 2019
This book was a wild journey!
I was immediately drawn to this book, because of The Terminator cover and the ideas behind it. As someone who has a serious, sometimes crippling fear of death, anything that can potentially give me some piece of mind about it is a winner.
Each chapter describes different ways us humans could meet our demise and comes with a movie that it references as a basis for the idea. The movie quotes, along with the snippets of dialogue between Rick and Michael, give this book some much needed levity, in the face of it's quite serious subject matter.
This book is backed up by science, therefore readers should expect there to be a lot of difficult scientific terms that you would not normally come across. As someone who doesn't have a science background, sometimes I found it difficult to follow. Rick & Michael do try their best, but let's be real; breaking scientific theories down to layman's terms for 2 scientists is probably not going to come naturally. I appreciated them trying though!
While I did enjoy each theory, the interesting facts & information they provided, I did sometimes feel like I was reading a scientific journal and I do wish there had of been some moments scattered throughout the book that were more personal to the authors. The Introduction section to the book was so nicely done and made the book seem more like a conversation and it could have done with a closing section more fitting to its opener.
Overall, it is an enjoyable read even for the more scientifically challenged, such as myself. If you're a lover of movies, science or just random facts, this is gonna be right up your street!
I was immediately drawn to this book, because of The Terminator cover and the ideas behind it. As someone who has a serious, sometimes crippling fear of death, anything that can potentially give me some piece of mind about it is a winner.
Each chapter describes different ways us humans could meet our demise and comes with a movie that it references as a basis for the idea. The movie quotes, along with the snippets of dialogue between Rick and Michael, give this book some much needed levity, in the face of it's quite serious subject matter.
This book is backed up by science, therefore readers should expect there to be a lot of difficult scientific terms that you would not normally come across. As someone who doesn't have a science background, sometimes I found it difficult to follow. Rick & Michael do try their best, but let's be real; breaking scientific theories down to layman's terms for 2 scientists is probably not going to come naturally. I appreciated them trying though!
While I did enjoy each theory, the interesting facts & information they provided, I did sometimes feel like I was reading a scientific journal and I do wish there had of been some moments scattered throughout the book that were more personal to the authors. The Introduction section to the book was so nicely done and made the book seem more like a conversation and it could have done with a closing section more fitting to its opener.
Overall, it is an enjoyable read even for the more scientifically challenged, such as myself. If you're a lover of movies, science or just random facts, this is gonna be right up your street!
November 29, 2019
Lots of bizarre and thought-provoking facts, suppositions and hypotheses all wrapped into the framework of examining popular movies and their focus upon ways of dying. That is, mainly the ways of bringing mass death to populations. An uncomfortable but fascinating subject.
The style is chatty and cheeky; best friend in the pub. The language is chosen to be accessible to everyman with the scientific terms carefully explained, often with the support of tables, graphs and diagrams. The slightly tedious in-jokes and insults between the two authors is confined to comic-strip dialogue illustrations so can be easily skipped.
The eleven themed chapters work well, ranging from viruses through robots and climate change to nuclear armageddon and death itself. Less predictable are chapters on plants and infertility. For those of an enquiring turn of mind this book will provoke lots of additional (sanity) checks and searches. For more accepting people, here is a treasure chest of conversation starters and startling nuggets of information about people's favourite topic - humans.
This book is not flawless so don't be too trusting. (A mis-statement of the classic Prisoners' Dilemma set my alarm bells ringing.) The chapters are bang up to date but, of course, will become less so - your challenge is to stay alert to news of advances on a myriad of scientific fronts. This is a valuable perspective on science for the general reader. It certainly should be read rather than sitting on a coffee table.
The style is chatty and cheeky; best friend in the pub. The language is chosen to be accessible to everyman with the scientific terms carefully explained, often with the support of tables, graphs and diagrams. The slightly tedious in-jokes and insults between the two authors is confined to comic-strip dialogue illustrations so can be easily skipped.
The eleven themed chapters work well, ranging from viruses through robots and climate change to nuclear armageddon and death itself. Less predictable are chapters on plants and infertility. For those of an enquiring turn of mind this book will provoke lots of additional (sanity) checks and searches. For more accepting people, here is a treasure chest of conversation starters and startling nuggets of information about people's favourite topic - humans.
This book is not flawless so don't be too trusting. (A mis-statement of the classic Prisoners' Dilemma set my alarm bells ringing.) The chapters are bang up to date but, of course, will become less so - your challenge is to stay alert to news of advances on a myriad of scientific fronts. This is a valuable perspective on science for the general reader. It certainly should be read rather than sitting on a coffee table.
January 2, 2020
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, I thought it would either be boring and full to the brim with scientific information or it would be quirky and fun. To my surprise it was a fairly equal dose of both science and comedy. At times I did feel like the science weighed a little heavier and I would start to think of putting the book down.
I really liked that it was split into sections with various types of ways Hollywood kills people off. The chapters made it a more manageable as I would read only a section at a time.
The diagrams and charts split the text up so the pages weren't endless tiny text, I wasn't so fond of the text conversations between the authors on the page, the conversations rarely interested me.
I enjoyed this book but unfortunately I found most of the movies that were discussed to be relatively old. This is definitely aimed at a higher aged audience than myself or someone interested in the 'classics'.
I really liked that it was split into sections with various types of ways Hollywood kills people off. The chapters made it a more manageable as I would read only a section at a time.
The diagrams and charts split the text up so the pages weren't endless tiny text, I wasn't so fond of the text conversations between the authors on the page, the conversations rarely interested me.
I enjoyed this book but unfortunately I found most of the movies that were discussed to be relatively old. This is definitely aimed at a higher aged audience than myself or someone interested in the 'classics'.
October 3, 2019
Thank you to Readersfirst for this copy.
I enjoyed this one, it was a fun read and something very different to what i usually read. The format is quite similar to a Podcast feel, split into different sections covering different topics and they are then explored further.
It's an easy to follow read, and i liked the illustrations all through the book, also the movie quotes too. It's filled with facts, discussions and an in depth look at why Hollywood always wants to kill people off in various ways.
I would recommend this to any movie fans, it's a fun read but interesting at the same time.
I enjoyed this one, it was a fun read and something very different to what i usually read. The format is quite similar to a Podcast feel, split into different sections covering different topics and they are then explored further.
It's an easy to follow read, and i liked the illustrations all through the book, also the movie quotes too. It's filled with facts, discussions and an in depth look at why Hollywood always wants to kill people off in various ways.
I would recommend this to any movie fans, it's a fun read but interesting at the same time.
July 18, 2022
The difficulty with this kind of popular science book is that it has been outdated immediately. This book was written in 2019 and talks about surviving a pandemic and the record lows of the Doomsday clock. Both of these options have changed (got worse) so I guess my summary of this book is "there's not going to be any sensible approach to vaccinations you stupid slut"
It is extremely interesting though, I love death. Can reccomend if you are also a death enjoyer
It is extremely interesting though, I love death. Can reccomend if you are also a death enjoyer
January 22, 2022
This is really fun. If you like movies and science, then you’ll enjoy this book. The science isn’t too heavy and it’s all very relatable especially if you’ve seen the movies referenced in each chapter. The banter between Edwards and Brooks in each chapter keeps the whole thing very light.
September 3, 2024
First full book I’ve read in years
October 9, 2019
Thank you Readers First for my copy of ‘Hollywood Wants to Kill You.’
I absolutely loved this book!
It appealed to me because of the format and how it was more of a factual book than fiction, I was intrigued! It used humour to make the idea of death quite lighthearted (if that’s even possible?) while still being true to fact. There were some parts that stuck with me and I ended up telling friends and family, I felt like I’d learnt so many new things thanks to this book. It really makes you think about society and how we are so influenced by new media without consciously knowing.
I found the content to be really interesting and was always pondering over real life after reading various chapters. The writing styles of Brooks and Edwards work so well together that it’s a fun read while dealing with serious topics. Such a clever and informative read, the works of Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks create such an intellectual masterpiece!
I absolutely loved this book!
It appealed to me because of the format and how it was more of a factual book than fiction, I was intrigued! It used humour to make the idea of death quite lighthearted (if that’s even possible?) while still being true to fact. There were some parts that stuck with me and I ended up telling friends and family, I felt like I’d learnt so many new things thanks to this book. It really makes you think about society and how we are so influenced by new media without consciously knowing.
I found the content to be really interesting and was always pondering over real life after reading various chapters. The writing styles of Brooks and Edwards work so well together that it’s a fun read while dealing with serious topics. Such a clever and informative read, the works of Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks create such an intellectual masterpiece!
September 22, 2019
Wow'! Hollywood Wants to kill you, has to be one of my favourite books of the year, Who knew science could be fun, ? I hated science at school, (even though I am a geek, science eluded me) BUT I have learnt so much from Rick Edwards and Dr Michael Brooks, via their book.
We learn, how we could , die or live , (but mainly die) with the help of movies, e.g Hollywood wants to kill you...WITH ROBOTS, The Terminator (this was for me, the one that terrified me the most, even though we meet Freddy Krueger and killer plants) I have driven my poor husband mad, with my " listen to this"and "did you know" . How I wish I'd had science teaches like Rick and Michael when I was at school. This book , is fun, clever and oh so ..Just buy the book, you won't regret it..
We learn, how we could , die or live , (but mainly die) with the help of movies, e.g Hollywood wants to kill you...WITH ROBOTS, The Terminator (this was for me, the one that terrified me the most, even though we meet Freddy Krueger and killer plants) I have driven my poor husband mad, with my " listen to this"and "did you know" . How I wish I'd had science teaches like Rick and Michael when I was at school. This book , is fun, clever and oh so ..Just buy the book, you won't regret it..
January 12, 2021
It's very much a generic pop science book. It's not the most amazing or insightful thing I've ever read (a lot of the science is very basic and chances are you've already heard of them of you're into mainstream science at all) but it's a short and sweet read. It's decently funny (I exhaled through my nose a couple of times) and fairly informative.
To be honest, it's just a light read; it's kind of a coffee table book. I liked it but I didn't love it, if you know what I mean.
To be honest, it's just a light read; it's kind of a coffee table book. I liked it but I didn't love it, if you know what I mean.
May 13, 2020
This book has equipped me with random trivia facts to drop into the conversation when the discussion is stagnating, for pretty much... the rest of my life.
'Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in Movies' gives its readers a fantastic, punchy and fact-filled overview of a dozen different scientific topics in the course of one book. This is where its strength lies! As someone who doesn't consider themselves to be very 'sciencey,' I found this book to be a really good diving platform for me to jump off into other scientific books. Did I know that I was intrigued by the function of sleep, by asteroids, by preventing the onslaught of old-age? NOPE. But I am now!
Edward's and Brook's novel can be consumed in little bite-sized pieces and if you don't like a chapter or a topic (the plant chapter nearly made me fall asleep, no offence), you can just skip over it and come back to it later. It's the literary response to a stand-alone sitcom episode! Speaking of sitcoms,
Edwards and Brooks themselves are really funny. They manage to keep everything PRETTY light, considering the book's deathly topic.
I only have two complaints. 1. I kind of wish this book had delved a little more deeply into its cinematic side. Perhaps if they started off each chapter with a series of films to watch? And, to be honest, I wish they had based their topics of discussion off more well-known cinematic ailments. (Like, can we get rid of the plants' chapter and replace it with one on zombies... pretty please?)
2. The last chapter - which focuses more on the philosophy of death - is exactly what I signed up for. Maybe this is my inner humanities nerd talking, but I would have loved if 'Hollywood Wants to Kill You' had delved more deeply into the philosophy of death itself and why cinema, why art, why humans, are SO obsessed with conquering it.
STILL, this book is so interesting and incredibly relevant to our current global climate (literally... the first chapter references coronavirus. Published in December 2019, huh? Is this a conspiracy?)
I would recommend it :) x
'Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in Movies' gives its readers a fantastic, punchy and fact-filled overview of a dozen different scientific topics in the course of one book. This is where its strength lies! As someone who doesn't consider themselves to be very 'sciencey,' I found this book to be a really good diving platform for me to jump off into other scientific books. Did I know that I was intrigued by the function of sleep, by asteroids, by preventing the onslaught of old-age? NOPE. But I am now!
Edward's and Brook's novel can be consumed in little bite-sized pieces and if you don't like a chapter or a topic (the plant chapter nearly made me fall asleep, no offence), you can just skip over it and come back to it later. It's the literary response to a stand-alone sitcom episode! Speaking of sitcoms,
Edwards and Brooks themselves are really funny. They manage to keep everything PRETTY light, considering the book's deathly topic.
I only have two complaints. 1. I kind of wish this book had delved a little more deeply into its cinematic side. Perhaps if they started off each chapter with a series of films to watch? And, to be honest, I wish they had based their topics of discussion off more well-known cinematic ailments. (Like, can we get rid of the plants' chapter and replace it with one on zombies... pretty please?)
2. The last chapter - which focuses more on the philosophy of death - is exactly what I signed up for. Maybe this is my inner humanities nerd talking, but I would have loved if 'Hollywood Wants to Kill You' had delved more deeply into the philosophy of death itself and why cinema, why art, why humans, are SO obsessed with conquering it.
STILL, this book is so interesting and incredibly relevant to our current global climate (literally... the first chapter references coronavirus. Published in December 2019, huh? Is this a conspiracy?)
I would recommend it :) x
March 31, 2024
"Well, that aged well", scoffed nobody whatsoever at the first chapter of this book, which takes the example of that there 'Contagion' film and told us what it tells us about how global pandemics play out. The fact this came out in 2019 and was proven true within months – both in the actuality and in the choice of Hollywood lesson material – was, as far as I know, not gloated about in the paperback, but hey. Elsewhere, 'Dr Strangelove' is used as impetus to discuss nuclear war, 'The Terminator' is cause for a round-up of robotic life (in the chapter that does seem to have dated the most, what with AI and everything), and 'Children of Men' is a launchpad for talking all things reproduction- and fertility-based.
It's a great way to discuss science – the dangers of sleep issues being pegged to that pathetic 'Nightmare on Elm Street', botanical communication as not imagined by the creators of the Triffids, and more. It doesn't get hung up on talking about the films, as it's more closely involved in reporting the actual science, and it does that pretty well, beyond the fairly unfunny snippets of dialogue between the two authors here. It's a book, mind, with some levity, considering the doom and gloom are ramped up to eleven before we start, so it is probably quite Reithian on both aspects of the education/entertainment divide. It hasn't made me rush to see their other collabs, but it was more or less a four star enjoyment.
It's a great way to discuss science – the dangers of sleep issues being pegged to that pathetic 'Nightmare on Elm Street', botanical communication as not imagined by the creators of the Triffids, and more. It doesn't get hung up on talking about the films, as it's more closely involved in reporting the actual science, and it does that pretty well, beyond the fairly unfunny snippets of dialogue between the two authors here. It's a book, mind, with some levity, considering the doom and gloom are ramped up to eleven before we start, so it is probably quite Reithian on both aspects of the education/entertainment divide. It hasn't made me rush to see their other collabs, but it was more or less a four star enjoyment.
December 29, 2020
Comedy books are not my cup of tea. However, from the first page of Hollywood Want To Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death In The Movies, I was laughing to my stomach's content.
In the sense of analyzing famous films and their emphasis on ways of dying, many bizarre and thought-provoking facts, theories, and hypotheses are all bundled up. That is, specifically the forms in which populations are brought to mass death. An inconvenient but fascinating topic.
The terminology is deliberately chosen to be open to all, always with the help of charts, graphs, and diagrams, with the scientific words carefully explained. In order to be conveniently missed, the slightly tedious in-jokes and insults between the two writers are limited to comic-strip dialogue illustrations.
There are still some spoilers in the novel, but you are forewarned (sometimes). In reality, it describes various ways to die and finds reference in a Hollywood film for each form of death. I enjoyed it and learned a few new things along the way. Well-spend money.
This was a thought-provoking book. Who knew death could be so fun.
In the sense of analyzing famous films and their emphasis on ways of dying, many bizarre and thought-provoking facts, theories, and hypotheses are all bundled up. That is, specifically the forms in which populations are brought to mass death. An inconvenient but fascinating topic.
The terminology is deliberately chosen to be open to all, always with the help of charts, graphs, and diagrams, with the scientific words carefully explained. In order to be conveniently missed, the slightly tedious in-jokes and insults between the two writers are limited to comic-strip dialogue illustrations.
There are still some spoilers in the novel, but you are forewarned (sometimes). In reality, it describes various ways to die and finds reference in a Hollywood film for each form of death. I enjoyed it and learned a few new things along the way. Well-spend money.
This was a thought-provoking book. Who knew death could be so fun.
October 27, 2022
My boyfriend (who doesn't read, but is a film maker) bought this book thinking it would be about movies. He (naturally) didn't read beyond page 7, as this book is not about movies.
It is, however, an entertaining read about the various ways in which death appears in Hollywood movies and how probable it is that it would actually happen like that. How likely is it that robots will become sentient beings? Or that an asteroid will rain down and wipe out (some or all) people?
The first one, not so much, but the second one has quite a high probability.
The informal writing style of the book and the topics addressed made it a very enjoyable read, and if you're interested in reading books about unnecessary facts, then this is it for you!
It is, however, an entertaining read about the various ways in which death appears in Hollywood movies and how probable it is that it would actually happen like that. How likely is it that robots will become sentient beings? Or that an asteroid will rain down and wipe out (some or all) people?
The first one, not so much, but the second one has quite a high probability.
The informal writing style of the book and the topics addressed made it a very enjoyable read, and if you're interested in reading books about unnecessary facts, then this is it for you!
January 26, 2021
3.5/5 Good but not great. Pre ordered this book after reading the previous book by these authors expecting a similar style, which it is. Where this book differs from the other is the humour or my perception of lack of humour in certain chapters. I appreciate that it is taking a realists view to the topics covered but certain chapters left me feeling slightly depressed as they hit a bit close to home, not necessarily at at fault of the authors and more a falut of my own insecurities which dampened my enjoyment slightly. advice from me if you feel the same on certain subjects is to read a whole section as they are presented as doom and gloom followed by a good news story.
June 14, 2020
4.5
A really awesome read; educational and super funny. It would probably have been even better had I watched any of the movies mentioned, but alas I remain as a thoroughly entertained novice. My favourite chapters were definitely infertility, insomnia, plants and old age (I’m never looking at sleep the same way again. Who knew it was necessary?). The only issues I had were with the speculations towards cheating death and curing ageing, which were perhaps a little to short-sighted sci-fi for my taste. Though I can’t quite say unrealistic.
A really awesome read; educational and super funny. It would probably have been even better had I watched any of the movies mentioned, but alas I remain as a thoroughly entertained novice. My favourite chapters were definitely infertility, insomnia, plants and old age (I’m never looking at sleep the same way again. Who knew it was necessary?). The only issues I had were with the speculations towards cheating death and curing ageing, which were perhaps a little to short-sighted sci-fi for my taste. Though I can’t quite say unrealistic.
June 27, 2020
Favourite chapter was definitely the one about plants. I really need to get around to reading The Secret Life of Trees.
Tone occasionally irritating with the relentless cynical or poor/dad jokes, but the actual content was very interesting. First chapter on pandemics felt eerily prescient, which will only contribute to the authors' smugness.
Am going to have to read Science-ish as there was only one reference to Keanu Reeves in this book even though everyone KNOWS the fim industry revolves entirely around him, so presumably he's mentioned a lot in that.
(read in Libby app)
Tone occasionally irritating with the relentless cynical or poor/dad jokes, but the actual content was very interesting. First chapter on pandemics felt eerily prescient, which will only contribute to the authors' smugness.
Am going to have to read Science-ish as there was only one reference to Keanu Reeves in this book even though everyone KNOWS the fim industry revolves entirely around him, so presumably he's mentioned a lot in that.
(read in Libby app)
July 10, 2020
I CAN NOT emphasize enough how much i ADORED this book. The whole idea is pure genius and god it's so well excecuted.
It combines my two passions together : science and cinema.
What would happen if the threats we see in the movies (viruses, sharks, poison...) were to kill you in real life? Would it be possible ?
Written by two scientists who clearly knoy what the F they're talking about, i both learned things and laughed a lot. I didn't know they'd written a book before that on the same theme so i'm gonna buy it immediatly.
It combines my two passions together : science and cinema.
What would happen if the threats we see in the movies (viruses, sharks, poison...) were to kill you in real life? Would it be possible ?
Written by two scientists who clearly knoy what the F they're talking about, i both learned things and laughed a lot. I didn't know they'd written a book before that on the same theme so i'm gonna buy it immediatly.
November 7, 2020
Once again, another comedic lined film book that decides to continually punch down on films and film makers in order to get comedy. Saying Roma or Titanic is shit is not actually enough of a joke to get a laugh. You don’t seem more clever or intelligent for condemning artists with more clout then you.
It’s a shame this book was so narrow in its break down of each element, deciding to focus on whatever popular movie they wanted for each category rather than comparing or understanding the evolution of each element in cinema.
Literally the least amount of book to be called a book.
It’s a shame this book was so narrow in its break down of each element, deciding to focus on whatever popular movie they wanted for each category rather than comparing or understanding the evolution of each element in cinema.
Literally the least amount of book to be called a book.
November 17, 2025
For a book that portrays the contents as comedic I found myself unamused for the most part. The “comedy” in it just involves a bunch of “conversations” between the two authors that would be mildly amusing to overhear in a pub. But as something in an authored book they’re rubbish. I ended up skipping most of these sections after about halfway through. The 2 stars are purely for some of the information being presented, there were genuinely interesting bits in the book. But they were too far removed and muddied with crap jokes and poor attempts at humour. Overall a disappointing read.
December 9, 2022
Fascinating look at the surprising amount of science behind various cinematic deaths. Rather more science than film talk but presented in a chatty, fairly accessible way.
The chapter on nuclear destruction (Dr Strangelove) was by far the most interesting but the ones on death by plant (Triffids) and death itself were also good.
More extended podcast than book, but a nice change to my usual psychological thrillers.
* Thanks to uLIBRARY *
The chapter on nuclear destruction (Dr Strangelove) was by far the most interesting but the ones on death by plant (Triffids) and death itself were also good.
More extended podcast than book, but a nice change to my usual psychological thrillers.
* Thanks to uLIBRARY *
December 15, 2020
Really interesting read to explore how plausible cinematic deaths actually are but a lot of the science was much denser than I was expecting and it went over my head at times. The chapter on contagion was a little close to home for the moment but loved the chapter on Jaws! It’s given me a pretty good movie list to watch and rewatch.
July 29, 2024
i mean it’s definitely a book that i’ve read! honestly really enjoyed the opening few chapters but quickly caught onto the fact that this is a SCIENCE book, with added asides about films, and not the other way around. not really my sort of thing, but well-researched and very interesting for a particular reader.
November 23, 2025
I've wanted to read this book for some time, and I don't know if it's because of that expectation building but it was slightly underwhelming.
On the face of it looking at different films and exploring the different threats within them sounds great, but it quickly turns into a science textbook with the odd film reference. Which is fine, but it's not necessarily what I was expecting.
On the face of it looking at different films and exploring the different threats within them sounds great, but it quickly turns into a science textbook with the odd film reference. Which is fine, but it's not necessarily what I was expecting.
November 29, 2020
Not knowing the podcast I didn't really know what to expect ... enjoyable, with lots of interesting science tid bits, but from the title I must admit as a movie fan I was expecting a lot more movie references, especially references to some of the older classic sci-fi and horror movies.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews