History Main / Hollywoodscience

** Another episode had the cast using what they probably thought was a high number - one to the twenty-fifth power, which is...one. What they probably meant was ''ten'' to the twenty-fifth power (1 x 10^25), which is 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000.

* Some people, though, [[SoBadItsGood enjoy these sillier aspects of such movies]], citing them as [[RuleOfFun part of the fun]]. ''Film/DeepImpact'', however, was [[{{Narm}} supposed to be serious]], which arguably [[DanBrowned makes its inaccuracies worse]]. For instance, the four nuclear devices causing a clean cut in the comet (as shown in a graphic in the movie) is impossible on several levels.

* ''Hollywood Science'' was also an Open University program run on Creator/TheBBC, which attempted to assess the scientific validity of several events from movies including ''Film/DieHard'', ''Film/{{Speed}}'' and ''Film/FightClub'', [[DanBrowned Dan Browning]] some (but not all) of them in the process.

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/PeopleInWhiteCoats https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollywood_vaccine_8.png]]]]

[[quoteright:200:[[Webcomic/DresdenCodak https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iwilldosciencetoit-sm_8571.jpg]]]]

* ''Webcomic/{{PHD}}'' parodies this on [[http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1391 two]] [[http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1156 occasions]].

* ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' is loaded with Hollywood Science, to the extent that it has become something of a RunningGag on the [[http://badastronomy.com Bad Astronomy website]]. Some can live with it, some can't.

When it comes to science and history, we can't expect the writers to get all the facts right. Maybe we ''should'' be able to expect this, but such expectations will lead to disappointment. To be fair, though, good story will always trump good science: real science tends to be gradual, methodical and utterly incomprehensible to anyone without decent knowledge in the specific field.

As ScienceMarchesOn, mistakes can result from discoveries made after the show was written. In these cases, we must forgive the writers, since they had no way of knowing. Thus, IWantMyJetpack and TheGreatPoliticsMessUp are not really Hollywood Science.

++ SomewhereThisIndexIsCrying

+ SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay
** SpaceFriction
** StealthInSpace

+ ArtisticLicenseAstronomy
** AsteroidThicket
** BabyPlanet
** CounterEarth
** GravitySucks
** SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale
** WeirdMoon
** WeirdSun

* ''Film/{{Twister}}:'' The antics of the chasers in the movie would get real chasers killed in the field. Add into this that they get some chaser terminology wrong, some of the science of tornadoes and other severe weather wrong, and that the climax is [[spoiler:the heroes riding out a violent tornado just by tying themselves down when they would have been ground into beef by the debris is real life]], it is little wonder that this movie is watched by chasers and meteorologists just to mock it mercilessly.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* ''Hollywood Science'' was also an Open University program run on Creator/TheBBC, which attempted to assess the scientific validity of several events from movies including ''Film/DieHard'', ''Film/{{Speed}}'' and ''Film/FightClub'', [[DanBrowned Dan Browning]] some (but not all) of them in the process.
[[/folder]]

[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's not necessarily a bad thing]]. See ArtisticLicense.

+ ArtisticLicenseBiology and ArtMajorBiology

* ''Film/{{Twister}}:'' The antics of the chasers in the movie would get real chasers killed in the field. Add into this that they get some chaser terminology wrong, some of the science of tornadoes and other severe weather wrong, and that the climax is [[spoiler:the heroes riding out a violent tornado just by tying themselves down when they would have been ground into beef by the debris is real life]], it is little wonder that this movie is watched by chasers and meteorologists [[SnarkBait just to mock it mercilessly]].

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[TropesAreTools It's not necessarily a bad thing]]. See ArtisticLicense.

%%* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' parodies this [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1804#comic here]].

When it comes to science and history, we can't expect the writers to get all the facts right. Maybe we ''should'' be able to expect this, but such expectations will lead to disappointment. To be fair, though, good story will always trump good science: real science tends to be gradual, methodical and incomprehensible to anyone without decent knowledge in the specific field.

* ''All About Steve'' has a case of this, among other things. What was the deal with that hurricane getting downgraded into a mere tornado?

** There's a season one episode "The Alternative Factor" where Spock declares the planet they are orbiting has an "oxygen-hydrogen atmosphere". This is extremely unlikely, as oxygen and hydrogen are highly reactive and react rather violently with each other, producing water. Specifically, this is the strongest chemical reaction per weight unit we know about, and we use it in rockets like the Space Shuttle to get satellites and other equipment into space. Very likely Spock wanted to say "oxygen-nitrogen" instead, describing an atmosphere like the one we currently enjoy on earth.

* David Brin repeatedly makes the same mistake as the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Blink" in the Uplift Storm trilogy. There is a stasis field where people inside only seem to move when nobody is watching them and an off hand statement that someone shouldn't stare at that quantum life form because it's having trouble and can't do anything while being watched.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''City of Death'', the Mona Lisa plays a significant role as MacGuffin, but the painting shown is much larger than the actual Mona Lisa (most people who have never seen it in person would be surprised by how small it actually is). It's also depicted as being painted on canvas, not wood. Even the ''My Favorite Martian'' episode with time-travelling da Vinci got that part right.

* ''{{Series/Fringe}}'' is probably a deliberate example, violating every physical law and then some, normally as [[CaptainObvious some sort of fringe science]] doing it.

* RidiculouslyPotentExplosive

-->"''Not only do nanorobotics not work that way, [[YouFailBiologyForever genetics don't work that way]], and science '''IN GENERAL''' doesn't work that way!''"