The Top 10 Movies About Science

Movies that deal directly with science can be hard to come by. Fortunately for science lovers, there’s a small group of certified classics, each of which takes on a challenging topic, from the perils of atomic weapons (“Dr. Strangelove”) to the ethics of animal testing (“Project X”) to the dangers of microorganisms (“The Andromeda Strain”).

01

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Weird Science

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

This John Hughes classic from 1985 tells the story of two teenagers’ attempt to make a virtual girl using a computer. The science may not be strictly accurate, but the movie stands out for its sheer entertainment value.

02

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Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

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Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 dark comedy about the perils of the atomic bomb features Peter Sellers in three different roles, along with George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden. There’s also a subplot about fluoridation. The film is certain to entertain science nerds with a bleak sense of humor.

03

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Real Genius

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This 1985 sci-fi comedy stars Val Kilmer as a science whiz kid who develops a chemical laser. In 2009, an episode of MythBusters explored the question of whether the film’s final scene—which involves laser-popped popcorn—is scientifically accurate. (Spoiler: it’s not.)

04

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The Atomic Cafe

Libra Films 

This documentary is a collection of archival clips from the dawning of the Atomic Age. The U.S. government propaganda makes for some interesting black humor.

05

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The Absent-Minded Professor

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Robert Stevenson’s 1961 comedy starring Fred MacMurray is a Disney classic and much better than the remake “Flubber.” In 2003, the film was re-released in a digitally colorized version, though the black-and-white version is still available online.

06

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The Andromeda Strain

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Based on the book by Michael Crichton, this 1971 thriller concerns the outbreak of a deadly microorganism in the American Southwest. There is a lot more science to this film than any other on this list, with the exception of “The Atomic Cafe.”

07

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Love Potion #9

20th Century Fox

This 1992 romantic comedy actually features main characters who are chemists. There isn’t any serious science, but the film, featuring a young Sandra Bullock, is silly and sweet and great fun.

08

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Prince of Darkness

Universal Pictures

John Carpenter’s 1987 horror flick looks at the science of evil, as a priest invites a physics professor to examine a cylinder containing a strange green substance. Although the film explores the supernatural, it also contains actual science. Poorly reviewed when it was first released, “Prince of Darkness” is now a cult classic.

09

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Project X

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Jonathan Kaplan’s 1987 movie takes a look at the ethical considerations of animal experimentation. Matthew Broderick delivers an excellent performance as an Airman assigned to keep watch over a chimpanzee that can communicate in sign language.

10

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The Manhattan Project

Scientists of the real-life Manhattan Project.

Hulton Deutsch / Getty Images 

This sci-fi thriller from 1986 features John Lithgow as a nuclear scientist hired by the U.S. government to work on a top-secret project in upstate New York. Trouble ensues after a teenager breaks into the lab and steals some of the scientist’s plutonium. The film was written and directed by Marshall Brickman, who won an Oscar in 1977 for co-writing “Annie Hall.”