There’s no expert more devoted to debunking cinema’s bad science than Neil deGrasse Tyson. The celebrated astrophysicist and writer has become a regular critic of big screen science, especially around space, through his social media presence. And Tyson has now unveiled what he believes to be the most scientifically inaccurate movie ever.
In the eyes of Neil deGrasse Tyson, none of the new movies in recent years have stretched the rules of science as thoroughly as the 2022 blockbuster Moonfall. While many of the best science fiction movies ever made have triggered Tyson’s ire, here he turns to one of the worst movies of recent years.
Roland Emmerich, known as a master of the best disaster movies, helmed Moonfall. It tells the story of a conspiracy theorist and former astronauts trying to save the world after the moon comes out of its orbit. If you haven’t seen the movie, there are some spoilers ahead.
Speaking to The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM, Tyson said Moonfall had dethroned Michael Bay’s Armageddon as the movie with the most violations of the laws of physics.
“It was a pandemic film that came out — you know, Halle Berry — and the moon is approaching Earth, and they learned that it’s hollow,” said Tyson.
“There’s a moon being made out of rocks living inside of it, and the Apollo missions were really to feed the moon being. I just couldn’t. So I said ‘alright, I thought Armageddon had a secure hold on this crown, but probably not’.”
We often think Tyson is a bit too mean in his assessments – even the best movies have to push the real world a little – but we can’t disagree with anything he said about Moonfall. Emmerich’s film is a disaster in every way, without even having the courtesy to be overblown fun. We love you Roland, but that one was a stinker.
Find out more about Emmerich’s film with our Moonfall review. You can also watch the Moonfall opening recreated in Lego and even look ahead to a possible Moonfall 2 release date. Could there be more of this, really?
Alternatively, for more big screen spectacle of the most ludicrous kind, learn about the best action movies and find out about what’s coming soon with Avatar 3 and Superman Legacy. We don’t imagine Tyson has ever believed a man could fly.