10 Least Scientifically Accurate Sci-Fi Movies That Were Still Great

Introduction

Some sci-fi movies just don't have the accuracy to hold up the science their plots depend on, but they're still really entertaining and fun to watch despite the nonsensical science. Sci-fi movies such as Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey have set the bar high in terms of scientific accuracy and many just can't hold up. Instead, to make them cooler or more engaging, they eschew reality to make science work the way the story needs.

Indy emerges from a fridge in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Even though some are bad because of this, other sci-fi movies are still fun despite the lack of scientific accuracy. Most of the time, movies can get away with it as few audiences are knowledgeable enough about the science to be bothered by the lack of realism. At other times, the science is so implausible or the explanation behind it is so contradictory that it can take a viewer out. Still, there quite a few sci-fi films that are wildly inaccurate but still fun to watch.

10. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

The fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull follows Jones and his son as they track down a mysterious crystal skull. The movie slowly descends into alien territory, as the skull is found out to be alien in nature. Where the film loses its scientific credibility, however, is in a scene where Indy survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge. The fridge scene has become notorious for its inaccuracy as the blast would have killed Jones regardless of how sturdy the fridge was. It didn't ruin the franchise, though, as a fifth film was released in 2023.

Indy watches a mushroom cloud in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

9. X-Men

Even though it is a superhero franchise based on comics, X-Men has not escaped being scrutinized for faulty science. The idea of genetics that the X-Men franchise relies on isn't true to life. Evolution does not occur as fast as required for the mutations to happen. Genetics are also unable to create the mutations seen in the movies and comics. The franchise is also guilty of utilizing notoriously unlikely advancements such as time travel to make some plots work. X-Men gets a slight pass due to its genre, but the inaccuracies are still there. Still, the X-Men franchise is fun and exciting.

Wolverine bears his claws wearing his X-Men uniform in X2

8. The Matrix

In The Matrix franchise, artificial intelligence has begun to use humans as a power source. After humanity managed to blacken the sky enough to eliminate solar power, AI plugged humans into the Matrix to use for fuel. Humans, however, make a terrible power source. Not enough energy is produced by the human body to power much of anything, least of all the Matrix machine. The Matrix films are still fun to watch, with iconic scenes like Neo stopping bullets and dodging out of their way. The scientific accuracy of its premise, though, is shaky. It's just one of the plot holes across the four Matrix movies.

Neo leaves a telephone booth after promising to save everyone by freeing their minds