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Favorite Film Scientists?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that-wacky-bunch-from-real-genius dept.

theodp asks: "From Rotwang in Fritz Lang's Metropolis to Wallace the Engineer in last year's Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Slate notes that scientists have long been a staple of the movies. So who are some of the more memorable scientist characters from your movie-going?"

33 of 546 comments (clear)

  1. Only one choice for me... by Mindwarp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ..Cristopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy.

    --
    The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
    1. Re:Only one choice for me... by El+Cubano · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Same here. Though, Brent Spiner as Dr. Okun in Independence Day was a close second for me as it showed his versatility. It was sort of like the stereotypical "mad scientist" and was quite entertaining to see him play. Too bad his part did not last longer.

  2. Easy by eronysis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dr. Strangelove of course

  3. In The Not Too Distant Future by Deanasc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Dr Forrester.

    --
    I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
  4. No contest by afree87 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doc Brown:

    "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit."

    Let's hear another scientist top that quote.

  5. Come on! by AoT · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Jeff Goldblum, no contest.

    --
    A blog about stuff.
  6. My Favourite Movie Scientists by whitehatlurker · · Score: 4, Insightful
    From this film, it would be Dr Emilio Lizardo.

    Of course, the real heros are engineers.

    --
    .. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
    1. Re:My Favourite Movie Scientists by MustardMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you have any idea how fucking annoying it is to read a post where the only way to understand what the fuck the poster is saying is to visit the links? It's a teenage blogger technique and I'd expect more out of slashdotters.

  7. Buckaroo Banzai! by Scrameustache · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Martial artist, particle physicist, brilliant neurosurgeon, and hard rockin' pop star!

    P.S. Yeah, I replied to my own comment about my other fave, hey, I love these characters : )

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  8. Let us not forget: Real Genius by casings · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'd also like to suggest Val Kilmer's Chris Knight in Real Genius.

  9. Re:Favorite Scientists by captn+ecks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dr Strangelove, of course. Although he was more of a 'political' scientist... "Mein Furher! I can walk!"

  10. Re:Q: Who is your favorite scientist? by casings · · Score: 2, Insightful

    He wore a white coat sometimes... does that count? :(

    RIP. Desmond.

  11. No Matter Where You Go, There You Are by Deanasc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Dr Buckaroo Banzai and his arch nemesis Dr Emilio Lizardo

    --
    I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
  12. Hard to pick just one... by rampant+mac · · Score: 5, Insightful
    So I have to pick three:

    Dr. Peter Venkman
    Dr. Raymond Stantz
    Dr. Egon Spengler

    :)

    --
    I like big butts and I cannot lie.
  13. Mr. Spock by nincehelser · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Has everyone forgotten him?

  14. Stargate SG-1 (TV) by rlp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Samantha Carter

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
  15. Professor Indiana Jones by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Insightful

    who knew archeology was so dramatic?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  16. Most Horrifying Scientist? by Avogadros+Letter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I know it's not the "favorite," but Gregory Peck's portrayal of Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele in The Boys From Brazil was a good portrayal of a nasty mad scientist in quite a disturbing film...

    (It also has Sir Laurence Olivier as a Nazi hunter...)

    --
    $ touch .signature
  17. Dr. Ellie Arroway (Contact) by Flyboy+Connor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem with the way scientists are depicted in movies is that they are Hollywood stereotypes. They know little or nothing about what science really is. An exception is Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) in Contact. I cannot think of any other movies that depict scientists as people who love science - real science, not the glamorous or nefarious hobby that it is for Hollywood.

    1. Re:Dr. Ellie Arroway (Contact) by n0mad6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, it helps that the character (and the story) was written by an actual scientist.

    2. Re:Dr. Ellie Arroway (Contact) by geekoid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "The problem with the way scientists are depicted in movies is that they are Hollywood stereotypes"
      and
      The problem with the way mechanics are depicted in movies is that they are Hollywood stereotypes
      and
      The problem with the way engineers are depicted in movies is that they are Hollywood stereotypes
      and
      The problem with the way chefs are depicted in movies is that they are Hollywood stereotypes
      and .....

      There for entertainment, not an accurate portrayl of a profession.
      realistic is nice, but I prefer entertainment in my movies.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  18. Need you even ask? by acid_zebra · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Peter Sellers in Kubrik's dr. Strangelove.

    --
    -- No Sig is a Good Sig
  19. Dr. Eldon Tyrell by r_benchley · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The creator of the replicants was one of the most fascinating movie scientists ever shown on the bigscreen. He was utterly amoral and less human than his ceations.

  20. Re:Favorite Scientists by shawb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They were about to reveal it to the world. You don't want to tell the world that you PLAN on making one, as then the other countries will bomb you back to the stone age to make sure you don't make it.

    --
    I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
  21. The Man in the White Suit -Alec Guinness by hguorbray · · Score: 2, Insightful

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/

    Alec Guinness as a geeky scientist who invents something that will ruin several industries and upset many worker's lives. Like many Scientists is is more concerned with the creation and problems to to be solved rather than the possible effects on society.

    Runners up -the Kids in the Hall as scientists in Brain Candy
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116768/

    From the Cartoon World I would have to say it's a 4-way tie between:

    Professor Membrane (Invader Zim)
    Doctor Venture (Venture Bros)
    Dexter (Dexter's Laboratory)
    Professor Utonium (PowerPuff girls)

    -What's the speed of Dark?

    1. Re:The Man in the White Suit -Alec Guinness by niktemadur · · Score: 2, Insightful

      From the Cartoon World I would have to say it's a 4-way tie...
      I'd include Gendô Ikari from "Neon Genesis Evangelion" to make it an even 5.

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
  22. Remember Jaws? by wymarc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper; one of the most realistic scientists I've seen portrayed in film.

    --
    "I keep hoping for an epiphany... but all I seem to get are conundrums."
  23. Dr. Clayton Forrester by Bluesman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You can pick which one, too. The War of the Worlds one or the MST3K one. Both rock.

    --
    If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
  24. Morbius! by grikdog · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Morbius! What is the id?"

    "Id, id, id, id, id! It's an obsolete term, I'm afraid, once used to describe the elementary basis of the subconscious mind ... Even the Krell must have evolved from that beginning! ... All well and good, young man, except for one obvious fallacy!"

    --
    ``Tension, apprehension & dissension have begun!'' - Duffy Wyg&, in Alfred Bester's _The Demolished Man_
  25. Dr. Frank N. Furter by pagej97 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Anyone?

  26. Re:Favorite Scientists by aa6yq · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Dr. Barnhardt from 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

    KLAATU: "Bobby -- who's the greatest man in America today?"

    BOBBY (puzzling it over): Gee -- I don't know... The space man, I guess."

    KLAATU (secretly amused): "I was speaking of earth men. I meant the greatest philosopher -- the greatest thinker."

    B0BBY: "You mean the smartest man in the whole world?"

    KLAATU: "Yes -- that would do nicely."

    BOBBY (after a moments thought): "Well -- Professor Barnhardt, I guess. He's the greatest scientist in the world.

    from http://www.scifiscripts.com/scripts/TheDayTheEarth StoodSTill.html

  27. Dr. Dana Scully of course! by No+Such+Agency · · Score: 2, Insightful

    OK, so the fluff says she's a medical doctor, not a PhD. But while she wasn't a practicing researcher, she did approach her unusual job with a scientific mind, balancing Mulder's "willingness to believe" with a constant demand for evidence and scientific rigor. She also gets points for being spiritual (Catholic) but not mixing it up with her scientific viewpoint of the world.

    Also, she could apparently do a Southern blot in about 7 hours, when it take us mere mortals 2 days... (though that was in the X-Files TV show, not the movie)

    --
    Freedom: "I won't!"
  28. That is merely A doctor.... by jd · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Here is the only good quote from the definitive article (from the movie):
    • The world's about to end, and here I am, stuck in traffic.


    And many great quotes from the TV serial:

    • That is the dematerializing control. And that, over yonder, is the horizontal hold. Up there is the scanner, those are the doors, that is a chair with a panda on it. Sheer poetry, dear boy. Now please stop bothering me.
    • Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority.
    • Your leader will be angry if you kill me; I'm a genius!
    • You could augment an earwig to the point where it understood nuclear physics, but it would still be a very stupid thing to do!
    • Didn't you find two angry men stuck to my car?
    • What the blazes are you doing in here? Don't you know this area is strictly off-limits to everybody except the tea lady and the Brigadier's personal staff?
    • "Oh, right now they're far from superior. That's why they left it up to me and me and me."
    • You may be a doctor, but I am the Doctor. The definite article, one might say.
    • Deactivating a generator loop without the correct key, it's like repairing a watch with a hammer and chisel. One false move and you'll never know the time again.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)