Creation (2009)
Creation
takes us back to 19th-century England, where, after his famous voyage
on the Beagle, Charles Darwin is putting together the theory of
evolution. As he works in the book that would change the basis of
biology forever, Darwin struggles with the implications of his theory,
which conflicts with the religious beliefs of his wife and puts their
relationship at risk. For the fans of Sherlock, the movie casts Benedict
Cumberbatch as botanist Joseph Hooker, Darwin’s best friend, who
encouraged the publication of
On the Origin of Species.
Blueprint (2003)
The German movie
Blueprint
imagines the life of the first cloned human being. A famous musician
learns that she has an incurable illness. To preserve her art, she
clones herself. The movie explores the relationship between the musician
and her clone, who’s both her daughter and genetic twin.
The Andromeda strain (1971)
Old but gold,
The Andromeda strain
is a sci-fi thriller in which scientists work under the clock to
identify an alien form of life that arrives on Earth. Watch the
scientists perform a series of experiments to characterize the strain
and find a treatment, while the sample keeps evolving and challenging
their work. The scientific method as you’ve never experienced it before.
Splice (2009)
In
Splice,
two scientists decide to ignore the ban on research using human embryos
and try to illegally create a hybrid creature with the ultimate goal of
achieving fame. Somehow, the scientists manage to make experiments with
human embryos without any funding and while still being required to do
the research they’re paid to do. And, obviously, things do not go
particularly well.
Black Sheep (2006)
In what cannot be considered a genre other than humor,
Black Sheep
presents us with genetically modified sheep in New Zealand that turn
carnivorous and start attacking humans. A story that might haunt the
nightmares of New Zealanders, where sheep outnumber people, but is just
plain hilarious everywhere else.
The Boys from Brazil (1978)
What if after WWII, Nazis took samples from Hitler’s remains and cloned him 94 times? In
The Boys from Brazil,
an American journalist encounters the plot and tries to work out what’s
really happening. For a 70s movie, it’s really interesting to see how
it shows it’s not only genetics what defines a person, but also the
environment they grow in.
Elysium (2013)
Elysium
imagines life in the year 2154. Biotechnology allows to cure every
disease, but only the wealthy, who live on a space station, have access
to it. Meanwhile, people on an overpopulated Earth suffer poverty and
famine. An American embarks on an epic mission to bring equality to the
world divided by access to scientific developments. Matt Damon saves the
world again.
Awakenings (1990)
Based on the real story of the development of levodopa treatments for neurological diseases,
Awakenings
stars Robin Williams as a doctor that tests a new treatment in
catatonic patients that cannot move at all but, as he discovers, are
still conscious inside their frozen bodies. Although the name is changed
in the movie, the character is based on the real-life experience of
famous neuroscientist Oliver Sacks.
Contagion (2011)
In
Contagion,
the world faces a deadly viral infection that’s rapidly spreading. With
no treatment available, the CDC gathers a team of doctors to identify
ways of avoiding contagion while looking for a cure. Meanwhile, chaos
rules the world as death claims the lives of millions. This time,
instead of being the hero, Matt Damon plays a citizen without much power
to stop the massive outbreak decimating Earth.
The Amazing Spider Man (2012)
There
have been many Spider Man films, but the 2012 revamp of the original
starring Andrew Garfield in the lead role got the votes of the Labiotech
team for inclusion into this list. It follows the well-known spider man
story, that is, boy (Peter Parker) gets bitten by a genetically
engineered spider and develops unexpected ‘spider-like’ abilities, falls
for the girl (in this case Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy) and fights the bad
guys, but has some original twists. For example, there is a cool
subplot focusing on limb regeneration and lizard DNA. You will have to
watch it to find out more!
Altered Carbon (2018)
A new series for 2018 on Netflix, this came highly recommended by several members of the Labiotech team. Based on a novel
by Richard K Morgan, the series is set over 360 years into the future. A
person’s memories and identity can be stored on a ‘cortical stack’,
which can then be inserted into a new body or ‘sleeve’ after death.
However, only the wealthiest in society have the means to do this. The
story starts with a rebel mercenary being given a new shot a life in
return for solving a murder. This series gives an interesting look into
how science could change our futures and how we need to be wary about
the potential elitist nature of high-cost inventions. If you enjoy it,
watch out for Season 2, as it has already been renewed and should be on
our screen next year.
Orphan Black (2013–2017)
If
you haven’t already watched Orphan Black then it’s definitely one to
try out. Be warned, there are 5 series available on Netflix so if you
get hooked you might be watching for a while! Without wanting to give
away too much, this series looks at cloning and the multiple impacts it
can have. The lead character is Sarah Manning, a con artist. She is
thrown into a whirlwind of conspiracy, secret research and danger after
stealing the bag of her apparent doppelgänger who has just stepped in
front of a train. Orphan Black has won multiple awards and gets
excellent review ratings on sites like rotten tomatoes. It has also been
recommended to me by multiple scientists, which must be a good sign!
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
With
two Oscars and two Baftas under its belt, for cinematography and visual
effects, the new Blade Runner film definitely deserves a mention. In a
homage to the original films from the 1980’s, Blade Runner 2049 is set
30 years after the first film with both Harrison Ford and Edward James
Olmos reprising their original roles. As in the original, bioengineered
humans known as ‘replicants’ are slaves. The lead character in the film,
played by Ryan Gosling, is a ‘Blade Runner’ whose job is to track down
and kill ‘rogue’ replicants. If you liked the original films this is a
visually spectacular must. If you have yet to watch the original films
you might want to start there, but either way this is definitely worth a
watch.
Annihilation (2018)
Based on an excellent book of the same name (book 1 in the Southern Reach Trilogy),
Annihilation came out on Netflix earlier this year. Based in the US at
some point in the future, there has been an unspecified disaster that
has led to a large area in the Southern US being cordoned off by a
mysterious border. This film focuses on an all-female expeditionary
force that goes into this area to investigate what has happened to
earlier expeditions and to try and collect data on what has happened to
the area. Natalie Portman is convincing in the lead role as ‘the
biologist’, although I can’t help but feel that the film could have been
even better with more funding and a cinema release. It has had mixed
reviews with some people loving it and some less sure. But it’s
definitely one to spark debate.
Icarus (2017)
This
is the only documentary on the list, but is definitely worth a watch.
It won an Oscar for best documentary earlier this year. It follows film
director and writer Brian Fogel and his growing friendship with Russian
scientist, Grigory Rodchenkov, the director of Russia’s national
anti-doping laboratory. The film tracks Fogel’s investigation into
doping in sport that famously led to the uncovering of a state-sponsored
Olympic doping program in Russia and Rodchenkov’s escape to the US. In
what has to be one of the greatest pieces of investigative journalism
with a scientific twist over the last year, this one is not to be
missed!labiotech.eu
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