By Roddenberry Entertainment
Putting your favorite sci-fi and pop culture to the test! Join hosts Hakeem Oluseyi (How The Universe Works, NASA's Unexplained Files, Baking Impossible) and Tamara Krinsky (Scirens, Marvel's Red C
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The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.
If you’re of a particular age, the summer of 1989 holds special meaning for you. Specifically, you were almost certainly completely obsessed with Tim Burton’s Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The film redefined superhero movies for a generation, was a relentless blockbuster at the box office, and kicked off a wave of Batmania that left no merchandising stone unturned well beyond that fateful summer.
But at the heart of that film is Nicholson’s stunning Joker performance. And one of the elements that makes it so memorable is how it marked the first time that the Joker was depicted in live action as a brilliant, but murderous chemist, just as he was in his very first comics appearance back in 1940. Joker spends the second half of the movie holding Gotham City hostage via “Smilex” a deadly nerve toxin that leaves its victims with a hideous post-mortem grin on their faces.
These kinds of weaponized poisons are nothing new in the real world, but it’s the specific combination of effects that Smilex creates that make it so notable. We’re taking a look at the real world parallels, including some disturbingly high profile terrorist attacks that would have made the Joker proud. In the process, we also examine just how this movie’s approach to live action superheroics (and supervillainy) changed everything on the big screen.
Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here or check it out on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
Of course, you must watch Batman (1989). But here’s a friendly reminder that we also covered one of Tim Burton’s other great films, the original Beetlejuice, on an episode of Does it Fly? recently, and you should absolutely check it out right here.
And while the rules of the Joker toxin as we discuss them in this episode apply specifically to this particular Batman movie it’s been around in other media, too. Notably, a generally less lethal version made a few appearances on the classic Batman: The Animated Series, which is always worth a watch, especially now that gorgeous remastered versions are available on HBO Max. A few to consider that might scratch your Smilex-induced itch…
“The Last Laugh” (S1E15)
It’s primarily laughing gas here, but you know what it’s supposed to be.
“Almost Got ‘Im” (S1E35)
A case can be made that this is the best episode of the series, even though the Joker and his attendant poison only feature in one segment of it.
“The Laughing Fish” (S1E46)
Based on several classic issues of the comics (more on one of them down below) this is probably the closest you’ll get to the lethality of the original toxin in animated form.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
VX Nerve Agent
We’re bringing this up here in part because of the extraordinarily well-documented (and almost Joker-esque) assassination of Kim Jong-Nam in 2017. The murder was carried out using VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that is considered one of the most deadly and fast-acting out there. Let the CDC fill you in, because trust us, you want no part of this stuff.
The Animal Kingdom and Joker Venom
“There is no venomous animal on the planet that could do [everything the Joker Venom does]. Having said that, there are components of different animal venoms in the animal kingdom that could, in combination. My understanding of the Joker is that he’s quite a smart chemist, so it would be possible to extract the components from those venoms and put them all together.”
More on this subject from Professor Jamie Seymour can be found here.
Now, about that “recipe” (do not do this)...
You’d want a little venom from the box jellyfish, known as one of the deadliest marine animals. A pinch of cone snail venom. And perhaps a dash of the blue-ringed octopus’ fatal defense mechanism.
2001 Anthrax Mailings
A somewhat Joker-esque crime that terrorized an entire nation involved the mailings of lab grown anthrax to high profile politicians and journalists in the autumn of 2001. No less than the FBI itself has a wealth of resources on this incredibly bizarre case.
The Source Material
For those who want to dive a little deeper into the comics, there are two key stories to consider. Note that the idea of Joker injecting victims with a toxin that causes them to die smiling was introduced in his very first appearance, way back in Batman #1 (1940).
But for much of the character’s criminal career after that he was comparatively harmless…that is, until 1973’s Batman #251 which brought back the idea of the Joker as a murderer with a penchant for unique chemistry, in a brilliant tale called “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” by the legendary creative team of Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams. This story, along with “The Laughing Fish” and “The Sign of the Joker” from Detective Comics #475-476 by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers also formed the basis of the similarly named Batman: The Animated Series episode above. Since then, well…it’s been around a lot, but these are the two real historical keys for those who can’t get enough!
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Shortly after the success of Batman, Disney tried to replicate it with The Rocketeer. We took a look at that movie’s iconic jetpack technology here.
We also took a look at another rich guy superhero when we unpacked the science and story logic behind Iron Man’s arc reactor, which you can watch here!
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The Rocketeer. Maybe you’ve seen it. Maybe you haven’t. If you’re of a particular generation, particularly of an age that had their brains absolutely melted by Tim Burton’s Batman movie in 1989 (which we have an episode on the way about), then The Rocketeer was one of a slate of summer movies that hoped to replicate the runaway success of Batman. For some folks, it sure did. For others…notably the general ticket buying public, it fell a little short.
But The Rocketeer is a truly wonderful movie that has accumulated a deserved cult following over the years. Its central concept is simple enough: stunt pilot Cliff Secord accidentally stumbles on to a prototype rocket pack being developed for possible military use. The only problem is that Nazi spies want to get their hands on it. All poor Cliff wants to do is impress his girlfriend. Adventure (and hijinx) ensue on schedule.
Full of spectacular practical effects flight sequences, The Rocketeer, like the Indiana Jones or Star Wars franchises before it, is a wonderful homage to the movie serials of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Part of its appeal is the simplicity of that “solo flight via jetpack” concept, and it’s one that has a fair amount of basis in real history and science! So join us as we take a deeper look at The Rocketeer to determine if Cliff, well…you know!
Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here or check it out on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
Folks, if you haven’t seen The Rocketeer, do yourself a favor. It’s available on Disney+ and it’s a delightful, nostalgic, family-friendly, action-packed romp that is a little similar in tone to the Indiana Jones franchise. No sequels or big franchises here, but that’s part of the charm.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t cool Rocketeer-adjacent stuff for you to check out! Joe Johnston is an underrated director and we’d humbly recommend Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (hmmm…a potential future Does it Fly? episode, perhaps?), Jumanji, The Wolfman (a terrific horror movie that’s due for re-evaluation), and Captain America: The First Avenger.
But for those looking to dig even deeper, the Rocketeer concept was inspired by the movie serials of the 1930s, ‘40s, and early ‘50s, specifically Republic Pictures’ excellent King of the Rocket Men (1949), Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1952), and Zombies of the Stratosphere (1953). Movie serials might be tough for modern audiences to digest, but all three of these feature terrific stunts and outstanding wire and model work to simulate flight, and it’s very clear how they influenced the creation of the Rocketeer character and the style of the movie.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Hero of Alexandria
While this also sounds like a movie title, it isn’t. Check out a breakdown of his accomplishments, some of which were years, even centuries, ahead of their time.
Rocket Concepts in 1861?!?
Hakeem is referring to the work of Reverend William Leitch, who wrote an essay called A Journey Through Space which correctly predicted a number of spaceflight principles. Again, we’re talking about 1861. You can read that essay in full here.
The Bell Rocket Belt
100 years after Reverend Leitch, someone did actually build a working prototype of something called a Rocket Belt. Lots more info on that, as well as some remarkable photographs, can be found here. The Nazis had been working on a concept during World War II, as well.
Newton’s Laws of Motion
You ain’t flying without adhering to these rules, which are thankfully broken down in easy-to-understand language right here.
Erroll Flynn Did a Lot of Things, But Not THAT
Adventure movie leading man Erroll Flynn lived, well, let’s just say he lived an interesting life. But one thing he wasn’t? A Nazi spy. We suspect that urban legend began with a particular biographer, and some details on that are here.
The Practical Effects of The Rocketeer
The interview Tamara references with Rocketeer’s VFX artist Tom St. Amand can be found here, and it’s every bit as fascinating as she says!
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Want more retro adventures with a Does it Fly? twist? We dove into an infamous scene from the Indiana Jones movies here.
Transformers One is nowl in theaters, and you might be surprised at the scientific discussion we had around it!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
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Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
How do you solve an engineering problem like the Transformers? This might be one of the most iconic franchises of the 1980s, but it might also be as scientifically implausible as say, the Power Sword from another beloved ‘80s property, Masters of the Universe. Or…is it? After all, there’s already technology out there that can autonomously transform and combine, so is it really that much of a leap to think that an autonomous robot might also be able to disguise itself as a self-driving car? The answer might surprise you!
You know what else might surprise you? Hakeem’s apparent phobia of getting squished by giant robots. If a scientist is this worried about something like that, maybe we should be, too! Dive into these concepts and questions as well as the most reasonable, thoughtful unpacking of Transformers basic story logic you’ll ever find.
Roll out! No, wait, stay right here to watch or check it out on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
The Transformers franchise is vast. And we do mean vast. Multiple animated series spanning dozens of seasons and hundreds upon hundreds of episodes plus almost a dozen movies both animated and live action. Oh, and then there are the hundreds of comic books, with at least three distinct continuities. And that doesn’t even take into account the lore and character info that was included with the toys themselves. But don’t worry, flight cadets, we’re making this easy on you.
For this episode, Hakeem and Tamara dealt with the following pieces of the franchise to really focus their discussion. They are…
The Transformers S1 Episodes 1-3 “More Than Meets the Eye”
The first three episodes of the original Transformers animated series pretty much tells you what you need to know about the Autobots and Decepticons and gives you a reasonable understanding of how they function. This is the cartoon that really started it all, and features the most iconic, recognizable versions of the characters.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The first animated big screen Transformers adventure serves as a bridge between seasons one and two of the animated series and also scarred a generation of elementary school age Gen-X-ers. But it enriches the lore of the franchise and also gives a sense of what “death” is like for these characters, so we figured it makes sense as a bookend to those first three episodes.
Transformers (2007)
Michael Bay’s first live action Transformers movie serves as a fresh start for the franchise, features its own take on the lore, and was instrumental in helping our hosts wrap their heads around the physics and engineering of transformation. It kicked off a massive blockbuster franchise which…you can mostly avoid. However, if you want to go a little further in your viewing, 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon is worth your time for some truly mind-blowing visuals, and 2018’s soft reboot Bumblebee is one of the best pieces of Transformers media out there. There’s also a brand new animated prequel, Transformers One, in theaters now, but we hadn’t seen that at the time this episode was being produced.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the footage of Hakeem in the “vomit comet” for you to watch.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Self-Assembling Modular Robots
They might not look like much, but these self-assembling modular robot cubes might be a precursor to Transformer-like technology in the real world down the line. While Hakeem isn’t fully on board with the Transformers as we know them in pop culture, he sees the potential in these little weirdos.
Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot (M4)
OK, so…THIS one might be a little bit more in line with what you expect from the Transformers. For those of you who want a more in-depth look at what makes this one tick, you can read the scientific paper here. But really, it needs to be seen to be believed!
Liquid Robots
One way to get around the engineering problem that comes with the sheer scale of the Transformers is by making them REALLY small. Or in this case, liquid. Once again, the article might not fully do the concept justice so here’s a video for you!
Transformers Vol. 1
While there have been many iterations of Transformers comics through the years, the newest series from Image Comics “Energon Universe” by Daniel Warren Johnson is exceptional…and an Eisner winner!
Want to follow in Hakeem’s footsteps and ride the um…zero gravity aircraft? Good luck!
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
…and speaking of robots…check out our discussion of the rules governing the Terminator franchise.
Was Hakeem any kinder, scientifically speaking, to the concept of Iron Man armor? Only one way to find out!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial
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Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
This episode of Does it Fly? is presented by RSVLTS. Dying to be the star of Spooky Season? Grab this ghoulish gear, if you dare...
A physicist, a pop culture expert, and a paranormal investigator walk into a brewery…no, it’s not the start of a joke, this actually happened! It’s a very different kind of Does it Fly? episode this week. This is our first ever recording with Hakeem and Tamara in the same room, our first in front of a live studio audience, and also the first full blown guest star joining in the discussion. We’re joined by special guest Aaron Sagers (Paranormal Caught on Camera, Talking Strange) to talk about the plausibility of demonic possession. Oh great, you’ve been waiting for our episode on The Exorcist, right? Perhaps because it keeps getting funnier, every single time you see it?
Well guess again boys and ghouls. We’re kicking off this Halloween season a little early not with one of the most frightening horror films ever made, but rather with a celebration of the “ghost with the most.” With a new sequel now in theaters, we wanted to revisit Tim Burton’s original 1988 masterpiece, Beetlejuice! And since Beetlejuice features its own brand of both possession and exorcism, it offers a uniquely fun lens (specifically, the memorable dinner party scene soundtracked by the great Harry Belafonte) by which to investigate this terrifying concept…which has surprising roots in the real world.
So how in the heck did we get a genuine astrophysicist to investigate the reality (or unreality) of demonic possession? And what kind of story rules apply in a movie that is essentially a comedy with horror themes? And how does our special guest help guide Hakeem and Tamara through all of this? And just why are we calling this episode “Does it Fly After Dark” anyway?
The only way to find out is to check it out here or on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
You’ve seen Beetlejuice, right? It might just be Tim Burton’s best film. There’s also a sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (don’t say it a third time), also directed by Burton, currently in theaters, however we hadn’t seen that film at the time we recorded this episode. Now, while you can make the case that Beetlejuice is Burton’s best movie, we’re quite partial to his 1994 masterpiece, Ed Wood, which features Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi in a brilliant, Oscar-winning performance, so if you haven’t seen that, add it to your Halloween viewing list ASAP and thank us later.
But allow us to also suggest a few other movies about possession, albeit more traditional ones, to give you something else to worry about. Here they are, presented in the order in which we most highly recommend them.
The Exorcist
Directed by the great William Friedkin, it’s arguably the scariest movie ever made, one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and honestly one of the best movies of the 1970s. See it! (167 viewings optional, of course)
The Exorcist III
Generally speaking you can skip various Exorcist prequels and sequels…except this underrated gem. Directed by original Exorcist book author William Peter Blatty, it furthers the story of the original film with a little Zodiac Killer flavor thrown in for extra scares.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Notable in part for being loosely based on a real life case, it’s made even better by Scott Derrickson’s (Sinister, Doctor Strange) moody direction.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
While not the masterpiece of the first two Conjuring films, this one does once again follow real world paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) in a dramatization of an actual case they were involved in.
The Pope’s Exorcist
Notable primarily for Russell Crowe’s absolutely bonkers Italian accent as he portrays real-life Vatican exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth. We’ve loved director Julius Avery since 2018’s extremely underrated World War II zombie horror flick Overlord (which is better than this movie, so if you’ve only got time for one, that’s the one).
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble…”
This favorite quote of Hakeem’s (which may or not actually be attributable to Mark Twain) came up in our episode about Back to the Future, as well! Some more scientific context for it can be found here.
Scientific papers on demonic possession
“This official review aims to clarify the current scientific understanding of the origins, mechanisms, and causes of these seemingly extraordinary experiences. Our analysis includes 52 documented cases of possession, reviewed from literature published between 1890 and 2023 and incorporating insights from psychology, medicine, anthropology, and theology. We examine common symptom patterns, delve into the research conducted, and evaluate how many cases are still unexplained within the existing behavioral science framework.”
You can read the scientific paper on demonic possession that Hakeem references in full here.
Marie Laveau
Learn more about Hakeem’s famous (and magical) relative here.
The Psychiatry of Demonic Possession
“For the past two-and-a-half decades and over several hundred consultations, I’ve helped clergy from multiple denominations and faiths to filter episodes of mental illness — which represent the overwhelming majority of cases — from, literally, the devil’s work. It’s an unlikely role for an academic physician, but I don’t see these two aspects of my career in conflict. The same habits that shape what I do as a professor and psychiatrist — open-mindedness, respect for evidence and compassion for suffering people — led me to aid in the work of discerning attacks by what I believe are evil spirits and, just as critically, differentiating these extremely rare events from medical conditions.”
Read this fascinating article in full here.
The Oldest Depiction of a Ghost
Here’s the story behind that eerie Babylonian clay tablet referenced in Aaron’s discussion with Hakeem and Tamara.
Pazuzu
While best known as the “villain” of The Exorcist, Pazuzu might be getting a bad rep in pop culture. Or maybe not!
A much scarier Beetlejuice…
The darker, more horror-focused early development script for the film that Tamara talks about can be read here.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
We recently spoke with the showrunner of Netflix’s incredible new Terminator anime series, Terminator Zero. It’s a must watch for fans of the franchise.
Beetlejuice isn’t the first spooky topic we’ve tackled on our show. Check out our deep dive into the magical concepts of The Crow (the original, not that reboot nonsense)!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial
Facebook: Roddenberry
Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
This episode of Does it Fly? is presented by Netflix, the exclusive home of Terminator Zero, starring Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sonoya Mizuno, André Holland, and Ann Dowd. Terminator Zero is now streaming only on Netflix.
We’ve got a special episode of Does it Fly? for you this time around. Consider this one a little bonus after our recent episode on The Terminator, because now we’ve got an inside look at Terminator Zero, Netflix’s brand new, lushly animated anime series (with an impressive voice cast, to boot) that adds a previously unseen dimension to the entire Terminator franchise.
We sent one of our hosts, the brilliant Tamara Krinsky, to talk to Mattson Tomlin (The Batman, Mother/Android). But Tomlin is currently the showrunner of Terminator Zero, and those familiar with the thoughtful, gritty nature of his other screen work won’t be disappointed by the rigorous knowledge and intensity he brought to this show. And with our pop culture expert, Tamara, asking the big questions, Tomlin unpacks a lot of the central themes of the impressive new show.
Check it out here or on our YouTube page. Oh yeah, and let us know what you think! If you want more interview style episodes of Does it Fly? where your favorite creatives tell us HOW they make your favorite sci-fi, horror, and fantasy projects work, drop us a line in the comments or on our socials!
Check out a few of our favorite points from the interview, which we feel offer a nice parallel to our usual episode structure. But this is a pretty in-depth exploration of Terminator Zero with the showrunner, so don’t take our word for it, listen to the episode!
THE SCIENCE
DOES IT FLY: I'm curious, as you were putting the pieces of this together, did you do any research? Did you talk to scientists so that the audience would watch this and say, “yeah, this flies. This works for us.”
MATTSON TOMLIN: Yeah. Probably not to the degree that the PhD guy would be happy with me, but definitely a lot of reading about Turing tests today and about what the capabilities [of AI] are. It's kind of one of those things where, as far as we know and what the public facing information is, we're not quite there yet … I think that the jumps [in capability] are exponential. So there was still a level of invention. It's a sci-fi show, so you've got to make some stuff up, but we also made sure that it never felt like it was fully beyond the bounds of what's actually happening out there today.
THE STORY
DiF: When was the moment during production that you as a writer, as a showrunner, felt like, “yeah, this thing has wings. This thing can fly.”
MT: There's a couple of different answers to that, because it comes in stages. I feel really proud of the show. I think that there are stages … For me, the first time that that happened was while I was writing, and I got through episode four [and then] once I started writing episode five, it's like, “oh, now the plane has taken off, and now we're at altitude, and now, actually, I have to think about landing.” Having these four episodes, and I can I can read that 100 or so pages and go, “I stand by this, this is working now I just need to land the plane.” It's not that I felt like, “oh, I've got this.” But I felt like there was enough material that there's a story that is being told now that feels worth telling. That was kind of the first time.
The second time was definitely once art started to come in from [anime studio] Production IG, and seeing the level at which they were executing and [knowing] this is going to look beautiful. I think then the third time was certainly the working on the score and working with [Terminator Zero composers] Michelle Birsky and Kevin Henthorn and finding a sonic identity for the score that felt like Terminator, and at the same time, does its own thing. We didn't just want to be playing the same stuff, it needed to feel inherently its own.
THE VIBE
DiF: Why was the decision made to do this as an anime?
MT: From a creative standpoint, you're just able to do things that haven't been done before, because if you're making a movie and a movie that's in a franchise like Terminator, then there are certain expectations, certain beats that it has to hit. And, you know, those movies are $100-200 million movies. A [movie of that scale] is going to be a certain kind of thing. And this isn't that. Not only because it's animated, but because it's an anime. So it creates these variables … It's an opportunity to kind of breathe a lot of new life into it …it was kind of driven by story and an opportunity to just do something the franchise hadn't done before.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
We also took a deep scientific look at the paradox that so much of the entire Terminator franchise revolves around. Check it out here.
The Crow remake is in theaters now, so we recently took a look back at some of the science surrounding the magic of the original film. Watch it here.
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial
Facebook: Roddenberry
Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
This episode of Does it Fly? is presented by Netflix, the exclusive home of Terminator Zero, starring Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sonoya Mizuno, André Holland, and Ann Dowd. Terminator Zero is now streaming only on Netflix.
“Come with me if you want to learn.”
OK, fine, that’s not what anyone says pretty much anywhere in the Terminator franchise. But haven’t you ever wondered just how some of the time travel concepts that set up one of the most successful and beloved sci-fi movie and TV franchises of all time work?
This episode is really only dealing with the “grandfather paradox” as it relates to The Terminator (1984), James Cameron’s original sci-fi horror masterpiece that pretty much strapped a stardom rocket to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s back and helped redefine the boundaries of sci-fi and action storytelling on screen. It also kicked off one of the most sprawling and beloved science fiction franchises of a generation.
Check it out here or on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
While we’re pretty much only focused on that first film for this episode, if you want to expand your Terminator knowledge, it can feel like a lot. When in doubt when you’re navigating a big franchise that occupies different places on its own timeline, we always advise you not overthink it and just watch in release order. So we’ll give you that along with some suggestions to make this as fun and painless as possible.
The Terminator (1984)
If you want a sci-fi action movie that’s filmed with the pacing and sense of dread of a horror movie, you can’t go wrong with the original. A legitimate classic of 1980s genre cinema, it has endured for a reason. If you only watch one movie in the franchise, this is the one!
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
If you only watch one other Terminator movie, make it 1991’s bigger and more technically groundbreaking sequel. For those of you who want a more summer blockbuster action sensibility as opposed to the first film’s horror undertones, you can just go ahead and watch Judgment Day on its own, as it does an excellent job getting you up to speed even if you haven’t seen the original. Bigger action sequences and some eye-popping special effects make this one essential viewing.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Probably not as bad as you’ve heard, but not exactly essential viewing either. This one builds out the lore of how Skynet rose to power and has a few bonkers battle sequences, but if time is of the essence, stick to the first two movies. It’s also the first entry in the franchise that starts messing with the canon in ways that future installments try to smooth out.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009)
The franchise’s first expansion into TV has a devoted cult following, and with good reason! Still, that’s a lot of viewing hours, and it isn’t strictly faithful to the lore of the series as a whole. This can be viewed as its own self-contained alternate timeline within the Terminator universe.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Terminator Salvation is a direct sequel to the events of Rise of the Machines…and thus a prequel to the first film. And despite starring Christian Bale at the height of his stardom as John Connor, it’s…well, let’s just say it’s not essential viewing. But if you’re keeping track so far, the canonical events of the franchise go from the first three movies to this one…which depicts events prior to the first film. Got it? Good, because it ain’t getting any easier!
Terminator Genisys (2015)
This one is essentially a reboot of the entire franchise and…you know what? You can skip it. Trust us.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Somewhat maligned upon release, but better than you’ve heard! We’re back in alternate timeline territory, though, as this film ignores everything other than the first two movies and instead acts as a direct (if belated) sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Honestly, worth your time, especially if you’re looking to condense the franchise to a more digestible three films (in this case The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Terminator: Dark Fate)
Terminator Zero (2024)
Netflix is the exclusive home of this first animated Terminator outing, made by the same anime studio who brought the classic Ghost in the Shell to screens. Terminator Zero functions both as a self-contained Terminator adventure (meaning you don’t necessarily need knowledge of the rest of the franchise to enjoy and understand it) and also as something that enriches the lore of the films. Lushly animated and boasting a cast that includes Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sonoya Mizuno, André Holland, and Ann Dowd, serious fans won’t want to miss this.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Grandfather Paradox
The central concept of this episode and the one we wanted to explore the most! This article has the most succinct explanation of a rather headache-y concept we’ve ever seen. “...the idea that a cause must precede its effect. The paradox suggests that a cause is eliminated by its own effect, thus preventing its own cause and essentially becoming reverse causation.” It goes on to explain some of the other scientific concepts that inform this pretty well. For a little additional context, you can also check out this piece.
The Bootstrap Paradox
The other paradox that informs our discussion (and pops up often in pop culture time travel stories). Our question is…why is Northrop Grumman writing about this. WHAT DO THEY KNOW THAT THEY AREN’T TELLING US?!?
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
Hey, remember this one from our episode on the transporter from Star Trek? We don’t think you can do any better for quality book-learnin’ on the subject than this article from CalTech.
Relativity Train
In case our animation illustrating Hakeem’s point about viewing actions in a train traveling at a different speed than the observer, Harvard University made a pretty substantial meal out of the experiment which you can read about (and watch) here.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Just a reminder, if you haven’t watched our exploration of Xenomorph biology as it was explored in the first Alien movie (which also happens to be one of our most popular episodes), now’s a good time to get to it!
Check out our episode on the most infamous moment in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. The movie, not our episode. Oh, you know what we mean!
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Alex Proyas’ 1994 The Crow is a genuinely great film, released at a time when “comic book movies” weren’t an all-encompassing pop culture phenomenon, and one that plays very much like a unique action-horror film (rather than a superhero one). We can’t recommend it, or its unbelievably badass soundtrack album, enough. The Crow has a little of everything: it’s a horror movie, it’s a love story, it’s a twisted superhero origin story and revenge tale, and it’s a unique time capsule of a particular moment in pop culture history.
But all of those things have been discussed to death elsewhere, right? Are we breaking down the unique ways that Eric Draven kills the men who wronged him during his life? Nope. Are we delving into the philosophies surrounding the prospects of life after death? Not this episode! Are we walking about how cool it would be to make friends with a crow? Abso-freakin’-lutely!
An under-discussed part of The Crow is the role that an actual, physical crow seems to play in Eric’s journey of post-life revenge. The bird is somewhat magical, but not a complete manifestation of the supernatural. In fact, it functions very much like the concept of a “familiar” often found in fantasy literature. So that’s the topic we’re taking a birds-eye look at this time around. And believe it or not, there’s a LOT to unpack. Seriously, you have no idea how smart crows are, or just how feasible some aspects of the magical familiar might have roots in real science.
Want to find out more? Watch it right here or on our YouTube page.
SUGGESTED VIEWING
Unfortunately, you can’t divorce The Crow from the real life tragedy that surrounds it, notably the untimely accidental death of star Brandon Lee during filming. Shudder’s Cursed Films season 1 episode 4 deals with this, and it’s worth a watch if you want more background on this infamous moment in cinema history.
There are a bunch of mediocre sequels to the original film (and even a TV series!), but we don’t recommend them. Anyway, the only piece of The Crow franchise that we considered for this episode was that original, classic 1994 movie. However, if you want to get a sense of just how great a talent Brandon Lee was, and how this movie SHOULD have kickstarted a new phase of his career that would have brought him a level of mainstream stardom, allow us to recommend 1991’s Showdown in Little Tokyo (co-starring the great Dolph Lundgren!) and 1992’s Rapid Fire. Neither are exactly masterpieces, but they sure do kick some ass and Brandon is a natural.
For some…less friendly…birds, you absolutely should watch Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds if you haven’t already. You’ll be perfectly happy not having any of them as your familiars.
And of course, there’s a new reboot of The Crow in theaters now.
There’s some crossover with our further readings below, but this New York Times video that asks (and kind of answers) the question of “how smart are crows” is quite a watch!
Oh, and the movie that freaked Hakeem out as a kid? That's a 1975 weird one starring none other than William Shatner in one of his...less memorable...rolls, called The Devil's Rain.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
But before we get into the scientific and mythological readings to go with this episode, allow us to suggest that you give James O’Barr’s original comic series that launched this franchise a read. It’s harrowing, beautiful, violent stuff, and just different enough from the movie that you won’t feel like you know everything that’s gonna happen!
OK, now back to your regularly scheduled science-y stuff.
Familiars
It will come as no surprise to anyone that there isn’t a ton of serious scientific writing on the subject of familiars. But the more “new age” corners of the internet have done their homework, and the above article is a compelling read.
Crows in Mythology
Crows and ravens are recurring symbols in a number of religious and mythological traditions. Learn up on them in case one decides to quiz you.
Crows and Masks
In case you need proof that you should never wrong a crow, because they WILL remember your face.
How to Befriend a Crow
We’re serious. From no less a source than M.I.T!
Crows use tools!
Not only do crows know how to make and use simple tools to accomplish their goals, it apparently puts them in a really good mood, too!
The Eyes of Jackdaws
No, that isn't the name of another horror movie. But Hakeem talks about this study on how these particular birds can read human expressions.
We’re kicking off our Halloween celebrations early, so go light some candles and read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” for some kicks. “Nevermore.”
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
We recently unpacked three gadgets and concepts for the 60th anniversary of James Bond in Goldfinger. Watch it here!
Ever wonder about how Indiana Jones led to the invention of the PG-13 rating? We’ve got the video for you!
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Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
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For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
Love it or hate it, Alien Resurrection won’t be ignored. The final film in the Ripley saga of the Alien franchise (before it branched off into Predators, prequels, and other distractions…more on that below), Alien Resurrection has always been something of a hot-button issue with fans. Maybe not as much as Prometheus, but still! Any movie that deals with cloning a beloved character (who had been granted a heroic death in the previous film), complete with “genetic memories” is bound to push some buttons, but that’s not even the biggest thing this movie adds to the franchise.
Alien Resurrection heralds the arrival on the scene of a new kind of Xenomorph. Specifically, a human/alien hybrid made via the same shady experiments that helped “bring back” Ripley. As a result, we get a Xenomorph that (among other things) no longer lays eggs and instead can reproduce in a slightly more recognizable/mammalian fashion. And hoo-boy, do Hakeem and Tamara have questions about this one! From the handling of cloning to the hybrid alien itself, this episode of Does it Fly? is for you if the gooier corners of the Alien universe are your cup of acid blood.
Check it out here or on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
Before we get into the intricacies of the Alien franchise, allow us to also recommend one of Tamara’s favorite movies, Code 46, an underrated 2003 film from director Michael Winterbottom which deals with a few similar themes of ethics within biotechnology as they regard our discussion about Alien Resurrection.
Obviously, concepts from Alien Resurrection are what we focus on in this episode, but if you haven’t seen the movies that precede it, too, then you might be a little lost. Those are…
Alien (1979)
Aliens (1986)
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Now, the franchise continues on after that, albeit to mixed (and sometimes controversial) results. Those are…
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Both of the above movies are inessential, and take place BEFORE the events of the first film, or even the other prequels. Speaking of which, for the last decade or so, the Alien franchise has been more concerned with exploring the days before the first film, which brings us to…
Prometheus (2012)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
And now, currently in theaters is Alien: Romulus, which takes place between Alien and Aliens. Get watchin’!
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Cloning
Central to our discussion about the Xenomorph/human hybrid in Alien Resurrection is the question of cloning. Granted, this is a tough one to read up on, but this fact sheet from the National Human Genome Research institute is a good start. Also, doesn’t the fact that there’s a National Human Genome Research Institute in the first place make it sound like we’re already living in a sci-fi movie?
Genetic Memory
Hakeem (and science in general) state that when you clone an organism, you’re making a twin of it, you aren’t creating an exact duplicate that also contains memories and learned experiences. That, of course, blows a pretty big hole in Alien Resurrection right out of the gate. That being said, there’s some interesting reading to be done on the subject both here and here, although neither really support the movie’s central premise.
Hybridization
“I find it really interesting that when this baby comes out and Ripley is created, both are hybrids of alien and human. So the question is, can you splice together genes like that.” For this one, we couldn’t resist going back to the National Human Genome Research Institute for some hard information. See also: Retroviruses.
Tuskegee Experiment 26:50
One of the darker chapters of American 20th Century history involved the deliberate infection of African-Americans with syphilis in order to study the disease over a period of time. It’s monstrous that something like this was sanctioned by official government agencies, and we shouldn’t forget that this is part of our recent past so that it never happens again.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Just a reminder, if you haven’t watched our exploration of Xenomorph biology as it was explored in the first Alien movie (which also happens to be one of our most popular episodes), now’s a good time to get to it!
Check out our episode on the most infamous moment in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. The movie, not our episode. Oh, you know what we mean!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial
Facebook: Roddenberry
Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
You know the scene. A grisly human sacrifice. A terrified archaeologist looking on in horror from the shadows. A poor religious fanatic has his still-beating heart torn from his chest by a high priest before bursting into flames. While this seems like the kind of scene that would have been perfectly at home in a John Carpenter movie in the 1980s, instead it comes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second entry in the franchise (albeit a prequel to 1980’s Raiders of the Lost Ark), and one which takes a decidedly darker tone than the relatively family-friendly adventure of the previous film.
That moment is alleged to have given birth to the PG-13 movie rating, for one thing. But it also kickstarted a small but specific subset of pop culture fascination: the concept that someone’s heart could be manually removed from their chest with no tools, using only the skills (sometimes mystical in nature) of an adversary. Fans of the Mortal Kombat franchise take note: long before Kano was rippin’ hearts out, Mola Ram was doing it…and with better fashion sense, to boot!
And while it SEEMS like the realm of pure (if icky) fantasy, it’s still worth breaking down whether any element of this gruesome little party trick has basis in scientific reality. And if that doesn’t quicken your pulse (sorry), we’ve got behind the scenes tidbits on what made it all look so good, how this singular moment helped force the MPAA to institute PG-13, and more!
Now, time for a little heart-to-heart with Tamara and Hakeem…
SUGGESTED VIEWING
While Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is indeed the second Indiana Jones movie, it’s actually a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. That being said, we always endorse watching big franchises in release order rather than timeline order, because prequels tend to get a little self-referential. Watch Raiders first, then Temple of Doom, then the third film (which takes place after Raiders), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. These are the only Indiana Jones movies!
OK, not really. There are also fourth and fifth films, the generally maligned Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the somewhat better Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (the only film in the franchise not directed by Stephen Spielberg). Your mileage may vary, but if nothing else, Raiders of the Lost Ark is generally considered one of the greatest action/adventure movies of all time!
And for those of you who can sanction Jim Carrey’s buffoonery (sorry, a little Tommy Lee Jones humor there), Hakeem recommends an alternate take on the heart-ripping concept, as seen in Dumb and Dumber.
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!
Ancient Heart Extraction Rituals
“You have to appease those gods, so what better way than with human sacrifice! Don’t have a volcano handy? Take out their heart.”
(Hakeem references a scientific paper about heart extraction in Mesoamerica. We generally try not to link to things that aren’t readily and easily available to read, but in this case, the above abstract and this excerpt are the best we could do. But it’s so cool, we couldn’t pass it up.)
Consciousness and Organ Function
While Hakeem throws cold water (or hot flames) on the idea that the heart itself can continue beating with no additional equipment after separation from the body, he briefly references the extremely grisly speculation that guillotine victims remained conscious after their heads were separated from their bodies. There’s further study on that, but we try not to think about it.
See also: Neuromuscular Junction
Thuggees
“While the Thuggee cult that they drew from was a real thing, they were robbers, they did murder folks, and they did all of this to serve Kali and did it in the name of this particular god, they did not take part in human sacrifice.”
The PG-13 Rating
“At the time this movie came out, it was rated PG…and there were a lot of parents who were taking their kids to see this…and then there’s this heart being ripped out of a chest, which terrified kids!”
See also: The MPAA website that Tamara references which confirms the Temple of Doom connection can be found here.
We also cannot recommend highly enough J.W. Rinzler’s incredible The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Story Behind All Four Films.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Ever wonder what makes the DeLorean in Back to the Future go? So did we! So we decided to answer those questions once and for all!
Twisters is in theaters now and we took a look at the science of the film, via the lens of the original 1996 movie!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
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For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
How realistic is the science of time travel as depicted in Back to the Future?
Back to the Future just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Let’s put that in perspective for you: Back to the Future is now older than the period of time that Marty McFly traveled in that first film, where he rocketed at 88mph from 1985 back to 1955. And while the concept of using a weird, well, concept car as a time machine might seem a little quirky, it certainly didn’t hamper this flick, which is generally considered a pretty timeless classic, despite its ‘80s trappings. For the record, we consider it one of those classics, too!
And while we generally believe that you probably shouldn’t spend too much time thinking about the logistics of time travel (although we already covered a little of that in our episode about the TARDIS from Doctor Who), the specific mechanisms of time travel in Back to the Future are just too cool and appealing (not to mention iconic) to ignore. So in this episode, Hakeem and Tamara tackle it all! What are the specific rules of time travel in the Back to the Future trilogy? What’s the significance of hitting 88mph in order to go back in time? Is there a real world equivalent to the flux capacitor? And, of course, the age old question… “what the hell is a gigawatt?!?”
All this and more in the latest episode of…Does it Fly?
SUGGESTED VIEWING
At this point it’s hard to imagine any of you haven’t at least seen the original Back to the Future, one of the most beloved movies of the 1980s. But we suppose it’s possible that a few of you might not have watched the entire trilogy. Well, guess what? Those movies rule pretty hard, too and Hakeem and Tamara went through all three films to make sense of the time travel science and story rules. Get going!
There’s also Expedition: Back to the Future which is a fun capstone to the film’s legacy, the DeLorean, and more. Check it out on Max!
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!
“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble. It’s the things we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Hakeem’s quoting Mark Twain via his friend, Professor Edward W. Kolb, has some additional scientific context in the link above!
The scientific case for time travel.
“It turns out that our speed through space squared plus our speed through time squared is equal to the speed of light squared. So all things in the universe that exist are always moving at the speed of light through spacetime. So if you move more quickly through space, you’ll move more slowly through time…so the higher the energy situation, the more slow the time travel is.”
Tachyons
“These are hypothetical particles that can only travel greater than the speed of light.”
(Look, we know Hakeem was pretty harsh on these hypothetical particles, but they’re pretty darn cool anyway.)
(1.21) gigawatts!
“What the hell is a gigawatt?” (Marty McFly…not Hakeem or Tamara. They’re much more articulate and thoughtful).
(flux) Capacitors
“A capacitor is something that stores energy. They come in different geometrical configurations…”
The Many Worlds Interpretation
“But when you make a measurement, you can only ever actually see one state at a time. So the ‘many worlds interpretation’ basically just says that when you make an observation, the only thing you’ve discovered is what world you’re in. Every possible outcome actually occurred.”
Scirens
Certainly by now you’ve checked out Tamara’s incredible other project dealing with the intersection of science and storytelling, right? And if not, what are you waiting for? Go now!
And while you’re here, might we suggest making a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation?
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
Twisters is in theaters now and we took a look at the science of the film, via the lens of the original 1996 movie!
Star Wars: The Acolyte just completed its inaugural season on Disney+. Time to learn how lightsabers work…and why none of you should have them!
FOLLOW US!
Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think!
And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:
Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial
Facebook: Roddenberry
Twitter: @Roddenberry
For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]
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