Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently said: “I am enchanted that, of late, science as a topic and scientists as characters have peaked the interests of storytellers.” As the host of the hit documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Tyson is not shy about commenting and reviewing science-related media programming.

Neither is Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, PhD, who has helped NSTA members sort the good science from the bad in movies and other visual media for almost six years. Each month in NSTA Reports and on the NSTA website, he provides expert commentary in his Blicks on Flicks column, pointing out where the physics is stretched, the chemistry fudged, or the biology twisted on behalf of the story—without losing sight of the fact that movies are meant to entertain.

In just 15 minutes, NSTA members can enjoy thoughtful and entertaining reviews from a science educator—and a movie fan. Blickenstaff also knows that substituting movie magic for actual science can help highlight truth—and engage students on their level. He makes a point to help turn “bad science” in movies into teachable science for middle level and high school educators.

• Interstellar (2014) – Still in theaters, Blickenstaff points out how science teachers could use this film to talk about some of the more counterintuitive consequences of general relativity, to discuss nitrogen cycling, or even to partner with a literature teacher to explore 20th-century poet Dylan Thomas.

• Gravity (2013) – No doubt one of the most thrilling rides in space from the safety of the movie house, the movie inspired Blickenstaff to interview George “Pinky” Nelson, one of only six people who has flown the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) worn by George Clooney in the movie.

• Frozen (2013) –Who doesn’t like “frozen fractals all around?” Perhaps not in a snowball fight. Although Blickenstaff can’t give a thumbs up to all the crystallization in this animated blockbuster, he knows that the lesson in geometry—and earworms—could have inspire budding mathematicians in the classroom.

• Skyfall (2012) – One of the all-time biggest blockbuster franchises gets a couple punches from Blickenstaff on the plausibility of surviving (and thriving the 007 way) through epic free falls and depleted uranium shrapnel. But never has a better movie overestimated “the lethality of a lizard.”

• The Avengers (2012) –Blickenstaff proves that Marvel superheroes can delve into complex math and physics—as well as alien invasions. Not only does he discuss the math behind the real concept of the movie’s core plot device (a tesseract or four-dimensional cube), but also connects the realities of gamma radiation with the 1961 Nobel Prize.

Next time you show your class a movie, choose one with specific science implications and relevance. What’s next? Perhaps Blickenstaff will take on one of the two current movies characterizing the amazing life stories of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and WWII mathematician Alan Turing.

More Time?

Don’t miss the addicting power of the web videos in Blick’s Picks, a collection of science-related shorts. Watch drone footage from Chernobyl, analyze momentum during a tennis trick, or simply watch real stories from real scientists.

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Laura Berry of Cogberry Creative is our guest blogger for this series. Laura is a communications professional for the education community.