The movie The Core, released in 2003 and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Stanley Tucci, has been criticized for its lack of scientific rigor. Considered one of the box office failures of the same year, NASA included it in its list of the seven least realistic movies in 2011, ranking second, just behind 2012. The plot revolves around an extremist premise: the idea that the Earth’s core has stopped spinning and that the solution is to detonate a nuclear bomb to restart its rotation.
A movie with no scientific basis
Geophysics experts, including astrophysicist Roland Lehoucq and seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, have highlighted the numerous inaccuracies of the film. According to Lehoucq, The Core presents “misconceptions of the laws of physics, ridiculous technical feats, and pure scientific inventions.” Caplan-Auerbach criticizes that, although the film correctly mentions that the Earth’s magnetic field originates in its core, it incorrectly suggests that this function depends on the rotation of the inner core. In reality, it is the dynamics of the liquid outer core that produces this field.
Moreover, the notion of using a fictional material called Unobtainium to carry out the mission reinforces the lack of scientific basis in the story. Scientists point out that not only is it unlikely that the launch of a nuclear bomb would succeed under such conditions, but representations of imminent disasters such as heat waves or exposure to massive radiation are pure fantasy.
Despite these criticisms, El Núcleo remains accessible to viewers, as it is currently available on Netflix, which could lead new audiences to question the veracity of its scientific representations.
