Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down Sci-Fi Movies
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson rewatches 16 sci-fi movies and reveals just how accurate Hollywood’s take on the cosmos and beyond really is. From Christopher Nolan’s beloved _Interstellar_ (hat tip to Prof. Kip Thorne) to the 2026 box office hit _Project Hail Mary,_ the StarTalk host breaks down scenes from the most popular sci-fi movies.
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s _Take Me to Your Leader_ is now available wherever books are sold and _Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe_ is available for pre-order.
Watch more from GQ | The Breakdown: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0hKMB1-xkc8bPJ_N9BoGNnPBOFG1ZSZf&si=JbPebbDNlaS34CJy
#NeildeGrasseTyson #Space #ProjectHailMary
00:00 – Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down sci-fi films
00:26 – The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
04:15 – The Martian (2015)
08:37 – Interstellar (2014)
12:13 – Back to the Future (1985)
16:14 – X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
18:15 – Deep Impact (1998)
22:48 – Men in Black (1997)
26:59 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
29:47 – Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
33:39 – Alien (1979)
35:48 – Jurassic World (2015)
38:38 – Star Trek (2009)
40:42 – Project Hail Mary (2026)
43:05 – Independence Day (1996)
46:16 – The Avengers (2012)
48:28 – Tenet (2020)
*Credits:*
Director: Jeremy Clowney
Director of Photography: Alex Sablow
Editor: Louville Moore
Talent: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Senior Producer: Michael Beckert
Creative Producer: Camille Ramos
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: Evie Roop
Talent Booker: Jenna Caldwell
Camera Operator: Chloe Ramos
Gaffer: David Djaco
Sound Mixer: Tyson Dai
Production Assistant: Jayden Bier
Post Production Supervisor: Jess Dunn
Post Production Coordinator: Stella Shortino
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
Executive Producer: Cara Marceante
Director, Creative: Nick Collett
Director, Programming: Jeremy Clowney
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@phatcap45
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
This dude seems to just love the sound of his own voice. Watched another video where he does this and he loved bringing up movies he was involved with in any way. Seems a bit self absorbed
@hasilnanshah7661
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Nitpicking only he and no one else can do ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
@Danapher
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
did not realize how bad the acting was in the day after tomororw
@Caexkepesk
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
23:41 each marble 9is supposed to be a galaxy, so the bag would just be the universe. the fact multiple beings may possess a bag of galaxy marbles would allude to the multiverse
@redvro
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
i was only just re-watching X-Men Apocalypse yesterday no wayyy! i find it funny how he didn't mention how being moved at that speed would vaporised them all anyway lol.
@Shmuel420
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Star Wars is not science fiction
@Maroonag1
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
8:21 so in Andies book he made it clear that of this was a movie they would do it wrong. And the movie did. LOL
@LukeDane
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
because of THE FORCE NEIL! pay attention 😂
@Klos010634
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
So uncivilized Neil! 😊
@SteVeL_318
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Find yourself someone who loves you as much as Neil loves his own voice.
@danwhitesall3521
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
My problem with Star Trek of beaming falling people at terminal velocity is, they are still moving at terminal velocity when they appear 1 foot above the teleport pad. There by they should still be hitting it at terminal velocity, not as if they just tripped.
@midnightprince30
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I love The Martian. I'll watch it over and over.
@danwhitesall3521
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Now for the xenomorph in Alien, the xenomorph adopt the general shape of the host. The host of a dog, the xenomorph is more dog-like in shape. If the host is a bird, it be more bird-like.
@ZeddZul
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Cant even pronounce LIGO
@ZeddZul
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
High speed is special relativity
@adev9448
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
NEEEERD! homer voice
@BradMullProductions
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
If quick silver can move you out of a path of a bullet wouldn’t the sudden movement snap your spine and neck in half? Thank you for this video, some great insight
@OG-ProfessorFarnsworth
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I'm a little disappointed about the X-men scene. I was hoping to hear about the amount of energy necessary to move that fast and the Newtonian physics of it all!
Equal and opposite reactions. If he's moving at or close to the speed of sound he's basically a very large bullet himself. What would the consequences of that be!
He certainly couldn't just grab another person and run off with them. Not if he wants to save them!!
@Urfcannon
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
30:45 Lightsaber are the weapons of the civilised
@heyheyyouyouSLC
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
BB-8 catching strays RIP
@lanarkorras4411
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
30:07 I mean.. it's "A long time ago", so… 🙂 Also, Jedi can deflect projections – and then do much more than a person with a gun. Not arguing against Neil! Love him. But i think Star Wars actually does have its in-universe lore down – at least to this particular degree.
@rovhalscroogle856
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
We might call for Captain Marble to solve our problems.
@DaveQZ85
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Aliens franchise is even worse than eaten: turned into a host for the eggs after which the creature doesn't bother to eat you on the way out.
@nicorodo7161
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I had a very pleasant vision during the video that put a smile on my face for at least 10 minutes: I saw Neil spining on ice with very chort dress on… I precise that I have the pretty same chape as Neil myself. 😉
@matts2298
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Where is Contact?
@charitharth55
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Should be 1.twoone not 1.twentyone lol
@RTXBRINGER
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
My dream died when he said swordfights are over….:(
@shakeelcarr8601
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Can’t agree. Lightsabers are wielded by Jedi. What a foolish take comparing it to guns.
@danwhitesall3521
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
The reason to destroy famous landmarks, like the Hollywood sign, is to get the audience to be sad or scared of what is happening.
@willhgk7707
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I was waiting for neills comment about the tie fighters 😂
@PCR10023
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I love me some Neil tyson. He's one of my favourites and his podcast is awesome.
@MatteoB-gx1bo
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Lightsabers aren't probably obsolete because they fit the Jedi's abilities with the force and their training. It's also capable of deflecting blaster shots, negating the advantages of rifles. One could wonder why few species and factions use solid slug guns…
@Omegabigb
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
7:30 no need to blame Andy for this, the whole tether dance scene is movie only, in the book the segment is much more realistically possible.
@msmoozesful
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
my peoblem with Interstellar is 2….1: the scale : when a tiney-weeny ship is in the almost exact proximity of a black hole of that size the entire "horizon" in the front of you becomes more than 180 degrees ,meaning you can barely see any spherical object ,let alone the fact that the "stuff" in the accretion disk's scale is off as well in comparison to the spaceship ,…2nd: the accretion disk is spinning at the speed of light (theoretically) close to the event horizon, yet the space ship is falling straight at a constant rate towards the inside of the black hole ….but the visuals are awesome and that matters most to the film makers for creating emotions, physics are secondary…..btw I dont understand why nobody noticed this , or missed this
@hephaestus6365
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
He believes men can get pregnant. Not exactly the best and brightest.
@sawlay043
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I hate that backlight is flashing up my eye the whole time. I mean, I know it's there for the look but come on, at least dim that thing down with some masks in the color grading a little bit!
@neethanielflores302
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I believe the marbles represented galaxies not the universe. Because the movie literally shows a galaxy that size.
@Imaculata
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Neil, point of criticism regarding Back to the Future. It looks to me like the reason the Delorean needs to travel at 88 miles an hour, is because it creates a wormhole to travel through time. The wormhole appears very briefly (you can see it forming in front of the car during the film), as it would take immense power to form one for only a second. So in order for the time machine to arrive on the other side in one piece, it would need to achieve a specific minimum speed to pass through it before it closes again. Otherwise it would be cut in half. That is just my interpretation. It is very possible that the film makers did not think this far ahead.
@TheDrumhead4
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Wouldnt an intelligent life form need "opposable thumbs" in order to build computers and rockets. I get that once they do that and millions of years pass and they evolve they might shed some features but, shed it all? Lol
@amadeusmalonje6948
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I'd love to hear his thoughts on Annihilation
@what.is.this.for.
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Blasters are uncivilized…that's why light sabers are used😊
@mcmoose64
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
There's no such thing as a flux capacitor… Yet.
@ohedd
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
11:43 he did the meme
@reinforcedpenisstem
September 8, 2026 at 1:04 pm
There's far more science in Star Wars than Back to the Future 😅