What Geologists Love — And Lament — About Cult Classic 'The Core'

Short Wave

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🗓️ 7 July 2023

⏱️ 13 minutes

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Summary

20 years ago, the cult classic movie 'The Core' was released in theaters. From the start, it's clear that science is more a plot device than anything — but some scientists love it anyway. Today, Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber has a friendly laugh with geologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach about the creative liberties writers took to make the movie's plot work.

P.S. We're biased here, but we don't think you need to have seen the movie to enjoy this episode.

This edition of our periodic 'movie club' series, where we separate fact from fiction, was highly requested by you, our audience. If you want us to do the same for another movie you love, write us! We're at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode will spoil a movie that was in theaters in 2003.
0:05.5	You've been warned.
0:06.5	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:13.5	20 years ago, a disaster movie came out that was both riveting and wholly ridiculous.
0:20.0	You might be thinking, which one, Gina?
0:22.5	There were so many.
0:24.0	But the one we're going to spoil and poke fun at today, it takes the cake.
0:29.0	So the basic premise of the core is talking about the core.
0:33.5	Oh yeah, we're talking about the core.
0:36.5	Earth's core has stopped rotating.
0:39.5	And in the hypothetical world of this movie, it is the rotation of the core that causes our magnetic field.
0:46.5	And so we have to somehow start the core spinning again.
0:51.5	So we're heading into the Earth.
0:53.5	So instead of astronauts.
0:55.5	A group of terinauts, not Astro, but terinauts, are sent to the core to kick it back into action.
1:05.5	And as with all bad science movies, this is accomplished via nukes.
1:11.5	That's Dr. Jackie Kaplan-Araback, professor of geology and associate dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Western Washington University.
1:19.5	She was my buddy while I worked there.
1:21.5	Her and many other geologists feel this movie is a cult classic.
1:26.5	My original perspective on this movie was just that it was so colossally bad that it was wonderful.
1:31.5	So wonderful.
1:32.5	That for years she has shown this film in her class.
	...

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