NASA Names '2012' Science Fiction Film Flub Of All Time

Roland Emmerich’s disaster of a film "2012" (Columbia Pictures) was named by NASA scientist Donald Yeomans an "exceptional and extraordinary example of Hollywood bad science."

Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission also remarked that to the newspaper The Australian the "the film-makers took advantage of public worries about the so-called end of the world as apparently predicted by the Mayans of Central America, whose calendar ends on December 21, 2012."

Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other global catastrophes are depicted, culminating with the end of mankind in December 2012.

Specifically the story tells of the mysterious neutrino particles coming from solar flares that heat the core of the planet causing these disasters. NASA acknowledges that neutrino particles are real and have been known to interfere with radio waves, but as neutral particles, they do not interact with physical substances. Additionally, the heating of the Earth’s core in the movie is grossly accelerated, and is "absurd" according to Donald Yeomans.
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NASA argues that misleading film science can worry viewers. So many people wrote in to the agency, worried about 2012-related disasters that NASA had to publish a special website just days before the film’s November 2009 release.

The page reads "Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."

The film "2012" was not the only recent film that was frowned upon by NASA. The science behind the 1998 film "Armageddon'" although initially applauded by NASA, where a team of oil workers are deemed the perfect group of guys to blow up a Texas-sized asteroid with a nuclear bomb was later denounced. "Armageddon" is in use by the NASA management training program. It is used as an example of bad science because it contains over 168 distinct things that are impossible, not just improbable, but impossible.

After reading the script, scientists at NASA walked away from "The Core," where Hilary Swank drills into the Earth’s center to restart the planet’s rotation.

Science fiction films aren’t all misinforming though.

NASA pointed out that Ridley Scott’s 1982 "Blade Runner" painted a rather convincing image of a near future Los Angeles, "Jurassic Park" and 1997’s "Gattaca", which looks at DNA and genetic discrimination, was lauded as scientifically "realistic."

Americans pay for NASA employees to rate films ??? That's a new one "why should we build a craft for another manned mission to the moon, when we can sit and watch doomsday films ?!"

"Roland Emmerich’s disaster of a film "2012" (Columbia Pictures) was named by NASA scientist Donald Yeomans an "exceptional and extraordinary example of Hollywood bad science." "


Really Roland? i didn't know we were making a movie for peer review ......



Some jerk offs have to much time on there hands on the tax payers money, can someone send Roland a memo and tell me him we have 1000000's problems on earth that could use some Nasa fixing instead of rating movies

Not quite sure how to respond, it was a movie, for entertainment value. "Bad science"...I don't theink the goal of making a movie is to introduce the masses to proper science. I just do not understand why NASA would even feel inclined to comment on a hollywood production, as for the people calling NASA after watching the movie...really? Wow.

haha maybe they should have actually developed a real scenario in the movie, and did a little more research. Sure, NASA can dismiss this case, but the Pole Reversal is inevitable and people should be worrying about that. There is already a giant whole in our magnetic field, and NASA themselves warned of major solar flare activity around 2012 and 2013. Once this news becomes more mainstream, then they'll probably end up contradicting themselves and trying to come up with some reason why they don't believe it'll happen; whatever the government tells them to do, they'll do to protect the interest of the government. They don't want 95% of America raising hell in fear of such an event, and simply want to keep it under the radar until the time comes for them to escape to the massive underground bunkers they are building out of taxpayers money. Tell me that wouldn't create complete anarchy?

I always thought the whole point of Science Fiction, was that it is Fiction. i.e, not based on fact. So what are they moaning about?

Oups they didn't get time to watch "knowing" to busy rating the Halo video game

Me thinks they know somethings coming, and are just telling us it won't be as bad as in the films...

God I really want to go and apply for a job at NASA now

I for one agree with them. That was the dumbest, mind numbing cheesy movie I have ever seen.

NASA is paying way too much attention to this. Why would they even care about a movie? Surely they know that by even commenting like this, it will stir things up?

reply to post by ~Lucidity

NASA is paying way too much attention to this. Why would they even care about a movie? Surely they know that by even commenting like this, it will stir things up?

One guy at NASA is paying a lot of attention to this because as a scientist tracking potential hazards to the Earth, people keep asking him if the 2012 movie was "realistic." It's not, and it's the people pestering him who are wasting the taxpayers' money.

I commend him for commenting on the movie and trying to stop worried phone calls but ultimately I can see it hurting NASA more than helping.

Most sane people saw it as just a movie and never gave it much thought, if NASA had kept quiet then sure there'd be calls of "cover up" but to say anything is to instigate more questions.

reply to post by Highergrounds


I don't know, I mean The CORE was a truly awful terrible film. I honestly would say the Core was worse but that's just me personally.

The whole 2012 thing is a very serious issue in my opinion despite the fact that the pseudoscience behind it is an absolute joke there are those who have been stirred into a panic over the supposed Doomsday. I remember watching a great lecture by an astrophysicist named David Morrison that did a good job debunking 2012 and talking about the insane fears people have. One message he received was from a Mother contemplating killing her children and herself to spare them the pain of 2012.

Surviving 2012 and other Cosmic Disasters

The conmen who peddle trash about 2012 truly disgust me and while Roland Emmerich was just trying to make a buck I do think he added to the problem.

I wasn't too worried before I read this thread. But in disaster movies, the really smart sciencetist always explains why everything is fine and that people should not be worried - just before the SHTF. We are doomed!

reply to post by Highergrounds



Here's a new video posted on youtube.com on this topic from one of the sources in your OP:

reply to post by DJW001


If I'm remembering correctly (from past discussions here), this is not the first time NASA has commented on both the movie and the 2012 situation in general. I believe some of it was even on their website. If I have time later. I'll try to dig it out.

Here are a few links to NASA discussing 2012 in the past...most in 2009...some on their site....

2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

2012 – A Scientific Reality Check

The Great 2012 Doomsday Scare


Old FoxNews report naming NASA...



NASA on Crusade to Debunk '2012' Apocalypse Myths

Originally posted by WeSbO
Americans pay for NASA employees to rate films ??? That's a new one

"why should we build a craft for another manned mission to the moon, when we can sit and watch doomsday films ?!"

edit on 14-1-2011 by WeSbO because: (no reason given)

Yeah, how dare they watch movies, they're there to work 24/7, no free time, not allowed to do anything for enjoyment. HEY IDIOT WHY ARE YOU POSTING ON ATS? GO BACK TO WORK!

Jeez, some idiots these days I get the impression that everything and all what certain people (read: cops, politicians, basically everyone who isn't a poor idiot crying on ATS about some stupid animals, "mother earth" and how unfair life is) do is wrong and bad and evil. It got to a point where it's so absurd, like your comment.

And 2012 was a stupid movie. NASA has a point but even as some sort of "entertainment" it failed as horrible as every other Roland Emmerich Film. I don't know what the US does to german film maker's, but once they are over the pond they puke out only crap (Emmerich, Boll, even Fritz Lang lost a lot of his genius while traveling to the US)

And The Core was also a stupid movie but at least it was so stupid with horrible actors and campy dialogues and effects that it was fun when watched being drunk.

reply to post by Highergrounds
Great thread but links to your quoted material would be nice. I mean, I feel that this is a very important topic and connections to other sources would help a lot.

reply to post by skitzspiricy
It is the number of responses that have become a concern, especially the ones that talk of suicide and killing their family to avoid this supposed upcoming suffering. I feel that the people at NASA are genuinely worried about these people.

reply to post by Titen-Sxull
I totally agree with you on the real dangers this is presenting to us all. I would also like to add that I liked your linked lecture.
Surviving 2012 and other Cosmic Disasters
David Morrison sums the problem up very nicely, it is worth the time to watch.

I dunno, I quite liked and enjoyed 2012 (then again, I have no clue why people liked Friends, the American Pie movies, The Hangover etc so what do I know?) but it's just a movie. Nothing more, nothing less.

Same as Knowing really, critically panned as far as I'm aware yet I really like that movie. Slightly more realistic than 2012 (really? A sci fi movie being "realistic"? As far as the solar flare at least anyway) but this is what NASA does. They watch a movie in their free time and take what they noticed to work with them, either to debunk or see if it's possible for their own personal use.

I'm just guessing there but if you worked in one field and saw something about that, wouldn't you see if it could be applied or discredited in real life?

I like the 2012 movie.. but only because it has that Epic Disaster feel to it (like 'The Day after Tomorrow', or 'Independence Day').
To call it "Science"-Fiction is an insult to science. It's pure doomsday fiction.

The whole premise: OMG neutrino's have somehow MUTATED and are heating up the earths core...
is so completely ridiculous that I almost stopped watching the film when then explained the "Scientific" reason for this doomsday scenario.

Please-O-Please someone explain to me how an elementary particle can mutate. My guess is they we're after fans of the X-Men movies, if it's a mutant, it's must be awesome