Science: humanity’s greatest achievement and quite possibly the cause for its downfall. At least according to the entertainment industry.
In “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” the world reels in the aftermath of scientific hubris, specifically a disaster at a dinosaur theme park. Survivors must decide whether they will save the dinosaurs left on Isla Nublar or let them die off when a volcano erupts.
Of course, a little greed paired with scientific resources means not everything goes according to plan.
But the “Jurassic Park” films are just the latest in a long line of films and television shows parading the horrific results of science experiments gone awry. Here are a few of the others:
• ‘RAMPAGE’ (2018)
When an escape pod from a research space station disintegrates upon its reentry to Earth, an experimental pathogen designed to rewrite genetic code is accidentally spread across the U.S. Among those exposed are a crocodile, a gray wolf and an albino gorilla named George. The pathogen — which was being developed as a biological weapon — causes the animals to become gigantic and increasingly aggressive, particularly when exposed to a specific sonic trigger.
• ‘WESTWORLD’ (2016-PRESENT)
Based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film, this HBO series is set in a future where people pay top dollar to spend time living out their fantasies in themed amusement parks populated by android hosts. Guests are free to do whatever they want without fear of judgment or repercussions; the hosts’ programming prevents them from harming humans. At least until the hosts, including and especially Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), become self-aware. Then there are plenty of consequences for humans.
• ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ (1931)
In this horror classic, based on the book that started it all, a scientist named Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his hunchback assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) attempt to create life by piecing together a body from parts collected from dead people. They succeed in bringing the creature (Boris Karloff) to life, but he ends up being much more than they can handle.
