Representation of (Mad) Women Scientists in Rampage

Welcome to Mad Science Mondays, where we talk about depictions of science in movies, TV shows, books, and the media. We dissect the good, the bad, the comical and the outright irresponsible. Who says learning about science can’t be fun?

One of the reasons I started Mad Scientist Mondays was because a lot of people don’t actually know any scientists. As a result, cultural depictions of science and scientists – like those in movies and on TV – have an outsized influence on our beliefs about and perceptions of the real thing. And I honestly believe that a major reason that a lot of people distrust science and scientists is because, in movies, scientists are either:

arrogant to the point of stupidity,
eccentric to the point that we can’t relate to them, or
power hungry sociopaths.

Case in point: Rampage.

We’re not going to talk about the science of this movie, in which genetically engineered animals go on a – you guessed it! – rampage through Chicago. “Movies based on 1980s video games” is not a subgenre overly concerned with accuracy, or even necessarily plausibility. Mostly, these movies are concerned with fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I know I could use a little more fun in my life, especially right now, and I’m betting you can, too. But for me at least, the fun was soured by my disappointment at the depictions of the scientists.

Credit where due, all of the scientists in the film are women. “But wait,” you say, “what about Dwayne Johnson’s character, the hero of the movie?” Mmmmyeah, not a scientist. Everyone calls him a primatologist, but they also call him “Mister,” not “Doctor,” which mean’s he’s not formally trained. In fact, he’s a former soldier whose main qualification for working with gorillas is that he likes animals more than people. That’s a sentiment I’ve experienced myself on occasion, but it’s not what makes someone a scientist. An action hero, yes, but not a scientist.