When
the filmmakers behind "Watchmen" wanted to understand the scientific
principles behind the acclaimed graphic novel, they turned to a physics
professor in Minnesota.
"They
wanted to get enough of the science right that they could create an artificial
reality that still felt real to the audience," said James Kakalios, a
physics professor from the University of Minnesota who served as science
consultant on the "Watchmen"
film.
Kakalios
is known among his colleagues for research in experimental condensed matter
physics, but to his students, he's the professor who teaches about the comic
books he loves. By relating scientific principles to the various superheroes
who utilize them, Kakalios not only developed a comic-based science class for
the freshmen he teaches, but used his research to write the book "The
Physics of Superheroes."
"A
lot of comic book stories, especially going back to the Silver Age, tried to be
what used to be called 'hard' science
fiction. They were trying to have one impossible aspect, but have
everything else be as realistic as possible," the professor explained.
"So they tried to put these little bits and nuggets of science into the
story whenever possible."
Kakalios
points out that, for example, the DC Comics speedster the Flash
is constantly doing things with his "superspeed," a concept that
requires a suspension of disbelief. But if the character has to knock someone
down without touching him, he'll run very fast and create a shock front, which
is a real scientific concept.
"By
going through this while teaching my students, I was able to actually construct
an entire physics book written for a general readership where all the examples
came from, for the most part, correct applications of physics found in superhero
comic books," Kakalios said.
So
when the creators behind the "Watchmen" movie asked the National
Academy of Sciences for a consultant to help them translate the acclaimed
graphic novel to film, they looked no further than Kakalios and his superhero
expertise.
"The
National Academy called me and said, have you ever heard of this thing called 'Watchmen'?"
Because they'd never heard of it. After I was done vibrating like a gong I said,
'Uh, "Watchmen?" Yeah, I've heard of it,'" he said with a laugh.
Much
of his consulting involved the science behind Dr.
Manhattan, the "Watchmen" character whose powers are based on
quantum physics. But the professor began working with filmmakers all the way
back in the pre-production stage, lending his expertise to everything from the
movie's set designs to the psychology of the characters.
"Alex
McDowell in particular, the production designer, and the other art designers
would say things like, 'What would a physics lab look like in 1959?' or 'What
would it look like in 1985?' and 'Early in the story we see Dr. Manhattan
working on some apparatus. What is he doing here?'" he said. "They
flew me up to the set, they showed me things, we talked about how certain
things would work.
"And
then they were also interested in the psychology of scientists and how we would
interact with other people," Kakalios said. "One of the things that,
sadly, is accurate in the story is that when we see, sometimes, students get
depressed or start having trouble with the stresses of their life, they hone in
on their research, and they focus on that to the exclusion of practically
everything else. It's the one thing that they feel they have some control over.
And so, you see this also with Dr. Manhattan's attitudes and behaviors. He kind
of just retreats into his research more and more."
In
the graphic novel, Dr. Manhattan gets his powers from having his atoms torn
apart in an "intrinsic field subtractor," but he's able to put
himself back together, transforming into a being powered by quantum mechanics.
He can exist in more than one time and place, and he can teleport himself as
far away as Mars.
"Even
though the movie and the graphic novel don't get into the minutia of how his
powers work, [the filmmakers] were interested in how do they work?"
Kakalios said. "Obviously, it's not possible, but if you made one
suspension of disbelief — if you had one miracle exemption from the laws of
nature — what would this be like?"
Kakalios
talked with everyone from the actors to stunt people to special effects
designers about what Dr. Manhattan's powers might look and feel like in real science.
He theorized about things like what would make the character have blue skin,
how he might be able to teleport, and what would give him the ability to be in
multiple locations.
"There
were some things that they said, could he do this? Could he do that? And there
are some things he's shown doing that, even under the broad brush of quantum
mechanical powers, just don't fly," he said. "They talk about things
like, he says I can transmute the walls to grass. I think in the movie he's
shown turning missiles into butterflies or something like that. I can
understand him having control of his own body, and even within quantum
mechanics, being aware of past, present and future at the same time. But some
things don't fall within that realm."
Yet
Kakalios said his advice about scientific fact was only meant to provide
support for the story, not to change it.
"'Watchmen'
is a unique situation because the graphic novel is so revered that I think they
used that much more than any other source, and they were very mindful of any
deviation," he said. "In an open-ended story like "Iron
Man," where it's only loosely based on a few storylines, there's a little
room for updating and modification. But that wasn't the case with
'Watchmen.'"
"You
literally could not swing a dead cat without hitting a copy of 'Watchmen' on
the set in Vancouver. It was everywhere. So at the end of the day, if they had
to make a balancing act between upsetting a million rabid 'Watchmen' fans or
upsetting a physics professor from Minnesota," he laughed, "I think I
know which one they're going with.
"I
know which way I'd go, and I am the physics professor from
Minnesota," he said.
And
much of the science-based discussion Kakalios had with filmmakers never made it
to the screen. "Zack Snyder, Alex McDowell, all the filmmakers wanted to
know what was behind the story, even if it was never in the film. The phrase
that really stuck with me was, 'We want to know what's around the corner at the
end of the hallway, even if the audience doesn't go down that corridor.' They
wanted to know the foundations, the reasons for things, so they would do a
better job creating an artificial reality."
For
a self-admitted geek like Kakalios, the experience of working on the film gave
him enjoyment on two levels: As a scientist who could appreciate the references
to physics within the story, but also as an avid comic book reader who loved
having one of his favorite graphic novels adapted by Hollywood.
"It
was fantastic. I talked to everyone from Debbie and Zack Snyder to Billy
Crudup, and they were all super nice, super friendly. Billy Crudup actually
knows his science. And they were interested in anything that I'd have to say
and very enthusiastic about the film," Kakalios said. "Like all of us
geeks, these are people who are smart, with wide-ranging interests. They are
comfortable in their skins. They like what they like, and there's nothing to
feel guilty about. And among those interests, as they worked on the film, they
were interested and fascinated by real science, and they cared about bringing
"Watchmen" to film. And so it was a pleasure talking to them and
dealing with them."
After
the National Academy of Sciences matched Kakalios with the "Watchmen"
filmmakers, the organization put together the Science and Entertainment
Exchange, which acts as an intermediary between Hollywood and scientists. One
of the goals is to encourage the public to view the world through science,
something that Kakalios will happen with audiences who see
"Watchmen".
"At
the end of the day, I'm not looking for a movie to be 100 percent
scientifically accurate. I'm not going to movies with a pad of paper and a
calculator and saying, 'Ooo! My physics sense is tingling!'" he laughed.
"But if they can do something right, it's like catching a little inside
joke. It's like a little inside reference. And who knows? Maybe the audience
will learn a little something about science."
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