Radioactive Review and Discussion Questions

Radioactive Review with Discussion Questions written by the Ent on 8/3/2020 This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.

Know Before You Watch:

Movie: Radioactive
Rating: PG-13
Age Suggestion: 13+
Running Time: 1 hr 51 min
Release Date: 7/24/2020
Themes: Dedication, Education, Commitment, Grief, Scientific Responsibility, Ethics
Warnings: The effects of radiation are the forefront of this movie, so there are some gruesome scenes of pain, including radiation burns, coughing up blood and the atomic bomb. And brief war sequences. There is a surprising amount of sensual scenes for a pg-13 movie as well- from skinny dipping on their honeymoon to sleeping together.

Radioactive Quick Summary:

Radioactive tells the story of Marie Curie, the mother of modern physics.  She has an incredible story of genius, love, grief, and achievement.  Many of our modern day inventions would not exist without her research and this movie does a remarkable job painting the trues ups and downs of her life’s story. Overall, this is a very powerful movie that wrestles with the difficulties and tension over scientific advancement and the personal ramifications of being a trailblazer. It’s an artistic movie that emphasizes the humanity and struggle of the Curies. The movie immediately made me want to do more research into their lives and legacies.

Radioactive Review: 
*SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*

-Characters & Acting–

Rosamund Pike was the absolutely perfect choice for the role of Marie Curie.  From the young girl scared of illness, bravely researching, and falling for her future husband to the older lady who has known great tragedy. She plays every stage of Marie with conviction and passion. Also, the other supporting characters, especially her daughters and husband add great depth to the film.

-Script & Story–

The filming and pacing of Radioactive was done very well.  It consistently pushes the plot forward in gripping ways.  One of the more interesting examples of this is its intermittent use of flash forwards that are shown throughout the movie. They show the different uses of radiation as science advances due to Marie Curie’s discoveries. 

Radioactive was actually based on the graphic novel Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout.  This graphic novel is fairly faithful to the true story, as is the movie.  They chose a very interesting muse in Marie Curie. And even though this story takes place over 100 years ago, there are plenty of parallels to today. Including the need to fight for more women in the scientific field.

–Favorite Moments–

This movie takes you on a journey of great excitement and deep despair.  This is seen best through the discovery of radium and polonium and the shocking death of Pierre, respectively.  The most poignant and heart breaking being Marie finally showing weakness in her great despair and depression after Pierre’s death.  

This movie immediately made me want to dig into their lives and legacies, which despite their many human mistakes, were and are amazing. Over a million soldiers were served by the x-ray machine on the battlefield during WW1, the modern ambulance was born and millions more have been impacted by radiation therapy. Perhaps more impressively to me as a mom and a teacher is that her daughters went on to also leave inspiring legacies. One as a scientist and one as a journalist and humanitarian. It also leaves me with a hauntingly lingering question: a hundred years from now, what are people going to cringe about us not knowing now like we cringe when we see them handle radium?

Radioactive Discussion Questions: 

1. How familiar were you with Marie’s story prior to seeing this movie?  What was the main thing you learned from Radioactive?
2. Eve brings her boyfriend home to Marie who roasts him on his scientific works.  If you were to bring home a boy/girl friend to present to your parents, what topics would impress them right off the bat?
3. Near the end of the film, Marie confronts her fear of hospitals to bring a soldier to safety.  Tell of a time when you or someone you knew did something despite their fears or phobias?
4. Despite Marie’s best intent, her discoveries are known for being used for positive and negative ways. What were some of the positive ways her discoveries were used for?
5. The Curies changed science, but there were negative ramifications to what they did personally and scientifically. They believed that their work was worth it? Do you, knowing all that we know now?

-Final Thoughts–

Although there are some difficult things to watch, Radioactive tells a beautiful story of perseverance and dedication.  Marie is a great example for any current day scientist, a motivator for women in STEM and acts as a reminder of what hard work and diligence can achieve. This movie paints a fair representation of the wonders and horrors of Marie Curie’s discoveries.  We highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in history, Marie Curie, or STEM.

It’s been a little over a hundred years since Marie won her first Nobel prize and today only 52 women have been awarded it besides her (including Mother Theresa). Xenophobia, gender bias, and the status quo of current science were things that Marie Curie struggled against her whole life and yet she succeeded in many different arenas. Despite radioactive isotopes being used in atomic bombs and radium causing a number of health problems when it was first discovered, it also has been used to cure cancers and to create the x-ray machine- among many other things! Despite the negative possibilities, the Curies had reasonable hope that their discoveries would be used for the general betterment of science and the world.

The movie has made me wonder what people will think about us a hundred years from now. It also prompted us to do more research on the lives of the Curies. What stuck with you from the movie the most?

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You can find our Radioactive Movie Curriculum here!!

The set includes a movie quiz, short answer questions, essay and project prompts and more. It’s on Teachers Pay Teachers here!
PS- Before you use this movie as a school resource, preview it. There is nudity and a little foul language.

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