In a couple of years, the film industry has embraced modern technologies to improve storytelling and make it entertaining. Some of the significant films that have truly tested the limits within their stories by bringing biometrics into these narratives are “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings” (2021), “Bullet Train”, and “The Adam Project.” This paper is going to analyze the use of biometrics in each movie.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021): Fingerprint Recognition
In the movie “Shang-Chi, ” the producers developed fingerprint recognition as a plot device. Fingerprint recognition refers to identifying an individual based on the various patterns embedded in their fingerprints. This biometric technology is included in the film through a scene where Shang-Chi gets into a secure facility by using his special fingerprint to open an advanced security system. The representation of fingerprint recognition presented in “Shang-Chi” corresponds to a real biometric method used in the contemporary world (SINDI, 2023). Fingerprint recognition is used for authentication and access control, ensuring high accuracy and reliability. The movie shows the scanning and analyzing of fingerprints to allow access properly, sticking this well with biometric technology.
Nevertheless, the movie has taken creative license in heightening fingerprint recognition strengths. Although each fingerprint is individual-specific, the rapid and dynamic processes portrayed in the film, like instantly getting into a guarded facility, are depictions done dramatically. However, over the years, filmmakers have tended to sacrifice technical accuracy to create a captivating cinematic thriller.
Bullet Train (2022). Face Recognition
On the other hand, Bullet Train uses facial recognition technology in its storyline. Facial recognition is identification and authentication based on facial features. Face recognition is revealed through restricted areas for access and covert operations by characters in the movie. The movie demonstrates what face recognition looks like in a visually attractive way and illustrates the power of technology. However, it departs from the real in some respects. Systems used in the real-world environment need good illumination and high-quality images for recognition.
The movie ignores such practical constraints, often showing recognition without errors in poor conditions. The movie portrayal of face recognition in the context of Bullet Train questions the validity and trustworthiness of several biometric identification methodologies (Wei et al., 2022). Though the film manages to incorporate face recognition into the storyline, it renders reality in a dramatic sense for convenience.
The Adam Project (2022): DNA Analysis
The idea of DNA analysis is introduced to ‘The Adam Project’ as a futuristic concept that becomes an essential part of the storyline. DNA profiling involves analyzing one’s genetic code for identification and other uses. In the film, the plot development involves characters using high-technology DNA samples for analysis. The DNA analysis, as portrayed in the film, is consistent with other scientific principles of genetic identification. However, it takes some liberties by partially misrepresenting the speed and accuracy of the analysis process (Clare et al., 2022). The process of real-life DNA analysis would have taken too long and been far more complicated, but the film shortens these timelines with plot urgency in mind.
Overall, all these films have used biometrics effectively to boost their plotlines (Mosher & Wellner, 2022). While they offer exciting and visually striking depictions of fingerprint recognition, face recognition, and DNA analysis, they do so while taking some artistic license for dramatic reasons—filmmakers focusing on narrative flow and entertainment over technical accuracy present engaging but exaggerated biometric technology representations.
References
Clare, E. L., Economou, C. K., Bennett, F. J., Dyer, C. E., Adams, K., McRobie, B., & Littlefair, J. E. (2022). Measuring biodiversity from DNA in the air. Current Biology, 32(3), 693–700.
Mosher, C. P., & Wellner, B. (2022). Biometric signals reveal how audiences engage with stories. SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, 131(2), 29–39.
SINDI, M. (2023). AN ANALYSIS OF CONNOTATIVE MEANING IN “SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS” MOVIE (Doctoral dissertation, UIN RADEN INTAN LAMPUNG).
Wei, Z., Sun, X., Yang, F., Ke, Z., Lu, T., Zhang, P., & Shen, C. (2022). Carriage interior noise-based inspection for rail corrugation on high-speed railway track. Applied Acoustics, 196, 108881.
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