ALL ABOUT THE MOVIE

Orphaned high school student Rick Riker is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly, develops super
powers (except for the ability to fly), and becomes a hero.

1.1 Characters

Drake Bell as Rick Riker/Dragonfly

Rick Riker is an unpopular student at Empire High School that turns out to be the amazing
Dragonfly.

Kevin Hart as Trey Leslie Nielsen as Uncle Albert

Rick Riker’s Best Friend and classmate. He Aunt Lucille’s husband and Rick Riker’s
also lives with Rick Riker and his family. Uncle that took care of him when his parents
were killed.
Marion Ross as Aunt Lucille Sara Paxton as Jill Johnson

Uncle Albert’s wife and Rick Riker’s aunt Rick Riker’s long time crush that becomes
that is also one of the people that took care his girlfriend in the end.
of him.

Ryan Hansen as Lance Landers Christopher McDonald as Lou

Landers/Hourglass

The person Jill Johnson is dating. And a

well-known rich person and a bully. He
usually bullies his fellow schoolmates or
classmates especially Rick Riker.

Lance Lander’s Uncle and the CEO and

Owner of the pharmaceutical company
Amalgamated. Lou Landers’ is also the
Dragonfly’s arch-enemy known as the
Hourglass.
1.2 Setting
This movie was shot in various places and locations that has amazing views and wonderful
sceneries

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Brownstone Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City,
California, USA

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

New York Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City,
California, USA

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

1.3 Plot Summary
Rick Riker is an unpopular student at Empire High with his only friend Trey, living with his
uncle Albert and Aunt Lucielle. His crush Jill Johnson, who hardly notices him, is dating Rick's
bully Lance Landers. Rick and Trey are then shown to be on a school trip to an animal research
lab. In the lab Rick meets Lou Landers who coughs up blood because he is terminally ill. Dr.
Strom, the head researcher at the lab, then shows his seven mutated dragonflies, though there are
only six there because one has escaped which then bites Rick, and causes his neck to swell.

The scene then goes to Rick's house where his Aunt Lucille and Uncle Albert are talking on the
couch when Rick comes in. He is very sick, and throws up in a fish tank because of his illness
and goes up to his room. Albert and Lucille believe Rick is acting strange, so Albert proceeds to
talk to Rick. Rick then passes out from the bite.

He wakes up the next morning, with a strange video sent to him from a man wanting to speak to
him, later adding Rick as a friend on Facebook. Meanwhile, Lou Landers gets into a scientific
accident, transforming into the Hourglass who feeds on human life. At a science fair, with a
comically rude and mean-spirited Stephen
Hawking who gets physically hurt throughout the
film, Rick gets into mishaps, such as becoming
stuck to water fountains. He then realizes he has
superpowers such as the ability to walk on walls,
has incredible strength, but cannot fly. He tests his
strength in an alleyway, and then decides to test
how he can walk up walls. He climbs up and begins
to break dance, then has a lie-down on the wall and a cat walks up the wall beside him. He then
sees an old woman about to be hit by a truck in the road, and just as she is about to get hit he
pushes her out of the way and the truck collides with him stopping it.

After his heroic feat he is congratulated by passers-by, but as they are congratulating him he
looks to his right and sees he has accidentally pushed the woman into a woodchipper and the dog
she was holding the lead of up is slowly getting pulled up into the machine as well. Trey offers to
become his sidekick, but Rick resigns. His Uncle and he have a brief fight, which reminds Rick
when he was younger and rich with his parents who die in a spoof of Batman Begins. His father
urges him to invest of all his money in, not Google, but Enron.

Rick later watches the girl of his dreams, Jill, who leaves with Lance in his car. Rick wants a car,
and he sets out to get money from the bank. He fails though, with no credit or payment.
 After his uncle is quickly injured, Rick is met by Xavier at his
school for mutants’ ala X-Men. Rick is told to make a costume,
which he does (and later improves), and he becomes known as
the Dragonfly. He quickly becomes a sensation, until his fight
with the Hourglass, who ends up cutting him with little hourglass
blades. The Hourglass then escapes.

Jill is then seen walking in an alleyway and is attacked by thugs,

but the Dragonfly saves her. The two then try to kiss, but
encounter difficulties as Dragonfly is hanging upside down. They
eventually kiss for the first time, and Jill thanks him.

The scene then goes to a Thanksgiving dinner at Rick's house.

During Thanksgiving Landers visits the family (everyone is unaware he is Hourglass). He nearly
catches Rick dressed as the Dragonfly, but later manages to figure out his secret identity.

Just as Rick and Jill are about to fall in love, the Hourglass comes in and murders Aunt Lucille.
After a comical funeral, Rick decides to throw
in the towel as a superhero.

Trey and Uncle Albert find Rick after the

funeral, and convince him to find and defeat the
Hourglass. At a ceremony, Lou, with the help of
a Microsoft "Death Machine Maker" disk,
concocts a plan to make himself immortal by
killing thousands of people. Rick finds out
where he plans on doing this; a convention of all races, right next to a comic-con. Lou Landers is
awarded the Douchebag of the Year award, and encounters Rick who believes someone else is
the Hourglass. He returns in costume and critically injures Jill

After a sincere speech given by Stephen Hawking to Rick, he dons the Dragonfly suit, and
battles the Hourglass on the rooftop. Dragonfly heals Jill, but the Hourglass throws an Hourglass
bomb onto Dragonfly's crotch. Dragonfly then puts his crotch next to Lou Landers' face, which
blows up, killing him. He also saves Jill and himself from falling to their deaths by finally
growing wings and being able to fly.

The film ends with the Dragonfly and Jill flying in

the air sky high, with Rick giving his final
narration, only to be stopped short, as both are hit
by a helicopter.
BIOTECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
2.1 Scientific Terms Associated to the Film

Animal Genetics

Animal Genetics is a branch of genetics that studies heredity and variation chiefly in farm
animals but also in domestic and wild animals. It is based on general genetic principles and
concepts, and it mainly uses the hybrid, cytological, population, ontogenetic, mathematical-
statistical, and twin methods of general genetics.

Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is the deliberate, controlled manipulation of the genes in an

organism with the intent of making that organism better in some way. This is usually
done independently of the natural reproductive process. The result is a so-called
genetically modified organism (GMO). To date, most of the effort in genetic engineering
has been focused on agriculture.

Terminal Illness

Terminal Illness is an incurable disease that cannot be adequately treated and is

reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for
progressive diseases such as cancer or advanced heart disease than for trauma. In popular use, it
indicates a disease that will progress until death with near absolute certainty, regardless of
treatment. A patient who has such an illness may be referred to as a terminal patient, terminally
ill or simply terminal. There is no standardized life expectancy for a patient to be considered
terminal, although it is generally months or less. Life expectancy for terminal patients is a rough
estimate given by the physician based on previous data and does not always reflect true
longevity. An illness which is lifelong but not fatal is a chronic condition.
2.2 Principles Of Biotechnology
The principle that is used and shown in this movie is that they used genetic modification or
genetic engineering. So that Lou Landers/Hourglass will live longer. They used genetic
engineering because he has a terminal illness which is an illness that can’t be cured by any
medicine and could only be treated.

Sometimes most humans inherit genetic disorders because of the improper functioning of a
particular gene sequence. Genetic disorders are the harmful effects on an individual caused by
inherited genetic diseases or mutations. Usually genetic disorders are recessive, so they are only
expressed in a small percentage of the population, but a much larger percentage are carriers.
When expressed in the homozygous recessive individual, they often code for the wrong protein
or amino acid sequence. In theory, replacing the defective gene with a healthy one should solve
the problem.

That is why Lou Landers and his assistant scientist Dr.Strom invented a machine that could alter
his DNA and remove or delete the cells that caused his terminal illness and made him even more
powerful and even gave him the power to absorb or take the life of another human and he
absorbs it, making his life longer.

Genetic engineering could really make you even stronger and a better human being, like how
these genetic codes will make you one.

1. A variant that codes for extra-strong bones (LRP5 G171V/+).

2. A variant that codes for lean muscles (MSTN).
3. A variant that makes people less sensitive to pain — something that could be
dangerous, as pain can be a useful warning signal, but may be helpful in some
contexts (SCN9A).
4. A variant that's associated with low odor production (ABCC11).
5. A variant that makes people more resistant to viruses (CCR5, FUT2).
6. A variant that's connected to a low risk of coronary disease (PCSK9).
7. A variant that's associated with a low risk of Alzheimer's disease (APP A673T/+).
8. A variant that's associated with a low cancer risk (GHR, GH).
9. A variant that's associated with a low risk of type 2 diabetes (SLC30A8).
10. A variant that's associated with a low risk of type 1 diabetes (IFIH1 E627X/+).

This era of selectively editing our genomes isn't here yet, but it's really something that could
have huge health implications allowing people to live longer lives of better quality.
BIOETHICS
“Genetic Engineering Also Has It’s Own Downsides”

 Lou Landers/Hourglass should’ve messed with his own cells because it it just made his
situation worse. Because he may have become more powerful and finally has a way to
live longer but he is still sick. He just had the power to absorb another human’s strength
and energy just to live. Which makes it wrong because based on what is said on the
movie, he needs to kill a person every single day just for him to live until the next 24
hours, then he should kill another again. That is why his plan didn’t really benefited him
at all.

 Lou Landers and Dr.Strom didn’t weren’t that sure with what they we’re working with
because they didn’t know that it would turn out that way because of what Lou Landers or
Hourglass could do.

 If Lou Landers really wanted to live, he should’ve not tried to manipulate his own cell, he
just made his situation worse than before because he is now cursed with an ability to kill
anyone he touches because he just absorbs their energy and strength.

 Manipulating genes or trying to do something with it could really have certain side
effects to the human body, while trying to treat one error in a person’s gene the gene
manipulaion could lead to another serious problem that could affect another cell which
leads to another serious problem within the person’s cell. That is why it is really difficult
to manipulate a person’s cells or genes.
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