Unnatural Selection is a monthly podcast about film adaptations of books, the weird choices Hollywood makes, and what actually constitutes a "good" adaptation. Each episode is hosted by Emma Shannon and a rotating cast of special guests.
It’s been a while since we’ve covered a movie on Unnatural Selection that’s plagued with production problems, riddled with lawsuits, and suffering from abysmal CGI. Join Emma and Greg for a special Emma’s birthday episode where they talk about the 2005 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s short story A Sound of Thunder. This episode is short, it is detailed, and it features a surprisingly detailed description of a manga trope. For the best listening experience, Emma recommends reading A Sound of Thunder before listening. It will take you five minutes and it’s free online.
Content warnings for A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury include: gun violence, trophy hunting, and the origin of several time travel tropes.
Content warnings for A Sound of Thunder (2005) include: gun violence, trophy hunting, death of a loved one, drowning, the only Black actor in the party dying first in a weird and drawn out way, bugs, and terrible CGI.
The articles Emma references in this episode can be found here:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/mar/08/news (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/mar/08/news)
https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/19/renny-harlin-and-pierce-brosnan-hear-a-sound-of-thunder (https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/19/renny-harlin-and-pierce-brosnan-hear-a-sound-of-thunder)
https://www.denverpost.com/2005/09/03/thunder-a-jurassic-farce/ (https://www.denverpost.com/2005/09/03/thunder-a-jurassic-farce/)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-02-et-sound2-story.html (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-02-et-sound2-story.html)
https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/a-sound-of-thunder-1200523576/ (https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/a-sound-of-thunder-1200523576/)
https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/elie-s-new-chapter-1117909400/ (https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/elie-s-new-chapter-1117909400/)
https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2005-2/a-sound-of-thunder/ (https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2005-2/a-sound-of-thunder/)
https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/sound-thunder-combining-futuristic-prehistoric (https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/sound-thunder-combining-futuristic-prehistoric)
Emma can be found on bluesky @crabmoney.bsky.social. Greg can be reached via the Moonshot discord or directly at hamamelis. Unnatural Selection is a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support, you can become a patron at https://patreon.com/moonshotnetwork (https://patreon.com/moonshotnetwork)
The music for this show was composed by Jake Loranger. You can find more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com (https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com/)
15 Aug 2026
Unbroken feat. Theodore Monk
Crack open those D rations to snack on as Emma and Theo break into new territories for the pod—nonfiction and multi-stage adaptations. They break down Louis Zamperini’s life story three ways: through Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 novel Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, the 2014 Angelina Jolie-directed Oscar-bait film Unbroken, and the 2018 Pureflix-produced sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption. There’s a lot to unpack in this one folks, and the audio may be a little wonky since Emma edited it while on an airplane.
Content warnings for Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand include: WW2-typical violence, graphic descriptions of starvation, graphic descriptions of POW camps, descriptions of PTSD, abuse, death, injuries, fascism, alcoholism, mild spousal abuse, a handshake with Hitler, and 1930’s anti-Italian sentiments.
Content warnings for Unbroken (2014) include: WW2 movie-typical violence, actors visibly starving themselves, depictions of POW camp violence.
Content warnings for Unbroken: Path to Redemption include: depictions of PTSD flashbacks, alcoholism, mild spousal abuse, and evangelism.
The articles Emma references in this episode can be found here:
https://scriptmag.com/reviews/cross-road-the-unbroken-path-of-matt-baer (https://scriptmag.com/reviews/cross-road-the-unbroken-path-of-matt-baer)
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/unbroken-path-to-redemption-sequel-on-louis-zamperini-focuses-on-faith-his-return-home/ (https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/unbroken-path-to-redemption-sequel-on-louis-zamperini-focuses-on-faith-his-return-home/)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/making-unbroken-angelina-jolie-fought-758081/ (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/making-unbroken-angelina-jolie-fought-758081/)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/coen-brothers-rewrite-angelina-jolies-424417/ (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/coen-brothers-rewrite-angelina-jolies-424417/)
https://collider.com/angelina-jolie-jack-oconnell-unbroken-interview/ (https://collider.com/angelina-jolie-jack-oconnell-unbroken-interview/)
https://www.postmagazine.com/Publications/Post-Magazine/2015/January-1-2015/Editing-Unbroken.aspx (https://www.postmagazine.com/Publications/Post-Magazine/2015/January-1-2015/Editing-Unbroken.aspx)
You can find Emma on bluesky @crabmoney.bsky.social and Theo @fourwholemoons.bsky.social. You can find more of Theo’s projects at www.theodoremonk.com (http://www.theodoremonk.com/) or on his podcast The Friendship Factory. If you’re interested in more collaboration from Emma and Theo you can check out the vod of Sonic and the State of Denmark on the Moonshot Youtube channel. Unnatural Selection is a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support, you can become a patron at www.patreon.com/moonshotnetwork (http://www.patreon.com/moonshotnetwork).
The music for this show was composed by Jake Loranger. You can check out more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com (https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com/)
15 Jul 2026
Frankenstein feat. Chloe from So Emo I Fell Apart
Have you ever trekked through the Arctic tundra in search of your shitty dad who made you out of corpses? No? Well, either way, Emma and Chloe have the episode for you! Listen in on their discussion about Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 adaptation of the Mary Shelley classic Frankenstein for hot takes about giving Victor a tragic backstory, Jacob Elordi actually being a pretty good Creature, and just how Catholic this adaptation really is. Special thank you to Riley Hopkins for helping to edit this episode.
Content warnings for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein include: death of a child, death of a loved one, death of a parent, false criminal accusations, a bunch of mental breakdowns, and bringing the dead back to life (he won’t tell you how, though).
Content warnings for Frankenstein (2025) include: death of a parent, death of a loved one, wolves mauling an old man, death of animals, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and bringing the dead back to life (like, really in detail he will tell you every bit of it).
The articles and interviews Emma references in this episode can be found here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/guillermo-del-toro-on-frankenstein-and-remaking-a-monster/ (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/guillermo-del-toro-on-frankenstein-and-remaking-a-monster/)
https://scriptmag.com/guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein-is-the-ultimate-distillation-of-his-screenwriting-craft (https://scriptmag.com/guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein-is-the-ultimate-distillation-of-his-screenwriting-craft)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/books/review/the-book-review-guillermo-del-toro.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/books/review/the-book-review-guillermo-del-toro.html)?
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/guillermo-del-toro-frankenstein-hollywood-mentorship-tiff-1236512295/ (https://variety.com/2025/film/news/guillermo-del-toro-frankenstein-hollywood-mentorship-tiff-1236512295/)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/making-of-frankenstein-guillermo-del-toro-1236448616/ (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/making-of-frankenstein-guillermo-del-toro-1236448616/)
You can find Emma on bluesky at crabmoney.bsky.social and Chloe on twitter @chlosephine_ . Unnatural Selection and So Emo I Fell Apart are both a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support them, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/moonshotnetwork (https://www.patreon.com/moonshotnetwork)
The music for this show was composed by Jake Loranger. You can check out more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com (https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
697,103
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
49
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
60
Contact Unnatural Selection
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Unnatural Selection?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
