Hollywood and commercial cinema often portray microbes as villains—causing deadly epidemics, fueling apocalyptic scenarios, or being weaponized for destruction. This stereotype reinforces a cultural bias known as germophobia. But a new review argues that films can also serve as powerful educational tools to challenge this perception, helping audiences appreciate the indispensable role microorganisms play in sustaining life on Earth and driving innovations such as food fermentation, antibiotic production, biofuels, and bioremediation.