I’m not about to tell you to “use the force” or “live long and prosper”. Scotty will not be beaming anyone up. Sci-fi gets a bad rap a lot of the time simply because a lot of it is made on a feeble
budget with an obscure cast still waiting tables in LA diners. The screenplays are written by the stereotypical guys who sit out on the highway waiting for their close encounter of the third kind.
These are not the kind of films you will hear me endorse… more likely you’ll catch me ranting about the incredible amount of celluloid wasted on half-baked ideas and neophytic, predictable writing. Especially when so many terrific scripts sit in a drawer.
Really good sci-fi should follow all the rules that other films are obligated to follow: strong narrative, strong writing, strong cast (though not necessarily a famous cast). As clichéd as they have become, I still really love the original Star Wars trilogy.
Given the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding the most recent three films (prequels to the original 3) and with the originals re-released with unnecessary digital enhancements it’s not surprising that many people have been put off.
That said, the original Star Wars films were excellent and, to this day, remain on my Top 20 list. They have terrific narrative, are appropriate for kids and adults alike, and the special effects are believable, even in this era of excessive digital effects... They’re just cool movies. (Okay, I realise the oxymoron there – cool and sci-fi!)
That some people have not seen the originals is a shame. I recently discovered that my other half is one of them… as someone who contemplated registering my religion as Jedi Knight on the last census, I found this a disturbing revelation.
My favourite thing about sci-fi films in general, aside from their irreverent wit, is how each director crafts original visions of the future. BladeRunner is celebrated for the depth of detail in its metropolis. I loved the series “Firefly” for its ‘frontier’ depiction and strong Asian influence.
As I conceded earlier, not all science fiction is good. I have had to sit through my fair share of bad sci-fi. One example that really sticks out in my mind is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although one of the most artistic, ground breaking and influential films of its time, it’s just SO boring. I love a concise narrative but I’ve seen 2001 at least 4 times and still can’t tell you what it’s meant to be about! The imagery is incredible and it’s a very important film – but neither guarantees you’ll enjoy sitting through the three hours of footage. The only guarantee I can make about 2001 is a numb derrière and a Blue Danube Waltz earworm. But you get doozies in every genre.
Thematically, sci-fi is split in two and both are pretty self evident. The first is based more on science: SETI programs, first man on the moon. Think Tom Hanks getting Apollo 13 back to Earth. The other focuses on the fiction side, usually with a loose plot and more action oriented: getting lost in space, people going nuts in space or scary aliens trying to kill everyone in space.
So what is good science fiction??
The two films I suggest you check out are Contact and The Astronaut’s Wife. Each represents one of the above themes and hopefully you’ll agree they’re examples of good science fiction!
CONTACT (Science Related)
PLOT: Dr Ellie Arroway has dedicated her life to SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Palmer Joss has spent his life searching for truth through faith in God. Ellie has been laughed out of room after room but just as her team is informed of their project’s cancellation, they receive a signal from deep space, on a massive scale. Exploring the social, political, religious and scientific ramifications of first contact, the world will question science, belief and the very meaning of our being here.
DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis (Castaway, Forrest Gump)
CAST: Jodie Foster (Flight Plan, Silence of the Lambs), Matthew McConaughey ( Sahara , The Wedding Planner), William Fichtner, Tom Skerritt, David Morse.
THE ASTRONAUT’S WIFE (Fiction related)
Charlize Theron is brilliant (as always) and Johnny Depp’s performance, simply chilling. You will not look at him the same way again.
PLOT: While undertaking repairs on a satellite, astronaut Spencer Armacoust loses contact with NASA for just 2 minutes. His friends celebrate his safe return home to Earth but his wife recognises something is amiss. She falls pregnant not long after and notices more and more oddities in his behaviour and begins to feel that lives she is carrying are not of this world.
DIRECTOR: Rand Ravich
CAST: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean , Chocolat), Charlize Theron (Monster, The Italian Job)
LOCATED IN: Sci-Fi section
FOR MORE SCIENCE FICTION SEE:
- Stargate
- The Abyss
- The Fifth Element
- Apollo 13
- The Faculty
- Equilibrium
- The Matrix
- Alien and Aliens
- The Terminator and Terminator 2
- Pitch Black
- E.T: The Extra Terrestrial
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Signs
- Gattaca
- K-Pax
- Cocoon
- Alien Hunter
- Solaris
- Event Horizon
Although once an expensive optional extra, I strongly recommend investing in surround sound speaker technology. Even used with a smaller, older television set up, the superior sound will vastly improve your home movie experience. There are lots of economical stereo options readily available these days. Also invest in decent cables – this will avoid crackle sounds. And read the manual so you can set up the Dolby features of your DVD player.
As popular as sitcoms and dramas are, they are far outstripped by the popularity of science fiction series. In fact when the TV series Roswell was initially cancelled after one season, fans sent so many bottles of Tabasco sauce to the studio in protest, it was reinstated!!
As ever, enjoy!
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