Science_fiction_movie Science_fiction_movie

Science fiction movie - Definition and Overview
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Poster for , an archetypal science fiction film.
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Poster for The Day the Earth Stood Still, an archetypal science fiction film.

Science fiction as a genre of film making has been an element of the cinema experience since the earliest days of the motion picture industry. The genre has produced many memorable films, as well as a number that can be considered mediocre or even among the worst examples of film production. It took many decades, and the efforts of talented teams of film producers, for the science fiction film genre to be taken seriously as an art form by many critics.

When compared to literary works, such films are an expression of the genre that often rely less on the human imagination and more upon the visual uniqueness and fanciful imagery provided through special effects and the creativity of artists. The special effect has long been a staple of science fiction films, and, especially since the 1960s and 1970s, the audience has come to expect a high standard of visual rendition in the product. A substantial portion of the budget allocated to a sci-fi film can be spent on special effects, and not a few rely almost exclusively on these effects to draw an audience to the theater (rather than employing a substantial plot and engaging drama).

Science fiction literature often relies upon story development, reader knowledge, and the portrayal of elements that are not readily displayed in the film medium. In contrast, science fiction films usually must depend on action and suspense to entertain the audience, thus favoring battle scenes and threatening creatures over the more subtle plot elements of a drama, for example. There are, of course, exceptions to this trend, and some of the most critically-acclaimed sci-fi movies have relied primarily on a well-developed story and unusual ideas, instead of physical conflict and peril. Nevertheless, few science fiction books have been made into movies, and even fewer successfully.

Contents
1 Themes
2 History
3 Awards
4 Sources and references
5 See also

Themes

Defining precisely which movies belongs to the science fiction genre can be as difficult with films as it is with literature.

Science fiction film is "a film genre which emphasizes actual, extrapolative, or speculative science and the empirical method, interacting in a social context with the lesser emphasized, but still present, transcendentalism of magic and religion, in an attempt to reconcile man with the unknown" (Sobchak 63).

This definition assumes that a continuum exists between (real-world) empiricism and (supernatural) transcendentalism, with science fiction film on the side of empiricism and horror film and fantasy film on the side of transcendentalism. However, there are numerous well-known examples of science fiction horror films, epitomized by Frankenstein and Alien.

A science fiction film will be speculative in nature, and often includes key supporting elements of science and technology. However, as often as not the "science" in a Hollywood sci-fi movie can be considered pseudo-science, relying primarily on atmosphere and quasi-scientific artistic fancy than facts and conventional scientific theory. The definition can also vary depending on the viewpoint of the observer. What may seem a science fiction film to one viewer can be considered fantasy to another.

The visual style of science fiction film can be characterized by a clash between alien and familiar images. This clash is implemented in the following ways:

  1. Alien images become familiar
    • In A Clockwork Orange, the repetitions of the Korova Milkbar make the alien decor seem more familiar.
  2. Familiar images become alien
    • In Dr. Strangelove, the distortion of the humans make the familiar images seem more alien.
  3. Alien and familiar images are juxtaposed

Special effects in science fiction movies range from laughable to ground-breaking. Milestones in this respect include Stanley Kubrick's 2001, Star Wars and, more recently, The Matrix.

Many science fiction films include elements of the occult or the supernatural, considered by some to be more properly elements of fantasy or the occult (or religious) film. Some films blur the line between the genres, such as movies where the protagonist gains the extraordinary powers of the superhero. These films usually employ a quasi-plausible reason for the hero gaining these powers. Yet in many respects the film more closely resembles fantasy than sci-fi.

Not all science fiction themes are equally suitable for movies. In addition to science fiction horror, space opera is most common. Often enough, these films could just as well pass as Westerns or WWII movies if the science fiction props were removed. Common themes also include voyages and expeditions to other planets, and dystopias, while utopias are rare.

History

Science Fiction films began to make their appearance very early in the history of movie production, during the silent film era. The initial attempts were short films of typically 1 to 2 minutes in diration, shot in the black and white, silent film technology of the period. These usually had some type of technological theme and were often intended to be humorous.

The first true film of the Science Fiction genre, with an expansive length (for that time period) of 21 minutes, was the 1902 movie "Le Voyage dans La Lune". It was inspired by the novels of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and portrayed a journey to the Moon in a spacecraft launched by a powerful gun. This movie laid the groundwork for the use of space travel as a regular element of Sci-Fi films in the future.

In 1910, Shelley's novel Frankenstein was brought to the film medium, one of the early mergers of Sci-Fi and Horror. Although only 16 minutes in length, this film succeeding in producing a suitably dark mood and would be remade several times in the future. Another such horror movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was released in 1913.

An early epic film that introduced underwater filming was the production of the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1916, based on the novels of Jules Verne.

The 1920s saw distinctly different forms of science fiction films being produced in America and Europe. European film-makers employed the imaginative elements and the predictive aspects of science fiction, with films such as Metropolis (1926) and Die Frau im Mond (1929) — both from Germany. By contrast, Hollywood embraced action, melodramatic plots, and techno-gadgetry. These would blossom into the serials of the 1930s, and echoes of this trend can still be seen today in films such as the various James Bond movies.

The decade of the 1930s saw the rise of the serial movies, most notably in the form of the various Flash Gordon films, as well as the quasi-sci-fi Dick Tracy and others. These were generally somewhat mediocre efforts employing soon-to-be-stock ideas such as the Mad Scientist, various super-tech gadgets, and plots for world domination. The decade also saw the release of The Invisible Man (1933), and new versions of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

With the World War II dominating events during the next decade, few science fiction films were released and several of those were mere vehicles for war propaganda. But the 1950s witnessed the emergence of the monster movie trend, driven by the anxieties and paranoia of the emerging cold war, beginning with The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Several important movies, now considered classics, were released during this period, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing, War of the Worlds, Them!, Forbidden Planet, and On the Beach.

Once of the most significant movies of the 1960s was 2001: A Space Odyssey, produced by Stanley Kubrick. This movie was groundbreaking in the quality of its visual effects, its realistic portrayal of space travel, and the epic and transcendent scope of its story. Science fiction movies that followed this film would also enjoy increasing larger budgets and ever improving special effects. Some more possible topics:

  • Influence of classic sci-fi authors.
  • Improvements in special effects.
  • Rise to respectability in the 1960s.
  • Science fiction as social commentary.
  • Big budget sci-fi movies. Reliance on marketing.
  • Science fiction as escapism.
  • Star Wars.
  • First-contact movies: 2001, E.T., Contact, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
  • Serialized movies: Star Trek, Alien, Terminator, Predator, Mad Max, &c.
  • Computer graphics. Star Wars.
  • Future trends?

Awards

Sources and references

  • Phil Hardy, The Film Encyclopedia, Science Fiction. William Morrow and Company, New York, 1984.
  • Vivian Sobchak, Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1998.

See also
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