While I'm extremely excited for the release of Super 8, I wanted to take time to reflect on the genre that has captured the imagination of the world through film time and time again. The genre that can take us to places we only dreamed of going. The genre where aliens are commonplace, computers have minds of their own, and some of humanity's most important questions are asked. The genre which really captures all of the greatest aspects of film: the genre of science fiction.
What I mean when I say it captures all of the greatest aspects of film is that several important components in film-making have to be successfully blended together in order to create "great" science-fiction films. Imaginative cinematography, well-placed special effects, brilliant screenwriting, convincing acting, and out-of-the-box directing are all very prevalent in some of the upper echelon classic sci-fi movies. And while older films within the genre - The Day the Earth Stood Still (original), Invasion of the Body-Snatchers, and War of the Worlds (original) to name a few - are seen as hokey, they were quite inventive for their time. While the effects in the films may not age very well, the themes always do. Are we alone in the universe? If aliens exist, would they be friendly or destructive? What is the place of humanity in the grand scheme of the universe? The questions are timeless. They are the questions people ponder as they look up at the stars on a clear summer night. And that's why the genre has captured the human imagination and so strongly asserted itself as a mainstay in cinema.
To illustrate the importance of science-fiction among the movie landscape, I want to make a quick historical run through the genre. After that, I make my top ten list of science fiction movies (a great undertaking since the genre is packed with great movies). So, without further ado a brief summary of the science fiction genre through pictures and short descriptions.
Often attribute as the first science fiction movie, A Trip to the Moon (1902), directed by Georges Melies, was 14 minute-long short film depicting spaces travelers traveling to the moon. The most famous "scene" depicts the space capsule of the astronauts traveling towards the Man in the Moon and hitting him in the eye. While you may think this looks extremely corny, it was ground-breaking and it helped launch the popularity of film to the masses. A science fiction short had jump-started an industry which would change our social landscape forever.
Metropolis (1927), directed by Fritz Lang, was a lengthy German expressionist film which truly established the science fiction genre as one full of important social themes and impressive special effects. The ambitious urban landscapes, intense special effects, and the major conflict between the working class and the "ruling" class within the movie made this movie not only a classic science fiction film, but an all-time classic in all of cinema.
While Boris Karloff is considered a horror actor, Frankenstein (1931) is a quintessential science fiction movie. Though the story is common place and predictable, the questions arising from the creation of a monster was the launching pad for much great debates. Plus, many of the film's images are iconic pop culture mainstays.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and The War of the Worlds (1953) are both films heavily influenced by the historical context in which they were released. As rockets became reality, the next step was to bring in extra-terrestrial life. Both of these films are mainstays in the classics of science-fiction, with anti-violence themes strong in The Day the Earth Stood Still. These two films laid a blueprint for most alien-based sci-fi that followed. It also should be noted that the special effects in The War of the Worlds were fantastic for their time and should be saluted.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) shatter all preconceived notions about the genre. The special effects were spectacular, the themes so heavy, and the lack of dialogue so shocking that it still stands as one of the greatest testaments to the limits of cinema in history. Director Stanley Kubrick changed the genre and the game when he released this unbelievable visual spectacle.
After 2001, the genre had begun to take shape into what it currently is today, with the only changes not coming in narrative, but in the increasing complexity and realism of special effects as technology continued to advance. Films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, Alien, and Tron continued to roll out of theaters, thrilling audiences with their high-tech appearance and interesting narratives. Spielberg quickly asserted himself as a sci-fi guru and, as special effects became mainstream, the science fiction genre was firmly established as a "blockbuster" genre.
And so that's currently where we stand. While there is no set definition or black-and-white among the movies considered "science-fiction", we know sci-fi when we see it. Super 8 is obviously a movie with some sort of extra-terrestrial presence. Avatar has technology currently beyond our grasp. Star Trek includes both of these elements. These are all movies with different genre elements, but they still fall under the broad umbrella of science fiction. These movies will keep bringing people to theaters and continue to expand their imaginations. While the future becomes the present, I'm glad the science-fiction genre is around to continue pushing the borders of our imagination.
Top Ten Science-Fiction Films (This is a slight hybrid of my favorite and "the best".. so it's half-opinion, half fact and movies I haven't seen won't make the list so that does leave out some "classics" I haven't seen)
10. Inception (2010) - This may seem a rash decision, but I think the script was interesting and out-of-the-box, which is really hard to do in this day and age. And the science fiction elements didn't overwhelm the characters.
9. Moon (2009) - A really underrated, little known independent film starring a spectacular Sam Rockwell. The movie is full of depth and the effects are impressive for the miniscule budget. I also got to sit in on a interview of the director so I guess I have a soft spot for this one.
8. The Matrix (1999) - Sure, some of the dialogue is corny and Keanu is as stone-faced as ever. But the storyline and special effects have asserted themselves into pop culture forever and the movie has heavily effected the genre for the last 12 years. Hats off to the Wachowski brothers for this one (but not the sequels).
7. Jurassic Park (1993) - Not necessarily Spielberg's best known science fiction work, but certainly some of his deepest, Jurassic Park was way beyond it's time. The dinosaurs were mind-blowing special effects in 1993. And it's very quotable too.
6. Donnie Darko (2001) - I've only seen this movie once, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrative is intriguing and Gyllenhaal was very impressive in one of his earlier films. The themes are also very thought-provoking, an essential part of a successful science-fiction based film.
5. The Terminator/ Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1984/1991) - I know this is kind of cheating but the two movies are so heavily intertwined that I had to include them together. The idea was well executed, the special effects ground-breaking, and the cast reasonable well-done.
4. Back to the Future trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990) - Once again cheating, but since this trilogy is truly a single narrative, I didn't feel too bad about it. More fun and humor involved in these movies than most of the others and the characters are timeless. Though there are multiple errors in the time-continuum explanation, I'll still watch it over and over.
3. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) - I know that most people will state that Empire Strikes Back is the finer picture of the two, but I have never been in that majority. I always enjoyed the final victory over the Galactic Empire and those Ewoks dancing.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - I already sort of gushed over this film, but it is truly one of the spectacular movies of all-time. Kubrick's masterpiece is one of the reason's film is what it is. And the effects were way ahead of their time.
1. Star Wars: A New Hope (1976) - There are too many memories and too strong an association to my childhood with this movie to put any other film first on the list. The characters, story, and effects are timeless. There has been no heavier influence on movie-related pop culture than the Star Wars story in the last 40 years in my opinion. May the Force be with you.
and also with you.
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