Sci-Fi movies have a long and checkered past. They run the gamut from such high concept films as 2001: A Space Odyssey to such dreck as Plan Nine from Outer Space. And in addition to quality these films vary by sub-genre. There are movies that concentrate on technology and how humans will adapt to it. This category includes such movies as I, Robot and The Martian. There are movies that are mostly about contacts with alien life of one form or another. This would include everything from War of the Worlds to Independence Day. Then there are movies that are basically monster movies like Alien and The Thing from Another World where the science fiction is just a vehicle to allow things to jump out at the protagonists from dark corners.
\nI will confess that I can enjoy almost any of these types of movies on any given day if given the chance. But it seems of late the quality of sci-fi is in decline. All kinds of money is being spent on special effects and the acting is really no worse than it\u2019s been in the past. So what\u2019s different?
\nFirst, I would say, is the quality of scripts. The words coming out of the characters mouths are getting less interesting. I have been assured that motion pictures are a visual medium in which dialogue is an ancillary dimension of the experience and entirely superfluous. That a good movie shows you not tells you. I disagree. Of course the visual is primary. But if the movie is about people then they need to talk to each other and if the dialogue is bad then the film is bad even if you blow up all the planets in the solar system in alphabetical order in vibrant Technicolor. Let me clarify one thing. I am not advocating for highly polished dramatic set pieces. Dialogue between a street dweller and a policeman can be good without breaking into Shakespeare. All I\u2019m saying is the dialogue is either lame or non-existent in most sci-fi movies today.
\nSecond, the majority of the protagonists are not particularly likeable. Once again let me qualify. I\u2019m not saying I want the good guys to be boy scouts, far from it. But a flawed character can still be the character the audience identifies and empathizes with. As an example from detective fiction, think about Sam Spade. He\u2019s cruel, selfish and violent. But there\u2019s never any doubt whether we want him or his adversaries to come out on top. The characters now seem either evil or just ciphers.
\nAnd lastly, the stories that these movies are based on are usually not very substantial. Think of some of the great stories that have been written. Even restricting myself to one author, Heinlein, I could point out a dozen books and short stories that could be made into excellent films. Wouldn\u2019t \u201cThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress\u201d make a great movie? And how about \u201cFarmer in the Sky\u201d? And I think audiences would eat up \u201cHave Spacesuit Will Travel.\u201d The danger is that the studios would turn each movie into a franchise and we\u2019d be subjected to hacks tacking sequels onto completed stories. I\u2019ve heard \u201cStarship Troopers\u201d might be remade as a faithful interpretation of the book. That would be great. But I\u2019m not holding my breath.
\nNow I\u2019ve ranted against what I don\u2019t like. Let me see if I can identify some that I do. Caveat, I haven\u2019t gone out of my way looking for good sci-fi. But I\u2019ve managed to bump into a lot that\u2019s bad. And I\u2019m leaving out all things Star Wars and Star Trek. I won\u2019t even go there.
\n\u2022\t\u201cThe Martian\u201d was okay. Despite the fact that I despise Matt Damon he did a decent job and the story though far from brilliant was somewhat engaging and clever.
\n\u2022\tThe first installment of \u201cThe Matrix\u201d was pretty good. Granted it\u2019s almost twenty years old but being much older I will include it in recent.
\n\u2022\tIf I\u2019m allowed to stretch apocalyptic films as science fiction I\u2019ll point to the \u201cBook of Eli.\u201d
\nSo that\u2019s it. Maybe I\u2019ve missed some. If anybody has any movies from the last twenty years that past muster, leave a comment. We can discuss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sci-Fi movies have a long and checkered past. They run the gamut from such high concept films as 2001: A Space Odyssey to such dreck<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,237,243],"tags":[92,43,44],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-reviews","category-sff-movie-reviews","tag-heinlein","tag-movie-review","tag-sci-fi"],"yoast_head":"\n