Thursday, November 17, 2011
Science Fiction as a Genre
What is Science Fiction? Explain some of the elements that distinguish this genre from others. Certainly we cannot reply totally on The War of the Worlds for our definition of Science Fiction, although the literary account and the original film have illustrated some of the features we find in the genre. Explain your experience with Science Fiction - what are some of the stories you've read - what are some of the films you have seen? Does Science Fiction have any redeeming qualities as far as social or political significance or does Science Fiction simply entertain us?
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When I hear the words "science fiction," my mind immediately directs itself towards dinosaurs crushing the earth, aliens invading the planet, or giant robots destructing the city. In all actuality science fiction (SF) is more about the science and technology of the future. It cannot be too out there or unbelievable, or it would be classified as a fantasy. The setting of these SF films and literature is usually in some other astronomical world, in space, or the future. SF is all about defying the boundaries and "to boldly go where no man has gone before."
ReplyDeleteI think that SF has a certain satirical quality to it. Back my freshman year I read "The Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury about time travel, scientists, how one mistake in the future could drastically alter what happens in the present. It satirically criticizes the use of time travel in the future, and how although it would be a great advancement in technology and science, it could cause more harm than good. We also watched the film on the book, which was very interesting to see in a screen play the consequences of time travel. I do think that SF can use everyday ideas and experiment with them so that they serve a particular purpose for the audience.
On the other hand, I do think that SF can purely be for entertainment. The action, the special effects, the thrilling story lines all play into the enjoyment we receive when watching a film. I think especially now a days with all of the film technology with things like three dimensional cinema and special effects the SF movies being made are beating out even the most emotional films in reviews and awards, purely because of their ability to entertain us.
I'm not the biggest fan of SF myself. I tend to stray more towards romantic story lines or something classical. My favorite kind of movies are old black in white movies in the 1930's and 40's, even into the early 50's. I think what draws me more towards them is the time period, the musical's, the dance, and the simplicity in the romantics where the touch of a hand was enough to satisfy a love. Guess you could call me old fashioned. Also, I like the raw use of black and white. I think it brings out a more real quality to the picture itself. Though, after reading "The War of the Worlds," I just may becoming a bigger SF fan that before.
To me, Science Fiction is ridiculous. It is fantastical made up things, movies made of ninety-nine percent special effects and one percent everything else that goes into the creation of a film. However, Science Fiction is closer than reality than I believe it to be. There has to be some element of reality to a piece of science fiction or else it is completely unbelievable. Science fiction is unlike other genres in many ways, depending on the film. The film "War of the World" deals with martian invasions, something that other genres such as romance or thriller do not deal with. Another movie, "Avatar" takes place on a completely different planet with several of its main characters being aliens.
ReplyDeleteThe science fiction films I know best are the "Star Wars" films. Though all of these movies take place on different planets in a different galaxy far, far away, the movies deal with topics that individuals can relate to, such as dead family members, unknown identities, and love.
I think that science fiction can definitely point out issues that are big in society, things that are wrong with the world. In class, it was mentioned how science fiction can present social issues in ways that normal genres of film cannot. Humanity would be uncomfortable viewing a film on an issue such as pollution and its destruction of our world in a realistic setting with believable characters. However, putting such issues in a science fiction setting sugar coats what it is people are watching. It places the idea in their minds without jumping through the screen and screaming "You're destroying your home!"
I, like Sophie said, am not a science fiction fan. It really doesn't float my boat. I like action, horror, and romance. I'm not into watching the planet being destroyed personally, but science fiction certainly has its uses.
Sophie and Kathyrn - perhaps now that we have actually read and watched the War of the Worlds, we have a slightly better perspective or appreciation of Science Fiction? Like both of you, I have not jumped over tables to catch a Sci Fi flick; however, it would be interesting to research the influence that Science Fiction has had on the public from both a social and political position. I've not researched this, but from some of the information we can muster up from Internet sites, it does occur to me that there is a whole world of research out there that could possibly tickle our fancy a bit. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteScience fiction could be described as a genre that speculates on imaginary future settings or technology. It is a very distinguished form of literature due to the fact that the events are fiction in the present, but could be realistically speculated to happen within the laws of science. Sci-fi uses futuristic elements of spacecraft, robots, and other life form such as aliens to add to the horror or depictions of a future society. These depictions are generally formulated from extensive research by scientists.
ReplyDeleteScience fiction and I are practically strangers. I have always had a basic knowledge as to what sci-fi is, but I never had a huge desire to read or view it. I can honestly say that I have never read a sci-fi novel before reading The War of the Worlds. However, I have seen the late 1980’s sitcom “ALF” (Alien Life Form) on DVD. Not much science fiction is incorporated into the series, but it still centers on an alien living with a human family. I have also seen bits and pieces of Star Wars. With my lack of experience with science fiction genre, most of my opinion is based on my reactions to The War of the Worlds.
From what I have learned in class, science fiction may have some significance socially. Well-done works of science fiction serve as an eye-opener to humans to appreciate what they have today, and to be open to what could potentially occur in the future. Along with its social significance, science fiction can be entertaining to some people that enjoy horror types of film. I, personally, am not interested in such entertainment. All in all, I have no interest in becoming “friends” with science fiction!
Ryan
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty about science fiction and your dislike of the genre I suppose those of us who prefer to view realistic drama have a difficult time gearing up to watching fantastical works of art in the genre of science fiction. I think the area of this genre that interests me the most is how it may have been used as a social ploy just like satire had done many years earlier. Instead of voicing our social inadequacies as a nation or our destructive natures as colonializers, perhaps through science fiction, we've been able to release some of that anxiety. Who knows? Perhaps if we give it a chance, we can discover some redeeming quality in Sci Fi in future episodes of something "way out there".
Dr. Pam,
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point on science fiction being used as tool to release our anxieties. I don't disagree that sci-fi does have its purpose and may have a few good qualities. It really gets you thinking, even about the most far-fetched ideas.
Sophie,
I agree tremendously with your statement that SF can't be too unbelievable or it would be considered fantasy. The "Sounds of Thunder" is a perfect example of sci-fi to base your opinions on. Sci-fi can be entertaining but it is not my cup of tea!
Kathryn,
You bring up an interesting point that sci-fi "sugarcoats" serious issues in society. I also can picture a film about pollution or some other worldly issue just being a complete failure. Therefore, after reading your post, I believe it! Science fiction is not my favorite either, but at the same time, I don't have much experience with sci-fi, besides the wonderful (I hope you sense my sarcasm) film we just watched in class.
“What is Science Fiction?” Science fiction, often abbreviated as Sci-Fi, can be defined as a genre of media that focuses and relies heavily on the idea of a futuristic society, technological advancements, interplanetary travel and extraterrestrial beings. It usually either imagines either a utopian or dystopian society. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that everything it encompasses is able to be rationalized in a scientific way. Science fiction is usually speculation on what is possible within the realm of science, which is what gives it plausibility.
ReplyDeleteAs for my experience with Sci-Fi, my mother has always been an avid “Star Trek” fan- or “Trekkie”- and last year I started to watch it with her. “The Original Series”, which is what my mom and I watch together, ran from 1966-1969, so it is significantly set apart from Science Fiction today as it is certainly lacking the high-tech special effects that Sci-Fi entertainment today has. This might be for the better, however, because this allows more focus to be brought to the storyline and the characters. It is interesting to see my classmate’s negative opinions on Science Fiction as a whole, and I feel they may have unfairly labeled it as completely reliant on special effects. The lack of these aforementioned pyrotechnics is what makes “Star Trek” such an enjoyable show, in my opinion, because I personally watch it for the characters and story, and I know that my mother feels the same. “Star Trek” has been credited as revolutionary entertainment for its time, thanks to the revolutionary ideas of the creator Gene Roddenberry-for example, the modern flip phone was based on the communicators used by the show’s characters, and the show even predicted the use of electronic tablets like the iPad. Each of the show‘s episodes featured the characters facing some adversity and overcoming it, many of them being veiled criticisms of then-current social issues such as racism, U.S. foreign policy, and moral issues. “Star Trek” was certainly ahead of its time in a political sense, as it featured people from different nationalities working together for a common goal. An American and a Russian were working side-by-side, an African-American woman and an Asian man held positions of authority and were greatly respected, and the show is credited with the first inter-racial kiss broadcast on television. These might all seem like extremely mundane facts today, but when taking into account the social situation of the 1960’s, “Star Trek” boldly went where no show had gone before. Perhaps this is why it received such a poor audience reception when it first aired, causing it to go off-air after only three seasons. However, “Star Trek” became one of the most enormous cult classics in American media, prompting over four spin-off series, eleven movies, and innumerable games, products, and memorabilia.
Maybe it’s because I have a somewhat different background in Sci-Fi than my classmates, but I for one believe that Science Fiction is a lot more than just “pretty effects”. It has the ability to open our minds, broaden our horizons, and introduce us to different possibilities about other worlds and our own world. It has the ability to terrify us or inspire us. I believe Science Fiction is an entertaining and useful genre and I enjoy it. I hope that after reading “War of the Worlds”, others will be able to enjoy it a little more as well.
@Kathryn
ReplyDeleteTo me it is interesting to note that you view Science Fiction in this way, as I agree to disagree with your opinion entirely! (No hard feelings, haha.) I have to bring some difference of ideas into this discussion by questioning how you define Science Fiction. Though you dislike the genre, wouldn’t your definition be contradictory to the actual definition by describing it as “fantastical made-up things”? Isn’t the defining quality of Sci-Fi the ability to rationalize it as scientifically possible? The fact that Sci-Fi is based on what is plausible in the realm of science is what differs it from the Fantasy genre.
I have to disagree with you on yet another point. You said in your third paragraph that placing real-life issues in a Sci-Fi sugarcoats the issue so as not to make humanity uncomfortable. However, there are many realistic apocalyptic films and books written by people who “aren’t afraid to tell it like it is”. The one that comes to mind immediately for me would be the recent movie “Contagion”, in which a deadly pandemic spreads and kills off a large percentage of the world’s population. This movie, though it takes place in a present setting and isn’t what one would normally classify as Science Fiction, is certainly a Sci-Fi movie in that the movie took great care to portray the disease as realistically plausible. I’m sure many of the other viewers would agree if I said that this is what made the movie so terrifying (right, Alex?).
I’m sorry to disagree with you so much (again, no hard feelings!!) but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring a difference of opinions to the table. I respect that you dislike Science Fiction as a genre, and quite honestly if that “War of the Worlds” film we viewed in class was the only Sci-Fi I had watched I would very likely share your opinion!
@Ryan
While you and I obviously have different feelings toward Science Fiction, I agree with you on the social and political significance that Science Fiction can hold! It certainly does serve as an eye-opener and I believe that if well-done, a work of Science Fiction might be effective in influencing people to change their ways.
There are many different types of movies. Each has their own redeeming qualities. Science fiction is no exception. It is a genre that puts specific emphasis on the stretching of scientific facts as we know them. It's nt hard to imagine a meteor falling to the earth from Mars. But when that meteor becomes a cylinder carrying space invaders, the situation becomes entirely different. It makes it scarier and far more entertaining.
ReplyDeleteNow, I can personally not relate many of my reading and viewing experiences to Science Fiction because I'm not a huge fan of the genre itself. I don't like it maybe for the reason that I can imagine the things actually happening in my reality. I guess that would make me xenophobic. I don't like the unknown particularly when it could be considered dangerous.
That is a huge part of science fiction, exploring the unknown. It goes further into the idea of technology we do not have and the effects such a thing would have on us. Why is this so powerful? Well because it is, as Nick said, exploring the unknown in a way that is already partially known. In Sam's blog above, she mentions Contagion as a perfect example. It truly is because people have always had an unnatural fear of things like bacteria coming around and killing them all off.
Science Fiction is certainly interesting, though not my cup of tea. I find it hard to describe it in my own words with the minimal amount of experience I have in the field.
Kathryn, what you said has real merit in it. Sci-Fo is so fantastical and it relies mostly on editing. I always feel that the acting is often overshadowed by effects in most films of the genre. But War f the Worlds was definitely and exception. There were so many flaws to it that I simply had to laugh. It wasn't exactly the best example of the genre in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteRyan, I'm glad I'm not the only one who hadn't read a science fiction novel prior to our class assignment. If I'm perfectly honestly, I internally groaned when we got the assignment. I was a bit surprised but I also found the reading especially one-tracked. There was not much to it in my opinion.