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I spotted this article on Science Fiction in cinema. I sadly find myself nodding in agreement with much of it. I was dismayed by the observation that many story lines get action injections to pass the Hollywood formula requirements.
After romance, no genre gets less respect than good ole scifi. I suspect that's because most of the drek classified as such, isn't. As with any genre, the decision as to what makes the cut is subjective. My personal criteria is pretty strict and I tend to think of most scifi as basically fantasy.
To be science fiction, that future tech element must be justifiably based on some kind of current understanding, otherwise it's just magic. While "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Arthur C. Clarke), there's still some net that should be played inside.
The science fiction element must be integral to the story. If that element can be lifted from the story without significant impact, then it's not really science fiction. Space opera, e.g. Star Wars, is a good example of this. Star Wars could take place in medieval Japan or the American old west, as far as the fundamental story goes. It's cool that it's space, but it's not required.
Just using technology isn't science fiction. What if the nukes were launched isn't really scifi. However, how the world deals with them after they land is. There is a speculative element to science fiction, a what-if-ness. If we can see it now, it's not really that speculative.
Hmm, I seem to have the basis of a scifi rating system of sorts. Looking like so:
F – Fantasy; more sorcery than science. Indeed, any fantasy elements invalidate scifi
O - Space Opera
C – Science Fiction elements are color, not integral to story
A – Action; while not antithetical to scifi, it seemed like an interesting flag
M – Monster Movie; some monster movies are scifi, some are just dragons in lab coats
T – Today's Tech, sure, it's got science, but it's current tech with no speculative elements
! - Yay, we have a winner.
? - Haven't seen it, can't guess based on plot, adding to the to-see list
How do ostensibly scifi movies hold up? The top rated list from IMDB looks like a good seed. Of those I didn't give an unknown(?), about half make the cut.
1 - FOCA - Star Wars: Episode V
2 - FOCA - Star Wars
3 - A - Matrix, The
4 - ! - Metropolis
5 - M - Alien
6 - M - Aliens
7 - ! - 2001: A Space Odyssey
8 - A - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
9 - A - Blade Runner
10 - F - Donnie Darko
11 - F - Incredibles, The
12 - FOCA - Star Wars: Episode VI
13 - ! - Back to the Future
14 - FCA - V for Vendetta
15 - ? - Stalker
16 - ! - Bride of Frankenstein
17 - ! - Day the Earth Stood Still, The
18 - ? - Children of Men
19 - ! - King Kong
20 - ? - Solyaris
21 - ! - Frankenstein
22 - ? - Kin-Dza-Dza
23 - T - Fail-Safe
24 - ! - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
25 - ! - Twelve Monkeys
It's hard to say yea to Bride of Frankenstein. I'm on the fence with King Kong. It's my understanding that Solyaris is quite good, but the Clooney remake was pure fantasy pap, so I'll stay out of that one.
After romance, no genre gets less respect than good ole scifi. I suspect that's because most of the drek classified as such, isn't. As with any genre, the decision as to what makes the cut is subjective. My personal criteria is pretty strict and I tend to think of most scifi as basically fantasy.
To be science fiction, that future tech element must be justifiably based on some kind of current understanding, otherwise it's just magic. While "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Arthur C. Clarke), there's still some net that should be played inside.
The science fiction element must be integral to the story. If that element can be lifted from the story without significant impact, then it's not really science fiction. Space opera, e.g. Star Wars, is a good example of this. Star Wars could take place in medieval Japan or the American old west, as far as the fundamental story goes. It's cool that it's space, but it's not required.
Just using technology isn't science fiction. What if the nukes were launched isn't really scifi. However, how the world deals with them after they land is. There is a speculative element to science fiction, a what-if-ness. If we can see it now, it's not really that speculative.
Hmm, I seem to have the basis of a scifi rating system of sorts. Looking like so:
F – Fantasy; more sorcery than science. Indeed, any fantasy elements invalidate scifi
O - Space Opera
C – Science Fiction elements are color, not integral to story
A – Action; while not antithetical to scifi, it seemed like an interesting flag
M – Monster Movie; some monster movies are scifi, some are just dragons in lab coats
T – Today's Tech, sure, it's got science, but it's current tech with no speculative elements
! - Yay, we have a winner.
? - Haven't seen it, can't guess based on plot, adding to the to-see list
How do ostensibly scifi movies hold up? The top rated list from IMDB looks like a good seed. Of those I didn't give an unknown(?), about half make the cut.
1 - FOCA - Star Wars: Episode V
2 - FOCA - Star Wars
3 - A - Matrix, The
4 - ! - Metropolis
5 - M - Alien
6 - M - Aliens
7 - ! - 2001: A Space Odyssey
8 - A - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
9 - A - Blade Runner
10 - F - Donnie Darko
11 - F - Incredibles, The
12 - FOCA - Star Wars: Episode VI
13 - ! - Back to the Future
14 - FCA - V for Vendetta
15 - ? - Stalker
16 - ! - Bride of Frankenstein
17 - ! - Day the Earth Stood Still, The
18 - ? - Children of Men
19 - ! - King Kong
20 - ? - Solyaris
21 - ! - Frankenstein
22 - ? - Kin-Dza-Dza
23 - T - Fail-Safe
24 - ! - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
25 - ! - Twelve Monkeys
It's hard to say yea to Bride of Frankenstein. I'm on the fence with King Kong. It's my understanding that Solyaris is quite good, but the Clooney remake was pure fantasy pap, so I'll stay out of that one.