Films that are listed as "science fiction" range from futuristic to fantasy and horror. In my favorite science fiction films, technology plays a major role, shaping the plot, the character development, and of course the set design. My favorite films grab me visually, often from the moment they begin. The storyline can be simple, and the characters can be archtypes, but the comparisons that are drawn between our world and an imagined world is the hallmark of my favorite science and speculative fiction. Since films are more visual than verbal, they are the ideal medium for developing post-apocalyptic themes, and for creating compelling worlds where we and the hero question the nature of reality. The movies I've picked also refer back to older films, not only science fiction, but even samurai films and westerns, emphasizing that our human quest for answers about life and the universe is constant, and that we seek those answers by retelling the story in different ways.
1. Blade Runner
Blade Runner, the 1982 film directed by Ridley Scott, makes the top of my list and is also considered one of the most influential films of all time. It's loosely based on the Philip K. Dick novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick himself was very enthusiastic about the film, parts of which he saw before he died. Right off the bat we see that it takes place in a near-future Los Angeles, one that is a crazy mix of industrial landscapes, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Hong Kong, and the neon-against-black moodiness of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. It's a story about a bounty hunter named Decker, who is reluctantly working to nab nearly-human escaped slave androids called replicants. Cultural satire abounds in product advertising, sexuality, and corporate control of human lives.
It has entirely believable technological innovations. The "spinner" is a flying car, used by police for patrolling, but we learn the very wealthy can acquire them and operate them, as well. Another object, the Voight-Kampff machine, is a kind of polygraph for identifying replicants. This test ostensibly checks for empathy, which is a distinctly human trait. However, we see the irony of this definition when the replicants show care and concern for one another, but the humans are cold. In the end, we are not certain if Decker himself is a replicant, but we see him facing the future with his replicant lover.
2. The Matrix
The Matrix, released in 1999 and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, is a terrific cyberpunk melting-pot of of Hong Kong action films, spaghetti westerns, hacker culture, and the reading list for Postmodern Philosophy 101. Its stylized set and costume design fit perfectly with the storyline, reinforcing the sense that it is an allegory. In the film, the world as people experience it is a simulation created by sentient machines for the purpose of keeping humans complacent while their bodies' heat and electrical activity serve as power for the machines. Neo, the hero, learns this and is soon recruited to lead a rebel force of humans who have managed to go off the grid and see reality for what it is. Enthusiasts of the film can wax at length about the influences, quoting philosophers, religious thinkers, and alternate-reality authors. I just enjoy it as movie: visually stunning, terrific casting, and intriguing storyline.
3. Star Wars Episode IV
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, George Lucas' 1977 first-produced film of the series, will always hold a place dear to my heart for the opening scenes that were nothing like what had gone before. While the detailed shot of the spaceship is similar to the one in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the subsequent scenes and their timing make you forget all about the previous film. The storyline and characters are simple and basic, and to me this is good, because they don't get in the way of the stunning and groundbreaking special effects. This is a world where fluency with technology is as natural as riding a horse in the 19th century, and there is a similar old-time mix of machines with belief in magic. The nature of reality as embodied by the Force is the hero's chief personal challenge, and the survival of the universe depends upon his acceptance and mastery of it.
4. Brazil
Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam, came out in 1985. It is more fantasy than strict science fiction, but it still emphasizes the relationship between humans and machines, and questions our perception of reality. The hero's dreams fuel his quest to find his perfect love, and he stumbles his way through a weird world of malfunctioning machines, excessive ductwork, and terrorists in his pursuit. The plot is driven by bureaucratic error, creating a life-or-death situation for a group of people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the resulting cultural satire is as relevant now as it was when the film was made. Brazil's point of view has been described as the present day as seen through the lens of the past.
This is one of the reasons why it holds up so well over time, because a lot of science fiction films made in the past "take place" in an imagined year, such as 2001, and we have long since experienced how that year really was. It has a well-deserved cult film status. Gilliam considers it the second installment of his "Trilogy of Imagination," the first being Time Bandits, and the third The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
5. Wall-E
Wall-E, the 2008 Pixar animation directed by Andrew Stanton, is probably more popular with adults than children. The first part is one of the most amazing silent movies I have ever seen, taking place on a devastated Earth, with one small, lone robot doing the job it was programmed to do. Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth class) has made a tiny but precious life for himself, and we understand that he has developed sentience and emotions when we see his collection of quirky items, such as a bird cage of rubber ducks. His work leads him to discover a seedling, quite possibly the only seedling left on Earth, and he takes it home. The evacuated people of Earth live on a space station, and they send the robot EVE to look for signs of life.
Wall-E falls in love with her, but she finds the seedling and does what she is programmed to do, which is to return it to the space station for analysis. He manages to tag along and this sets a rescue and betrayal story into motion amidst a human and robot community redolent with cultural satire. Like Brazil, the film's plot is driven by bureaucratic/clerical/technical error, and throws the human understanding of reality into disarray. The film is imaginatively conceived, drawn, animated, directed, and is utterly compelling.
As you can see I'm a real movie fanatic :) I watch lots of them, but reading about them is also one of my hobbies. These are my favourite sources.
