Let's talk about Sci-Fi movies

[video=youtube;UN_VgVEZD0k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN_VgVEZD0k[/video]
 
Nerfherder said:
War of the worlds was the shocking rape of some really classic IP. A part of me died when I saw it.

Oblivion was good but I always worry about how the scientologists are picking my brain when I see their movies.
Tom has made some good sci-fi in his day but I struggle to enjoy them with the overtones.
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Which classic IP?
 
Chevron said:
Well Sci-Fi channel classifies anything with werewolves and vampires as Sci-Fi these days so yeah. I've seen super natural get classified as Sci-Fi as well.

I classify sci-fi as something that makes you think "what if?".

Matrix makes you think about the "what if?" robots took over.

Star trek makes you think "What if" we end up exploring space?

Star Wars doesn't have that "what if?". Harry Potter doesn't either. They just tell stories. Same as hunger games. Hunger games is more romance than sci-fi.

If that "what if" is the central theme of the movie than it's sci fi.

All the great sci-fi movies have very strong "what if" themes that they explore.

Sci-fi makes you think, while fantasy doesn't.
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This criteria is impossibly arbitrary. The 'what if' scenario is just as easily used in normal dramas, satires, historical fiction etc.

Something like Star Wars ticks many of the sci fi boxes, but just because it doens't tick the 'what if' one you'd consider it to be fantasy? That doesn't' make sense. I think it's more accurate to just call it childish sci fi, or maybe something less snarky.

The Hunger Games definitely fits more into sci fi than fantasy, even if it's not particularly sophisticated. Dystopian societies is a hallmark sci fi setting.

The distinction you drew is more between sophistication and simple story telling. You can have sophisticated fantasy and you can have simple story telling sci fi.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
I long for the day when sci fi films (even the good ones) can hold a candle to proper sci fi literature.
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By the nature of the genre, it can never happen. Sci-fi is about science fiction which is normally items that don't exist yet. Movies will always lag the literature as it is far easier to imagine something that doesn't exist on words.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
This criteria is impossibly arbitrary. The 'what if' scenario is just as easily used in normal dramas, satires, historical fiction etc.

Something like Star Wars ticks many of the sci fi boxes, but just because it doens't tick the 'what if' one you'd consider it to be fantasy? That doesn't' make sense. I think it's more accurate to just call it childish sci fi, or maybe something less snarky.

The Hunger Games definitely fits more into sci fi than fantasy, even if it's not particularly sophisticated. Dystopian societies is a hallmark sci fi setting.

The distinction you drew is more between sophistication and simple story telling. You can have sophisticated fantasy and you can have simple story telling sci fi.
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Sci-Fi is exactly that.... its all about the "What if ?" thats the basis of the genre. Its an actual thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction

Like I said before... Star Wars is more fantasy than Sci-Fi
 
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