The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies Term Paper

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda

In this paper we will analyse “The War of the Worlds” (1953), “Star Wars” (1977) and “The Fifth Element” (1997), as movies that reflect the genre of science fiction being transformed from something that used to help people expanding their minds and to provide them with the insight onto the future, into the mere tool of entertainment, which in its turn, reflects the fact that, during the course of second half of twentieth century, White people’s existential vitality have been steadily undermined by degenerative socio-political doctrines, associated with the rise of neo-Liberalism.

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Term Paper on The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies
808 writers online

Introduction

When we closely analyze the traditional subtleties of literary genre of science fiction, we will be able to define its two most important characteristics: 1) It is exclusively associated with Western (White) civilization; 2) Classical science fiction works utilize futuristic motifs as the tool of attracting wider audience. Therefore, we can say that, up until comparatively recent times, the genre of science fiction in literature and movies was simply reflecting White people’s ability to push forward scientific and cultural progress. It is not by pure coincidence that this genre was at the peak of its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century, when after being released out of Christian imprisonment, Western creative genius was producing groundbreaking scientific discoveries every 2-3 years. However, if we look at the pace of scientific progress in last fifty years, it will appear that, within this period of time, not a single scientific breakthrough of universal magnitude was being accomplished. It is only informational technologies, associated with the rise of Internet (70% of Internet traffic relates to promotion of pornography), that were able to advance rapidly. Americans stopped sending manned spacecrafts to the Moon, Russians allowed their space station “Mir” to crush into the Earth. The whole concept of space exploration is now associated with rich moneybags getting cheep thrills out of being launched into the space as “tourists”, rather then with evolutionary progress of a mankind, as it used to be the case in comparatively recent times. Therefore, it will only be logical, on our part, to expect modern science fiction movies to reflect the reality of humanity’s civilizational progress being reversed backwards, as a result of more and more people in Western countries being preoccupied with “celebration of diversity”, as the only thing they are capable of doing. In the following parts of this paper, we will substantiate the conceptual validity of this statement, by embarking on closer analysis of movies mentioned in the initial thesis statement.

“The War of the Worlds”

The movie “The War of the Worlds” was produced in 1953, when America’s national integrity was at its strongest and when Americans thought that such integrity could only be threatened from outside. It is now being often suggested that this movie had sublimated Americans’ subconscious fears of Commies. We can agree with such point of view to a certain extent, however, it is wrong to refer to “The War of the Worlds” as such that has apocalyptic motifs incorporated in its very core. Despite the fact that even U.S. military appears to be utterly helpless, while trying to deal with hostile Martians, the majority of movie’s characters do not yield to panic. They understand perfectly well that it is only the knowledge of Martians’ physical constitution that might provide them with a clue as to how fight them in most effective manner. This is why, throughout the movie, its main characters continue to discuss Martians’ appearance as such that relates to the physical conditions of their native planet: “Supposedly they are Martians Professor, what would they look like? Bigger then us, smaller? – Our gravitational force would weight them down; our heavier air would’ve pressed them. – You think they’d be breathing creatures like us? What about blood, hearts, and all that? – If they do have hearts, they’d be certainly beating at slower rate, but their sense might be quite different from ours…” (IMDB, 2000).

In other words, movie popularizes scientific notions among viewers, which actually corresponds to the original essence of science fiction as genre. This is because, people who are not being affected by racial mixing and by degenerative socio-political doctrines, derive aesthetic pleasure out of absorbing scientific knowledge, rather then out of watching people being blown to pieces. It is not by simple accident that the genre of science fiction has been traditionally liked by young people more then by representatives of older generations – in fifties, the sci-fi movies were actually helping teenagers to gain a better understanding of surrounding reality. Back then, in order to be considered as “cool”, a young man needed to know how to built model rockets and to be capable of swimming for 2 miles, for example, as opposed to today’s concept of “coolness” that closely relates to “gangsta” lifestyle. This is the reason why “The War of the Worlds” was able to gross US$ 2,000,000 (a huge amount of money in fifties) by satisfying people’s scientific curiosity as to the possible consequences of alien life forms being brought to the Earth. We can say that, unlike in many modern sci-fi movies, the essence of this particular genre in “The War of the Worlds” did not contradict the actual science. In fifties, Americans did not have doubts as to the value of their empirical sense of rationale, which is why “The War of the Worlds” does not feature any mystical motifs – the arrival of hostile aliens to Earth and their eventual demise correspond to biological laws of nature, as we know them. Therefore, we can refer to this particular movie as sci-fi classic, because in “The War of the Worlds”, the events revolve around scientific notions and not the other way around, as it became a customary practice in today’s science fiction movies.

“Star Wars”

George Lucas’ cinematographic masterpiece “Star Wars” was being subjected to extensive cultorogical studies ever since the time of its release in 1977, with majority of critics agreeing on movie’s high aesthetic value. However, even though that it formally relates to the genre of science fiction, we can barely discuss it as sci-fi movie, because “Star Wars” is nothing but an extrapolation of modern White people’s existential inadequateness, in form of futuristic “fairy tale”. In his article “Back to the Future”, where he talks about movies “Harry Potter”, “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars”, Michael Moses makes a very good point when he suggests that in seventies, the genre of sci-fi had ceased to relate to empirical science and was being transformed into the instrument for citizens to conduit their subconscious anxieties: “They (movies) nonetheless respond to a specifically modern set of social anxieties. Indeed, each expresses a deep discomfort with modernity itself. If the fundamental narrative structure of the films borrows heavily from tradition, the specific forms that both good and evil assume within them are those of the modern world… One of the contemporary discontents to which all three series respond is a general boredom with modern bourgeois existence. The escapism of these stories is an antidote to the routine that is the special curse of safe, static middle-class life” (Moses, p. 49). We can only agree with the author – “Star Wars” is a cinematographic quintessence of White people’s existential idealism, as it links metaphysical evil with corruption and implies that only young people, untainted by mental and physical inadequacy, are capable of “restoring justice in the Galaxy”.

One of movie’s most memorable scenes is when Luke Skywalker sits in the bar with Obi One Kenobi, while being surrounded by ugly creatures from outer space, who “celebrate diversity” by drinking, gambling and shooting each other. Kenobi talks about “civilized times”, which he clearly associates with the existence of law and order and which he considers as being inconsistent with “galactic multiculturalism”, seen on Tatooine. This scene provides us with the insight on “Star Wars” immense popularity. Apparently, movie promotes the idea that “fish begins to rot from the head”. In seventies, many White Americans were beginning to suspect that there was something seriously wrong with this nation – they were still remaining masters in their own country, but they sensed that such situation will not last for long. While being unable to rationalise their subconscious fears, Whites were increasingly tending to sublimate these fears into “cinematographic escapism”. “Star Wars” appears to be utterly unscientific, within a context of its portrayal of space travel, for example – yet, it is absolutely scientific in how it presents the very essence of the concept of scientific progress, as closely related to the notion of justice and to people’s inborn sense of idealism. It is not simply a coincidence that Luke Skywalker, while being shown as classic idealist, also embodies the ideal of Aryan physical perfection. It is White people’s existential idealism, which allowed them to operate with highly abstract categories (IQ rate), which in its turn, set preconditions for the emergence of culture and science. It is their genetic idealism that made it possible for the Whites to come winners out of seemingly impossible circumstances, throughout the history, and to become undisputed masters of the world by the end of 19th century, while remaining at the spearhead of the process of biological evolution. This notion is not being taught to Whites in schools, however, it is being perceived by them on subconscious level, which is why the idea of idealistic young White man being able to effectively resist the forces of darkness, contained in “Star Wars”, continues to appeal to many Americans even today. Thus, we can conclude that “Star Wars” corresponds to the middle stage of the process of sci-fi genre being deprived of its scientific spirit; as such, that reflected the essence of world’s socio-political dynamics in seventies and eighties.

“The Fifth Element”

In last century, before the collapse of Roman Empire, the overwhelming majority of mongrelized Roman citizens were preoccupied with seeking entertainment, as the solemn purpose of their existence. As a result, in the eyes of corrupted Romans, the value of their science, philosophy and literature, was being increasingly perceived through the lenses of entertainment. We all know how Romans ended up. But apparently, not many people are capable of learning from the lessons of history, which is why America is now closely following the footsteps of ancient Rome, with hordes of barbarians from Third World eagerly waiting for Americans to fully succumb to existential decadence. It appears that they will not have to wait for much longer, as hook-nosed Hollywood producers had succeeded in “redesigning” the genre of science fiction to serve purely entertaining purposes. Nothing substantiates the validity of this statement better then Luc Besson’s movie “The Fifth Element”, which is nothing but masterfully designed set of special effects, with movie’s actual plot existing only in the minds of viewers. We can say that “The Fifth Element” actually portrays the beauty of living in “multicultural” society (primitive Arab tunes serving as musical accompaniment, neon advertisements in Chinese, Mangalores – whose level of intelligence and physical appearance remind us the residents of the “hood”). Still, it is quite unexplainable why “The Fifth Element” is being referred to as science fiction movie, as the only truly futuristic element in the movie are yellow cabs, sustained in the air by some mysterious force, subtleties of which Luc Besson does not bother to reveal to viewers. During the course of movie’s production, Besson’s main task was to instil his “masterpiece” with enough explosions and violence, in order to attract marginalized audience, rather then to provide people with the insight on things to come. Nevertheless, we cannot discuss “The Fifth Element” as such that does not deserve our attention, because just as “Star Wars”, it contains an idea of racial purity as directly corresponding to the essence of cultural and scientific progress, even though that instilling movie with such idea was the last thing on Besson’s mind.

1 hour!
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver a 100% original paper

In “The Fifth Element”, the humanity is portrayed as being corrupted beyond the point of recovery, which is why it fully deserves to be destroyed by Evil from outer space. Nevertheless, mankind does have a chance – Leeloo (perfect Aryan specimen) is capable of stopping the Evil from descending upon the Earth, by the fact of its mere existence. Korben Dallas (another perfect Aryan specimen), as person who likes to continuously show homosexual Ruby Rhod where he belongs, is being chosen to assist Leeloo in saving the humanity. After having succeeded in fighting off the Evil, both characters move to the next stage of process of saving humanity – making Aryan babies. Despite being presented in rather humorous manner, this idea possesses scientific properties, as we have illustrated earlier. This is why “The Fifth Element” is now being criticized for its apparent lack of “tolerance” by self-appointed “experts on racial relations”, such as Brian Ott, who in his article “Counter-Imagination as Interpretive Practice: Futuristic Fantasy and The Fifth Element” suggested that Besson’s flick should be outlawed: “The Fifth Element constructs sexual and racial difference in a manner that privileges and naturalizes White heterosexual masculinity. It destabilizes the categories of sexual and racial difference as they are negotiated within appeals to popular imagination” (Ott, p. 149). Therefore, we can say that, despite its essence as an entertainment flick, “The Fifth Element” does posses a scientific value, simply because it infuriates the hawks of political correctness, who strive to slow down and to eventually reverse the course of scientific progress as such that contradicts their dogma of “racial equality”.

Conclusion

In order for us to summarize this paper, we need to state the following: the genre of science fiction in movies has been traditionally linked with people’s ability to push forward scientific progress, which in its turn corresponds to their racial affiliation. The reason why early sci-fi movies can be described as rather “technocratic” then “entertaining”, is because at the time of their creation, Western societies were racially homogeneous, which caused viewers to associate “sci-fi pleasure” with gaining a scientific information. The practice of racial mixing undermines people’s ability to operate with abstract categories and makes it harder for them to keep their animalistic urges under control. Given the fact that “celebration of diversity” has been going on in America for more then 30 years, it comes as no surprise that more and more Americans tend to succumb to their primeval instincts, while being incapable to indulge in intellectual activities whatsoever. The evolution of sci-fi genre simply reflects this process – this genre has effectively ceased being associated with science and now only serves the purpose of providing marginalized population with cheep thrills. Thus, we can conclude that if current demographical trends continue to gain a momentum (in 2030, Whites will amount to only 2% of Earth’s population), the genre of sci-fi in movies will cease to exist, simply as result of people starting to regress backwards, in evolutionary sense of this word, while being increasingly incapable of understanding of what the concept of science stands for, in the first place.

Bibliography

Appleyard, B. “Why Don’t we Love Science Fiction?”. 2007. Times Online. 2008. Web.

Arango, T. “”. 2008. The New York Times. Web.

Edelman, S. “Erasing the Smell of Sci-Fi”. 2006. Sci Fi Weekly. Web.

Polselli, A. “The Fall of the Sci-Fi Genre in Film”. 2007. Web.

Moses, M. (2003) “Back to the Future”. Reason, v. 35, no. 3, p. 48-57.

Remember! This is just a sample
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers

The War of the Worlds (1953). 2000. The Internet Movie Database. 2008. Web.

Ott, B. (2004). “Counter-Imagination as Interpretive Practice: Futuristic Fantasy and the Fifth Element”. Women’s Studies in Communication, v. 27, no. 2, p. 149-76.

McLean, G. “”. 2007. Guardian News and Media. 2008. Web.

Morris, T. “The SciFi Superiority Complex: Elitism in SF/F/H”. 2004. Strange Horizons. 2006. Web.

Masterson, L. “Science Fiction Sub-Genres”. 2005. Sci-Fi Factor. 2008. Web.

Print
Need an custom research paper on The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, September 26). The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-genre-of-science-fiction-in-movies/

Work Cited

"The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies." IvyPanda, 26 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/the-genre-of-science-fiction-in-movies/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) 'The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies'. 26 September.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies." September 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-genre-of-science-fiction-in-movies/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies." September 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-genre-of-science-fiction-in-movies/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies." September 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-genre-of-science-fiction-in-movies/.

Powered by CiteTotal, online essay citation generator
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1