What are the best science fiction
films of all time? A rather pointless question as the word “best” is entirely
subjective. My best is not going to be your best. We may agree on some things,
we may not. So what is the point of me posting a list of my favorite Science
fiction movies? For that matter, what is the point of anyone posting their list
of their favorite anything? I suppose it gives people some insight into the
mind of the person doing the posting. It could serve as a list of suggestions
in case there was one you hadn’t seen.
If nothing else, it is something to argue about. People like to argue. So
what the heck; here is a list of some of my most favorite science fiction films
in no particular order.
Ah . . . Yes . . . as I started writing this it became
apparent that this is way too much for one blog post. So consider this part one
of a larger list that will play out over the next couple of weeks.
2001: A Space Odyssey. It is now revered as a masterpiece, but when it first came out many audiences
and critics were less than impressed. My first introduction to the movie was
actually through the music. My parents had the record of the score. This was
rather out of character for them as they had no use for anything science
fiction-ish. I never found out why they had the record. Maybe someone gave it
to them. Anyway, I thought the record looked cool so I listened to it. I became
well acquainted with “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (the main theme, which
translates into “Thus spoke Zoroaster”) and “The Blue Danube” as well as some
eerie mood music by Gyorgy Ligeti. There was also a beautiful sad adagio by
Khachaturian.
The germ of the movie was a short
story by Arthur C. Clarke entitled “The Sentinel” which he had written in 1950.
In the story, geologists on the moon discover an alien machine millions of
years old. The sole function of this machine seems to be to send out a signal
when a space-faring species (us) find it. From that kernel, Kubrick and Clarke
fashioned a screenplay that went well beyond that simple story. There are two
main themes in the movie: 1. Man versus machine, and 2. Human evolution. The
first theme is easy to grasp. It is human beings in conflict with the computer.
It is a straightforward battle to the death of one side or the other. The
second theme is harder to grasp. Human evolution is apparently being observed
and perhaps directed by an alien intelligence. There are no bug-eyed monsters.
We never see the aliens. Their presence is implied and ambiguous. Much of the
final reel of the film is unexplained. The audience has to figure it out for
themselves.
People don’t generally like ambiguity in film.
This may be why reportedly more than 200 people walked out of the premier. They
like good guys versus bad guys. They either want the good guy to win, or if the
bad guy wins, a valuable moral lesson is taught or a higher victory is attained.
This film has that in the first theme, but in the second theme it is more like
an abstract painting. It is meant to make you think and question what it is all
about. As all great works of art do, it makes you question your existence.
One more thing: It is amazing how
well this film holds up 50 years after its release. The only thing that doesn’t
work anymore is the title. “2001” is a glaring reminder that we basically abandoned
human space exploration some 40+ years ago, and there are no immediate plans to
restart it.
The Martian.
This is based on the novel by Andy Weir. It concerns an astronaut, Mark Watney,
who is thought to have been killed and his body cannot be recovered. This
occurs during a fierce storm that forces the evacuation of all the other
astronauts on Mars. But it turns out he was not killed. When he wakes up, he
realizes what has happened. He is utterly alone. He has to figure out how to
stay alive on his own with no help from anyone. Then he has to figure out how
to communicate to the folks back home that he is still alive. Then he has to
figure out how to survive the months it will take for a rescue mission to bring
him home. The most basic of human requirements: air, water, and food, are all
going to run out soon if he doesn’t think of something. All he has to work with
is some equipment left behind that was not designed for this, and his brain,
and science. The hero of the story really is Science, with a capitol S. The power of science to solve problems is the
only way he is going to get out of this predicament. My favorite quote is when
Watney says to himself, “do the math.” We see him study and calculate. We see
him meticulously plan out each move. The science in the film is well thought
out. The time frames are realistic, unlike a typical Hollywood space rescue.
That is probably going to be a reoccurring theme in this blog series: that the
science is realistic and believable.
The Martian does not make you
question your existence, but it does do a good job of putting you in the shoes
of Mark Watney. What would you do in his place, give up and die, or fight
seemingly insurmountable obstacles. If you choose the latter, you had better
hit the books.
More films to come next week.
(My novel Star Liner, is now
available as an ebook through Copypastapublishing.com, Amazon, or the other
usual online sources. For those who like to turn physical pages, the paperback
will be out soon).
Star Liner
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