Novels and short stories have been the inspiration for many of the SF cinema classics (2001: A Space Odyssey, Bladerunner) and for some of the less successful forays (Omega Man,Starship Troopers) as well. Hard-core SF fans have a deep love-hate relationship with Hollywood. Some still harbor the hope that studio execs will eventually become enlightened about the true nature and potential of the genre. In that event, they might stop churning out glorified Saturday morning cartoons long on CGI and short on substance. The rest have given up hope.
"My husband goes to see [SF movies] because he feels he should support them," one ArmadilloCon attendee said, "but he always ends up disappointed."
Given the increasing ability of filmmakers to create worlds never seen on Planet Earth, one has to wonder why the majority of SF films are such repetitious, mind-numbing exercises in extraterrestrial gore and mayhem. One theory is that movies are too visual a medium to adequately present the necessary cerebral content of SF. Those propagating this theory have obviously never heard the names Kubrick, Bergman, Fellini and Antonioni.
"...[B]oth the SF writer and filmmaker must deal with the 'intellectual development of an abstract premise' dramatically and, therefore, indirectly," writes Vivian Sobchack ¹. "[The] medium may be words or it may be moving images, but both are equally capable of leading the reader or viewer to abstract consideration."
No, the real problem with science fiction and fantasy cinema is the bottom line, and the fear of the major movie financiers to take a chance on an script that doesn't have giant bugs, space warfare or Bruce Willis saving the planet. They fear to stray from familiar genre formulae, particularly the "Science is dangerous" one. Unaware of just how widespread the interest in science fiction and fantasy are, they persist in demanding that all films in the genre be written for a "general" audience. The result is that all too often the finished product is just another western or action-flick in outer space. Driven by the overwhelming success of Star Wars, they look for something that will be a similar draw for those who never heard of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, or Sean Stewart. Most SF fans agree, however, that Star Wars barely deserves to be considered part of the genre - if at all. Its main use is as bait to entice non-fans into looking for more and, hopefully, discovering the rich territories of ideas and wonder sitting on the bookshelves.
Go To Page: 1 2
