Evolution of Science Fiction Films

Since I was a kid (probably too young to have seen it) Alien was one of my favorite movie. This movie spawned my love for the science fiction genera. Since my viewing of that classic terrifying Sifi film I was introduced to Terminator, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and the Matrix, to name a few, and I loved them all. Although in the past few years I’ve noticed a change in the stories and morals in Sifi films, so I did some research.  What I found was that the historical situations of the time affected the type of story told.

The first real trend I noticed in science fiction films started in the 50’s and 60’s. For the most part the Sifi movie coming out in this time period involved outer space or aliens, The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951, Invasion of the Body Snatcher in 1956, and 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and even in television shows like Star Trek. These movies dealt with outer space because they all came out during or around the Space Race. The space race was between Russia and America to be the first nation to send man into the cosmoses.

The next trend I noticed started in the 80’s and continued through out the 90’s. During this time, technologies in computers and genetic alteration were advancing greatly and faster then ever before, and the Sifi genera took advantage of this. The movies shifted from space to the idea of “beware the machines” with movies like Blade Runner in 1982, The Terminator in 1984, Robocop in 1987, and the Matrix in 1999. The idea that playing god will backfire also emerged during this time with movies like Jurassic Park in 1993.

Toady however, the ideas of science being dangerous are on the decline, making it harder for the movie industry to make Sifi films like they used too. This can bee seen in the recent and generally underwhelming remakes of classic Science fiction movies.  Where will the genre go from here is hard to tell, we just have to wait and see. 

Since we do have a test...

Since we will be having a final exam, and it is on Stanley Kubrik, I figured using the blog to post some information about him would be a good idea. I do not know much about him as a person or a filmmaker, since I have only seen 2001: A Space Odyssey in my physics class back in high school, so this is helpful for me as well.

I know we mainly need to know about his films, but I figured it could be useful to know a little bit about him as well, so...

BIO:
Stanley Kubrik born on July 26, 1928 in the Bronx, New York. While first working as a photographer in New York City, he taught himself all of the skills needed in order to produce and direct films. He did most of his work in the United Kingdom, where he took on the roles as a film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor. He very often participated in more than one of these positions for each film he worked on. 

In these positions, he is best noted for his attention to detail and his unique style. He covered a variety of topics including, romantic and black comedies, epic and science fiction, war, crime, and horror movies. Kubrik died in March of 1999 of a heart attack. He is still remembered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, filmmaker of all time.

MOVIES: 

Kubrik is responsible for some of the most important films of all time. These include:

1. A Clockwork Orange- A futuristic film based in Britain that follows Alex DeLarge. DeLarge is the leader of the "droogs," one of many gangs in the area. After committing multiple heinous acts, including multiple beatings and fighting a rival gang, he is betrayed by the droogs, arrested, and sentenced to 14 years of incarceration. DeLarge then volunteers to undergo therapy treatment to help stop crime, but it does not go as well as they planned. 
2. Full Metal Jacket- Based in 1967, a group of Marines travels to Parris Island for training during the Vietnam War. After their training, they are set out into Vietnam to fight with the other Marines. There, they begin to see the horrible and unbelievable acts of war taking the lives of both the Vietnamese and the United States soldiers. 
3. The Shining- This film centers around Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance travels to an isolated Overlook Hotel that is controlled by an evil spirit. The spirit takes over the father, Jack, making him violent and out of control. The son, Danny, who is psychic, also begins to see horrifying visions of the past and future, and the entire family enters into a period of chaos. 

Other notable films include 2001: The Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove, Eyes Wide Shut, and Spartacus.