In the Realm of Science Fiction

In conjunction with this month‟s topic „Utopia‟, I have attempted to compile a list of science fiction films which I think should be viewed by everyone at least once (even though you may think science fiction should just be treated as that – fiction). Science fiction is the place where film-makers and writers can let their imagination gallop free while never losing sight of the weighty issue of the rise and fall of Man. It is well worth taking a look!

Due to limited space, I have not been able to include all my favourite SF films here. James Cameron‟s „The Abyss‟ and „Terminator 2: Judgment Day‟, „The Matrix‟, „Invasion of the Body Snatches‟, Steven Spielberg‟s „E.T.‟ and „War of the Worlds‟, „Independence Day‟, and „Metropolis‟ deserve at least a mention.

2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)

Almost unanimously voted as the ultimate SF film with brains, this is a hallucinogenic journey into deep space through the directorial genius that was Stanley Kubrick. Mankind finds a mysterious artificial monolith on the moon and is intrigued by the signal it sends to Jupiter. What follows is a mind-blowing trip into the unknown, culminating in a climax which defies rational explanations. Kubrick‟s film was meant as a tribute to space symbolism. There is only 40 minutes‟ worth of dialogue in a film which is close to three hours long; the rest of it is either filled with silence (accurately depicting life in space) or sweeping classical pieces by Johann Strauss (The Blue Danube Waltz) and Richard Strauss (Also Sprach Zarathustra). What is the film about? Alien intelligence? Mankind‟s destructiveness? The precariousness of technology? God? Nobody knows. I have seen the film at least a dozen times but have not been able to make up my mind as to what it is about yet… Just watch it for the majestic visuals – with the volume turned up high.




Aliens (1986)
James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) unleashed this stupendous, adrenaline-charged sequel to Alien on an unsuspecting world in the mid-eighties and created an instant SF classic featuring a very manly Sigourney Weaver as Lieutenant Ripley – the only survivor of the alien-infested spacecraft Nostromo. This time she is asked by the US government to hitch a ride with the special squad sent to investigate a colonised planet that has gone mysteriously quiet. The tagline already says it: “This time it‟s war.” Cameron pulled out all the stops, and the special effects, to this day, are unparalleled. The ending with the brutal showdown between Ripley and the Queen appeals to the animal in all of us and is utterly satisfying. I actually saw this one in the cinema with my dad when I was only fourteen. When it was over, he turned to me and said, “I think we just saw cinematic history.” He was right.





A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Stanley Kubrick started it in the 70s, passed it on to Steven Spielberg in the early 90s, and it did not get developed until Kubrick‟s death in 1999. The final product is a thing of split personality: Kubrick‟s weighty pessimism is all in place, but so is Spielberg‟s naïve romanticism (the only weak moment in the film is the saccharine happy ending). Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) is an android made to replace a dead child. When the parents have their own child again, they decide to rid of him (he is an “it” to them). The film raises interesting questions about the moral ethics surrounding artificial intelligence. The futuristic world portrayed in the film is one without hope; the human race is destined to destroy itself. Dark, elegiac, thought-provoking, this is the android movie, outshining I, Robot, Surrogates and other tepid attempts.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

“E.T. for adults”: that‟s how most people describe this early Spielberg masterpiece. The movie has a simple plot (most great movies work this way): strange phenomena are occurring across the world; people disappear after a close encounter with inexplicable lights in the sky; a family man (played by Richard Dreyfuss, who had also appeared in Spielberg‟s previous monster project Jaws) gets telepathic visions and the urge to build a model of Devil‟s Tower right in the middle of his living room. As his visions intensify, he discovers that a lot of people across the country have been receiving the same “message” and are being urged to come together to meet their summoners. What makes this movie great? Its incredible build-up of suspense and fresh approach to the theme of extraterrestrial beings. When the movie ends, after the seriously breathtaking finale, you get the sense that you are and cannot be alone in this universe. It is only a matter of time before we meet “them”.




Contact (1997)
Jodie Foster is Dr. Ellie Arroway, a SETI researcher who, after years of looking for signs to prove that aliens exist, finally gets what she wishes for: she receives intelligent signals from deep space. When the signals are decoded, they are found, to the excitement and consternation of the American government, to contain instructions as to how to build a giant machine which may function as some kind of portal which will link the alien world to ours. The machine is built and Ellie, after much grief, gets to be the one to go. Then the movie spirals into the craziest, most mind-rattling space travel ever caught on celluloid. The ending is anything but satisfying as it leaves you with more questions than answers (somehow the question of the existence of God is also raised). For me personally, the most memorable scene is where Ellie ends up in this awe-inspiring Milky Way and she breathlessly says to herself, “They should‟ve sent a poet.”



Star Trek (2009)
This is what I call a rejuvenation of a tired series whose appeal I have never really understood (I have always been a fan of Star Wars). Director JJ Abrams (Lost) surprised both friends and foes with this intelligent and engaging intergalactic saga about the beginning of the Enterprise. An impressive Chris Pine plays James T. Kirk years before he was to become captain of the ship. The action scenes are stunning set pieces that showcase the state-of-the-art special effects available to modern Hollywood – something that even non-Trekkies can appreciate. The cerebral plot is also strangely TOK-ish. Look out for the surprise appearances of Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy (the original Spock) and Winona Ryder.







Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

There is still an ongoing discussion among Star Wars fans as to which episode is the most accomplished (the new trilogy is definitely out). The Empire Strikes Back, the second in the old trilogy, is usually held in high regard because of its pathos. My personal favourite, though, has always been this one. Why? Because it is one hell of a ride from start to finish! This is also the episode that introduces us to some quirky (now legendary) characters: the Ewoks and Jabba the Hut. The final battle scene between the two Forces is ingeniously staged. Luke Skywalker is now the hero he has always been destined to be, and when the Evil Star shatters into a million pieces, you would feel like standing on the seat cheering as if you were one of the Ewoks. Long live George Lucas (as long as he does not make any new Star Wars).

lade Runner (1982)
Directed by Ridley Scott after his phenomenal success with Alien, this is perhaps the only SF film noir in existence. Loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, it tells the dark tale of a “blade runner” (a policeman specialising in terminating renegade androids) who has been assigned to take out four “skin jobs” (slang for androids) who have hijacked a ship from one of the space colonies back to Earth. The mood of the film is bleak, lethargic and ultra-pessimistic. It is also a film that requires re-watching for it to be completely understood. Scott‟s use of symbolism is obscure, leaving the audience to scratch their heads for answers about the meaning of human life.

Cocoon (1985)
This is more of a melodrama than a proper SF film, though its premise is completely SF. It tells the heartfelt story of the inhabitants of a retirement home in Florida who stumble on some mysterious pods (cocoons) in their swimming pool. After taking a dip they all gain back the health they have lost and life takes on a new meaning. The pods, they soon discover, belong to an alien species who has come to retrieve them. Aliens and old folks begin to bond and there is a proposition: the old folks may leave Earth with the aliens and lead an immortal existence in another corner of the universe. The only hitch? They may not take their family or loved ones with them, and they will never, ever return to Earth… I saw this one in Bangkok, of all places, when I was thirteen. Even though I was too young to understand what it is like to have to face old age, the film did make me think about mortality and such. Veteran Don Ameche won his first Oscar for Best Actor at the age of 78, at the end of a fifty-year career. That‟s what I call immortality!