"Governments only get in a man's way".
Posted on 02/19/2008 11:03:14 AM PST by rjp2005
Where have all the sci-fi films gone?
Those simple, thought-provoking speculative tales about how people respond to something new, what kind of moral choices they make, keeping traditions in the face of technological change. Essentially, the kind of films that were thought provoking and story/character driven - Day the Earth Stood Still, Planet of Apes, 12 Monkeys, Minority Report (more action though but good), etc.
The "Superhero and Fantasy Genre Craze" since Spiderman and LOTR has really eaten up a lot of support for original sci-fi works to film...
For 2008, we have two horror/slasher types "I Am Legend" (Omega Man remake) and "Death Race" (revisiting the 70's version), another superhero film in "Jumper", "Iron Man", which could be a treat, and maybe the only true sci-fi attempt, "Babylon A.D.". There was also "Sunshine", a late 90's disaster film leftover, possibly funded by Global Warming-mongers ;)
"Governments only get in a man's way".
First thought: Azimov & Will Smith?
I’d like to see a movie of “The Mote In God’s Eye.” They’ve got the tech to do the three-legged aliens, and an alien planet now.
American SF has almost been destroyed by the Cult of the Singularity: it is difficult to write meaningful stories set in a future where everyone is a godlike, disembodied intellect living in a virtual universe ruled by incomprehensible computers. (This is the future most SF authors hope for, these days.) This is why most of the big sellers these days in the US SF field are in the fantasy or altenative history categories. The technological Singularity may lurk sometime in the future, but for the US SF industry the Singularity is now.
This is why I prefer Japanese SF. In Japan, technology affects human beings, sometimes profoundly, but humans remain human. Depictions of the future in Japanese SF are almost always nothing more than the Japan of the present day with flashy bits stuck on for fun. In Hoshi no Koe, for example, mankind has perfected interstellar travel and giant fighting robots, but people still ride bicycles, use cell phones, and ship freight by rail. In Diebuster! Toppu o Nerae 2 (aka "Gunbuster 2: Diebuster"), Mars has been terraformed and weapons capable of cracking planets are built to look like cute teenaged girls, yet the characters still commute by rail, ride scooters, and hang out in coffee shops. It is this sort of thing that makes Japanese SF so compelling; it seems more like real life because it is real life, only with giant robots and space elevators.
And don't get me started on British SF...
I recently watched Bab 5 from beginning to end ... all seasons. The very best Sci Fi, particularly up to the end of the Shadows' war.
I liked The Farmer Astronaut. Science Fiction, not Science Fantasy.
Sci-Fi Channel can’t pick it up just yet, because Fox is still retaining rights to the series. Universal had rights for the movies, so that’s the only venue open for more Firefly right now.
“...suck just as bad...” Exactly.
Long have I read excellent SF by a host of talented writers. Those who claim that “there isn’t any good SF being writted anymore.” Hello?! Dan Simmons? Larry Niven? Charles Stross? Alastair Reynolds? Jack McDevitt? Neal Stephenson?
Jeez, people! READ!
Anyway, to your point, a few years ago one of my favorite sets of books, ‘Hyperion’ and ‘Fall of Hyperion’ by Dan Simmons were optioned by the author to a movie company. I was both horrified and elated. One, movies generally take excellent source materiel and make it suck, but two, Martin Scorsese (!) was the one optioning it and was set to direct.
It didn’t happen. As far as I know, it is still in limbo. Probably for the best...
But, the glory of ‘Ringworld’ on the big screen? Beautiful if done right, horrid if done by the usual Hollywood standards. ‘Foundation Trilogy’ would be a miniseries, but the utter cretins who run the Sci-Fi Channel would ruin it beyond comprehension.
Folks, read your SF. Let your brain to the work. Don’t leave it to a herd of Hollywood morons (I know, redundant) to screw it up.
>>Still waiting for a remake of “1984”
I wish they would release a new version of the DVD. Used versions go for $60+
Oh and remake “The Tripods” to me this was great.
RiffTrax is a riot. A friend of mine has bought a few of their offerings and sings their praises. What they did to The Fifth Element was a riot.
The most disappointing Sci Fi movie was the first release of Dune. We waited so danged long for that thing, and it came out perverted and ugly.
The Sci-Fi Channel showed the complete series all day yesterday.
I know, that was pure genius. Jimmy’s knees to the groin, the sucker punch as Jimmy tries to get up, the back breaker, it is all there and it is my favorite scene of any South Park.
Damn what a fight.
I guess I blocked that one out of my brain through the judicious abuse of scotch.
:)
Yeah, I caught the last one when I got home from work. I meant picking up the rights to it and continuing on with the series.
A great book, and it would be easily adaptable to the screen. I was disappointed with all the sequels to it, though.
How about the Foundation series?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.