Is Science Fiction under threat?
The world appears to be drowning in a miasma of earthbound intolerance and selfishness.
As we all grapple with these real global injustices has Sci-Fi any chance of surviving and moreover is it even relevant anymore?
Is Science Fiction dead already?
What do you think readers?
Sci fi is doing just fine. When we think of the exceptional stuff from before we forget the rest. But it needs to be there. Otherwise the exceptional can't stand above anything. The stories that nail a character or theme will last.
ReplyDeleteFantasy, superhero, space settings have eclipsed crime, spy thriller movies and tv for years. Quality, novelty and ideas wins.
BUT franchises rise and must fall before they get run out of steam. Leave them wanting more.
So we are now waiting and ready for the next creative idea.
I would love a Netflix series of revelation space or night's dawn.
that's a very positive rallying cry for sci-fi unknown! I feel uplifted!
DeleteI think Sci-Fi is alive and kicking, Woodsy. Every so often something special comes along. A recent example is the thought provoking, Westworld. It captivates and entertains to a very high standard.
ReplyDeleteI've a feeling Sci-Fi and Fantasy will continue to offer a route of escapism, welcome distraction, and tranqualizing solace, from the insane realities of our increasingly Mad World :)
And another affirmative voice! Very positive Tone, I am encouraged although I will have to wait for Westworld on DVD. I don't have Netflix.
DeleteHaving seen Arrival the other day, it became evident how difficult it is for a novel and challenging idea to go beyond the standard framework of stereotypical storytelling. Since Kubrick, it seems that even those boldest of concepts have been fitted into a standard commercial framework which belittles the ideas. Perhaps some visionary low-budget film could still take us by surprise.
ReplyDeleteNot seen Arrival Arto. I don't get to the cinema that often now. It does sound like you were disappointed with it. Did you like Interstellar?
DeleteThe same problem with Interstellar. And Avatar, and most of the rest as well.
DeleteJust to elaborate: Every genre produces great stories, in the case of science fiction the likes of Alien or Blade Runner, to name a few. Awesome, great fun, the milestones. But what sets sci-fi apart, as a genre, at least for me, is its specificity, the power to take the ideas about our very being and existence to "where no man has gone before". Instead of confinement within the genre, science fiction should be an expansion of ideas. Something like Arrival or Avatar, but without military, media, or medics.
tough standards indeed Arto. Do many past films make the grade?
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