7 науково-фантастичних фільмів, які заново винайшли жанр
From Georges Méliès’ groundbreaking short film «A Trip to the Moon to Denis Villeneuve’s epic «Dune, there are many films that can be called outstanding examples of science fiction. But only a few of them have permanently entered mass culture and reinvented the science fiction genre.
Content
Year of publication: 1931
Director: James Vale
IMDb rating: 7.8
Just as Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus» (1818) is considered the first true work of science fiction, the features of its adaptation are visible in most contemporary science fiction films. This includes the still widespread archetype of the mad scientist, the first example of creating an «artificial» human from parts of dead bodies, and the first embodiment of technology that gets out of control and turns against its creators.
With each new cycle of technological progress, these ideas become relevant again and remain at the heart of science fiction, inspiring the authors of films and TV series. The Skynet computer system developed by Cyberdyne Systems declares war on humanity in the «Terminator» films, while genetic technologies deprive people of the right to make free choices in the dystopian «Gattaca», Mickey 17».
Year of release: 1977
Director: George Lucas
IMDb rating: 8.0
Although the term «blockbuster» was established in cinema after the release of «Jaws» (1975), the first true sci-fi blockbuster was undoubtedly George Lucas’ «Star Wars». The resounding success of the story of a young farmer Luke Skywalker, who discovers his Jedi ancestry and must master powerful powers to save a princess and confront a cruel empire. This turned sci-fi from a geek hobby into a fashionable genre of mass culture.
«A New Hope» inspired a whole generation of talented filmmakers. It was after watching it that Ridley Scott started looking for sci-fi projects. And the future director of «Avatar» James Cameron quit his job as a driver and entered the film industry because he dreamed of shooting the same stunning visual effects as Lucas. «Star Wars» also blew a huge hole in the dam of distrust between producers and movie studios. Paramount urgently found the money to make a movie version of «Star Trek», Dan O’Bannon got the «go-ahead» to develop the script for «Alien», and comic book fans saw the first film adaptation of «Superman».
To realize the spectacular space battles, Lucas organized a special effects studio called Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which for many years became the world leader in the creation of computer graphics. The Terminator T-1000, dinosaurs from «Jurassic Park», large-scale battles of «Pirates of the Caribbean» — all this would not have been possible without the efforts of ILM.
However, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. «Star Wars» Created an entire universe and shaped modern mythology, skillfully weaving Akira Kurosawa’s samurai cinema and films about World War II military pilots into the colorful quilt of its postmodern narrative. Comic books about Flash Gordon’s space adventures, the recognizable features of Frank Herbert’s «Dune» world, and the monomyth structure explored by Joseph Campbell have since formed the basis of almost every sci-fi hit from «The Matrix» to «Avatar» and «Harry Potter».».
Year of release: 1979
Director: Ridley Scott
IMDb rating: 8.5
Two years after the release of A New Hope», audiences were struck by the eerie encounter between the crew of the space tug «Nostromo» and a xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror «Alien». The film changed science fiction forever, contrasting the bright worlds and heroic deeds of idealized heroes in «Star Wars» with a darker and more realistic view of space.
Instead of brand new ships, the audience saw a dirty and worn-out «Nostromo». The romantic heroes in shiny spacesuits were replaced by ordinary workers with their own weaknesses and understandable motivations. They, despite the ban on smoking at work, never planned to save the galaxy and only think about earning money and returning home.
Ridley Scott’s film paved the way for the financial success of the space horror subgenre. Firstly, it skillfully combined the fears of the confined space of the ship, the ruthless cold of outer space, and alien monsters from which there is simply no place to run. Secondly, it reinforced them with technophobia, which is manifested through androids that are outwardly indistinguishable from humans but lack humanity (hello «Frankenstein»).
Nowadays, «Alien» continues to be in the spotlight. Sci-fi fans break spears in debates over the details of its universe, new movies, comics, and games are being released, and the success of the latest installment of the franchise «Stranger: Romulus» (2024) proves that it is still popular and resonates with a new generation of viewers. We also remind you that in the summer we will have the premiere of the series «Alien: Earth» in which not only astronauts but also all the inhabitants of the Earth will have to face cult monsters with acid instead of blood.
Year of release: 1982
Director: Ridley Scott
IMDb rating: 8.1
Contrasting with other science fiction stories that look to the future with hope, «Blade Runner» offers a pessimistic view of the future, and was the first Hollywood film to adopt the concept of cyberpunk into mass culture. Upon its release, the film flopped at the box office, but eventually became a hit at home, gaining cult status and inspiring a number of science fiction writers.
The director of «Hellboy» Guillermo del Toro recalls that after watching «Blade Runner» he saw the world anew. And the author of the novel «Neuromancer» (released in 1984), William Gibson, said that the film’s atmosphere became a real canon of cyberpunk for him. Over the decades, Scott’s fascinating techno-noir style has influenced the vision of the future by a new generation of filmmakers. Its echoes can be seen in such films and shows as «The Matrix», «Cowboy Bebop», «Akira», «The Fifth Element» and the original «Ghost in the Shell».
Year of release: 1985
Director: Robert Zemeckis
IMDb rating: 8.5
The story of an ordinary American teenager, Marty McFly, who accidentally finds himself in 1955 from 1985, reinvented time travel movies by combining them with teen comedy. Subsequently, this artistic choice paid off many times over, earning the film a cult status and a number of sequels and imitations in television series, games, attractions, and comics.
By the way, a big fan of the «Back to the Future» franchise was the 40th US President Ronald Reagan, who used the catchphrase of Dr. Emmett Brown, nicknamed «Doc», in his 1986 State of the Union address: «Roads? We don’t need them where we’re going».
Year of release: 1991
Director: James Cameron
IMDb rating: 8.6
«Terminator 2» was the first major film to use computer graphics (CGI) to generate a realistic character — the T-1000 robot, which is made of «liquid metal» and can change its shape at will. This technological breakthrough foreshadowed the CGI dinosaurs of «Jurassic Park» (1993) and set the precedent for «The Matrix» (1999) and «Avatar» (2009).
Cameron’s film set new standards for the quality of sci-fi action movies, shaped the genre trope of the machine uprising, went viral with thousands of memes, and raised complex philosophical questions about the dangers of AI (against the backdrop of similar news their relevance is only growing). It also explored the possibility of changing the future and the humanism that allows us to remain human in the age of soulless technology.
Year of release: 1999
Directed by: Lana and Lilly Wachowski
IMDb rating: 8.7
The release of the «Matrix» was a landmark event in the world of science fiction and breathed new life into cyberpunk, reviving it in the 21st century with a powerful narrative: what is the world around us really like — is it objective reality or a masterful simulation created by a more advanced civilization? And if the latter is true, is it possible to go beyond it?
The Wachowski duo’s sci-fi action film combines techno-apocalypse, virtual reality, and the power of machines over humanity with philosophy, and presents us with a difficult choice between soothing ignorance «blue pill» or painful truth «red pill», which pulls us out of our comfortable lives into a dystopian wasteland full of horrors.
It is worth mentioning the latest visual techniques of the film, such as «bullet-time». This effect made Neo’s fight with the Agents, where he manipulates time and space to avoid a shower of bullets, unforgettable and remains one of the most spectacular moments in sci-fi movies ever. Legions of imitators try to recreate a similar scene, but it’s not that easy. After all, dodging bullets like Neo requires the coordinated work of more than a hundred static cameras surrounding the subject from all sides.