How good is the Science in Science Fiction films?

[Mav]

In one of the newer Star Wars films there is a huge explosion in space.....you can see it, but you can't hear anything until the shock wave comes to you.
When this was first played in America, they would get multiple complaints about the sound dropping out at that point.
It was in fact the most realistic space explosion that probably ever been on film, yet people complained because.....well....they don't understand physics. Hollywood has taught them 'new laws'.

I have a dim memory that there was a time when Aussie filmmakers were warned off using the sound of the Kookaburra as Hollywood had hijacked it as a stock sound in jungle settings (e.g. Tarzan). The fear was that audiences would be wondering how Toucans ended up in Australia.

[Baggers]

As another SF fan, I share the dismay with many regarding more recent offerings. If I never see another SF with the astronauts being woken up early from suspended animation, it'll be too soon. I've gotten to about the 15 minutes mark of a number of SFs recently and simply switched off. But I think most of the contributors here are more your thinking audience and can't be conned with a 'leap of faith' that is simply illogical or without some scientific credibility.

I confess to enjoying SFs with a human or even spiritual message. A splash of social justice comment also doesn't go astray. Loved the work of Rod Serling. He commented in an interview that his social justice/morality scripts just didn't get legs in Hollywood until he set them in SF. I have the original boxed sets of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits - I grew up with these and love them still to this day. In the non-SF genre, Rod's movie from 1956, Patterns, is a brilliant commentary on corporates that still holds up today.

But, yep, to state the bleeding obvious, most SFs today are more about special effects than story (and underpinned with credible science) and so formulaic to satisfy one need only - bums on seats/downloads. However, you'd think there'd be a viable market for the thinking SF fan/nerd.

[Mav]

Baggers, Star Trek was also a more conventional show that was shoehorned into SF. Its studio pitch was that it would be "Wagon Train to the Stars". Wagon Train was a popular western series with 1 hour episodes where the main cast moved with the wagon train and each new 1 hour episode involved a new place and new guest stars with some drama to resolve. The space program obviously provided an interesting new backdrop (and John F. Kennedy wasn't a bad role model for James T. Kirk). Both the western and SF formats allowed scriptwriters to deal with topical issues without being seen to be directly critical of contemporary politics. More recently, shows like West Wing and Law & Order have been able to rip stories out of the news headlines.

No doubt Star Trek hit a nerve in the US with its optimistic vision of its future as the country confronted fears of nuclear war in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis together with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights battles.

[Mav]

If anyone's looking for a slow-burn, cerebral sort of show, Midnight Mass on Netflix is worth a look. It's not really SF; it's in the horror/supernatural genre. But it has great character development and touches on topics like how good people can be persuaded to do bad things, coping with regrets and grief, and the meaning of life and death. It features some impressive work from the lead actors, especially those who play Father Paul & Bev. In the end, though, it's a horror series rather than a philosophical one.

[Baggers]

Baggers, Star Trek was also a more conventional show that was shoehorned into SF. Its studio pitch was that it would be "Wagon Train to the Stars". Wagon Train was a popular western series with 1 hour episodes where the main cast moved with the wagon train and each new 1 hour episode involved a new place and new guest stars with some drama to resolve. The space program obviously provided an interesting new backdrop (and John F. Kennedy wasn't a bad role model for James T. Kirk). Both the western and SF formats allowed scriptwriters to deal with topical issues without being seen to be directly critical of contemporary politics. More recently, shows like West Wing and Law & Order have been able to rip stories out of the news headlines.

No doubt Star Trek hit a nerve in the US with its optimistic vision of its future as the country confronted fears of nuclear war in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis together with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights battles.

Spot on... and no other genre would have allowed Kirk and Nyota to kiss! Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea was another fave, until it lost its way catering to colour TV with ridiculous monsters.

[capcom]

Spot on... and no other genre would have allowed Kirk and Nyota to kiss! Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea was another fave, until it lost its way catering to colour TV with ridiculous monsters.

Many borrowed from Irwin Allen's other show "lost in space"

[Baggers]

If anyone's looking for a slow-burn, cerebral sort of show, Midnight Mass on Netflix is worth a look. It's not really SF; it's in the horror/supernatural genre. But it has great character development and touches on topics like how good people can be persuaded to do bad things, coping with regrets and grief, and the meaning of life and death. It features some impressive work from the lead actors, especially those who play Father Paul & Bev. In the end, though, it's a horror series rather than a philosophical one.

I've just added Midnight Mass to my watch list on Netflix - thank you Wingman Mav. Big fan of supernatural stuff, intertwined with religion. Although not 'high brow', I enjoyed Stigmata... Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne did a a great job.

Did anyone else see Solaris, with Clooney? Thoughts?

[madbluboy]

Not a film, but the series The Expanse is by far the most accurate for getting the physics of space correct when it's applied by the directors.

A mate told me to watch that. I gave it about 3 episodes and I asked if he was joking? Turned out I was watching Extant not The Expanse. Should have wrote it down.

[LP]

A mate told me to watch that. I gave it about 3 episodes and I asked if he was joking? Turned out I was watching Extant not The Expanse. Should have wrote it down.

It's on Amazon Prime at the moment, the final 6th season starts on the 14th of Dec.

I reckon [member=61]Baggers[/member] would like the earlier seasons, a bit of intrigue mixed with Science Fiction, if you like darker edge to your SciFi another worth watching would be Altered Carbon as well, the real series Altered Carbon not the animation version.

[Baggers]

It's on Amazon Prime at the moment, the final 6th season starts on the 14th of Dec.

I reckon [member=61]Baggers[/member] would like the earlier seasons, a bit of intrigue mixed with Science Fiction, if you like darker edge to your SciFi another worth watching would be Altered Carbon as well, the real series Altered Carbon not the animation version.

Thank you, Spotted One. Enjoying it so far. You get interesting dreams watching it before sleeping!

Wingman Mav - spot on re character development in Midnight Mass. Really well done. Just finished the first episode. Like the change of pace from other stuff.