The American Film Institute is doing some big television special in June, giving us their top ten films in a number of different categories.
I wasn’t able to use my uber-l33t skills to hack into their website to download the list of nominated sci-fi films, but thankfully the Sci-Fi Channel’s news wire has a list of the 50 films nominated in the science fiction category.
Something Viper Pilot can use his uberness for, however, is to dissect the shit out of this list and cull the chaff.
Disclaimer: I’m not necessarily saying these are bad films – in fact, I’m quite fond of Alien and Star Wars – but they just don’t meet the Viper Pilot criteria for science fiction.
Alien – Sorry, guys. It’s just a thriller/horror movie set on a spaceship.
Independence Day – Are you kidding me? Aie. This hurts my brain, and brings the quality of their whole stupid institute into question.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Mad Max 1 or 2, sure, on the whole “what if man uses the fruits of technology to fuck everything up?” tip, but 3? What the hell?
Men In Black – A Will Smith comedy does not ever get to be called science fiction. This made it in but I, Robot doesn’t? Poop.
Star Wars IV – Don’t even start.
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March 12, 2008 at 19:03
Tha Sweaty Butcha
I think that you need to keep this in mind. They aren’t talking about “Pure” sci-fi, but the lumped category Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Many of the movies that made that list, while not sci-fi, certainly have an aspect of the fantastic to them. Just something to mull over while you fume about how they should have called it the Sci-Fi/Fantasy list in the first place to stall this discussion at the starting line.
March 13, 2008 at 23:00
Viper Pilot
I hear ya. A valid point.
Unfortunately for the world, they’re going to have to keep listening to me bitch about things like this.
The general public’s inability to separate sci-fi from fantasy is one of my (and Atomique’s) pet peeves. Perhaps one of the largest peeves. A super-peeve, one might say.
March 20, 2008 at 04:41
Fred R.
Mitch, just for the sake of completeness, how do YOU define the difference between Sci-Fi and fantasy?
I’ve always defined science fiction as a study in how society reacts to changes in technology. maybe somewhat simplistic, but I’ve never really had time to flesh it out.