A GREAT DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
Is it my imagination or are there more science fiction films and TV shows around the place now than before? Just consider for a moment. Look at your TV guide and compare it to one of say three years ago; Now look at the movies listing in your local newspaper and tell me if a similar thing applies. It isn’t my imagination is it? Science fiction is definitely more accessible now than it has been in years. In fact do you get a feeling that this increase is leading to something bigger? That what’s happening on TV and in the cinemas now is just a prelude to something more grandiose? I think there is, in fact I believe we are in for a major shock wave, the type of which hasn’t been felt in a very long time. If you’re wondering what it’s all leading to, then just consider the words of Dave Bowman from 2010.
"Something is going to happen ... something wonderful."
But what is this thing that is supposed to be so good, and why is it happening now? To answer that, first we must hop into the "way back machine" and go into the past a little way to a time of darkness.
Science fiction films went through great development in the latter half of the 60s and the early part of the 70s, which reflected the events in the social community at the time. Gone were the days when flying saucers and giant monsters were all the norm. In the real world, the Cold War was in full swing and the effects of Vietnam was taking its psychological toll on Western society. The threat of all-out nuclear war with mass destruction, population annhilation, nuclear winters and radiation poisoning spurred imaginative sci-fi film makers to produce a whole swag of post-apocalyptic films, all of which left you more depressed than ever before about the future of the Earth and the fragile humanity placed within it. Movies such as: Soylent Green, Silent Running, The Ultimate Warrior, THX 1138, The Omega Man, Planet of the Apes all followed this pattern.
However all this doom and gloom couldn’t last forever and in the latter half of the 70s, a film came along which instigated the biggest wave of science fiction acceptance which has lasted up till the present day. The film of course was Star Wars. Not needing to say much about that which we know so well, it is a proven fact that Star Wars started a giant wave of positive sci-fi films which overwhelmed the populace to the point that you could not go anywhere without getting a dose of it. The shackles were off, science fiction was now in the throws of a major comeback pleasing eager audiences who desperately needed to see something fresh, something that was actually entertaining. People welcomed this great sci-fi revolution and actively became a part of it. Within no time, other hit films besides Star Wars came onto the scene, such as Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century, Alien, Superman, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Black Hole (and some of the more cheesy ones like: The Humanoid, Star Crash, and Battle Beyond the Stars) which were all released before the end of the decade. Then between 1980 and 1985, more sci-fi films were released than for any time that was to follow, like: ET, Blade Runner, Starman, Dune, The Last Starfighter, Mad Max, Star Trek II and III, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Superman II, Flash Gordon, Tron, The Thing, 2010 and the redesigned Metropolis. Everyone was receiving huge doses of science fiction and it was a brave man who stood up to say they didn’t like it. This revolution continued way up until the mid 1980s where it slowly started to wain out, just as Star Wars itself began its quiet slide into decendancy. Science fiction wasn’t dying, it had merely just run out of puff. The mid to late 80s showed the continuance of sequel pictures, like the on-going Star Trek series, the Alien series, the Superman series (which had turned more towards its traditional comic book side than sci-fi) and the Back to the Future series. New standalone films were becoming less common with exceptions being the Terminator, Batteries Not Included, Lawnmower Man as well as a few others. But as a whole, the Sci-fi film genre turned relatively quiet in comparison to its "hey-day" less than 10 years before.
Television in the late 80s told a different story. The emergence of Star Trek: The Next Generation kept the essence of science fiction well and truly alive on the box, but still didn’t hit its zenith until it was aired on TV screens here in Australia in 1991. This covered the patch where science fiction films had slipped into the "few and far between" scenario, with only The Abyss, Terminator II, Total Recall, to keep the spirit alive.
However, as we reach mid-way through 1996, there is now a definate buzz in the air. Have you felt it? Since the beginning of 1995 there has been the slow growing feeling that something is building up (this has especially been fuelled by the increase of sci-fi shows screened on Australian television, Earth 2, Seaquest DSV, Time Trax, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and more recently Star Trek: Voyager, 3rd Rock From the Sun and Sliders), even in the movie world there has been an increase in science fiction film production. Since the beginning of last year films like, Species, Johnny Mnemonic, 12 Monkeys, Stargate, Screamers, Independence Day and Waterworld have all made some kind of impact with the sci-fi community.
But why now? Why has it taken so long for sci-fi movies to find their second wind?
Well I think it is definitely not a coincidence that the upcoming Star Wars Special Edition next year has something to do with it (including the following releases of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi Special Editions, and the 20th anniversary celebration of the of the release of Star Wars). Even at this early stage, Star Wars has already made a triumphant comeback as far as the public’s perception is concerned, juicing everybody up with anticipation of what is yet to come. Other examples of Star Wars’ impending impact can be found in the big Pizza Hut blitz a few months back; the cups and figurines that were released for 95 cents each are now fetching whopping prices on the collector’s market. The THX video release late last year, saw a lot of people buying at least one film of the trilogy in its new format, the toy figures have come out and already the price for Princess Leia has soared way over anyone’s expectations, the continual release of Star Wars novels has seen people eagerly snapping them up so as to continue the adventures of Luke Skywalker and his companions. Even though no actual film stock has hit the screens for over 15 years, Star Wars is becoming the hottest property around, making a lot of people stop and take heed. The magnetism Star Wars is generating leads me to believe that another major science fiction revolution, similar to the first in 1977 which was also started by Star Wars, is just around the corner and Star Wars The Special Edition is the catalyst for it all. Already a new spate of sci-fi films are in the works, Star Trek: First Contact, Alien Resurrection, Planet of the Apes (remake), and of course the new Star Wars trilogy just for starters.
So something wonderful is going to happen, the second great science fiction revolution is on the eve of kicking off and there is no doubt that for the next few years at least, we will see all sorts of sci-fi films coming out of the woodwork. To many people it will appear that film makers are cashing-in on someone else’s success (and to a large degree, this is correct), but for the film goers, it will mean there’s a lot more be excited about. Films and TV shows that haven’t even been conceived yet will be gracing our screens (both large and small) offering a huge range of choices for sci-fi enthusiasts everywhere. Admittedly there will be the assortment of duds in the pile, but if the events of the first revolution is anything to go by, there will be some definite gems that will come out of it, enough to see us through to the third great science fiction revolution sometime in the next century.
*It must be pointed out the terms "first" and "second great science fiction revolution" are a reference to major events in my lifetime only and are not meant to discredit any significant achievements made by sci-fi films prior to the late 1960s.