Science Fiction FilmCambridge University Press, 2001 M09 24 - 254 pages Science fiction film examines one of the most enduring and popular genres of Hollywood cinema, suggesting how the science fiction film reflects attitudes toward science, technology, and reason as they have evolved in American culture over the course of the twentieth century. J.P. Telotte provides a survey of science fiction film criticism, emphasizing humanist, psychological, ideological, feminist, and postmodern critiques. He also sketches a history of the genre, from its earliest literary manifestations to the present, while touching on and comparing it to pulp fiction, early television science fiction, and Japanese anime. Telotte offers in-depth readings of three key films: Robocop, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and THX 1138, each of which typifies a particular form of science fiction fantasy. Challenging the boundaries usually seen between high and low culture, literature and film, Science fiction film reasserts the central role of fantasy in popular films, even those concerned with reason, science, and technology. |
Contents
Science Fiction Film The Critical Context | 33 |
A Trajectory of the American Science Fiction Film | 63 |
The Science Fiction Film as Fantastic Text THX 1138 | 123 |
The Science Fiction Film as Marvelous Text Close Encounters of the Third Kind | 142 |
The Science Fiction Film as Uncanny Text RoboCop | 161 |
Crossing Genre Boundaries Bound by Fantasy The Fly 1986 | 179 |
Common terms and phrases
alien Alien Zone American science fiction argues audience become Blade Runner Body Snatchers boundaries CAST Century-Fox Close Encounters comic contemporary context critical Cronenberg cultural cyberpunk cyborg DESIGN efforts elements emphasis ence fiction film especially exploration fantastic Figure Film Genre film's focus Forbidden Planet Frankenstein fundamental futuristic genre's George horror film human Ibid ideological imagery Invasion James John kind literary literature Logan's Run machine marvelous Michael Monster narrative novel offers particularly Paul Verhoeven Paul Virilio PHOTOG Planet popular postmodern potential PROD produce reality Richard RoboCop robot Rosemary Jackson science fic science fiction cinema science fiction film science fiction genre scientific scientist Scott Bukatman seems sense serial Seth simply sort space Spielberg Star Wars Starship Troopers story suggests Susan Sontag television texts themes tion Todorov typically uncanny University Press utopian vantage variety various vision visual