There are many Sci-Fi films out there today, but there are
certain franchises that continue to redefine the genre today. Here are a few you should acquaint yourself
with:
Star Wars: I grew up with the Star
Wars movies. I was in
grade school when I saw the first one with my Dad. We have watched every Star Wars movie together
since: it’s kind of our thing. I think
these stories paved the way for the Sci-Fi film industry as it is today. In this franchise (if you are one of the ten
people world-wide who hasn’t seen one), rebel humans and alien life forms from
across the galaxy fight against the evil Empire. In the first three movies, the main
antagonist is the inhuman Darth Vader who has become more robot than
human. Darth’s biggest threat,
ironically, turns out to be his long-lost son, Luke Skywalker. No one will forget the moment in The
Empire Strikes Back when Darth reveals to Skywalker, “Luke, I am your father.” In the theater I sat in (many years ago),
I’ll never forget the collective gasp and resounding, “What?” that reverberated through the room. The underlying theme in these films is that
the Force (God, Universal Life Force, whatever you wish to call it) is with us
all the time and with it we will prevail.
Independence Day: In this film we are reminded that Freedom is not free and we should value
it every moment of our lives. The Independence Day films focus on alien
invaders set to destroy Earth on the Fourth of July. How DARE those aliens mess with Americans on Independence Day? The evil
insect-like aliens come to Earth and attempt to exterminate all of humankind so
they can strip the Earth of its natural resources. This just ticks the Americans off. Humanity finds that they are hopelessly
out-matched and their weapons are completely ineffective as these merciless
creatures devastate major cities worldwide.
What is the world’s only hope?
Listening to Jeff Goldblum. . .
Marvel Movies: I came upon the Marvel
franchise quite accidentally when my friend invited me to go see
the first Avengers film. My theory
at the time was that if Robert Downy Jr. was in it, it was worth the price of
the movie ticket. Well, I got my money’s
worth big time. From there I went backward
to see all the other films in the franchise.
I cannot get enough of this world and it’s amazing characters (Thank
you, Stan Lee!). My favorite in the
franchise has become, of course (if you know me at all), the Thor movies, because of its portrayal
of the original and king of all tricksters, Loki (played by the charming Tom
Hiddleston.) In these movies, we see how
laughingly antiquated is the firepower of Earth. Thor and Loki live in a world where
scientific advancement and magic go hand in hand. Advanced weaponry, parallel universes, and
time travel through alien-made wormholes are just the tip of the Sci-Fi iceberg
in these films. The theme of these
films: Humans are stubborn and we’ll do
anything to protect our world. And
brothers can drive you insane.
Jurassic Park: I came to Jurassic Park
through a love of Michael Crichton, who I have been reading since I was in high
school. Jurassic Park has been
and will always be my favorite Crichton novel.
I remember when I first saw the Jurassic Park trailer in the movies. All I needed to see was percussion waves in a
cup of water and I knew what film it was even before the T-Rex’s foot came down
into the frame. These films warn us to
be responsible with scientific experimentation.
It is dangerous and selfish to push ahead in areas we do not understand
and cannot control. In Jurassic
Park, a rich billionaire decides to clone dinosaurs from mosquito DNA
so that he can create a theme park that puts Disneyland to shame. The main problem: no single strand of DNA is complete and the
animals created are now completely uncontrollable. A mechanical failure within the main control
center throws the entire park into chaos and Jurassic Park becomes a
dinosaur’s killing field.
Harry Potter: Although Harry Potter
is really in the Fantasy & Magic genre, there are many elements in each of
the films that cross into Science Fiction.
As in Thor and Loki’s world in the Marvel Universe, magic is treated at
times as an exact science. Potter’s
beautifully written anti-hero, Severus Snape (played by the irreplaceable Alan
Rickman) is the first to attest to this.
Magic is seen as a science beyond Muggle (or “Non-Magic Folk”)
comprehension and Professor Snape berates anyone who he feels doesn’t take the
study of magic seriously. The films also
delve into major Sci-Fi themes when they touch on Time Travel with the use of a
Time Turner in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Finally, the entire Wizarding World is
actually a parallel universe existing right inside the Muggle World. If only we knew how to find it . . .
These films were not listed in any particular order. This is just the order that they popped into
my mind. Choosing only five Sci-Fi franchises is pretty
hard. There are too many to mention
(such as Star Trek, Alien, and Back to the Future). These particular films I mentioned have a
hold on my heart as well as my
left-brain. Please forgive me for any
omissions on my very short list and
feel free to mention your favorite franchises in the comment section below. If
you haven’t been introduced to any of these films yet, please go out and see at
least one in each franchise. You won’t
be sorry.
If you are interested in seeing my choice of Sci-Fi writers,
see last week’s blog post at:
And if you would like to experience my version of a Science
Fiction novel, please check out my book Luke
Aloysius: Bloodline on
Amazon books and Kindle at:
https://www.amazon.com/Luke-Aloysius-Bloodline-Laurie-Jeffers-ebook/dp/B01GD9X8BE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?i
May the Force Be With
You and Don’t Let the Muggles Get
You Down!
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