2008 Woodie Awards
Bill of Rights
Sci-Fi's Undue Abuse
Bill Rhein
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Entertainment
Of all entertainment genres, science fiction takes a great amount of undue abuse. Uninformed viewers unfairly stereotype sci-fi films and television shows as "nerdy" or "geeky." This is not true, however, because not every "Star Trek" fan has abnormal acne, buckteeth, and a thick pair of glasses. If you desire to see what the buzz is all about, I have a few suggestions to expand your horizons. One does not have to be obsessive to enjoy these fine pieces of entertainment.
A recent movie one could use to "cut their teeth" on is Danny Boyle's "Sunshine", released last year. Boyle who directed films such as "28 Days Later" and "Trainspotting," gives an impressive story about humankind on a mission to save the Earth. Years in the future, the sun is dying and a select crew is set to deliver a payload to reinvigorate it. Along the way, they receive a distress signal, which they answer and disaster ensues. It is an exciting and terrifying movie in space similar to "Alien" and "Event Horizon" and is well worth a watch. One does not have to worry about techno-babble that may turn people off, because as long as viewers pay attention, the movie explains everything. It is a story about testing humanity that just happens to take place in space.
Along those lines, I am going to recommend a film that may make one shudder to consider. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is an extraordinary film with action and excitement. People stigmatized this film as a program for geeks, which is unfair. For some reason, "Star Wars" has escaped the majority of the criticism, yet these two films are on the same level. It is a clever and engrossing from the very beginning. Not only does it deserve to have everyone watch it, but also earns the right to have the vicious labels removed from it. I have limited experience with "Star Trek" but I was able to pick this up and enjoy its many fine qualities.
Finally, I recommend the works from the mind of Joss Whedon: "Firefly," and the subsequent film "Serenity." "Firefly" is the story of ship and its crew that roam the galaxy looking to get by years after humankind branched out from Earth and a civil war erupted. This television show ran for one season on FOX, who cut it, not knowing what a goldmine they had on their hands. Fans still fight for the show to come back and were delighted when NBC/Universal offered a deal to Whedon and made "Serenity." This follows the same crew on its ventures, where Whedon mixes the right amount of humor and explosions. The structure of these works is similar to a Western set in space and is engrossing and addictive to even first time sci-fi goers.
I sincerely hope people will give sci-fi another chance and examine its fine achievements. It can be just as exciting and entertaining as any other genre. Also, do not judge addicted sci-fi fans. People consider a football fan cool for knowing every statistic about every player on every team from every year, but sci-fi fans are "nerds" for knowing about what interests them. Other movies, like gangster or crime films have their own lingo -- science fiction should have the same rights.
A recent movie one could use to "cut their teeth" on is Danny Boyle's "Sunshine", released last year. Boyle who directed films such as "28 Days Later" and "Trainspotting," gives an impressive story about humankind on a mission to save the Earth. Years in the future, the sun is dying and a select crew is set to deliver a payload to reinvigorate it. Along the way, they receive a distress signal, which they answer and disaster ensues. It is an exciting and terrifying movie in space similar to "Alien" and "Event Horizon" and is well worth a watch. One does not have to worry about techno-babble that may turn people off, because as long as viewers pay attention, the movie explains everything. It is a story about testing humanity that just happens to take place in space.
Along those lines, I am going to recommend a film that may make one shudder to consider. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is an extraordinary film with action and excitement. People stigmatized this film as a program for geeks, which is unfair. For some reason, "Star Wars" has escaped the majority of the criticism, yet these two films are on the same level. It is a clever and engrossing from the very beginning. Not only does it deserve to have everyone watch it, but also earns the right to have the vicious labels removed from it. I have limited experience with "Star Trek" but I was able to pick this up and enjoy its many fine qualities.
Finally, I recommend the works from the mind of Joss Whedon: "Firefly," and the subsequent film "Serenity." "Firefly" is the story of ship and its crew that roam the galaxy looking to get by years after humankind branched out from Earth and a civil war erupted. This television show ran for one season on FOX, who cut it, not knowing what a goldmine they had on their hands. Fans still fight for the show to come back and were delighted when NBC/Universal offered a deal to Whedon and made "Serenity." This follows the same crew on its ventures, where Whedon mixes the right amount of humor and explosions. The structure of these works is similar to a Western set in space and is engrossing and addictive to even first time sci-fi goers.
I sincerely hope people will give sci-fi another chance and examine its fine achievements. It can be just as exciting and entertaining as any other genre. Also, do not judge addicted sci-fi fans. People consider a football fan cool for knowing every statistic about every player on every team from every year, but sci-fi fans are "nerds" for knowing about what interests them. Other movies, like gangster or crime films have their own lingo -- science fiction should have the same rights.
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