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October 06, 2004

I Hate Movies.

This is the post where I request recommendations from all you special people out there for science fiction films where the pursuit of science isn't cast as a monumental act of hubris against God and Nature. Seriously.

Please tell me all about flims you enjoy that feature technology or scientific experimentation, but are as devoid of evil/insane scientists, researchers, or cold, faceless sci-tech corporations gettin' their comeuppance as possible. This includes rampaging genetic test subjects, out-of-control robots, traitorous AI, and the requisite Blind Science-Acolyte Skeptical to the End, who can't believe OMG SCIENCE HAS FAILED, but knows how to open the chamber/hack the Gibson/upload the virus/irradiate the gibbon-molesting room, so isn't as expendable as the rest of the guys in white coats.

At no point should the Hero announce "This is WRONG!", be poo-pooed by the Authority Figure, and then attempt to save the Authority Figure from the molested gibbons, only to JUST fail, because Authority Figure needs to die for daring to molest those gibbons when God never intended him to, and Hero needs to show what an awesome guy he is by even bothering to try in the first place. But not too hard.

I'd prefer a moral that doesn't involve things MAN, in all-caps, was never meant to do, because MAN (also all-caps) was never meant to wear underpants, rent climate-controlled re-conditioned lofts in the meatpacking district to impress their girlfirends, be immunized against polio, or live past thirty-five. The three pounds of hyperactive, sparking think-meat mashed up inside all of our skulls pretty much ensures that we get to do whatever the hell we please, and when you can make your own reality, what nature intended becomes irrelevant pretty goddamn fast. Taken to its logical conclusion, the assertion that scientific curiousity or advancement isn't what's meant for humanity means we should all still be living in trees, trying to find a comfortable way to sit on an estrus swelling and working termites out of the branches with twigs.

Unless you people have a problem with twigs now or something.

So yeah. Recommendations, please. I'll Netflix all the promising ones.

Posted by Spike at October 6, 2004 10:45 PM

Comments

Ooh! ooh! Master and Commander! It *sounds* like cheap porn, but it is in fact a swashbucklingly graphs good time, and (get this) there's this total ripoff-of-Darwin entomologist, right? And he KICKS ASS. In a totally righteous fashion. Two thumbs and six legs up!
... that said, you've probably seen it already. What the hell, see it again. ENTOMOLOGY. (also: evolution! It's implied!)

(other movie biologists of note...uh.. the prissy arachnologist in "Arachnophobia", the completely hilarious "PhD" in Anacondas 2 (which is a great movie for all kinds of extremely stupid reasons) ...maybe Jodie Foster in Contact? Diane Fossey, Gorillas in the Mist? Man, this is a depressingly short list.)

Posted by Ainsley S at October 6, 2004 11:37 PM
128.32.85.81

I really, really like the recent remake of "Solaris". Most people hate it. It's very slow and intellectual. It has a little bit of that "Man's not ready for this shit" sort of thing you say you hate, but the ending totally makes up for it.

It's honest-to-God SF filmmaking without the need for Shit Blowing Up. It's the absolute inversion of "I, Robot". And the director says, "If you don't like the first ten minutes, get up and leave, because you'll hate the rest of it", and dammit I can appreciate a director with that kind of honesty.

Posted by Wagner at October 7, 2004 12:41 AM
24.28.87.101

uh.... Short Circuit? The 1986 movie? *lol* don't remember much about it, but I seem to recall that the little robot guy was the hero, and the bad guys were the ones trying to quash him. Though he got his powers from a lightning bolt, so I guess that kind of invalidates the human role in it.

Posted by twig_tea at October 7, 2004 01:37 AM
142.173.23.168

I feel you... but I can't help. I can think of a single good sci-fi movie; certainly not one that doesn't violate your preset rules.

I always argued that the point of "Frankenstein" wasn't 'Man should not play God!" but rather, "Man should not treat other men like shit!" Really, the creature was just fine until everyone freaked out and treated him like shit.

Posted by spookable at October 7, 2004 08:13 AM
152.13.146.27

I just saw Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and I think that fits most of your prerequisites. Someone already mentioned Solaris. And although they aren't movies, I think you'd really enjoy reading Stephen Baxter's Manifold Time books. Considered sci-fi fiction, he uses a lot of current scientific fact and theory to tell a very beleivable story about frontiering in space. And best of all - no monkey test subjects going apeshit in a lab.

Posted by Hil at October 7, 2004 10:17 AM
67.175.206.201

I suspect Hollywood turns out so many variations on the Frankenstein theme because drama students are usually bad at math.

Posted by Tone at October 7, 2004 01:15 PM
68.15.19.133

THX 1138

Posted by Speck at October 7, 2004 02:56 PM
24.71.223.142

Or, imagine, the original Solaris. We rented the beautiful two-disc set recently. Its in Russian, which makes everything seem more dramatic, and its a serial. A serial! Why don't they make serials anymore?

Anyway, Solaris is about grief, and its director, Andrei Tarkovsky wanted it to be the anti-2001.

Posted by Brenna at October 8, 2004 11:15 AM
67.170.164.193

I'll queue up both the original Solaris and the remake, just for the hell of it.

Master and Commande, done, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, done, THX 1183, done. already seen Short Circuit, though, so I'll take a pass. Heh. Thanks, guys, I appreciate it.

Posted by spike at October 8, 2004 03:50 PM
68.20.214.143

How about Earth vs The Flying Saucers. An alien invasion movie from the 50's with special Ray Harryhausen effects. Way better than it sounds (although it's still a 50s alien invasion movie...) Science! saves the day.

Also the Dr. Quatermass films. There was the occasional military type trying to subvert things, but Quatermass is the hero.

Close Envounters had non evil scientists...

Posted by Surlyben at October 17, 2004 01:26 AM
24.19.39.196

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