too much sometimes IS enough

[adelaidesean]

Two reviews of Danny Boyle's new movie "Sunshine" (by Grant Watson and Marcus Chown) and Lucius Shepard's recent rant have convinced me to commit to something I've been inching up on for a while now.

From this moment henceforth, I refuse to see a serious science fiction movie (i.e. one we're supposed to take seriously, rather than, say, Fantastic Four) in which scientific knowledge and the people employed in the pursuit thereof are needlessly treated badly.

In other words, I'm boycotting science fiction movies that contain overtly crap science unless there's some kind of pay-off for putting up with it.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable. Is it so wrong to want movie-physics (say) to bear at least a passing resemblance to the physics surrounding us in our everyday lives? Or to wish that scientists were rounded characters, with the same depth of being that other characters in the movie enjoy? Failing both of these, could we at least have something else in exchange? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind explored powerful and thought-provoking themes through extraordinary direction and performances. Armageddon (like so many others in its league) did not.

I'm amazed that we settle for anything else. No one would watch a thriller that wasn't thrilling or a romantic comedy with unlikeable leads. A movie set in post-war Italy wouldn't include the Grand Canyon and icebergs just because the director felt like it. Why should the relationship between science and science fiction be any different? There's enough sense-of-wonder to be had out there without getting things so terribly, terribly wrong--and good special effects are the standard now, not the major drawcard they used to be.

Movies that let me down this way drive me mad. Since I don't want to be mad, I'm going to stop supporting the Big Dumb SF Blockbuster industry. No one in Hollywood will notice, I'm sure, but I'll feel better for it.

Comments

[bluetyson.livejournal.com]

If I had The Island, I wouldn't be bumping off either MacGregor or Johansson, I reckon. :) Buttattoos is extreme corporate branding! :)

The intarweb will certainly give you a fair idea of crapness, with forums and rotten tomatoes etc., not just one given source's person.

and speaking of not paying attention to movies (or much of the media at all), what is Sunshine?

[ladnews.livejournal.com]

Sunshine is the new movie by Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. A great talent, and I was really looking forward to this one. Check out the reviews I linked to and you'll see why I was put off.

I will wear my buttattoo with pride!

[robinpen.livejournal.com]

28 Days Later was derivative to the point of plagerism. You should have known better.

[ladnews.livejournal.com]

Maybe, but a movie being derivative doesn't irk me as badly as one containing dumb science (I still like "The Cell", for instance). And in every other respect, I thought "28 Days" was pretty cool. I'm looking forward to the sequel...

[robinpen.livejournal.com]

Well, you indeed should look forward to it. It is getting very positive reviews, esp regarding its sociopolitical intellegence, and generally considered notably superior to the original (even though that took the excellent storyline for Day of the Triffids and reshot the best moments from the Living Dead Trilogy). This one has been witten and directed by the guy who did Intacto, regarded as one of the recent intellegent low budget SF films like Cube, Primer and Open Your Eyes.

[ladnews.livejournal.com]

Seb and I are keen. I was basing my enthusiasm solely on the presence of the cool dude from Ultraviolet, so it's nice to know that it's meant actually to be good.

I haven't seen Intacto, but am curious now. Thanks for the tip. I haven't seen Open Your Eyes either. Maybe I should, um, open mine.