Do you reach an age where you go off of sci fi?
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Not me.
It’s just that there are different types of sci fi that attract me now (more cerebral or weighty).
In fact, I find myself exploring more sci fi than ever. Especially those under-the-radar, semi-indie films that come out every year. But I have a bar; I don’t seek out those cheapo flicks that used to be on SyFy channel back in the day (SHARKNADO and that kind of stuff). I need a little more ambition than that. But there’s very little worth seeing that I haven’t seen.
The question implies that it’s a “youth genre” or so, but it’s not. Science fiction is Star Wars and Star Trek, but it’s also Huxley and Bradbury, Asimov and Heinlein, Lem and Tarkovsky, Kubrick’s 2001 and Niccol’s GATTACA… So no, you don’t reach an age where you go off “sci-fi” anymore than you reach an age where you go off comedies or historical drama or Westerns.
But yeah, the kind of “sci-fi” one enjoys may change.
In fact, I find myself exploring more sci fi than ever. Especially those under-the-radar, semi-indie films that come out every year. But I have a bar;
Anybody ever been to the Fantasy Film Fest in Berlin or any other German town?
It is one brillant week full of b-movies, mainly horror, science fiction and fantasy. It is really a lot of fun and a fest of creativity.
Here you find some of these under-the-radar films for sure.
The question implies that it’s a “youth genre” or so, but it’s not.
I know. It was a deliberately “clickbaity” thread title, like something a “normie” would say, and then I quickly refused it in the first post. It was more because we needed a sci fi thread, really.
Anybody ever been to the Fantasy Film Fest in Berlin or any other German town?
No, but I’ve always wanted to visit one of those niche festivals. There’s a sci fi film festival in Oslo too, called Ravenheart, and one in the west of Norway about horror called Ramaskrik. One of these days!
That one in Berlin looks nice, but no films to be seen there as of yet? Also, beyond LOTR and a few other things, I’m not really into fantasy. Kind of a pure sci fi buff.
My top five all time favorite movies could be categorized as belonging to the genres Western, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, and Science Fiction, so it’s a bit spread out.
That one in Berlin looks nice, but no films to be seen there as of yet?
Yes. Apart from OBSESSION and MOM,I’M ALIEN PREGNANT not much mentioned yet. But these two already demonstrate nicely the range of movies, that are shown there. I also visited the short film program once. That was also cool.
It is usually a nice mixture of New movies and some genre classics.
Also, beyond LOTR and a few other things, I’m not really into fantasy. Kind of a pure sci fi buff.
For Fantasy in the fashion of Lord of the Rings we know that the movie must spend high production efforts to prevent it from looking cheap and crappy.
Anybody ever been to the Fantasy Film Fest in Berlin or any other German town?
We have that up here as well. I always wanted but never managed be it time wise or even money wise…
No, not seen THE ASSESSMENT, Alex. Thanks for the tip! I intend to recommend a few under-the-radar sci fi gems here myself, once I get on top of things.
No, I’ve never «gone off» science fiction – it’s been my favorite genre basically all my life, or at least since my early teens. That goes for movies and TV shows as well as books. But sure, my preferences have changed over time. Mindless action is of very little interest now. Stories should offer something else – philosophical reflections, address current-day issues from a sci-fi angle, or tell of an engaging personal or societal journey. Or any combination of these. Sure, I love well-done and dazzling special effects, too, and I don’t mind a good action sequence, but there has to be some motivation behind it.
… I’ve always wanted to visit one of those niche festivals. There’s a sci fi film festival in Oslo too, called Ravenheart, and one in the west of Norway about horror called Ramaskrik. One of these days!
There used to be a yearly sci-fi convention at the University of Oslo, organized by the science fiction club there (Aniara). I went to several of them, but I’m not sure if they’re doing them any longer, or if the club still exists. The conventions were a mix of talks and discussion panels, TV and movie showings, and even cosplay competitions. I remember some tension between older fans, who were mostly interested in SF literature, preferably by classic authors like Robert A Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Poul Anderson, Jack Vance etc., and the «neo-fans», who were more into movies and TV shows. I was probaby somewhere in the middle. But the conventions were fun, and nerdy enough. 🙂
I must admit, there might be one little aspect that slightly lowered my enthusiasm for sciFi, but it doesn’t have to do with getting older. SciFi movies or TV shows had their charm in the challenge of putting that future world and advanced technology into believable images. That is also a reason why I never was a huge fan of animated scifi shows or movies. It is a little like watching an animated Fred Astair movie. It’s about the real thing. Dance on air.
Since with CGI you are able to maipulate moving images easily in any thinkable way, it lost a little of its fascination. So, originality, story and ideas have become more important. But I have rather a crash for old fashioned handmade scifi.Ok. The counter argument for what I said, was that my scifi passion was really enflamed by the animated Netflix Show Arcane. That had all that I love about science fiction, action, drama, ugh… anything. That was really a great show. So, there are exceptions from the rule.
My top five all time favorite movies could be categorized as belonging to the genres Western, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, and Science Fiction, so it’s a bit spread out.
I can’t think of one film that fits all those criteria, never mind five…
I remember, I had watched HIGH LIFE and shortly after that saw a Trailer of VOYAGERS and wondered if VOYAGERS was already a remake of HIGH LIFE with Colin Farrell in the role of Juliette Binoche. At least in the trailer it looked very similar.
I didn’t care for those, I’m afraid. VOYAGERS has a bunch of annoying teenagers in it. But it was weird and kinda cool to see Claire Denis try her hands at sci fi in HIGH LIFE. The spaceship looked like an apartment building, so there were other issues that interested her more than futuristic credence. I was also put off by Pattinson’s apathy. ANIARA, which we mentioned in the ‘enormity of space’ thread that Dr. Jacoby did, is a much better film circling around the same existential issues. (And yes, Nils, I too remember the sci fi festival by the same name at the university, although I never attended it myself).
Talking about spaceships looking like appartements. Anyone know this charming German science fiction series “Ijon Tichy” based on Stanislav Lem’s space diaries?
Some episodes are available on YouTube:Anyone know this charming German science fiction series “Ijon Tichy” based on Stanislav Lem’s space diaries?
Yeah, I do, those were great fun and it has a cool groovy score, too!
Never seen that German show, but we had something called BLINDPASSASJER (STOWAWAY) in Norway in the early 80s, and the production design there was also pretty apartment-y. They didn’t have a lot of budget at the time, and it was the first time they produced original Norwegian sci fi on television.
Ijon Tichy orignated from some short movies from around 1999/2000 by film students who later re-did it with the tv series with two seasons in 2007 and 2011. But they kept the “budget look” 😉
Since we are a film score forum just to mention that there were two albums release. Digitally only but there might have been an LP, don’t remember. I got it from iTunes as that was before lossless…. Seems they are not available for download (mayb Spotify has them) but they are on Youtube:
The first time I watched Solyaris, I was young, and naturally, it couldn’t hold a candle to Star Wars. The third time I watched Solyaris, I was much older, and suddenly, it became a hypnotizing experience.
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