I have not seen the silent sheet being pulled over the body. I have not heard the vulture's wings. I have not read the coroner's report. Still, I have to ask myself, 'Is sci-fi dead?' I not talking about the fantasy genre which has recently exploded with the likes of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings; or comic book movies which should ride a wave of popularity the next four or five years. I am talking about good old-fashioned science fiction. Is it dead?
At first glance the answer may appear to be 'no'. In May, George Lucas is coming out with Star Wars: Episode II. Star Trek X is just around the corner. Not to mention the likes of Minority Report, Soderbergh's Solaris remake, Tron 2, T-3 and T-4, Matrix 2 and 3, and a dozen other big budget projects emerging from Hollywood over the next few years. With CGI technology, special effects are becoming more realistic all the time. Worlds, previously only possible in a person's head just a few short years ago, can now be put on the screen. The rubber and latex creatures have been replaced with creations that are almost impossible to tell don't actually exist. On my bookshelves, sit a number of books by great science fiction writers whose stories would make incredible films. This should be the heyday of sci-fi, right?
Instead I think the bell is tolling for the genre. I am not saying that there will not be a good sci-fi film or two every year. There are too many talented directors like Steven Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky, and, of course, Steven Spielberg, planning space operas over the next few years. But for the most part Hollywood is a million dollars worth of promise worth about ten cents on delivery. I am afraid that we are not about to enter the golden age of science fiction films. In fact, while we might get some gems, I believe science fiction fans are going to find themselves having to search harder for their fix as the years progress.
The first reason I believe that sci-fi is in trouble is the CGI technology itself. The curse is in the blessing. While Hollywood can create vast landscapes inside computers, entire universes made of 0s and 1s, this technology comes at an expensive price. To get a movie made takes a substantial investment of capital by the studios. There are very few sci-fi movies, like Gattaca, out there that cost very little to make. With such financial resources at risk, few quality flicks will see the light of day. Only directors and stars with a lot of stroke will be able to get projects green lighted. Hollywood is not going to risk $100 million on an unproven director or stars.
With said substantial investment comes Hollywood's tendency to play it safe. One only has to look at the Star Trek series of movies to see this in action. With a fan base that will buy whatever they produce, there is no need to take risks or deal with subject matter that might be offensive. In fact, there is every financial reason not to. Darker and base motivations of the lead characters will disappear, replaced by warm and fuzzy Muppets and sparkly things to divert the audience's attention. I have talked with several screenwriters who have shelved their sci-fi projects due to studio bosses' dictates. The more money invested the more the bosses want a say in what is happening on the screen. It is always the case in Hollywood that too many cooks spoil the soup. The more people giving their in-put, the more a project gets watered down. Just look at what happened to Babylon 5 over the last few years or the butchery that was done to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.
American studios believe audiences are stupid. Any concept that involves a lot of thought is dangerous to profits. As one studio head summed it up, for movies to make a ton of money the average person should be able to sum it up in one or two sentences. For example, Jaws: Big fish cause havoc. Hero kills big fish. The best science fiction deals with very complicated issues such as appearance and reality, questions of identity, and a basic understanding of what it means to be human. These are questions that mainstream Hollywood believes not everyone has the mental resources to really grapple with.
Finally, Hollywood is currently trapped in a Lucas/Kubrick visual perspective on the universe. Even with the wonderful CGI technology the mainstream movie industry has not created many new ways to view the universe since Star Wars. As one studio bigwig told me, 'There are only so many ways you can film a space ship cruising through outer space. There is nothing new we can really show audiences.' This is why the Star Trek series has had to recycle the same stories over and over again, and seems to be forever trapped repeating itself. To challenge these visual traditions and plot points means taking risks, something Hollywood is not going to risk millions of dollars doing.
For every Dark City, a truly original masterpiece, there are 25 other science fiction films like The Red Planet and Mission to Mars. With the rise in costs, it is only going to get worse. While there are a number of science fiction films that might look very good on the horizon, it is nowhere near the league where it should or could be. Is there a young filmmaker out there who dreams that there is still life in the body?
