The overlying theme of sci-fi is to examine the implications of unintended consequences. That is why topics like extraterrestrial life, time travel, cloning, and artificial intelligence are so prominent among these films. These topics bring into light existential questions.
Artificial intelligence as a theme is not merely aimed at examining the real life implications of robots; rather, the theme is to determine questions of human free will and choice. One of the best examinations of artificial intelligence is the recent film Ex Machina.
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Ex Machina is a beautiful film that brings into mind behavioral heuristics and ties it into the theme of artificial intelligence. The film follows a computer programmer, Caleb, who visits Nathan, the CEO of Caleb’s company, at his secluded home where he has developed what may or may not be the first artificial intelligence in Ava, a humanoid android played by Alicia Vikander. As Caleb tests Ava’s sentience, he begins to doubt his own sentience. Ex Machina is one of the best films of 2015 and will certainly become one of the tent pole science fiction films of all time.
Another great science fiction film also came out in 2015: Ridley Scott’s The Martian. The Martian is the latest in the hyper-realistic space travel films, following in the vein of Gravity and Interstellar. Mark Watney is part of one of the first manned missions to the Red Planet in the near future. When a storm strikes the crew, Watney is blown away from the space craft and his crew believes he is dead, leaving the very alive Watney marooned on Mars with incredibly limited resources.
The film follows three story arcs: Watney’s efforts to make contact with Earth and his struggles to grow food on the desert planet, Watney’s crew and their efforts to rescue him, and NASA workers on Earth dealing with the PR crisis and the technical and economic challenges of sending a rescue mission. The Martian excels in keeping each story arc as interesting as the others. Furthermore, it is one of the most realistic science fiction films to date, with Watney using complex chemistry to cultivate potatoes.
Most science fiction films require suspension of disbelief, The Martian does not. The timing feels very real as well, with the mission to go back to Mars taking months. This realism makes it all the more engaging, and adds to the feel of hyper-realism. Even more impressive is that in the most dire situations, Scott, with the help of Damon’s demeanor, evokes a light-hearted sense of comedy throughout the film.
The Academy, however, is traditionally reluctant to nominate science fiction or fantasy films for best picture. The one exception that comes to mind is Return of the King (2003). That is, in my opinion, the greatest accomplishment in cinematic history.
Yet, even though some sci-fi flicks like Avatar or Inception have been nominated, the trophy always go to the cut out drama flick that deals with timely controversial issues.
This is a real shame; just because a film is sci-fi does not make it any less valid. Often, the greatest performances are found in sci-fi films as well. One of the greatest sci-fi films, Forbidden Planet, was merely nominated for technical awards despite the fact that it examines the deep psychological concepts of the id overtaking one’s identity, which is far more interesting than 1956 best picture winner Around the World in 80 Days.
Even recently, some of the best films of a given year are swept under the rug. 2009’s Moon was an excellent response to corporate ethics, an incredibly timely issue, and was not listed at all at the Oscars. But there is still hope for sci-fi.
The nominees for the 88th Academy Awards were announced last week, and to much surprise, both The Martian and Ex Machina were nominated for more than just the technical aspects which they excelled in. The Martian garnered nominations for best picture, best actor, and best screenplay, while Ex Machina received a best screenplay nomination.
While I would have liked to have seen Ex Machina nominated for best picture, this marks a milestone for film, as it seems that the Academy is coming to the realization that sci-fi films can be just as compelling as indie drama films based on true stories of unique outsiders who change the world (e.g. The Imitation Game, Theory of Everything, etc.).
As we progress in an age of ever growing acceptance and diversification, our art is the best measure of how far we have come as a society and our values.
The fact that the most reputable film organization is giving credit to excellent pieces of art that reflect the times is a huge step forward and even though the Oscar will likely go to other films, the nominations are a start.
