about SciFi film
Welcome to SciFi 254! Refer to this page when you need to know in-class details and logistics info.
in the meantime, here is a general outline:
Science Fiction film equally plays a major role in forming our collective imaginary regarding potential futures or unexplored worlds, and in exposing/interrogating our deeply-rooted fears (and irresistible curiosity) of alien invasions, environmental destruction and disease. Hidden underneath layers of “pure entertainment” brought to us by spectacular CGI effects and action-packed scenes, are reflections on, and critiques of, our social customs and taboos.
In Science Fiction film, the above-mentioned fears often materialize through the figure the “Other.” Broadly identified as that which doesn’t belong, the unfamiliar, the outsider, the “Other” comes in the form of a menace from outer space (monstrous creatures or unknown substances ruthlessly attacking the innocent human species, the ghost or the supernatural). It manifests through unknown, uncanny, or unusual space/place (the outer space, the post-apocalyptic, the ultra-technological, or bureaucracy-dominated city of the future). It emerges, unexpectedly, as a consequence of, or from within everyday practices (the freak, the hybrid, the mutant or the robot).
As an omnipresent theme, the “Other” seeps through all aspects of cinematography, mise-en-scène etc…Thus, in this course, the “Other” is used as a starting point that will guide us in the exploration of the complexities of the genre of science fiction film.
lost your outline? here you can find the complete syllabus
