Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. (http://www.
It took many decades of development before science fiction films were taken seriously. Originally, they were very much looked down on as B movies, with low budgets and no well known actors, and it wasn't until Star Trek and Star Wars were released in the 1970's that they made a big impact as a genre. The first science fiction films were made by Georges Melies, a French magician, in the early 1900's, including A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). However, it was more the 'fantasy' part of his films which inspired other film-makers and sci-fi as a genre took quite some time to become popular. In the 1920's German film-makers produced a number of films which imagined significantly greater developments in science, such as space travel, and in the l930's and 1940's a number of low budget sci-fi serials were made, with all sorts of futuristic gadgets and inventions, which were based on pure fantasy rather than any attempt to consider serious possible scientific developments. However, in the 1950's there was renewed interest in the genre, partly because the films were made to appeal to the teenage market, which was increasing with the growth of drive-in cinemas, and partly as a reaction to fear of the atomic bomb and the Cold War. Destination Moon (1950) was the first sci-fi film to try to be true to current and possible scientific developments and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was the first film to portray aliens who had better technology than us and who were also coming as friends, not enemies. Other classic sci-fi films made at this time were 'creature features' which featured monsters which were created on earth as a result of mistakes made with atomic radiation, such as Them! (1954) and Tarantula (1955), reflecting society's worry about the effects of nuclear warfare. The next film of particular note was Planet of the Apes (1968) (which received an Honorary Award for Makeup), commenting on the inhumane treatment of animals; it had a number of well known actors in its cast and was a big hit. The same year 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduced the idea of a computer working for itself for its own benefit rather than that of human operators, and also emphasised the importance of stunning special effects in the genre.
However, it was in the late 1970's that science fiction became an important and highly regarded genre in its own right, when firstly Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and then Star Wars (1977) were released; Star Wars is still the third highest-grossing film ever in the US and received 10 Oscar Nominations. This was a classic science-fiction film, but also encompassed other film genres, such as the Western, fantasy and combat films, making it appeal to a vast audience. A common occurrence with science-fiction films is that they spawn sequels and Star Wars has five. These films established science fiction as a popular genre and have been followed by numerous notable films, including Alien (1979), also incorporating the horror genre, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), growing to series of 12 films, and ET the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), another major box office hit. The special effects employed in these films have developed significantly, especially with the use of computer generated special effects, such as the 'creature feature' series Jurassic Park (1993, 1997, 2001, 2015).
Like other genres, science fiction often contains elements of other film genres, such as horror. In Frankenstein (1931), for example, the concept of a mad scientist producing a monster has elements of both science fiction and horror. Sci-fi theoretician Vivian Sobchack explained the difference between the 'monsters' in horror films and the 'creatures' in science fiction films by noting that horror film monsters often evoke some sympathy from the audience and there's usually only one in a film, whereas the creatures in science fiction films tend not to have any human emotions attributed to them and make no emotional connection with the audience, being just 'things' which are usually hostile and in groups. A film such as Star Wars also has elements of the Western (the suggestion of exploring new frontiers) and combat films. Science fiction films, however, are particularly identified by their settings; usually in the future in conditions that may result from imagined developments in technology with its repercussions on human life. This allows the creators to use limitless imagination on the conditions that may exist and to continue to answer the question 'what if?' as one development leads to another, such as developing space travel opening up whole new worlds and the life that may or may not exist within them. Another factor common to this genre is the production of series, sequels and prequels, with only horror films having a similarly high number. For example, Star Wars has six films, Planet of the Apes five and Alien four. These films are appealing to a young audience, who also like to have related merchandise produced, such as video games and comic books, and who become such fans that they will attend conventions, such as the fans of Star Trek.
The fact that science fiction films are set in the future or the present with imagined technological developments, means that film-makers use a number of easily recognisable icons, such as the spaceship, aliens, robots, cyborgs, computers taking control and dystopia (a world where life is particularly bad). Throughout their development, science fiction films have also reflected the issues concerning society at the time, such as the 1950's fear of the unknown effects of atomic warfare (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 1956), concerns about the environment and overpopulation (Blade Runner, 1982), the emerging reliance on computers (WarGames,1983) and the development of cyberspace (the Matrix series).
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