the power of sci fi

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The science fiction genre, in particular science fiction films have, since their inception, be renowned for their earth defying concepts, ground breaking innovation and larger than life characters. Encompassing all facets contemporary science and technological innovation, the sci-fi genre covers everything from parallel universes to the creation of artificial intelligence. With such a broad canvas of imagination it is easy for directors and authors to create worlds where our real-life politics, morality, identities and even the fundamentals of human nature can be deconstructed and set out of balance. Moreover it can be seen that at the heart of most Sci-Fi films is a fear of the power of science and technology. This fear, along with question of what it is to be human, especially in regards to artificial intelligence, has created a discourse that can be seen throughout most veins of science fiction. Film academic Forest Pyle suggested that “we may start out with our assumptions of a clear distinction between human and machine intact: but through its representation of the hybrid figure of the cyborg, the film ‘plays’ on a borderline that we come to see as shifting and porous, one that begins to confuse the nature of the oppositions and the values we ascribe to it” (Pyle 229). It can be said that in reference to this quote, through the use of cinematic style and narrative content Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) and James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) use the figure of the Artificial Human or ‘Cyborg” to reflect the power of science and technology in the 21st century, along with exploring fundamental aspects of human nature.

In contemporary society it is almost impossible to go anywhere without being confronted with some so...

... middle of paper ...

..., along with particular cinematic shots, both James Cameron and Ridley Scott have reflected on the key facets of human nature.

Works cited
Ardent, Hannah. The Human Condition. 1st ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958. Print.
Blade Runner. Ridley Scott, 1982. Film.
Eiseley, Loren C. The Firmament of Time. 1st ed. New York: Atheneum, 1960. Print.
Pyle, Forest. 'Making Cyborgs, Making Humans: Of Terminators And Blade Runners'. The cybercultures reader (2000): 124--137. Print.
Redmond, Sean. Liquid Metal. 1st ed. London: Wallflower, 2004. Print.
Telotte, JP. 'Human Artifice and the Science Fiction Film'. Film Quarterly (1983): 44--51. Print.
Telotte, JP. 'The Terminator, Terminator 2, & the Exposed Body'. Journal of Popular Film and Television 20.2 (1992): 26--34. Print.
The Terminator. James Cameron, 1984. Film.
The Terminator 2. James Cameron, 1991. Film.

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