How Did Science Fiction and Fantasy Become the Most Beloved Forms of Cinema?

[SuperFerret]

People who call 'Star Wars' space fantasy are the ones who are resentful at the fact that it's the most accessible form of science fiction in the world and not an Isaac Asimov novel. It changed how people viewed sci-fi in the 70's. When Lucas pitched SW around town, no one bought into it because suits thought sci-fi was for just children. There was a stigma.

I've always adhered to the idea that sci-fi is stuff that could be possible in the future, putting the "speculative" in speculative fiction, where fantasy is stuff that's literally impossible by any stretch of the imagination due to magic being integral to the setting. Star Wars has magic, therefore it's fantasy.

 

[DA_Champion]

One movie that counts as "Fantasy" is David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.

However, most oscar voters were too dim to realise it, that's how it won awards.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I've always adhered to the idea that sci-fi is stuff that could be possible in the future, putting the "speculative" in speculative fiction, where fantasy is stuff that's literally impossible by any stretch of the imagination due to magic being integral to the setting. Star Wars has magic, therefore it's fantasy.

Is the force really magic?

It could be telekinesis.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

One movie that counts as "Fantasy" is David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.

However, most oscar voters were too dim to realise it, that's how it won awards.

You're gonna have to explain this one.

 

[DA_Champion]

You're gonna have to explain this one.

At the end of the movie Jennifer Lawrence says that sports teams win and lose depending on whether or not Bradley Cooper is hanging out with Jennifer Lawrence. Within the context of the narrative, the "karma" or whatever of Cooper hanging out with Lawrence leads to good things happening, and his family wins their sports bets.

The way sports fans joke about "jinxing" in real life ... well, that's a real phenomenon in Silver Linings Playbook, within the mechanics of that world, that is how things work.

It's probably based on the following nonsense:

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

When that was popular I found the whole thing creepy.

Text book example of how group think can be a huge waste of time.

 

[SuperFerret]

Is the force really magic?

It could be telekinesis.

In the original trilogy, it comes off as very mystical, in a sort of morphic field type of way. In the prequels, it becomes actual science fiction.

Also, TK and telepathy need not be scientific powers.

 

[Evil Twin]

I think there are a couple of factors here.

First, yeah that audience was always interested in spectacle and with the advances in modern special effects Hollywood can deliver more spectacle than ever before. Even the best television can't deliver spectacle the way movies can.

Also, the rise of international box office has lead to an emphasis on image over dialogue. Also, given the tough times since 9/11 and the recession, I think the worldwide audience is in the mood for escapism. I think it's a bit of a coincidence that the mix of top earners turned to fantasy and science-fiction in 2001, 2000 seems to have a good mix of genres among the top earners, but not total coincidence.

The 24-hour news cycle perhaps has lead to less of a desire for topical films, such as All the President's Men, as topics are beat into the ground long before a movie production can get off the ground.

Merchandising has become more important since Star Wars. You can't sell Remains of the Day lunchboxes or My Dinner With Andre action figures, but you can sell all the superhero action figures you want.

Lucas (in the 70s), Spielberg, Scott, and Cameron were incredible filmmakers who created the taste of a generation or two.

The star system has collapsed to a great extent. There are still stars, but they can only do so much to get people into the seats for dramas. Special effects also don't have the luxury of demanding raises.

The long form drama on television, specifically HBO, has proven to be tremendously satisfying for a lot of viewers.

Demographics of movie going have shifted so that it's teens instead of adults that go to the movies and there's no real reason for teens to be interested in adult dramas. Maybe as more Baby Boomers retire and have time on their hands, it will shift somewhat. Also, with the window between release and home video decreasing, opening weekends have become more important than ever. How many adults with jobs are really going to go to a Thursday, midnight opening?

I do think it's probably peaked to an extent that now that everything is possible, just throwing special effects on the screen, save for some real breakthroughs such as Avatar and Gravity, has lost a lot of special-ness. We've also gotten to the point where most of the classics of fantasy and science fiction have gotten to the big screen. I don't think fantasy and science fiction is going away, for all of the reasons above, but I don't think unlimited growth is in the cards either.