Watching the film, "A Scanner Darkly" based on the Phillip K. Dick novel is like watching a huge drug trip. By the end it finally makes sense but from the second the film begins you are lost in a world of confusion and paranoia. With the developing surveilance technologies, terrorism and drug use this film could not be more relevant to today's world as it is to the time it was written. The film opens with a paranoid Charles Freck trying desperately to rid his body of non existent bugs crawling over his body as a result of taking the drug Substance D. And so begins the madness. We are introduced next to Fred - a spy whose identity is not even shown to his superiors who is working with the government to erradicate the drug problem. Fred is currently surveying Robert Arctor a suspected drug dealer who, unbeknown to Fred is Fred's split personality caused by his own use of the drug. The film takes the viewer through a series of events which lead Arctor/Fred further and further into madness. One interesting scene is when Arctor and his roommates Jim Barris and Ernie Luckman burst into their apartment, certain that someone has broken in and planted substance D in their home in order to incriminate them. They soon discover that it was only Arctor's girlfriend Donna Hawthorne, however the scene shows the utter paranoia not only from the drug use but from pressures from the government. Another great representation of the madness and paranoia are the suits that Fred and the other spies where in order to hide their identity. The suit shows scrambled physiques of many people thus denying the observer any idea who the person is. In the same way Fred's identity is scrambled by the drug and by the government he works for.
It is discovered by the end of the film that Fred/Arctor was deliberately put on the drug in order to lead him to the New Path recovery centre and later to the farms where they suspect the flowers that are used to create the drug are being grown. There, he becomes Bruce. It is also discovered that Arctor's girlfriend Donna Hawthorne is actually Hank, Fred's superior and it was she who helped work to get Fred/ Arctor/Bruce to the farms.
Overall it is a story about a corrupt government that sacrifices a real human being in order to save the majority. All the these things: the paranoia, the drug use and the questionable deeds of the government are relevant to today. It sure makes you think doesn't it?
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An interesting characteristic of the movie, "The Island" is the idea of innocence lost. Innocence lost? you say. Isn't this film about cloning. Well yes it is but one thing I observed was the effort made by the institution to maintain inocence in order to gain complete control over the clones. The clones where white only (which is one of the first things Lincoln six echo sees as out of place). Their diets are strict and they have to watch their proximity to the opposite sex. The clones obey this unquestioningly until Lincoln starts to wonder why they must do these things. The real reason is so that the institution can control the clones - maintain their naivity and they are controllable. There is a problem with Lincoln however, because he isn't quite as naive as the others - he starts to question the institution. Jordan-two-delta who escapes with Lincoln maintains her naivity for awhile though. This is shown in her astonishment at the violence of the institution. Lincoln, however, seems to be almost at home in the outside world, as he has the memory of his owner. Having been exposed to the outside world Jordan also loses her naivity and therefore her innocence by the films end. This gives her an aggressive independence that allows her to defend herself. The contrast between the naivity and worldly independence is seen clearly at the end of the film. As you see the streams of clones, still in their white clothing stumbling outside to discover the truth. Amongst the white clothes stand Lincoln and Jordan dressed in dark attire indicating their new worldliness. It makes you wonder about the institution in our world. What are its method of control? Then again if they didn't do it what would happen?
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The recent film De Ja Vu wouldn't appear firsthand as a science fiction. Yes it focuses mostly on the action however the concepts it brings to mind are quite intriguing. It asks the age old question, "Can one change the future by changing the past?" The film appears to answer yes to this question but is that really the case? The movie opens after a catastrophic bombing in which ATF agent Doug Carlin begins to investigate. Things get interesting when he's called to help with a highly secret part of the investigation. He is told that he is looking at satelite recordings of four days before the explosion. However he soon discovers that he is actually looking at the past. An interesting fact to note is that when Doug investigates the home of the main victim he discovers a message on the fridge which says, "You can save her." The investigators also discover blood all over the place and Doug's fingerprints. It is impossible for his fingerprints to be there because he used gloves. After discovering that he is actually looking at the past he puts to the team the idea of going back and changing the past. The team suggest a theory that if the past is changed it creates an alternate reality which eventually phases out the other reality. When Doug does go back however both realities complement each other. You can strain your brain trying to figure this out. He manages to go back in time, save the girl and stop the bombing. However, if the original bombing hadn't happened, he wouldn't have been able to. You discover the blood was his and the fingerprints his when he goes to the girl's house in the past. You see that the things Doug saw happened in the first reality because of the second. Now how does that work? My theory is that as suggested in the film, both realities worked together until the first was cancled out by the second. How was it canceled out? By the original Doug's death, giving way to a new Doug to emerge. Is this possible? Perhaps not. But it sure is fun.
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K-Pax isn't really a Science Fiction, per se however it does consider the possibility of a man being an alien. It sounds like some kind of rediculous kids movie, however it is far from a children's film. K-Pax is the story of Prot, who shows up one day claiming he is an alien from the planet K-Pax. Normally, the Psychiatrist working at the hospital would laugh at such a claim. However Prot is so convincing even the astronomers who challenge Prot are baffled. So what does this mean? Does the film suggest that there is alien life out there? Well, it does and it doesn't. What I love most about this film is the fact that it presents two different explanations for Prot's story. There is the "logical" explanation which suggests that Prot is really a man traumatized by the brutal murder of his family. Then, there is the "illogical" explanation which suggests that Prot is an alien from the planet K-Pax. The Psychiatrist prefers the logical explanation however he finds his current views challenged by Prot. The other patients at the hospital accept the "illogical" explanation. Is it because they are mad? Or is it simply another possibility? What K-Pax is about is not whether or not alien life is out there, but it is about challenging our ideals. What is logical after all?
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One of the most famous Anime films would have to be Ghost in the Shell. This intriguing film about a computer program which becomes an actual entity questions life itself with regards to the soul. In this futuristic setting the majority of the population is at least partially cyborgian. The main character, Major Kusanagi is a complete cyborg, her body is mostly machine while only some of it is human. Because of this Kusanagi struggles with her own identity, wondering if she is even human - even truly alive. When assigned to a case in which a mysterious hacker is hacking into people's "ghosts" that is their consciousness, Kusanagi becomes almost obsessed with the case. For, as they discover the Puppetmaster is in fact a separate consciousness which began as a computer program. Determined to discover if it is possible for a machine to have a soul Kusanagi pursues the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master gives her hope. It argues that life cannot be explained and therefore why can't a machine possess a soul. But is this possible? It seems that the Puppet Master can survive even if it's "shell" is destroyed. Can the one survive without the other? Perhaps not, and this could be why the Puppet Master asks to "Meld" with Kusanagi. However I also believe what he needed was a woman to make him complete. So, can the Ghost survive without a shell? What is life? To me it is clear, God made the ghost and the shell. When the shell dies, the ghost leaves. But, what do you think?
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Unlike the modern schience fiction horror films (disgusting things they are!Actually I don't like the horror genre at all but this is an interesting topic) that focus on blood and violence, the classic sci fi horrors were focused at a more psychological level. What was frightening about these films was not the gore, but the idea that surrounded them. The original The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a chilling (if unbelievable) tale about a young man who returns to his town to discover that something is disturbingly wrong. People are acting different and a strange hysteria has hit the town. People claim that their loved ones are imposters. What our antagonist discovers is something he would never have dreamed of! It seems that the people of the town are being killed and replaced by copies formed out of alien pods. The source of these pods are not explained but they don't need to be. The frightening thing is that something unseen is creeping up on the town unnoticed. We are all afraid of invasion, but even more terrifying is the thought of an unseen invader creeping in and taking over our lives. This invader could take many forms. It could be communism, cults and other such things. Or perhaps it is even the fact that technology seems to be taking over our lives. In this artificial age everyone seems to be becoming "Pod People". Or is it something personal? What is your invader?
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Most people probably think Stargate is the trashy kind of Scfi made only for popular audiences. Indeed, this is true, Stargate is focused on pleasing the audience. However, even the trashy Scifi's come up with some interesting topics. The major focus for Stargate seems to be on the idea of aliens posing as gods. First, there was the Goa'uld - parasitical worm-like creatures that enter the brain and take over the body. Currently Stargate command is encountering the even more dangerous Ori (Ascended beings that demand to be worshipped) The Goa'uld took the persona of Earth's ancient gods, such as Re, Baal and Anubis. The fact that they are not true gods means that earth worshipped false gods in the past. The Ori seem reminscent of the ancient Roman Catholic idea of God - worship or be destroyed. They are not loving gods as the Christian God is. So what can we say of all this? All "gods" are aliens? Okay, maybe not. But what we could say is - don't get taken in by the hype. The Ori have power - but it doesn't make them gods. It's when a god cares for you that makes them worthy of worship. Yes, Stargate is for popular audiences, however it does contain some interesting insights. For by looking at what is popular, we see reflected, popular ideas and beliefs. That's why popular culture is an interesting study.
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