In the past science fiction has been unjustly overlooked as a genre in both film and literature. Academics have persistently tried to label the genre as inferior and there was even a Guardian study carried out, which tried to prove the lower calibra of science fiction novels. In pop culture, too, the genre has been sneered at and branded as "nerdy" almost for as long as it has existed. So why is it suddenly so trendy?
What used to be considered to be a nerdy genre is now producing some of the most prevalent, innovative, and exciting stories in the cinema of today. With the technological boom of the Twenty-first Century,the exploration of technology's impact through film and television has transformed from an absurd concept, requiring the utter suspension of disbelief, into a relevant and potential outcome for the human race.
Similarly, as the attitudes towards science fiction have changed, so have the themes and tone of the genre. Sci-fi has always reflected society's contemporary thoughts, fears and hopes by exploring the possibilities of its future. During the Twentieth Century, alongside the rapid technological advances of the moon landing, cable television, and air travel, science fiction began to explore ideas of traveling through space and time, of advanced communication systems, flying cars, and utopian futures. The themes explored in science fiction during this era show the optimistic outlook on the possibilities that new technology could bring to humankind, and the general positivity with which people looked towards the future.
Scientific Dystopia?
Nowadays the tone of science fiction is far darker than it has been in the past. From the vibrant egalitarian future envisioned in the 80s, 'Back to the Future', popular films and television in recent years have moved to presenting a far bleaker outlook on technological development. Dystopia and science fiction almost seem to go hand in hand as genres, as we begin to fear the scientific advances that we have made and the impact of science on our world and environment. New films such as 'The Circle', 'The Hunger Games', or 'Maze Runner', all imagine future worlds in which scientific advances have skyrocketed, and yet that has, in turn, led to worlds which are bleak and unappealing. The futures explored show totalitarian regimes, humans as slaves to technology, or worlds in which the scientific ventures of humankind have completely destroyed the world as we know it; all of which, are unfortunately very real possibilities for our future. One of the most significant examples of this type of modern dystopian science fiction, is of course 'Black Mirror', which transforms the genre into a perfect outlet for social commentary and an exploration of our anxieties about the future in which technology is our enemy.
While it is only in recent years that science fiction has begun to receive the respect that it deserves as a genre, it has always been one of the most significant ways of exploring contemporary culture. Although it explores hypothetical futures and words which have not yet been discovered, it is always and exploration of the present (what we fear, what we hope for), and therefore one of the most relevant and vital genres to understand our society and culture.
