#scientificfantasy

I have always appreciated the movie “Children of Men” for various reasons. Aside from the technical aspects of the film and it’s obvious brilliance - I’ve always found this story to be immensely important with it’s sobering social commentary.

I do not know what the future holds for humanity in real life as we know it, but I do certainly pray it does not share any resemblance to the dystopian imagery of this bleak & tragic story. Oh! and if you have NOT seen this movie - this video is spoileriffic so yeah - don’t ruin it for yourself.

Out of all of the films from the original “Planet of The Apes” series, ‘Conquest...’ has always been the one that stood out to me the most (aside from the first film’s mind-blowing conclusion of course).

For anyone who may not be familiar with the stories of these films, ‘Conquest of The Planet of The Apes’ is the fourth film in the franchise, in which the Apes have become enslaved & oppressed by mankind.

What caught my attention was the one Ape among the enslaved species of whom had become so intelligent that even the humans eventually had fallen to his rule. What an absolutely provocative notion (conceptually-speaking) to see a slave become King of the slaves and eventually lead a revolution to liberate the slaves from the grip of man’s oppression.

Although stories like these may not be considered particularly fascinating by people with more superficial sensibilities, I’ve always found that there is an important lesson within these stories. The original author of the book, Pierre Boulle (who had also written The Bridge Over The River Kwai), had allegedly written the book after he had went to a zoo and had been inspired by the humanlike facial expressions of gorillas. His experience of watching these gorillas made him contemplate the unspoken relationship (and dynamics) between apes & humanity. Boulle’s social commentary placed a spotlight on the detrimental flaws of human nature (in relationshiop with the world we live in) and our overly dependent use of technology.

Not to spoil the fun (dude these movies have been out for like 40 years), but the enslaved race of apes overthrows the established order and fulfill the inevitable take-over of the planet.

These stories are not merely cheap fluff entertainment: these are stories that identify concepts of power & control & social identity. Granted it’s not for everybody, but I still think Planet of The Apes is one of the most thought-provoking series in what I refer to as Scientific Fantasy (What others call Science Fiction, and what Boulle himself referred to as a “Social Fantasy”.)

Totally one of my all-time favorite Scientific Fantasy stories I’ve ever seen!

“V” is about an alien invasion that is not what it appears to be: a mere facade for a hostile takeover. SUCH a fascinating concept and absolutely essential viewing for anyone who is into really good Sci-Fi - like story-driven concepts and more importantly human survival. Friendly Fascim is put under the microscope in this series (which is interesting from a sociological standpoint).

The nightmare of the future in “The Terminator” - Totally a forewarning from the 80s to prevent the dystopian technological take-over.

I pray for humanity to wield the power of technology for Good and to develop such means to serve technology rather than enslave.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I totally need to catch up on my Star Wars flicks so I can catch this one! I’m not a fanboy by any means, but I still think that original trilogy is legit!

HAN SHOT FIRST!

Terminator 2: Judgment Day