Nida Faraz points out to some extraordinary science adventures
Sci-fi at its best – The history of sci-fi movies is as old as movies as the films as it goes back to the first decade of the previous century and the first of its kind came out in the French language known in English as “A Trip to the Moon” a 14-minute drama inspired by the written works of Jules Verne, among other things, and laced with satirical jabs toward the scientific community, the surrealist short follows a group of astronomers as they embark on a trip to the moon. While not scientifically accurate by any means—the astronomers do travel by way of cannon shot, after all—the film did kick off a cinematic trend of depicting hypothetical ideas in anticipation of future realities. There followed a stream of such films and this genre gained a lot of popularity and compelled the film industry to keep on churning movies and some of them became classics.
There is no doubt that this genre has provided a fillip to the human curiosity to explore the future of humanity particularly contemporary scientific breakthroughs like gene editing, as well as the development of robots, virtual reality, cloning and wearable technology. Scintillating sci-fi movies are not just a qualitative way to pass the time but a way to explore the full realm of human potential, as the ideas of today might well become the realities of tomorrow and is worth watching.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982 and was directed by Steven Spielberg and chronicles the symbiotic relationship between a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his androgynous alien friend. Featured in the film is a scene so iconic it later became the logo for Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment. Of course, Elliott and E.T. soaring past the full moon is but one among countless memorable moments in this timeless classic.
Her came out in 2013 directed by Spike Jonze was related to future but in some ways its premise has already arrived. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, the film depicts a blossoming romance between Twombly and his sentient operating system, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Against all conceivable odds, the two form a genuine romantic relationship, but can it last?
Solaris was screened in 1972 directed by Andrei Tarkovsky narrating the story of a space station orbiting a distant planet, a crew struggles with the return of repressed memories and wonders if it might have something to do with the mysterious ocean. This Russian film is based on the novel by Polish author Stanislaw Lem. American director Steven Soderbergh rebooted the film in 2002.
Back to the Future came out in 1985 was directed by Robert Zemeckis and is rated as a truly timeless sci-fi comedy, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) journeys 30 years into the past by way of a souped up Delorean. With help from Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), Marty works on getting his parents back together for the first time and getting himself back to the future.
Gravity was released in 2013 and was directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Viewers flocked in droves to this 2013 3D space adventure, which sees two astronauts (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) fighting for survival after their shuttle is destroyed.
WALL·E came out in 2008 and was directed by Andrew Stanton and it finds the normally optimistic studio in a downright scathing mood. Specifically, it opens on a future Earth where the trash problem became so bad that humans took off. After wending its lonely way through piles of waste on Earth, a lovable robot named WALL·E finds a way onto a manned spaceship. At long last, viewers can see what humans have been up since destroying the planet—watching TV and eating, naturally. The Weekender
