Is it? It's definitely a society in the midst of collapse, but that by itself doesn't make it sci-fi.
Road Warrior starts introducing a bunch of funky vehicles, and tech definitely gets weirder from there. But the cars, motorcycles, and everything else is real-world stuff in the first one. I can't remember any sci fi elements. Even the dystopia isn't fully developed yet. The police force still exists, after all. And IIRC the off-screen war happens between 1 and 2.
It's not set in the real world (or something pretending to be a version of it). And the "fantasy" label would be more misleading. SF does not need to feature advanced technology. Speculative near-future and alternative history are generally included in the broader category of science fiction.
There’s collapse before the biggest and then the last of the wars. Mad Max makes brief but explicit mention of escalating resource depletion. The absence of innovative tech is part of the point - it’s no longer feasible, at least for social edges like Max’s (We don’t have enough to guess what the status of metropoles is at that point.) SF futures without any particular super-tech is an old and honorable tradition.
Is it? It's definitely a society in the midst of collapse, but that by itself doesn't make it sci-fi.
Road Warrior starts introducing a bunch of funky vehicles, and tech definitely gets weirder from there. But the cars, motorcycles, and everything else is real-world stuff in the first one. I can't remember any sci fi elements. Even the dystopia isn't fully developed yet. The police force still exists, after all. And IIRC the off-screen war happens between 1 and 2.
Whist the movie looks very dated (especially the evil robot), it's actually a lot more topical now than it was in it's day, with the threat of AI making work obsolete looking far more plausible. And hence humans having no purpose apart from breading more humans, after which they become a burden society chooses not to support. I'm not usually a fan of remakes, but this could do with one.
RotJ was my favorite film when I was a kid/teen. It would definitely still make my top 20, probably my top 15. While the Ewoks are silly it's still an extremely satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Luke coming into his own as a "real" Jedi is just right, the space battle is epic, the whole Jabba's palace rescue sequence is absolutely iconic, the finale between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor is one of the greatest story climaxes I've ever watched, and the speeder bike chase scenes are some of the best thrills I've had in all of cinema.
Ugh. Look, I didn't want you to think I didn't read this, or I didn't think about it.
I DID. Way, way, way way too much.
You know how when I make up my lists, I always put in rules? It's not just because I enjoy rules (although RULES ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT SEPARATE US FROM SAVAGERY! and that's why I beseech the DM to understand why my character wins at everything, ever) ... and it's not just because I enjoy being arbitrary and capricious so I can watch people in the comments react like they are in the comments section for a recipe*, "I like the list, but what if instead of live-action American comedies from the '70s, it was badly dubbed anime from the '80s?" ...
*
"I don't have an actual oven; how do I make this homemade from-scratch pizza using a very hot light bulb or perhaps sous vide?"
"Is there any way to make this banana bread by subbing out the eggs and banana with garlic powder and kombucha?"
"Due to dietary restrictions, I am only able to consume straight gin. I made the necessary changes to this French Toast recipe, and it turned out great! Unfortunately, due to amount of gin I drank, I can't remember what I substituted."
"What's the best way to make a sugar-free version of these Pixie Stix? Also, can they be administered nasally?"
It's because it focuses choice. Here's the problem. I started thinking about it. And thinking. AND THINKING. And there are three major problems that I kept running into.
Problem the first- What is a "sci-fi movie?" I'm not just saying that to be a jerk and annoy Star Wars fans (it's high fantasy ... heh ... c'mon, I put it on the list of the most important movies, don't come at me bruh!). But ... seriously! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Probably! Under the Skin? I think so! But what about ... The Lobster? I mean, can we generally say that the movies of MY MAIN MAN Yorgos Lanthimos science fiction? Poor Things? Do people think of The Substance as science fiction, or horror, or something else? The more I thought about this, the harder this problem became. Take a movie like Enter the Void- I'm not mentioning it because it would be on my list of top five (although I really liked it), but because I don't think it's science fiction, but I also don't think it ... isn't?
And what do I do with Cronenberg? Crimes of the Future? eXistenZ is ... probably scifi, The Fly is as well, but Videodrome? Naked Lunch?
Problem the second- I love different sci-fi movies for completely different reasons. The love I have for Aniara is .... completely different than the love I have for They Live. And that's okay- they are trying to do completely different things! But let's take action sci-fi; Starship Troopers is an ... action science fiction movie that I love, and so is Edge of Tomorrow, but they are also very, very different. How can I compare my enjoyment of such obviously different films as Fury Road and Sorry to Bother You? Do I think the heady timey wimey of Primer is inherently better than the bigger budget Looper, and can I consider Timecrimes or is that not scifi enough?
Is Pacific Rim Guillermo del Toro's best scifi movie? What about The Shape of Water? Okay, on that one I can say ... Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse ... of equivocation! Pacific Rim is just awesome. Fight me.
My love for different movies is as varied as my hatred of bards is not.
Problem the third- to quote the Bob Dylan of corporate rock, I want to know what love is ... there are films that I love in a nostalgic way because of what they meant at some past time. There are movies that I love in an ironic way. There are movies that I love because they really made me think and are powerful, but aren't ... rewatchable. There are movies that I love as a good time and enjoy watching but don't think about otherwise. And there are movies that I once loved and were incredibly powerful and formative, but that I grew out of (or maybe I forgot how important they are ...). Take Clockwork Orange - for a whole bunch of reasons, this is an incredibly important film to me. And yet, for other reasons, I would be hesitant to say that this is one of my personal top five films because ... times change as do perspectives. Would I list it if I was forced to list my own top five science fiction films? I have no idea, even though I know I would have fifteen years ago.
So I am giving up, at least for now. I did my homework, and I'm giving myself an F on the assignment. I've failed to come up with the films, @Mannahnin
I eagerly await this discussion about Fantasy when we get that follow up to this thread.
(Such as what Disney and Pixar films besides Wall-E as SciFi, Davey Crockett as Western, and Incredibles I/II as Supes aren't eligible...)
I eagerly await this discussion about Fantasy when we get that follow up to this thread.
(Such as what Disney and Pixar films besides Wall-E as SciFi, Davey Crockett as Western, and Incredibles I/II as Supes aren't eligible...)
What is it, if not fantasy? Search your feelings, you know it to be true. Well, even if you don't know it to be true while you're searching you're feelings, you will find the theory engaging, engaging, really engaging, really engaging, SUPER ENGAGING ... and then you won't care.
Ugh. Look, I didn't want you to think I didn't read this, or I didn't think about it.
I DID. Way, way, way way too much.
You know how when I make up my lists, I always put in rules? It's not just because I enjoy rules (although RULES ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT SEPARATE US FROM SAVAGERY! and that's why I beseech the DM to understand why my character wins at everything, ever) ... and it's not just because I enjoy being arbitrary and capricious so I can watch people in the comments react like they are in the comments section for a recipe*, "I like the list, but what if instead of live-action American comedies from the '70s, it was badly dubbed anime from the '80s?" ...
*
"I don't have an actual oven; how do I make this homemade from-scratch pizza using a very hot light bulb or perhaps sous vide?"
"Is there any way to make this banana bread by subbing out the eggs and banana with garlic powder and kombucha?"
"Due to dietary restrictions, I am only able to consume straight gin. I made the necessary changes to this French Toast recipe, and it turned out great! Unfortunately, due to amount of gin I drank, I can't remember what I substituted."
"What's the best way to make a sugar-free version of these Pixie Stix? Also, can they be administered nasally?"
It's because it focuses choice. Here's the problem. I started thinking about it. And thinking. AND THINKING. And there are three major problems that I kept running into.
Problem the first- What is a "sci-fi movie?" I'm not just saying that to be a jerk and annoy Star Wars fans (it's high fantasy ... heh ... c'mon, I put it on the list of the most important movies, don't come at me bruh!). But ... seriously! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Probably! Under the Skin? I think so! But what about ... The Lobster? I mean, can we generally say that the movies of MY MAIN MAN Yorgos Lanthimos science fiction? Poor Things? Do people think of The Substance as science fiction, or horror, or something else? The more I thought about this, the harder this problem became. Take a movie like Enter the Void- I'm not mentioning it because it would be on my list of top five (although I really liked it), but because I don't think it's science fiction, but I also don't think it ... isn't?
And what do I do with Cronenberg? Crimes of the Future? eXistenZ is ... probably scifi, The Fly is as well, but Videodrome? Naked Lunch?
Problem the second- I love different sci-fi movies for completely different reasons. The love I have for Aniara is .... completely different than the love I have for They Live. And that's okay- they are trying to do completely different things! But let's take action sci-fi; Starship Troopers is an ... action science fiction movie that I love, and so is Edge of Tomorrow, but they are also very, very different. How can I compare my enjoyment of such obviously different films as Fury Road and Sorry to Bother You? Do I think the heady timey wimey of Primer is inherently better than the bigger budget Looper, and can I consider Timecrimes or is that not scifi enough?
Is Pacific Rim Guillermo del Toro's best scifi movie? What about The Shape of Water? Okay, on that one I can say ... Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse ... of equivocation! Pacific Rim is just awesome. Fight me.
My love for different movies is as varied as my hatred of bards is not.
Problem the third- to quote the Bob Dylan of corporate rock, I want to know what love is ... there are films that I love in a nostalgic way because of what they meant at some past time. There are movies that I love in an ironic way. There are movies that I love because they really made me think and are powerful, but aren't ... rewatchable. There are movies that I love as a good time and enjoy watching but don't think about otherwise. And there are movies that I once loved and were incredibly powerful and formative, but that I grew out of (or maybe I forgot how important they are ...). Take Clockwork Orange - for a whole bunch of reasons, this is an incredibly important film to me. And yet, for other reasons, I would be hesitant to say that this is one of my personal top five films because ... times change as do perspectives. Would I list it if I was forced to list my own top five science fiction films? I have no idea, even though I know I would have fifteen years ago.
So I am giving up, at least for now. I did my homework, and I'm giving myself an F on the assignment. I've failed to come up with the films, @Mannahnin
I did at least include it by listing the "Star Wars Trilogy". It may not have started many things, but as a conclusion and follow up to the adventure of Ep IV it is, as a whole, solid enough. (And really I think RotJ gets more disdain than it deserves.)
And Williams' deep, haunting score when Luke attacks Vader (after the "Sister..." exchange), hovering on the precipice of the dark side, is just spine-tingly magnificent.
