Can Sci-Fi films actually be taken seriously?

vauuu, only 4 genres

Let's see what it says about, say... Goodfellas

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Look at this, Goodfellas is listed as a thriller, though I guess I have never actually seen anyone categorize it that way or rank it among the greatest thrillers, much like how it is always hailed as one of the best gangster films ever made.

I suppose we mostly just disagree on this point. For some it might be Sci-Fi, and for others, maybe not.🙂

Gary Vaughn57 said:vauuu, only the 4th genre

The genre order on IMDb is just alphabetical, not based on how common they actually are.

4. zarn 🤣

It’s alphabetical order.

edit ; damn, I got preempted 😁

Honestly, I have never once heard anyone categorize Star Wars as sci-fi. If we follow that logic, then Goodfellas is just a pure thriller, and arguably one of the greatest thrillers ever made. 4. Genres : Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi ☕

Gary Vaughn57 said:Haha, listen, I have never once heard anyone call Star Wars "Sci-Fi." By that logic, Goodfellas is just a pure thriller, and honestly, one of the best out there. It's all about the genre order. ☕

When people talk about Sci-Fi, the first things that come to mind are usually Star Wars or Star Trek. It's actually a mystery to me how you haven't noticed that with Star Wars yet... or maybe you just weren't paying attention..

Gary Vaughn57 said:Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. Even on IMDb, it isn't categorized as Sci-Fi, and if you check Wikipedia or any other resource, they don't label it as such. Most people don't even consider it Sci-Fi. It leans much more toward fantasy.

I heard some Sci-Fi critics used to mockingly call Star Wars a "space western," but those are the same people who think 2001: A Space Odyssey is the only thing actually worth calling Sci-Fi, so I don't pay them any mind.

rowdyowl said:They’re usually exceptions.
Hardly a rule.

And Planet of the Apes isn't quite the big deal you think it is.

Blade Runner definitely is, though Alien sits somewhere in the middle—more like a horror flick.

Terminator is an interesting case, but especially the second one, it plays more like an action movie.

Not exceptions, really. In the context you're using, they're just some of the few films actually worth watching.

I heard some Sci-Fi critics dismissively calling Star Wars a "space western," but those are the same people who think 2001: A Space Odyssey is the only decent Sci-Fi out there, so I don't pay them much mind.

It's more often classified as space opera, though I suppose that depends on which critic you ask. Personally, I've always felt Firefly and Serenity fit the space western mold perfectly..

A lot of people claim it's just some space western or call it Space opera. Honestly, neither of those labels would stop it from being part of the genre.

David Price5 said:It’s more often categorized as space opera. Though, I guess that just depends on which critic you ask. Firefly and Serenity are basically just space westerns..

Firefly and Serenity really are space westerns. But usually, people slap that label on a movie just because some pretentious critics want to tear it down.

We label them this way specifically to set them apart from the rest of the genre and give them that extra bit of prestige...

Star Wars is pure Sci-Fi and absolute perfection.

In fact, if I really sit down and think about it, "Sci-Fi" doesn't even exist as its own thing. What we actually have are dramas set in space, comedies set in space, westerns set in space, thrillers set in space... 🤷😁

ruggedjackal46 said:Look, I get it—people tend to treat the whole Sci-Fi genre like it’s some kind of joke or just cheap popcorn entertainment, but honestly, who says there aren't absolute masterpieces in the mix? You can't just brush it all off when you look at the heavy hitters. I mean, just take Kubrick's Sci-Fi, for instance... those films are on a whole different level, right? Blade Runner, Solaris, Alien, Planet of the Apes, Alphaville, Close Encounters of the Third KindI mean, seriously, what else can you even say? It’s just like... well, you know. Star Wars, Terminator I mean, honestly, what else is there even to say about it? It’s just... it's everything, isn't it?

That's it, honestly—I've got nothing else to add.

rowdyowl said:When you look at something like Alien, it’s kind of sitting right on the fence, isn't it? I mean, even though it's technically sci-fi, most people end up watching it more as a straight-up horror flick.

Terminator is such a fascinating case study, isn't it? But honestly, if you really look at it—especially when you dive into the sequel—it feels like it leans way more into being an all-out action movie than anything else.

For me, when I sit down to watch Alien, I don't really see it as just some scary movie; I honestly view it more as a solid Sci-Fi film that just happens to have these intense horror elements sprinkled all over it. Isn't that kind of how it works? It’s got that deep space atmosphere, but man, those horror vibes are definitely there!

Since T2 is basically an action sci-fi hybrid, you're looking at a perfect 50/50 split between high-octane thrills and mind-bending sci-fi, which means it honestly fits right into both genres at once, don't you think?

I took quite a bit of heat when I claimed that Caprica isn't actually Sci-Fi.

But honestly, I wasn't a fan of the whole thing anyway.

So, let me try to lay out my own definition of what truly qualifies as Sci-Fi:

-Space. But I'm not talking about a NASA space shuttle or some orbital station (if those movies even exist); I mean things like Apollo or older era tech.
-Robots. Provided they aren't just the industrial ones we see in real life today.
-Aliens. Even though creature features often lean into horror—much like the monsters in the original Alien, which could arguably pass as Sci-Fi too.
-The future. But not like that mess in Caprica. I want to see a world that actually looks futuristic, not just a polished version of today. For instance, Back to the Future Part II is perfect.
-Now, as for post-apocalyptic films? I’d say they don't count. Mad Max 2 isn't Sci-Fi; I don't see why it would be.
-Traveling to parallel worlds or other dimensions—that is, uglavnon, definitely Sci-Fi.

rowdyowl said:I guess I really ate a bit of humble pie when I claimed Caprica wasn't actually Sci-Fi.

But then again, I just didn't particularly enjoy the whole thing.

Maybe I should try to articulate my own personal take on what truly constitutes Sci-Fi;

-Outer space—but not just a simple space shuttle; I mean space stations (if such a movie even exists) or perhaps Apollo-era stuff and older.
-Robots, provided they aren't just the industrial ones we see in real life today.
-Aliens; though I suppose things like rebellions and such are often attributed to horror, much like some of the creatures in the first Alien, even if that could pass as Sci-Fi too.
-The future—but not like that damn Caprica, where everything looks just like today; I think something visually distinct would be better, like how Back to the Future Part II was absolutely perfect.
-Now, regarding post-apocalyptic films, I would say they don't really count; for instance, I don't see why Mad Max 2 would be considered Sci-Fi.
-Traveling to parallel worlds and other dimensions—those are mostly Sci-Fi.

That is pretty much how I would categorize it as well.😉

Just like with Star Wars, I never really viewed Alien as Sci-Fi, but rather as a horror film—and an excellent one at that, which honestly still manages to terrify me to this day.

Lisa Barnes is back at it again...



😁

rowdyowl said:But fine, I'll try to offer my own little take on what defines Sci-Fi;

Sci-Fi films basically present an imagined, non-existent world—or a state of existence that doesn't currently exist—but frame it as if it were a scientifically plausible reality. This could manifest as an evolutionary leap from our current world (classic futuristic sci-fi), or as a sudden encounter with an unknown contemporary world and its inhabitants, like aliens or parallel universes.

edit:

"Don't be alarmed, people of Copenhagen; I just came to pick up some new toys."

~Darth Vader

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWyt4tpEJWs

I can't convince anyone else either that Toys "R" Us isn't part of the mracni strana. It’s pretty much right on the edge. 😁

Exactly. It is quite rare—I doubt you'll find any at all—to come across a movie that is purely Sci-Fi. Everything ends up being a Sci-Fi drama, a Sci-Fi comedy, or Sci-Fi action. That is actually what makes those genres so successful.

-Space, provided it isn't just the Space Shuttle, space stations (if such a film even exists), or Apollo and older missions.

-Robots, unless they are just the industrial ones we see in real life today.

Actually, you can use modern technology if it gains some unique characteristics, such as an Asimov creation developing true AI.

-Aliens. Although things like costumes and makeup are often attributed to horror, similar to some of the creatures in the first Alien, though that one could easily pass as Sci-Fi too.

That is precisely why the Sci-Fi horror genre exists.

-The future, but not like in that damn Caprica. I mean something visually distinct, rather than something that looks just like today. For instance, Back to the Future Part II is perfect to me.

Caprica takes place on other planets, likely in a different galaxy, set in the future with androids and AI... it covers basically everything that falls under Sci-Fi.

-And now, post-apocalyptic films. I would say they aren't; for example, Mad Max 2 isn't Sci-Fi, and I don't see why it would be.

Alternative futures and pasts.

-Traveling to parallel worlds and other dimensions—mostly--uglavnon are definitely Sci-Fi.

They always are.

David Price5 said:-space, but not just the space shuttle,space stations(if there's even a movie about that) or Apollo and the older stuff

Das Arche Noah Prinzip - surprisingly interesting and low-key, an Emmerich's film from back before they gave him free rein to just flatten everything in his path...

Oops, I didn't quite polish that previous post correctly...

David Price5 said:That’s exactly why the sci-fi horror genre exists..
.

So, is that considered San Francisco sci-fi horror or what?
Or movies like Spy and stuff like that?

.
Caprica takes place on other planets, in a different galaxy (probably, if I recall correctly), in the future, featuring androids and AI.. basically everything that falls under the sci-fi umbrella...

Look, I already made my point. Aside from those robots that show up much later, we rarely see anything that doesn't look just like Earth at the start of the 21st century.

I could claim right now that a story takes place in another galaxy in the year 3000, before we even hit 35 Lipa Street, and would that suddenly make it sci-fi?