History of Science Fiction

In 1902 Science Fiction was born, it all started with a film by George Mlie, his film was called Le
Voyage Dans La Lune. This was the very first film that took viewers to another planet, since then,
cinema has been the medium of choice for playing out futuristic fantasies, or commenting on
contemporary social ills.

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings,
futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel
universes, and extra-terrestrial. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific and
other innovations. Popular science fiction films that summarise the genre well includes Star Wars
and Star Trek.
Science fiction films took decades before the genre was taken seriously. Since the 1960s,
major science fiction films have succeeded in pulling in large audiences such as Star Wars, and films
of this genre have become a regular staple of the film industry. In the 1970s the audience for science
fiction films grew due to the first manned trips to the moon, people were curious of possible life in
the universe and what the planets in the universe looked like. Science fiction films have led the way
in special effects technology, films that show this is Jurassic Park and The Matrix.
Characteristics of Science Fiction films:
Aliens- Aliens are one of the central characteristics of the science-fiction genre. A film may
deal with aliens coming to Earth and humans encountering aliens on space explorations.
Time Travel- Time Travel is a very popular characteristic for science fictions movie as it gives
the movie the chance to change things in time or go to the future/past.
Space Travel- Space travel is a common element of sci-fi, regardless of whether or not it
features contact with aliens. People always wonder if we are alone in the universe, what
would happen if we encountered aliens or what is it out there.
Futuristic Setting or Alternate Universe- Science fiction films are often placed in a futuristic
setting, while other sci-fi film feature alternate histories. It is unlikely for a science fiction
film to be set in the present day.
The breakthrough of science fiction was Star Wars, it was a massive success and was the beginning
of big Hollywood science fiction films, production companies realized science fiction films were
bankable and each major studio rushed into production their available projects. Throughout the
years science fiction films were made with real tapes, costumes and effects, an example of this is
the original Star Wars films. However, when studios discovered digital software to add special
effects they reduced the amount of real life work significantly. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
developed by Disney will be returning to the real life work to shoot their scenes.

Time for Science Fiction

Throughout the 100 years of science fiction there has been a huge development, these years show
the evolution of science fiction:
1900-1920s- Science fiction films appeared early in the silent film era, typically as short films
shot in black and white, sometimes with colour tinting. They usually had a technological
theme and were often intended to be humorous. In 1902, Georges Mlis released Le
Voyage dans la Lune, generally considered the first science fiction film, and a film that used
early trick photography to depict a spacecraft's journey to the moon.
1930-1950s- In the 1930s, there were several big budget science fiction films such as King
Kong and Just Imagine
1960s- There were not many science fictions in the 1960s however there was one which
stood out which was Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey brought new realism to the
genre, with its ground-breaking visual effects and realistic portrayal of space travel.
1970s-1980s- The era of manned trips to the moon in 1969 and the 1970s saw a resurgence
of interest in the science fiction film. Science fiction films from the early 1970s explored the
theme of paranoia, in which humanity is depicted as under threat, an example of these films
are Silent Running and Westworld. Also, in the years Star Wars was released which
attracted a huge audience and showed studios that science fiction could be a major success
in box office.
1990-2000s- In the 1990s, the emergence of the internet and the cyberpunk genre
spawned several movies on the theme of robots such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day
and The Matrix. Also, in these years it was the birth of disaster movies such as Armageddon
and Independence Day, as well as genetic films such as Jurassic Park. During the 2000s it
was the birth of superhero films such as Spiderman and many more after. Lastly, in 2009
Avatar was created which was a huge success and reached the highest grossing film of all
time.