Science Fiction Film Genre Analysis Paper

Genre Definition Paper The science fiction film genre is absolutely the hardest to define. It can easily be confused with or applied to Fantasy films and some horror films as well. Genres are used to identify types of films, and outside of science fiction this is a fairly simple process. A Western is set in the west and has cowboys and Indians. A gangster film has a plot revolving around the mafia. A horror film is centrally purposed to scare the viewer. Science fiction, on the other hand, is not easy to nail down what it is. Some critics would list certain films as science fiction, and an equally acclaimed critic may not include a certain fil in the science fiction genre. I will present four different definitions of the science fiction genre as it applies to film, and they are all different as well. The first definition of the science fiction film genre is as follows: “A science fiction film will be speculative in nature, and often includes key supporting elements of science and technology. However, as often as not the "science" in a Hollywood sci-fi movie can be considered pseudo-science, relying primarily on atmosphere and quasi-scientific artistic fancy than facts and conventional scientific theory. The definition can also vary depending on the viewpoint of the observer. What may seem a science fiction film to one viewer can be considered fantasy to another”. This is the definition proided by an academic website called WordIQ. This definition is very interesting. It is sometimes ambiguous as to whether the definition is written for literature or film, but this is obviously written for our purpose, the film genre. This definition acknowledges that even though the genre is science fiction, the science is very often the fiction. I’ve seen countless sci-fi films that were premised on a new technology or futuristic technology that many times defies current laws of physics or simply put, is impossible. That is what makes sci-fi so appealing as well though. It is