“Sci-fi films are as dead as Westerns”, so says Ridley Scott in an interview with The Times back a while ago.
Scott who directed both Blade Runner and Alien ought to have some credibility on the topic of the death of science fiction, and for what little it’s worth, we agree with him. His point regarding the demise of the genre is that “There’s nothing original. We’ve seen it all before. Been there. Done it”.
So why is Sci-Fi dead? …aside from writers running out of ideas, Ridley doesn’t exactly say. Our pet theory as to why this might be so, has evolved from: science moving too fast & being too successful, to the effects of living in a sort of post-industrial zen-like introspective miasma, to science (and by lesser association sci-fi) being deemed irretrievably uncool.
…aw heck…sci-fi fortunes will revive with the release of Star Trek XI /maybe.
Sci-fi films are as dead as Westerns – Times, August 30, 2007
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Ridley Scott should talk since he helped kill the genre with “Blade Runner,” one of the most overrated sci-fi movies ever made. Nothing original? Not in “Blade Runner” which features more stereotypical characters than “Star Wars” and has so many plot holes it could be a colander.
You can read more of my take on “Blade Runner” here: “Blade Runner” Never Rises Above
Mediocre Film Making. //…ed. note: comment modified bec previous link did not seem to work…//
With the success of the Matrix movies — I can’t see how people think sci-fi is dead.
scifi might be in a lull, but i think it’s poised for a big comeback. the western, however, is probably truly dead.
I always admired Blade Runner, but I definitely know a lot of people who find it boring and would cheer on GSF3′s commentary.