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Chapter 6 ​ Subverting the Genre ​ The Mothership Connection Swing down sweet chariot. Stop, and let me ride.​  George Clinton, Mothership Connection Music is the weapon of the future. Fela Kuti Not only has the presence of black characters increased in science fiction film—a trend witnessed in The Core (2003), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), and Aeon Flux (2005), for example—but black actors have also become central characters in the genre, as demonstrated by films like Supernova (2000), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Serenity (2005), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and Children of Men (2006). Although the increase of black representation in SF film has been dramatic, this does not mean that these characters convey or are even meant to communicate any impression concerning black cultural identity, history, subjectivity, or political sensibilities, much less draw on, expand, or self-consciously reconfigure historical, conventional, and/or alternative notions of blackness and project it into the future. Admittedly, such a specific representation appears, on the surface, unlikely since most of the iconography associated with the genre—spaceships, robots, ray guns, an odd assortment of aliens—has very little to do with race. Yet SF cinema has exhibited an impressive capacity for offering serious, thought-provoking images and ideas that address a myriad of social issues. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, no longer was SF cinema an escapist genre. Films such as Charly (1968), Planet of the Apes (1968), The Illustrated Man (1969), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), and Soylent Green (1973) offered more reflexive narratives rather than Subverting the Genre 149 special effects–driven SF films. This was one of the most productive and innovative periods for the SF film genre. Moreover, the focus on social and cultural issues exhibited in the SF films of the time held immense potential for the inclusion of other critical concerns, such as American race relations, as a significant point of exploration. But with the mega-success of Star Wars (1977) and the subsequent success of films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial (1982), the era of the big-budget, special effects–driven SF blockbuster was born, marking a dramatic shift in the genre.1 These films not only raised the visual stakes of depicting alternative worlds, futuristic technology , and strange aliens but also upped the financial ante for subsequent SF films to achieve widespread popular appeal and garner greater commercial success. Of course there was no set formula that could guarantee a hit. The Black Hole (1979), Saturn 3 (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), Outland (1981), Tron (1982), Dune (1984), and The Last Starfighter (1984) are just a few of the SF films released on the heels of the Star Wars saga that failed to generate any mass popularity. While numerous misfires resulted from trying to imitate the success of Star Wars, nevertheless the swashbuckling, action-adventure theme woven into the film became a staple of the genre. As a result, SF films that were selfconsciously “serious,” expressed a high concept, or presented slowly unfolding plots, like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Silent Running (1972), were no longer popular. Instead, much of the SF cinema of the 1980s and beyond was just as much an action-adventure movie as science fiction film. A perfect example of this hybrid is The Island (2005), a cloning parable starkly divided into two parts. The first half is a sober, thoughtful examination of cloning ethics, and the second half is a spectacle of special effects and monotonous chase scenes. The emphasis on nonstop action and big-budget special effects has come to define much of contemporary American SF film. Typically, “serious,” story-driven efforts like The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), Contact (1997), the remake of Solaris (2002), and, to a lesser extent, Signs (2002)—none of which are action-oriented, fast-paced, or quick-cutting films—did not achieve blockbuster status. Accordingly, in today’s SF film marketplace the absence of big-budget special effects leaves room for either raucous parodies of the genre like Sleeper (1973), Spaceballs (1987), Galaxy Quest (1999), CQ (2001), and the inanely half-baked Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) or reflexive, thought-provoking narratives like Code 46 (2003) and Primer (2004) that occupy the margins of the genre as independent arthouse films. Yet it is at the margins of American SF cinema that some of the most [18.191.254.0] Project MUSE...

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