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1Introduction • Thi s I s a Boo k abou t Scienc e Fictio n Fil m Although ever y yea r sees a ne w flock o f science fiction (sf ) movie s populate movi e screen s with aliens , spaceships, androids, cyborgs , and othe r assorte d monsters , th e genr e has , unti l lately , largel y been neglecte d b y seriou s film analyst s an d theorists . An d ther e still i s no t a book-lengt h stud y o f s f movie s tha t i s no t a pictur e book o r a picture-boo k history . Th e onl y possibl e exception s ar e Focus on the Science Fiction Film (Johnso n 1972 ) an d Alien Zone, a recen t (1990 ) publicatio n edite d b y Annett e Kuhn . Bot h ar e collections o f essays , no t monographic , unifie d studies . Bot h ar e fine works—th e Kuh n boo k i s excellent—bu t ther e i s stil l a gap . This book i s an attemp t t o fill that gap . The scienc e fiction movie s genr e i s importan t becaus e o f it s popularity an d th e huge numbe r o f young people wh o watch thes e movies. But , wit h th e exceptio n o f th e above-mentione d volume s and som e insightfu l paper s publishe d i n scholarl y journals , writ ing abou t s f movie s tend s t o b e limite d t o "journal s devote d t o showing an d explainin g specia l effect s technologie s . . . and a stead y stream o f coffee-tabl e book s filled wit h gloss y colo r still s fro m science fiction films," 1 fo r example , Mr. Monsters Movie Gold (Ackerman 1981) , A Pictorial History of Science Fiction Films, Classic Movie Monsters. 1 2 Introductio n My intention i n writing thi s book has bee n t o produce a unified , topical analysi s o f th e s f film, bu t befor e outlinin g th e approac h and assumption s behin d th e analysis , le t m e addres s anothe r question. Why sf movies an d no t s f literature? First , science fiction literature ha s alread y receive d a fai r amoun t o f scholarl y an d critical attention. 2 Second , despit e appearances , s f movie s an d s f literature hav e littl e i n commo n an d appea l t o ver y differen t au diences . Science fiction literatur e is , at it s best, not afraid o f exper iments , of intellectual speculation . I t asks , as one criti c ha s pu t it , the question , "Wha t if?" 3 Scienc e fiction literatur e ha s a distinc t and fairl y limite d audience—mostl y consistin g o f intellectual s and scienc e buffs . Sf movies ar e a ver y differen t kettl e o f fish: th e closes t relative s of th e genr e ar e th e horro r movi e an d th e action/suspens e movie . The audienc e i s no t a specialized , intellectua l one 4 but , a s on e student o f th e genr e ha s said , "merel y par t o f th e grea t mas s audience o f th e cinema generally." 5 An d while ther e ma y b e som e audience overlap , I woul d ventur e th e opinio n tha t th e typica l s f audience membe r i s not als o a reade r o f science fiction literature . Sf movies assiduously (wit h a few exceptions) avoid bein g intellec tual an d speculative . Th e focu s i s no t th e "wha t i f V o f science , technology, an d th e future . Th e s f film focu s i s o n th e effects o f science, on th e junction wher e wha t scienc e has created (usuall y a monster) meet s peopl e goin g abou t livin g...

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