| Gentry Lee: At the Movies
By Gentry Lee
posted: 03:33 pm ET
08 January 2001
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When I was a young man, I
was an avid moviegoer. Over the last 25 years, however, as my family has
expanded to include seven sons, the amount of time that I have had available
for attending movies has dropped markedly. Nevertheless, I still very much
enjoy an exceptional film, and make room in my busy schedule for those
movies that pique my interest.
My taste in movies is reasonably
eclectic. I love sweeping epics (as long as they don’t stray too far from
the historical truth) like Titanic, Lawrence of Arabia, Gandhi
and Doctor Zhivago, because they inform and stimulate at the same
time they entertain. Great acting impresses me. The performances of Jack
Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dustin Hoffman in
Rain Man and Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice were all so
superb that I left the theater with an overwhelming appreciation for the
talent of actors. I have a fondness for movie musicals as well, a genre
that I fear is rapidly disappearing. My Fair Lady, with Rex Harrison
and Audrey Hepburn, and the recent Evita, in which Madonna startled
everyone, including me, with her convincing portrayal of Eva Duarte Peron,
are my favorites in that category.
Since I am a science fiction
author and have spent most of my professional life in scientific and engineering
fields, it is not surprising that my favorite film genre is good science
fiction. My least favorite genre is bad science fiction. What’s the difference?
If a film does not make logical sense in terms of its underlying scientific
or technological basis, I am completely unable to "suspend my disbelief"
(thank you, Mr. Coleridge) and enjoy the movie. My wife and children think
that I am too tough on science fiction films. Maybe they are right. But
for me plausibility is a very important criterion for a good science fiction
film. I have no problem with motion pictures that are acknowledged fantasies,
like the Star Wars films, but I don’t like to have my intelligence
insulted by a pretentious film based on a fatuous premise.
So what are the attributes
I seek in a good science fiction film? Obviously a solid dramatic story
with characters in whom I can invest my emotional energy is a sine qua
non for any good film. To be a good science fiction film, however, the
movie must meet several other criteria. It must be plausible, or at least
not implausible. It must have internal consistency in terms of its scientific
or technological concepts. It must contain big ideas about mankind in general,
and therefore stimulate thinking about the origin and destiny of our species.
The production design must resonate with the overall concept of the movie
and make visual sense. Too much to ask for? Perhaps. But these are the
criteria that I have in mind when I see a science fiction movie.
Often I am asked, either
after a speech at a convention or during a television appearance, to express
an opinion about a particular science fiction film. In my responses, I
usually try to employ what I call a "Modified Thumper" policy. (Thumper
was a rabbit in the old Disney movie, Bambi. His mother told him,
"If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all." A Modified
Thumper policy allows neutral comments as well.) If the particular movie
is one that I think has merit, I say so. If not, I try to find some element
in the film that was outstanding or thought-provoking. I don’t point out
in a strident voice that it’s completely ridiculous to think that human
beings could alter the trajectory of an asteroid the size of Texas. Nor
do I mention that an asteroid that size, if it did impact the Earth, would
not only destroy all living creatures, but also would dramatically alter
the entire history of the planet. Such remarks simply serve no useful purpose
in a public forum.
Sometimes, however, when
pressed on the subject, I do share my favorite science fiction film experiences
with my audiences. Since lists are very much the trend during this millennium
transition, I offer herewith my seven favorite science fiction films of
all time, in reverse order. These are not necessarily the seven best, according
to the criteria that I have defined. But each of these films had some special
meaning in my life, and stayed with me long after I saw them in the theater.
7. Close Encounters
of the Third Kind — This was a landmark film for science fiction,
not only because of the huge box office it generated, but also because
of its new and different portrayal of aliens. Prior to CE3K, virtually
all movies represented aliens as hostile creatures with malevolent designs
on the planet Earth or humanity. The aliens in this Spielberg film, at
least implicitly, were more advanced than human beings, both in their technological
development and their social attitudes. Richard Dreyfuss was a perfect
Everyman. He admirably captured the full range of feelings that would doubtless
accompany a personal encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence.
6. Them — I
saw this old black-and-white film when I was still an elementary school
student. I remember excitedly describing the giant ants and the battles
in the Los Angeles sewer system to my maternal grandparents during a Christmas
visit in the '50s. My children cannot understand my affection for this
movie. Unfortunately, some of the scenes in Them, including the
attack of the giant ants on a ship at sea, contain special effects that
are now hopelessly outdated. Nevertheless, the film was very important
in my own intellectual development. First, my lifelong fascination with
ants and other social insects stems from the personal research I did as
a schoolboy after I watched the movie. Second, the basic idea behind the
film, namely that man’s scientific progress can have powerful, possibly
dangerous impacts on the flora and fauna of Planet Earth, opened my eyes
to issues like the environment and scientific responsibility.
5. ET — Far
more than a science fiction film, ET won the hearts of people throughout
the world. It is a beautiful, touching story, resonating with the deepest
yearnings of the human species. Yes, it’s possible that a lovable extraterrestrial
may exist somewhere who may one day be marooned on the planet Earth, become
friends with a lonely boy and then, after astonishing Earthlings with its
repertoire of technological magic, return to its home among the stars.
Not likely, but possible. My disbelief was suspended. My tears joined the
tears of millions of others.
4. Alien —
Probably the most terrifying scene in all of science fiction is in this
brilliant Ridley Scott film. Half a dozen members of the crew of a spaceship
in the distant future are sitting together at a table, eating a meal. An
intriguing and formidable alien that was brought on board the spaceship
attached to the face of one of the astronauts has mysteriously disappeared.
After a bite of spaghetti, the astronaut to whom the alien was previously
attached rises from the table. His face contorts, he complains of a pain
and a strange feeling in his upper torso. His chest begins to heave. Suddenly
the alien bursts out of the man’s chest, landing in the middle of the table
and splattering blood in all directions. It glances around, clatters its
hideous teeth and then scoots off the table. Yuch. My heart skipped several
beats when I first saw this scene in the theater. My seven-year-old son
Austin screamed and hid behind the seats for the rest of the movie. Alien
was a superb blend of horror and science fiction, far better than all its
sequels.
3. Jurassic Park —
The special effects in this film were far better than anything that had
ever been seen in a movie theater before. The story, which was fraught
with tension and jeopardy in the best movie tradition, was both riveting
and scientifically plausible. But it was the dinosaurs that everyone, including
me, remembered long after the film was over. Triceratops, Diplodocus, Tyrannosaurus
Rex -- prehistoric creatures that have fascinated and stirred the imagination
of millions of people in the last 100 years -- were all rendered in exquisite
detail. The vicious velociraptors were amazingly agile and perfect as the
primary antagonists in the film. My favorite scene, however, one that left
me teary-eyed from wonder and amazement, occurred early in the movie, before
the dinosaurs became threatening. Richard Attenborough drives his visitors
out to an open meadow. As the music swells, the audience and the other
principal actors see a group of live dinosaurs for the first time. I was
overwhelmed by what I was seeing on the screen. It was one of the most
beautiful and memorable visions I had ever seen.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
— I have concluded that it’s impossible to convey to people who
were not alive in 1968-69 just how important this film was to the youth
of that era. It was a time when the generation gap was accentuated. The
war in Vietnam was starting to tear the country apart. Marijuana was ubiquitous
and frowned on by most people over 30. Woodstock occurred in the summer
of 1969. At the time of its release, 2001: A Space Odyssey was so
different from all the other films, and so grand in its aspirations, that
it immediately obtained a cult following among the young. Older movie critics
inveighed against the film, complaining that the movie had no plot in the
classical sense. The response from the young was that the film was about
ideas and experiences. It didn’t even matter that most people didn’t understand
the ending. We went to see the movie dozens of times, thrilling to the
dazzling special effects and later arguing animatedly about the evolution
of man and the nature of the beings who created the monoliths. 2001:
A Space Odyssey was a seminal motion picture.
1. Blade Runner—
This film has everything, a brilliantly-conceived, plausible future world,
a fascinating, creative story taut with tension and jeopardy, characters
about whom the audience cares and superb acting. Ridley Scott directed
the film. Harrison Ford stars as something of a social misfit who is also
a blade runner -- a kind of future policeman whose job it is to terminate
renegade "replicants" (robots with human appearances and many human characteristics).
In my mind, it is the extra details in this film that make it a masterpiece.
From the stunning visions of Los Angeles in the next century to the argot
of the streets that is a composite of many current languages, to the clothing
and habits of people two generations in the future, Blade Runner
is a bounteous cornucopia for the science fiction and movie fan. Unfortunately,
it is difficult to fully appreciate this movie on a small screen. It should
be seen at least once in the theater if at all possible. I have enjoyed
Blade Runner a dozen times over the years. My appreciation for its
genius has increased with each viewing.
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