Retro Nostalgia: Metropolis (1927) and the Torment of Humanity’s Dreams
I’ve often wondered if there is something unique about the “serious” science fiction of the first 30 years on the 20th century (i.e., non-pulp work). Surely critics more familiar with the era can attest to this with some degree of authority, but since I do not have that experience, I must speak from what little […]
Retro Nostalgia: Mars Attacks (1996) and Its Detached Timestamp
Long-time viewers of science fiction film will likely recognize Tim Burton’s homage to 50s/60s SF cinema. How could they not? From the narrative undertones of the Cold War’s nuclear fears to its borrowing and twisting of the narrative structure of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and its 1953 adaptation, which helped solidify a developing SF cinematic […]
Retro Nostalgia: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the Hero Scientist, and the Possible Utopia(?)
There’s something truly nostalgic about SF narratives that make the scientist the hero. There aren’t a lot of those narratives left, if we’re honest. Characters use science, sure, but they are rarely the creators of science, or its purveyors. But not the old school SF movies. Oh no. In a lot of those stories, scientists […]
Retro Nostalgia: Forbidden Planet (1956) and Romancing the Science
I have never seen Forbidden Planet. It’s one of those films that SF enthusiasts say you have to see, but I have never made the time to do so. Until now… As a first time viewer of a now-50+-year-old movie, I find it necessary to offer a number of concessions: 1) I cannot expect the […]
Retro Nostalgia: The Dark Crystal (1982) and the Necessity of a Remake
When I first saw The Dark Crystal over a decade ago, I recall feeling amazed by the story. As kids, I think we have a tendency to open ourselves to imaginative possibilities that adults have closed themselves off to (possibly because adults have “seen it all”). Watching The Dark Crystal as a kid was like jumping headfirst into […]
Retro Nostalgia: Legend (1985) and the Power of Innocence
(A different subtitle might say this: “A World of Oppositions, Stricken By Their Equilibrium.” This, of course, assumes I will follow Jason Sanford‘s story-title-generation process for these features. I’ll leave artistic license aside for now…) One of the curious things about Ridley Scott’s 1985 fairy tale — appropriately entitled Legend — is how desperately it clings to its fairy […]