Science Fiction Films and Politics
Film can reflect society in a variety of ways; one genre that has frequently reflected political and social issues of past and present is the science fiction film. This article will take a look at three recent science fiction films and display how they are all representatives of how film can reflect our real lives and real issues.
Avatar and…The Iraq War
Avatar is the highest grossing film of all time and a Golden Globe award winning film, it captured the imagination of millions with the gorgeous scenery of Pandora. However Avatar wasn’t just simply a love story, with a science fiction/action based focus, it also offered up several parallels to the conflict in Iraq and the true motives behind it. From watching the trailer to Avatar the links to the Iraq war are clear.
At the center of Avatars story, is the idea that humans have invaded a plant called Pandora. This planet is rich in a particular resource named Unobtanium. Just replaced Pandora with Iraq and Unobtanium with Oil and you have what many people were saying the true motive of the Iraq war was, resources. However it is not just that link in which Avatar reflects the war in Iraq, it is also through one key piece of dialogue in the film,
“We will fight terror, with terror”
If there was any doubt while watching Avatar that it was reflecting the Iraq war, then that line puts all doubt to one side. With the U.S waging a war on terror that line is eerily similar to the sayings of George Bush and the motives of the U.S army.
Many people may have loved Avatar for its stunning visuals, love story or action and adventure however there is also a deeper level to the most successful film in history (box office wise) and in fact in years to come when people look back at Avatar, it would not be unfair to look back on it as…an Iraq war film. Albeit one with smurfs (one has to make that joke when discussing Avatar)
The Iraq war film ia becoming a sub genre in modern films, with Avatar infact losing the best picture Oscar to a much more explicit “Iraq War” film in the form of The Hurt Locker. However I argue that The Hurt Locker is not about Iraq and infact when you look at the story and what its trying to say could take place and be based on any conflict. Avatar on the other hand, while taking place in a distant future and a different planet is echoing the Iraq War in a much more explicit manner and through its slightly clichéd and cheesy themes is actually saying much more about the Iraq War than some so called “Iraq War films”
District 9 and…Apartheid
District 9 is a science fiction film that like Avatar can be enjoyed on multiple levels. Whether you are engaged by one mans struggle to maintain his humanity, a father and son struggling to get to their home planet, the love story or the action there is without question a deeper political subtext to District 9. One that while not as recent as the Iraq war is just as important to world history.
District 9 is a place where aliens are held, separated and segregated from the general population of humans, The aliens are treated as second or even third class citizens, living in slums, being tortured and be referred to in a derogatory sense as “prawns” due to their appearance. The film by the way is set in South Africa; do you see the political link now?
District 9 is a film about apartheid as much as it is about one man struggling to maintain/regain his humanity. It has clear links to the political situation in South Africa and merely takes the central conflict of Apartheid and transports it to a science fiction setting. While the film can be watched, appreciated and enjoyed on numerous other levels, there is no doubt which political situation it is reflecting.
The film, which made on a tiny budget to most action blockbusters, is directed by a South African under the name of Neil Blomkamp. The first half of the film is done in a faux documentary style way, with numerous talking heads discussing District 9. This gives the film a much more realistic feel and even further strikes home its similarities with the terrible situation that was Apartheid.
District 9 is a film that even though is not as “current” in its political message as Avatar, is one that Is equally important and one that shows everything that is wrong about Apartheid through a science fiction setting. Science fiction films can take place wherever they want, with whatever robots or aliens they want but ultimately they have this way of reflecting political issues that is both brave and interesting. District 9 is a perfect example of this.
Children of Men and…Immigration
Immigration is a political issues that we hear about day on day, week on week and year on year. It has been covered in numerous films across a variety of genres, however for me the definitive science fiction “immigration” film is the outstanding and underrated Children of Men.
Starring Clive Owen, the film takes place in a dystopian future where women can no longer have babies and the youngest person in the world has just died. A key aspect of the film is how in its dystopian future version of Britain, foreigners are hunted down, abused, put in cages, treated poorly and aren’t respected. While the film offers up images that are eerily reminiscent of 9/11, the main focus of the films political subtext is around immigration including images that evoke reference to the holocaust.
Children of Men is an incredibly tough film, however with its themes of hope is ultimately uplifting about human life and the goodness that can be achieved by it. The corruptive nature of human life is displayed through the immigration forces and their poor treatment of fellow human beings just because they do not share the same birthplace, culture or skin colour. The refugee camps also evoke images of Guantanomo Bay, questioning how governments treat people who they believe to be a threat to their nation.
The film takes aim at anti immigrant feelings and in a gritty yet engaging way shows us just how far anti immigration feelings can go.
Whether it be the Iraq War, Apartheid or immigration, science fiction films are arguably the most interesting genre in terms of how they reflect the political issues and fears of their time. All three of the films above were released in the past decade, with two of them referencing current political issues and an other referencing one we hope is long behind us. All of them however deal with how humans treat one another and other races, all of them have interesting questions about humanity and all of them beneath their special effects and action sequences have something interesting to say. These three science fiction films are prime examples of how film can reflect society. In years to come, these science fiction films will be able to be looked back on as science fiction films that captured the political and social feelings of their time. They may take place in alien worlds or alternate realities but the ideas and political subtext behind all of them; firmly take place on the planet earth.
By Michael Dalton
Film can reflect society in a variety of ways; one genre that has frequently reflected political and social issues of past and present is the science fiction film. This article will take a look at three recent science fiction films and display how they are all representatives of how film can reflect our real lives and real issues.
Avatar and…The Iraq War
Avatar is the highest grossing film of all time and a Golden Globe award winning film, it captured the imagination of millions with the gorgeous scenery of Pandora. However Avatar wasn’t just simply a love story, with a science fiction/action based focus, it also offered up several parallels to the conflict in Iraq and the true motives behind it. From watching the trailer to Avatar the links to the Iraq war are clear.
At the center of Avatars story, is the idea that humans have invaded a plant called Pandora. This planet is rich in a particular resource named Unobtanium. Just replaced Pandora with Iraq and Unobtanium with Oil and you have what many people were saying the true motive of the Iraq war was, resources. However it is not just that link in which Avatar reflects the war in Iraq, it is also through one key piece of dialogue in the film,
“We will fight terror, with terror”
If there was any doubt while watching Avatar that it was reflecting the Iraq war, then that line puts all doubt to one side. With the U.S waging a war on terror that line is eerily similar to the sayings of George Bush and the motives of the U.S army.
Many people may have loved Avatar for its stunning visuals, love story or action and adventure however there is also a deeper level to the most successful film in history (box office wise) and in fact in years to come when people look back at Avatar, it would not be unfair to look back on it as…an Iraq war film. Albeit one with smurfs (one has to make that joke when discussing Avatar)
The Iraq war film ia becoming a sub genre in modern films, with Avatar infact losing the best picture Oscar to a much more explicit “Iraq War” film in the form of The Hurt Locker. However I argue that The Hurt Locker is not about Iraq and infact when you look at the story and what its trying to say could take place and be based on any conflict. Avatar on the other hand, while taking place in a distant future and a different planet is echoing the Iraq War in a much more explicit manner and through its slightly clichéd and cheesy themes is actually saying much more about the Iraq War than some so called “Iraq War films”
District 9 and…Apartheid
District 9 is a science fiction film that like Avatar can be enjoyed on multiple levels. Whether you are engaged by one mans struggle to maintain his humanity, a father and son struggling to get to their home planet, the love story or the action there is without question a deeper political subtext to District 9. One that while not as recent as the Iraq war is just as important to world history.
District 9 is a place where aliens are held, separated and segregated from the general population of humans, The aliens are treated as second or even third class citizens, living in slums, being tortured and be referred to in a derogatory sense as “prawns” due to their appearance. The film by the way is set in South Africa; do you see the political link now?
District 9 is a film about apartheid as much as it is about one man struggling to maintain/regain his humanity. It has clear links to the political situation in South Africa and merely takes the central conflict of Apartheid and transports it to a science fiction setting. While the film can be watched, appreciated and enjoyed on numerous other levels, there is no doubt which political situation it is reflecting.
The film, which made on a tiny budget to most action blockbusters, is directed by a South African under the name of Neil Blomkamp. The first half of the film is done in a faux documentary style way, with numerous talking heads discussing District 9. This gives the film a much more realistic feel and even further strikes home its similarities with the terrible situation that was Apartheid.
District 9 is a film that even though is not as “current” in its political message as Avatar, is one that Is equally important and one that shows everything that is wrong about Apartheid through a science fiction setting. Science fiction films can take place wherever they want, with whatever robots or aliens they want but ultimately they have this way of reflecting political issues that is both brave and interesting. District 9 is a perfect example of this.
Children of Men and…Immigration
Immigration is a political issues that we hear about day on day, week on week and year on year. It has been covered in numerous films across a variety of genres, however for me the definitive science fiction “immigration” film is the outstanding and underrated Children of Men.
Starring Clive Owen, the film takes place in a dystopian future where women can no longer have babies and the youngest person in the world has just died. A key aspect of the film is how in its dystopian future version of Britain, foreigners are hunted down, abused, put in cages, treated poorly and aren’t respected. While the film offers up images that are eerily reminiscent of 9/11, the main focus of the films political subtext is around immigration including images that evoke reference to the holocaust.
Children of Men is an incredibly tough film, however with its themes of hope is ultimately uplifting about human life and the goodness that can be achieved by it. The corruptive nature of human life is displayed through the immigration forces and their poor treatment of fellow human beings just because they do not share the same birthplace, culture or skin colour. The refugee camps also evoke images of Guantanomo Bay, questioning how governments treat people who they believe to be a threat to their nation.
The film takes aim at anti immigrant feelings and in a gritty yet engaging way shows us just how far anti immigration feelings can go.
Whether it be the Iraq War, Apartheid or immigration, science fiction films are arguably the most interesting genre in terms of how they reflect the political issues and fears of their time. All three of the films above were released in the past decade, with two of them referencing current political issues and an other referencing one we hope is long behind us. All of them however deal with how humans treat one another and other races, all of them have interesting questions about humanity and all of them beneath their special effects and action sequences have something interesting to say. These three science fiction films are prime examples of how film can reflect society. In years to come, these science fiction films will be able to be looked back on as science fiction films that captured the political and social feelings of their time. They may take place in alien worlds or alternate realities but the ideas and political subtext behind all of them; firmly take place on the planet earth.
By Michael Dalton
Research for this article involved watching the following films:
Children of Men. Dir. Alfonso Cuaron. Perf. Clive Owen. Strike Entertainment, 2006.
District 9. Dir. Neil Blomkamp. WingNut Films, 2009.
Avatar. Dir. James Cameron. Lightstorm Entertainment, 2009.
Children of Men. Dir. Alfonso Cuaron. Perf. Clive Owen. Strike Entertainment, 2006.
District 9. Dir. Neil Blomkamp. WingNut Films, 2009.
Avatar. Dir. James Cameron. Lightstorm Entertainment, 2009.
