Real Uses Verses Science Fiction Depictions
Published 17 Feb 2017
Science fiction films are the type whereby, scientific discoveries have been made or imagined. These types of films mostly deal with space, planets, and existence of life in other planets. Science fiction as a film genre uses speculative, science-based depictions of the imaginary world e.g. aliens, time travel and extraterrestrial life forms accompanied by technology like loots, futuristic space-crafts, and other technological forms. These films have been used to provide more social commentary on either politics or the social world and to explain philosophical issues like human conditions.
Science fiction films are often speculative in their nature based on science and technology and have always been considered false or stage managed. Such films include elements of belief that knowledge of God and of real truth can be found through prayer and meditation rather than through the senses reason, occurs or even magic or the supernatural. Such films have been assumed to challenge God’s power or religion.
However, much as these films are criticized, they are also very creative and fun, and out of this world due to the technological enhancements. These fictitious films have always earned wards due to their creativity e.g. in Men in Black, Barry Sonnenfeld received in 1998 Saturn science fiction winner award, in 1998, Golden Globe-musical nominee in 1998 it was the Hugo-Video Nominee, in 1998 MTV-movie nominee the film starred Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith and basically the movie looks into earth-dwelling extraterrestrials.
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Science fiction emphasizes dramatic action based on special effects which should not be fully believed to be real. And they always try to explain a lot of things from the scientific world point of view, some of which are true. For example about the existence of UFOs, some scientists have argued and tried to convince the world in general about their existence such films are inspiring, e.g. nowadays human beings can be substituted by robots e.g. ATMs instead of over the counter withdrawals or even things like phones (smartphones e.g. blackberry, I-phones) which offer advanced capabilities beyond typical mobile phones. Science Fiction can be used in a good way for example in the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
SF works usually present explanations; they comment or use religious themes to explain a wider message. The use of religious themes in the SF category varies from simple religious claims as backward or unscientific, to creative explanations and new ideas into religious experience and beliefs so as to acquire new perspectives to the human condition for example supernatural beings like aliens, prophets as time travelers, future predictions visions or metaphysical gained through technological means. The genre of science fiction in line with the religious thematic schemes can be highlighted as an open system that can rearrange (usually in a postmodern sense) traditionally kept religious works for example, the relations with the closed and scarce nature of the creation story as brought out in Genesis as opposed to the open and expansive nature for example in a film like The Matrix. (Seed, D. 2005 139) As a source of explanation, SF hardly takes religion simply does not accept or reject religion. When religious themes are brought forth, they tend to be looked into very deeply. Readers, viewers or listeners are invited to step outside the conventional understanding of the matter and are made to consider wider changes that are often used to everyday human experience. Since this genre of SF often looks at humanity’s perception of itself in the issue of great technological and social change, most SF matters grapple with questions of either spiritual or religious nature. Consequently, the importance of religious themes in SF cannot be assumed. (Maslin J. 2007)
However, some people have been made to believe in what they watch from science fiction films e.g. there are debates which try to convince people about the existence of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Science fiction films have also led to a test of the spiritual welfare since rumors are flying around about the end of the world. When it comes to science fiction and religion, the existence of Jesus Christ as the son of God has been challenged by science fiction or the scientific world e.g. the Da Vinci Code which brought a lot of controversy between the religious and the scientific world.
According to this scientific film it’s said that Jesus isn’t the Divine son of God but instead, He’s a prophet of God, Jesus had a wife, who it is said to be Mary Magdalene and that by the time Jesus was going to be crucified, she was pregnant; further the film claims that her (Mary Magdalene) being a prostitute is a lie/slander created by the church to cover up for the relationship she had with Jesus, among other things. The Catholic Church and European art especially felt that this fiction film was a direct attack against them and dismissed the movie as “rank nonsense, bogus and based on the notorious hoax” (Maslin, J. 2007)
Science fiction has also tied to explain more on the Apocalypse which according to the book of Revelations in the Bible, John the Apostle he refers to the “unveiling” or “revelation” of Jesus Christ as Messiah, A term which has been used commonly to refer to the end of times. But it is more precise to define the term “end of the world”, as we see in the King James Version of the, as the “end of the age”. A Greek word translated as “eon” or “age”. “World”. The dead in the book of Job is seen and in some of the Psalms as being in Sheol, and are awaiting the final judgment on the judgment day. The wicked will then be sent to eternal damnation or torment in the fires of hell or Gehinnom, or in Revelation ‘the Lake of Fire’. (Brown L. M 2007 110)
Further, SF also tries to expound on the New Testament written by Paul the Apostle and expand on the theme of the judgment of those who are wicked, and the glorification of those who became children of Christ or Messiah. Paul expounds in his letters to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians further on the reward or destiny of those who are righteous. And he speaks of the resurrection of the dead and rapture of those who are in Christ or the Messiah. This combined apocalyptic event was said to come at the end of this age and before the coming Millennium or year 2000 and was brought out in the movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘End of Days’ in 1999.
However, when it comes to real films, there’s also a lot of criticism since everything is done is not fake/acted e.g. in pornographic or romantic films things done are real. Much as some claim to be educational, some audiences tend to abuse that power and instead promote immorality basing on what they see, read or watch from what they watch in such films because most of these films are not censored. For example, a reality show like ‘Temptation Island’ Temptation Island was one of the reality shows from the U.S. reality television program and was broadcast on Fox. The show featured several couples who agreed to live with a group of the opposite sex singles, the main idea of the show was said to test the strength of the relationships of the married couples. Some people think the title “reality television” is an inappropriate description for several styles of the program included in the genre.
In shows like as Survivor and Big Brother which are competition-based programs, or shows like The Real World which is the special living environment, while those who produce them design the style of the show by controlling the activities in the environment, thus creating a completely fabricated thing in which the competition plays out. The participants are selected by the producers specifically and use and design the scenarios carefully in situations like events, challenges, and settings to support particular behaviors or conflicts. The creator of Survivor show, Mark Burnett, and other reality shows, avoids the word “reality” to explain his shows; by calling it unscripted drama.
Some reality shows have received global success since according to some analysts, reality shows are an important political phenomenon. Whereas in some authoritarian countries, voting represents for the reality shows for the first time has made citizens vote in free and fair wide-scale elections something which they have never done. In addition, the fairness of the arrangement or settings on some reality shows present situations that are often prohibited since they are taboo in certain orthodox cultures, for example, the pan-Arab like Lebanon whose version of Star Academy, a reality show that has contestants living together the contestants are both male and female. Made a journalist called Matt Labash, to write and noted both of these issues, and gave credit to the reality show and praised it. After the finale of the 2005 season of ‘Super Girl’ In China, whose version in other countries is ‘Idols’ attracted an 8 million text message votes in total and audience of around 400 million people, However the Chinese government was quick in criticizing the show, by claiming it was democratic in nature and that it had excessive vulgarity, or “worldliness” and by 2006 the show was banned in the country. Micklethwait J. 2005
Works Cited.
- Seed D. A Companion to Science Fiction. Blackwell Publication, 2005.
- Brown L. M. Packaging Girlhood “Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes” Macmillan Publication, 2007
- Maslin J. New York Times “Science Fiction Challenged” Feb 16, 2007.
- Micklethwait J. The Economist, Idol.” September 2005.