How Sci-Fi Movies Have Changed Since the 50s
In this visual essay (and video embedded above), Alvin Chang shows how science fiction movies have gotten darker and more complex since the 1950s, when many movies were set in the present with a clear existential threat that was then overcome.
But these days, it’s much more likely that protagonists also have to overcome societal forces — political movements, systemic inequality, rampant capitalism. These are basically things that seem too big to fix.
It’s also far more likely that the narrative explores inner conflicts — moral dilemmas, identity crises, and wrestling with our understanding of what it means to be human. We don’t just face outside threats; we also face threats within ourselves.
Ultimately, today’s sci-fi stories are far more likely to be a commentary on current social issues. These might be critiques of political ideologies, runaway capitalism, irresponsible innovation, human apathy, or eroding mental health.
(via studio d)
Discussion 2 comments
I'm consistently fascinated by these visual essays from The Pudding. The interplay between image and text is excellent, and the use of data to frame discussions is really compelling.
I'm grateful to have been made aware of the site here - excellent web curation efforts here.
I was thinking about this while watching the Fallout TV show. The villain of the original games was a crypto-fascist deep state as 1990s commentary on American hegemony, but the 2024 TV show focused a lot more on the corporate greed and inequality of the privatized Vault Tec fallout shelters. And the message also shifted from “Warmongering caused disaster” to “Income inequality keeps us down”. Kinda interesting to see these evolutions in our more long-running science fiction franchises.
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