Fiction for Life: Things I Learned from Watching Sci-Fi

The thought of meeting someone who had just returned from New York excites me. Eleven years is long enough so you bet I was ready for a story-telling marathon. I stepped into his living room and I was completely stunned by the movie house-themed living room! He grinned at my reaction and was so pleased to know that I adored the setup. What thrilled me more were the sci-fi movie posters arrayed on his plain alabaster shade walls!

He worked as a PR – that’s how he got to have these enormous theater posters in his possession. Tokens and freebies, he said. I noticed that most of them were science-fiction movies. We both loved the genre, and just like old times, we talked about several movies.  Now that we’re adults, we went up to another level, talking about the titles’ impact on us as an individual and as a part of the human race.

Learn and Unlearn

What is the most resilient parasite? … An idea. Resilient… highly contagious.

Cobb’s words definitely stuck even after watching Inception. Ideas and ideologies do spread like wildfire thanks to the wonders of the Internet. While other people shun these, my friend and I actually take pleasure in considering varying and even opposing ideas, test them or meditate on them to see if these really make sense. Do aliens really exist? Is there such thing as parallel universe? How will the world end – or will it ever? There’s nothing wrong with questioning beliefs, doctrines, precepts, etc! Ideas are meant to be shared, tested, then accepted or rejected.

Think Outside the Box

“Do… or do not. There is no try.”- Yoda

My friend took me to his study and I was stunned. He turned it into a whole new different world any Star Wars fan could ask for. Pictures and souvenirs everywhere, he’s just that into it! Looking at the images, I can’t help but wonder the pain and sweat the creators had gone through to bless the world with these stories.

Watching even just a few titles of this genre is enough to convince you that the imagination is very powerful. The success of any sci-fi movie, like fantasy, depends on the uniqueness and creativity of the conflict, setting and most especially, technology. Sci-fi is about initiating possibilities of what are deemed impossible. Imagining things does not equate to being a daydreamer or slacker, those would only be legitimate if you don’t do anything do materialize what you’ve conceptualized. Yoda, the elf-like mentor of Luke Skywalker, couldn’t summarize this point any simpler.

Too Much Progress Could Be Devastating

Human beings are a disease, a cancer on this planet, you are a plague…

Close enough, Agent Smith (Matrix 1999). Close enough. We delved deeper into the topic and got a little serious. Agent Smith’s line proved to be unforgettable and quite painful because it’s a truth right down to the core.

Some of you may not believe in global warming, but I’m totally sold out with the thought of us destroying our only home. As the quote goes, we instinctively destroy the equilibrium in our surroundings. Lots of stories in print and on the silver screen continue to show the hazards of neglecting other aspects for the sake of progress. Sci-fi also takes a causative turn to raise awareness and awaken the audience from their slumber of indifference and apathy. Take movies like 28 Days Later, Children of Men and Snowpiercer for example. The Day After Tomorrow, anyone?

What ifs?

My friend and I don’t really like asking this type of questions but we somehow agreed that they are essential to our nature and existence. What if aliens do exist? What if we are on the brink of extinction and one wrong move could lead to self-destruction? What if there was no racism, sexism, religious factions or disease? What if without them, we’re faced with indifference? What if total control to attain Utopia is indeed the only answer to our perennial dilemmas?

So many questions! Questions leading to more questions. Interestingly, that’s exactly what science fiction is all about. These stories challenge our assumptions, the people around us, the government and ourselves. Is this paranoia? I don’t think so. A broader perspective – that’s what I was given. And it’s good.