Science fiction films has a long history with wide range of films to delve. The first science fiction film based on Jules Verne's novel is Le Voyage dans la Lune, created by Georges Melies in 1902. Several if science fiction films have characteristic themes that support elements of science ,technology, facts about aliens, planets in the outer space withe unrestrained fancy and fantasy of unrealistic or improbable suppositions. Science fiction films are prophetic--predicting a life set in a distant future. It expresses the disastrous effects of the scientific inventions to the earth. It portrays the repercussion of the effects of science and technology on the environment of the contemporary society. With the changing precepts of technology, the unsophisticated and crude films have changed to matured and proliferated films. The films resonates the hostility of contemporary people towards alien elements and the alien world, the evil and heinous aspects of science and technology.
The themes also include the subjects of future--a future better or worse than the present, life on other planets, the crisis created by science or technological innovations, the destruction of the world by nuclear inventions, the international co-operation against invaders from outer space or monsters or any other dangerous threats of fatal viruses.
In science fiction films, the themes revolve around aliens & Martians, strange potential creatures, weird ghastly species from outer space,space shuttles, meteors, clash of worlds, time travel, spaceships, Robots and droids, giant monstrous beings, space fights, virus & diseases, genetics & DNA, extraordinary scientists, fantastic breathtaking journeys to moon and to other planets, splendid vision of the galaxy, cyberspace, cyberwar, Bio war etc. A threat that the earth is endangered by species of the other world forms an inevitable theme of the science fiction films. The aliens from distant planets intimidate earthly creatures and cause devastation to earth in order to make their planet a super power.
The science fiction films have highly imaginative visual images of space ships,imaginary voyages, exploration into the unexplored worlds, space fight against aliens and their strange habitats and habits. The films visualize rise of a superhero. They depict ordinary human beings as their protagonist but they gain super hero capability and power in course of action. They gain incredible strength and fortitude to fight against a common foe of the society--an alien, a monster or a robot. The hero demonstrates extraordinary and astonishing courage, when there is a stressful point or a breaking point of saving the earth or saving innocent people from a destructive force. A good deal of sacrifice and other qualities as high-mindedness, love for fellowbeings, mutual understanding, compatibility, courage to encounter trials and tribulations, confidence in one's own self, living in harmony, exhibiting valour are some of the traits in a hero or a super hero in sci-fi films.
Generally, the animated science films are watched by children and the moral values a film instil in their tender minds is significant. The films have to be instructive inculcating the virtues and the vices of the world and the ways to discriminate the good from the bad. The films should be consciously didactic because the young minds are inspired by the action of the protagonist with superhuman power. Children are concerned with making moral distinctions to tend their hearts of virtue and innocence.To become a responsible human being or to
become a profligate depends on the path of their way. They learn moral values
for guidance from their family environment and society to act truthfully and
act with moral strength without swerving towards temptations. The children,
sometimes even adults get moral clarity through stories and through films.
Qualities
as endurance, tolerance, confidence and the convictions of faith in religion,
faith, in brotherhood, and regard for truth, peace and harmony are important
traits which shape them as individuals. Whether to be humane or inhuman depends
on the ratio of goodness and badness complicatedly blended in us. The
appellation of a saint or the condemnation of a devil deservers or depends on
the intemperance of either our virtue or vice. Despite the disappointments,
disillusionments and the ambiguities of life, the films asserts
an essential optimism that good triumphs evil, problems can be solved, things
will turn out well, happiness is achievable, triumph is near, success is
possible to those who endeavour .
Films
appeal people of all ages invariably. They are the most potent means by
which perceptions, values and attitudes are transmitted from one generation to
the next. The films’
recurrent themes of rescuing and saving , courage , adventure,
mysteries of the other world, good
triumph over the evil, the virtuous winning the vicious, the delight in defeat
of the evil-doers, the drastic crash of the alien space flight, the extinction
of the monsters etc. appeal children. Most popular films in the animated series
include Wall-E, Monsters Vs Aliens, Mars
needs Moms, Lilo & Stitch, Chicken Little, Planet 51, The Iron Giant, Star
Wars :The Clone Wars, Astroboy, Fly me to the Moon, Ghost in the Shell, The
Transformers: TheMovie, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within , Treasure Planet,
Meet the Robinsons, AppleSeed, Skyblue, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, Battle
for Terra, Heavy Metal, Akira, Titan A.E, Rock and Rule, Live Freaky! Die
Freaky! Mutant Aliens, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,
Space Chimps, A Scanner Darkly etc.,
The
paper intends to find the values of humanity and other substantiating themes as
restoration of Peace and Order, Freeing
the earth from the clutches of Alien force, Conservation of the Environment,
Destructive Vs Constructive forces, Love, Alienation, Meaning of existence,
etc. in the animated Science fiction films as Wall-E, Monsters Vs Aliens and Mars needs Moms. These Science
Fiction films are didactic; yet do not overly burden them with instructive, factual,
educational, contemplative issues.
WALL-E
Wall-E is one of the best and most accomplished
Sci-fi animated films, with a robot love
story on the surface and a serious theme of environmental destruction. The film
is set in the year 2700 and the earth has become a ghastly place unfit for
habitation. It is a city of skyscrapers raised out of garbage. For hundreds of
years, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth) has been taking out the
trash, and collecting precious bric-a-brac in order to shed off the boredom of
his dreary routine. After hundreds of solitude, WALL-E finds a sleek search
robot named Eve to whom he presents his inadvertently discovered ‘tiny, perfect
green plant’, which he found growing in the rubble and transplanted to an old
shoe.
Appreciating
the value of his remarkable discovery, she excitedly races back to let the
humans know that there's hope for their return to their home planet. When Eve,
WALL-E unable to be alone, losing the only friend he's ever known eagerly
follows her to space. The descendants of the Earth who live in Axiom have
become “massive, flabby beings with tiny, almost vestigial limbs due to the
low-gravity in the space ship. They incapable of movement, spend their days in
moving recliners equipped with screens and live in their own virtual worlds.
The space-station resembles the giant mall of “ Buy & Large”. In such a
meaningless, hollow, worthless, futile life has a hope of retrieval when Eve
brings the plant as a sign of survival on Earth. At the station, the plant becomes
a proof that Earth is ready to be re-colonized.
WALL-E
also gradually realizes that he has unknowingly found a secret that could save
planet Earth, and once again make the ravaged planet safe for all humankind. When the
auto-pilot computer, acting on hastily given instructions sent many centuries
before, tries to prevent the people of Earth from returning, by stealing the
plant, WALL-E, EVE, the portly captain, and a band of broken robots
stage a mutiny. Eventually, life on earth is resumed by
human influence, combined with a little bit of artificial intelligence and
robot.
It is a thought
provoking film which makes us realize of what happens to the trash which we
throw carelessly into this earth. It is a cautionary fable which initiates us
to become conscious of the recklessness of human beings in their concern for
the planet bestowed by God. We should not be shallow in spending thriftily on unnecessary
things for flamboyance. In fact, Earth will has become a stark wasteland if proper
care is not taken on the various issues as Global warming, Ocean Acidification,
Ozone depletion, Coral bleaching, Species extinction etc, are not focused and
rectified properly, this cautionary tale with striking ecological implications
will become a reality.
Wall-E gives an apocalyptic spectacle of
the world and is a intimidating stimulation to the young children about the
plight of their planet in future. It is a startling reminder that they have to
live like the human who hover in an incredibly large orbiting spaceship Axiom if
we do not heed properly to the threats of danger. It is a story about love and
loneliness, perseverance and triumph, the possibilities of redeeming this earth
from disaster and devastation.
Monsters Vs Aliens
The most decipherable types of
characters in science-fiction history are monsters and aliens. The stereotypical fight between the monsters
and the aliens, An ordinary Californian woman, Susan Murphy, was struck by a
meteorite from outerspace on her wedding day to a Weather-Reporter in a TV
channel, Derek Dietl. A substance called Quantonium is absorbed by her and
immediately she grows into a tall giantess. She is ensnared by military,
labelled as Ginormica and put in an exclusive prison headed by General Monger
as a part of a team of monsters. An alien
named Gallaxhar detects the quantonium radiation emanating from Earth and
deploys a gigantic robotic probe to find it.
General Monger convinces the
President to use the monsters to fight the robot, promising the monsters
freedom if they succeed. Susan and the monsters succeed in defeating the robot.
Set free, Susan returns home with a hope to seek help from Derek, but he breaks
up with her. Broken, she slowly realizes that after she became a giant, she has
improved into a woman of courage, boldness and independent and feels her
monster life better. When she is convinced to live with the monsters, she is
suddenly abducted by Gallaxhar to his spaceship. Susan is trapped by Gallaxhar
into the machine that extracts quantonium from her body, shrinking her to her
normal size. Meanwhile, Gallaxhar, clones an army to invade Earth. She
reabsorbs the quantonium , restores her giant size and with the help of the
monsters and the General self-destructs the spaceship.
The monsters
receive a hero's welcome home. Even Derek
tries to win Susan for the sake of an interview that could benefit his career. Susan
rejects him. Thus the motley crew of monsters and the female hero confronts the
combat with the four-eyed alien Gallaxhar and save the world from imminent
destruction.
The moral
value of the movie is that despite the odds, the female hero has the faith and
courage to confront an alien. She has the great responsibility of saving the
world from the alien.The saying,’ with power comes responsibility’ can be
reversed to say ‘ with responsibility comes power’ to Susan and she gets the
power to defend the earth and defeat
Gallaxhar. Though she has grown tall with the quantonium, her mental
ability strengthens because of the crisis which she faces. The ability comes to
her because she wants to save her monster friends. She is posed with the
responsibility of saving the Earth and the giant task of saving the whole of humanity.
The
indomitable courage, the boldness to combat and the determination not to “give
up”, sacrificial nature not to let down her friends in danger, the duty
consciousness to complete the mission assigned to her explicates Susan’s heroic
qualities. Her readiness to accept the destiny, the readiness to convince and
compose herself after Derek’s rejection, the self-esteem and courage she
expresses in rejecting Derek’s offer, and to smile at odds makes her a female
hero indubitably. These character traits will inspire children and will make
them aspire for a life of strength, courage and boldness.
Mars needs Moms
Mars
Needs Moms is a animated movie that is based on one of the
masterpiece of Berkeley Breathed. This movie shows children the importance of
their mother to them. The storyline of Mars needs Moms is deceptively simple
. A young boy named Milo gains a deeper
appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take her away. . One
night, when he has a heated argument with his mother, he wishes he never had a
mom. Later that night, his wish comes true when his mother is kidnapped by
Martians who plan to steal her "momness" to rear their own young.
The Martians, led by their
villainous supervisor have been observing Earth mothers, passing up those who
are too indulgent or unable to control their children. They select Milo's
mother based on her ability to command Milo. To rescue his mother, he steals
himself to the spaceship. When he reaches Mars, he is jailed but escapes with a
help of Gribble, a human in Mars.
Gribble and a Martian girl, Ki helps him to save Milo’s mom. Gribble
with his own experiences of failure to
rescue his mother, helps Milo. They after a crucial battle, imprisons the
Supervisor. The mother and the son reach home safe while Gribble stay on Mars.
Mars
needs Moms is a film
which portrays the importance of parenting and the home as a place of
protection and shelter. It also has a strong message of the unconditional love
of a mother to her son. A unruly son, a son who wished he never had a mother at
all becomes responsible and is ready to
sacrifice his life for the sake of his mother. Here too, in this film, a
ordinary boy with no super heroic powers fights with the villainous in a alien
land. In a place fortified by strict guard, he manages to rescue his mom with unconquerable
courage and boldness. The dire need to save his mother,” whom he never wished
he had.” The film is inspiration to children who refuse to be obedient to a
mother. It threatens yet instructs that at the need of hour, children exhibit
valour and bravery.
As Robert
Frost defines poetry, “A poem begins in
delight and ends in wisdom.” . A film
not only gives us delight and but also makes us wise. A film delivers a message
which inspires the audience and allows a moral clarity in leading their life.
The characters depicted in the films epitomise life , resonates the cultural,
psychological, philosophical and
historical aspects of the contemporary life. The film are “mirrors of life”. The
events in the stories of science fiction also have some semblance of the
emotional exchanges we have in real life. For instance, the love story of WALL-E,
the lovely robotic dance of Eve and Wall-E has a resemblance of a happy couple
in romance. As ashes are left and the gold is consumed, the good in a film
expresses a moral vision of life.
References:
Paper presented in International Conference on Science Fiction 19-21 January 2012
organized by Bharathiar University, Cbe & Indian Association for Science Fiction Studies, Vellore & Vigyan Prasar, Noida.
