The Flux Capacitor 5.16.08: Week 34 - All in the Family

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 05.16.2008

The past, present and future of science fiction - this week we look at family sci-fi. Plus, all the latest from the world of SF in a busy week.

Welcome to "The Flux Capacitor", the column that examines the past, present and future of the science fiction genre. I'm your host, Owain J. Brimfield, and each week I'll be taking a look at films, TV shows and a whole lot more that exemplify a particular theme within SF. We'll see how the sci-fi of yesteryear influenced what we see on our screens today, and take a look ahead to see what may be in store in the months and years to come. Later on I'll also discuss some of the latest SF news and see how it impacts on the genre. For now though, let's get the DeLorean on the road - this week's theme is:

FAMILY SCIENCE FICTION

Science fiction, it would seem, is one of those genres that's perfectly suited to children. It's designed to provoke thought and intrigue, to inspire and stimulate imaginations and sense of wonder - your imagination is never larger or more active than when you're still struggling to tie your shoelaces or learn your times tables (or find an appreciation for acceptable standards of nudity in public company... hmm, maybe that was just me). While the best sci-fi has intellectual weight to match its spectacle and awe, this doesn't have to pull it out of the reach of enjoyment by younger minds. The genre is equally capable of appealing, as the cliché goes, from age five to age ninety-five, although I think both ends of the equation would struggle to grasp something like Primer. There are plenty of movies out there hoping to capture a family audience and spread themselves across a variety of demographics, but the ones that succeed are those that tell a simple story, and are as much about the fun-factor as they are about alien lifeforms or cosmic starships.

I'd say probably seven, maybe seven and a half movie fans would namecheck E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial first off the bat when asked to name some top-of-the-range family-orientated science fiction. Spielberg's classic is a true testament to youthful flights of fancy and the notion that when you're a child, friendship isn't just confined to your classmates and neighbors but can cross the galaxy. Its universal sentiments have helped cement its reputation as one of the most famous sci-fi movies of the modern era, and its easy to see why it holds such cross-generational feel - no matter how old you are, watching the film makes you feel like a child; and I mean in a good way, not in an "argh why can't I reach the biscuit jar" way. The truth is that however you feel about the little walking turd and his glowing fingers, E.T. is a timeless science fiction movie that will probably appeal to children and adults alike until the end of the world. It has just the right blend of adventure, humor, thrills, spills, aliens and flying bicycles to make it the perfect choice of a Sunday afternoon movie - well, much like the majority of Spielberg's work, except for that bit in Temple of Doom when the bloke pulls the guy's heart out. Anyway, we'll undoubtedly be hearing E.T. attempting to phone home until time immemorial, and cinema probably wouldn't be the same without the little guy.

Probably the dominant force in the last decade when it comes to compelling family entertainment on the big screen has to be top animation studio Pixar. The studio specializes in providing slick, witty and above all high-quality family entertainment in animated form, and their first (and by no means last) entry into science fiction gave us one of the surprise hits of 2004. Much has been written about the quality of The Incredibles, and it still arguably stands up as the best animated movie of the CGI era. It's also clear evidence that Brad Bird must have learned a hell of a lot from his time on The Simpsons. The movie managed to sell science fiction and superheroes to a mainstream audience far more easily and successfully than more established comic-book franchises, while still remaining true to the tenets of its chosen sub-genre, and for that you can't help but commend it. Although animated SF is, arguably, both easier to pull off and more profitable than real-life moviemaking (just ask 1980s television if you want proof), it almost comes as a surprise that Pixar didn't test the waters of the genre sooner. Sure, Monsters, Inc. was fantastical and Toy Story 2 had a few elements of sci-fi, but The Incredibles was the first foray into SF proper for the studio, and it proved a massive hit.

The movie succeeds, simply, by getting everything right - a rather blonde statement I suppose, but let me expand on that. First and foremost, it's an absolute treat to look at, although that's pretty much a given for the studio's output ever since they established themselves, but it also manages to be constantly amusing, surprising, clever and original, and above all else, it's quite simply a fun experience. However, the real trick is in managing to simultaneously package and tailor all those constituent elements to the divergent audiences of children and adults. It's rare that a movie manages to strike the fine balance that bridging this particular divide necessitates, and when it does so with such aplomb you've got a winner on your hands. In a way, it's almost incidental that The Incredibles is a sci-fi movie as the genre isn't especially the driving reason for its accomplishments in the same way as, say, Flight of the Navigator or something similar, but the fact remains that it's entirely representative of the best that family sci-fi currently has to offer.

The simple truth is that the animated medium, or I suppose more accurately the CGI-animated medium, is by far the best vehicle to drive family sci-fi onwards down the road of tortured metaphor. Pixar are doing it again with Wall-E, due to hit our screens very soon, and their rival Dreamworks is soon to be at it next year with Monsters vs. Aliens. After that, of course, we have the mooted three-part Disney animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter novels, which are a prime source for a slice or three of roustabout adventuring for kids and grown-ups alike in a science fiction setting. Free from the technical constraints imposed upon traditional filmmakers, adopters of the CGI style are free to let their creative spirits roam uninhibited like wild animals across the veldt of movie originality. I'm straining for these similes, aren't I? The point I'm trying to get across in a slightly roundabout fashion, which hopefully you've all grasped hold of by now, is that science fiction for all the family works best when its allowed to take hold of our collective imagination and take us to the places that people like Pixar excel at creating on the movie screen. After all, we're all young at heart and sci-fi has the capacity to entertain and enrapture the children in all our hearts.


Reactions and interactions

Looks like I didn't give some of you the credit you deserved when thinking of instances of bodyswapping...

Posted by: JLAJRC

" When it comes to body-swapping, I was also able to come up with Vice-Versa with Fred Savage and Judd Reinhold. There was also a Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron whose movie title I forgot.

I don't know if this counts as body-swapping per-se, but there is the Warren Beatty movie "Heaven Can Wait." I'm also not sure about the movie "Oh God! Book 2."

There was also a short-lived tv series called "Twice in a Lifetime (or something similar)" Basically, someone would die at the beginning at each episode, be put on trial, and they would then be put back on Earth as another person to right whatever regret (usually wanting to get back with an ex) within a certain time period. If they succeeded, they stayed on Earth, but as that new person."

A few of those fall outside of the boundaries of traditional SF, but are worthwhile mentions. I've no idea what Oh God! Book 2 is though. Twice in a Lifetime ran for two seasons at the turn of the decade, and actually had a few episodes directed by David Winning, who has also worked on projects like Stargate: Atlantis and Earth: Final Conflict. It was a decent show with a neat concept, and had the distinction of featuring Reginald VelJohnson (Sergeant Powell himself) in a guest role once, but it's not hard to see why it didn't last longer.

Posted by: Dirk

" JLA: You were thinking of: Like Father, Like Son. There was also another show similar with Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage as well.

Good rappers without a name? Well, you took away Mos Def, who was amazing in Something the Lord Made. So I guess I'll have to go with Ice-T's superb performance in Leprechaun in da Hood."

Kudos, sir, what a fantastic reference. It's just a shame Icey T didn't return for the sequel, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood

Posted by: Eric

" Memory Run where a minor criminal ( whose parents were murdered when he was a kid) for a test Is put into the beautiful body of his girlfriend by a corp which rules a future world. they want young bods for their leadership. Good performances by Karen Duffy & a great one by Saul Rubinek in a cheaply
produced movie.
Dating the Enemy, quarreling Lovers switch bods & lives. Pretty funny.
Prelude to a Kiss. Old dying man swaps with beautiful bride.
star Trek Turnabout Intruder, jealous female swaps with Kirk.
Messmer's Bauble (friday 13th TV series) obsessed, ugly fan swaps with Vanity as rock Star. Haunting but bad ending.
Avengers, TV show. Russian spies swap with good guys.
Buffy the Vampire slayer, 2 mom swaps with daughter to be cheerleader again, Buffys bod is stolen by jealous fellow slayer Faith.
Its a boygirl thing, quarreling neighbor teen swap.
Turnabout TV series & old movie married couple swap."

Good call on Memory Run, which is certainly cheap but briefly diverting, and has a great supporting performance from Barry Morse of Whoops Apocalypse fame. A few of the TV shows you mention make me wonder if shows like Round the Twist and Eerie, Indiana ever featured bodyswapping - it sounds like a gimmick that would fit, but never having been a regular viewer of either I'm not entirely sure.


The Infosphere

Rumor has it that Matthew McConaughey is the frontrunner right now for the role of Captain America in The First Avenger: Captain America. At this point, it's still early, but he is one of the main names being considered for the role.

In a word: meh. For all his all-American appeal, McConaughey is a relentlessly bland screen presence (which, incidentally, made him the perfect fit for the lead role in a Clive Cussler adaptation), and his surname infuriates my spellchecker. Must try harder, methinks.

Bioshock is headed from the video game screen to the big screen and will be directed by Gore Verbinski. John Logan (Sweeney Todd) is expected to write the script.

Now this has the capacity to be a truly unique sci-fi movie. The Bioshock universe is undeniably compelling, and finally a video game adaptation has been given a director of decent caliber who has the right sensibility to do such a project justice.

Brad Pitt is apparently being considered for the lead role in Marvel's Thor. No offer has been made to him yet, but he is high on the list of potential people to play the role.

I'll be genuinely shocked if Pitt does end up with this role. And no, I don't want to see Triple H up there either.

A documentary feature based on the life of B-movie director Roger Corman is in the works from director Alex Stapleton, Variety reported. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

This has the potential to be absolutely fascinating, as Corman is pretty much synonymous with the concept of the B-movie and has accomplished a heck of a lot in his career. I'll be watching this with interest.

Latino Review reports that they have seen production drawings from X-Men Origins: Magneto that feature a blue, furry character with a tail. That seems to indicate a cameo by Nightcrawler or Beast, but a source with the creature effects shop who spoke to the site about the artwork said it was for Beast.

Wait, did Beast have a tail? Or is this, in fact, little more than an unfounded rumor?

ABC has given a series order to the time-travel drama Life on Mars, the network confirmed during its upfront presentation for advertisers on May 13. An American adaptation of the popular BBC SF series of the same name, Life on Mars will be executive-produced by David E. Kelley, who owns the rights to the show. It will star Irish actor Jason O'Mara (Resident Evil: Extinction) as a modern-day cop who is transported back to the 1970s. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

No idea whether O'Mara is any good, although if he can match the British version's John Simm he'll be doing a good job. The key role is whoever they get to play the equivalent of Gene Hunt, though. I'm also intrigued to see how long this is scheduled to run, given that the original show only put out two seasons of six episodes each.

The CW network has given a 13-episode midseason renewal to its comedic series Reaper. The freshman series from ABC Studios has a cadre of loyal fans but has otherwise struggled in the ratings. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

I'm not a big fan of the show myself, but it does seem to have a decent fanbase so I'm sure they'll be glad to hear this news, as shows with similarly out-there concepts have rarely tended to thrive.

The classic Jim Henson series, Fraggle Rock, is headed to the big screen. The film will be a live-action musical. As with the show, the movie will still be populated by a mix of human characters and puppets.

Science fiction? No. Awesome? Yes.


And finally…

Thanks for reading; as always, reader feedback and suggestions are welcome. Be sure to go out of your way to check in next week, as it's a special occasion so we'll be celebrating in a super-special way. "How, why and what!" I hear you cry, but you'll have to tune in next week to find out. You won't want to miss it. Until then - keep watching the skies.