It Came from Outer Space (1953) and Forbidden Planet (1956) Dissertation Example

It Came from Outer Space (1953) and Forbidden Planet (1956)

Scientific fiction movies have had numerous criticisms before the people could receive them in the best way as the other genres of films. For the year 1950, there have been several scientific fiction movies that have managed to succeed in places where the former ones had failed. The genre has been attracting several audiences as it became regular in the movie industry. These movies have been the main pins in the creation of special effects through the use of technology and have also been used in many ways as the vehicle for the commentary in the social life. These genres use the speculative depictions that are based on scenes and the phenomena that are not accepted fully by the mainstream sciences like the extraterrestrial lives, aliens as well as the perceptions of time traveling. Robots and cyborg are some of the storylines of the science fiction movies. Most of these movies are having several parts that can be categorized into social, economic, aesthetic, narrative, and technological perspectives. Most of these scientific movies usually focus on the social issues as well as some of the philosophical parts such as the conditions of the human beings. Two of the most popular and well-known films of the 1950s are the movies “It Came from Outer Space” of the year (1953) and the movie “Forbidden Planet” of the year (1956).

Thesis statement

Scientific movies have for a long time used to give messages that have the social, economic, aesthetic, narrative, and technological perspectives.
In most cases, the tropes that are shown in the movie theatre are derived from the scientific world and science fictional. They may also be used by filmmakers who are ignorant of the standards that have been set. Scientific fiction has even been there in the years that there was the silent cinema. One of the most famous movies was in the year 1902 when the movie a trip to the moon used the trick photography effects that showed the scientific fictions.

Forbidden planet

The forbidden planet is a scientific fiction movie directed by Fred Wilcox and produced by Nicholas Nayfack (Wierzbicki 890). The movie stars Walter Pidgeon and Ann Francis. After being shot in the Cinemascope and Eastman colors, the Forbidden planet is considered to be one of the greatest scientific movies of all time. The characters used in the move are compared to those of the tempest by shake spears. The scenes also contain the analogs to the play (Caroti 776). The movie was the main pioneer for numerous scientific aspect of the fiction cinema, some of which are still seen today. Forbidden Planet was considered to be the first science fiction video that showed humans travel in a spaceship that was faster when compared to light. It was the earliest to be set on the planet that was in the interstellar space that was far from the world. The first film robots that were used as a character was bobby the robot that displayed a distinct personality as an integral character that supported the other casts. The movie was the first to be set on an entirely a new planet. It was in the interstellar space that was quite far away from the earth. Robby the character was a mechanical tin can that was put on the legs. Robby was displaying some of the very distinct personalities and was integral to the supporting people. Apart from being the science fiction, the movie was a groundbreaker as the first of the genres that used the electronic type of music that was done by Louis Barron.

It came from Outer space

It came from outer space is a scientific horror film that was shot in a black and white film ad in a 3D process (King, Geoff, and Tanya 987). The movie was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. The script of the movie is based on the original story with the same name and was published on the other story k own as “the meteor.” The film mainly tells a story of a young astronomer who is traveling with his girlfriend as they stagger in the desert (Dean 887). While they are on the dessert, there is a significant object that lands on the earth at speed and crashes onto the site. The astronaut discovers the same ship just before the landslide can bury it. He then tells the story to the local officers, sheriffs as well as the local newspapers. However, strange things start to take place after the ship landed from the sky. This disbelief eventually turns to the hostile situation in the village.

In the plot of the movie, the author and an astronomer together with the school teacher are watching the large meteorite crash near the town of sand rock as they try to awake the neighbors who own a helicopter. They later on the head to the place where the crush takes place. After one of them climbs down into the crater that is created by the object, they realize that this is an alien spaceship and not a meteorite.

Technological perspectives

Even though most of the science fiction movies are taking the shape of technology, there is the massive use of the scientific knowledge that most of them have. Films usually show the use of technologies such as spaceships and the use of the outer space in a technical manner. The role of technology has been varied depending on the genre of the scientific film as well as the public perception of technology. The most significant method in technology is the use of the technological mix that is used in the form of the impending doom. The use of biotechnical cloning is the most popular element that is used by the films. It came from space used this technology to create the alien that have arrived from space. The other aspect of technology in the movies is the use of the cybernetics that holographical projects the popular characters. The use of hyperspace in the movie, the forbidden planet is achieved through the use of a massive understanding of technology. All the sufficient scientific advancements are indistinguishable from the use of magic as shown in the two movies. The audiences are drawn to the use of technology, and they sometimes compare it to magic. The use of technology in the science fiction movie gives the movies a magical perspective that is difficult to achieve in case they are not used. These fictional magic become the present reality on the current movies as well. The alien that is created through technology in the movie “out of pace” is still used today as it has become the reality of the audiences.

Economic perspectives of scientific fiction movies

Scientific fiction movies are an important part of the audience’s lives. They provide us with the vocabulary that can be used to discuss some of the most worrying economic situations. They make the people worry about the fact that the robots are trying to steal the jobs of the civilians. In the movie “the forbidden planet,” there are some economic aspects where the audiences feel that the corporations are turning the people into consumers and are more anxious about the money being used. The audiences feel that there is the anxiety of poverty in the movie” it came outer space” where there is a massive desert where there are no plants that grow. It is in this dessert that the ship that is from space lands. The people living in this region are suffering from the poverty and other economic situations. In the movie” the forbidden planet,” the economic situation of the place is quite low, and the people who had visited the place have nothing to feed on. The other economic aspect is seen when one of the main characters claims that the ships that are used are too expensive for the economy. The use of gold and different divisions of class are also part of the movies. One of the main source of the anxiety that the humans face is the status of the economy. It is the reasons why the audiences usually fill their wild fantasies with the instruments and technologies of the aliens.

Aesthetic perspectives

Scientific fiction movies have their aesthetic styles. The styles have to show that the characters are a true reflection of what they are. In the movie the forbidden planet, the robots are dressed in a way that they show the true representation of what they are. Because these two movies coincided with the time that there were women liberation and the women movements, they were both inspired by the aesthetics of the women outfits. The outfits are a true representation of the women putting on as warriors and the need that they had to liberate themselves from the oppression and receive their freedom. The two movies showed the power of women as they both dress in the way that represented the women power. In the movie, “outer space,” one of the female characters is dressed n an armor to pass this message. The Asian dressing code is the other feature in the movies that is represented by the audiences and is expected to make an impact. The aesthetic part of a movie also shows the factious part of it. The forbidden planet uses this feature to show that the characters are on a different planetSocial perspective of films
All the scientific movies have the social perspectives in them. The way the people relate to the other features that are imaginary shows the social perspective of the audiences. As well, the movies show the way the females are treated in the world through the use of armors to show that they are also able to fight. In the movie, the forbidden planet, the females are dressed in armor to show the willingness and the ability to fight. This was also a timed movie as it was during the time that the women were discriminated against in many ways. Having been part of the investigation about the alien who has arrived in the movie It Came from Outer Space, the wife of the astronaut shows the capability of the women as she is the focus of attention when the alien ship is discovered. The movie is intended to be a horror and a scarier movie. Because of this, they use the socially held beliefs that the females are easily threatened to show how the people reacted to an alien who came from the space. In many instances, the woman is shown to be screaming after seeing the alien and tries to escape so that the message about the women status is passed. The societal perspective of war is also an important feature in the two movies. The way the people disappear and the leaders of the society react is a social theme that applies to the daily lives.

Narrative perspective

All the scientific fiction movies have a story behind them in the plot. For instance, it came from outer space have the narrative story about the alien that visits a foreign planet so that he can torment them. The story begins when the astronaut who is on tour notices the meteor that has landed from out of nowhere and then goes to check it out. The main narrative part of the story is where the alien comes from that forms part of the narration. The narrator makes it clear to the audience that there is something unusual that has ended the earth. The rest of the story follows the coming of the alien. On the other hand, the forbidden planet gives the narration about a planet that should not be visited as a warning to all the astronauts who are exploring the space. The rest of the story feature around the struggles that one of the astronauts have to go through after the rest of the crew have died.
In conclusion, scientific fiction movies have been accepted as one of the best genres of the modern theatre. The genres use the speculative fictions to tell the phenomenon that becomes accepted by the audiences. These movies have been used to focus on the social issues that affect the human beings. Scientific fiction movies have the social, economic, aesthetic, narrative, and technological perspectives that can be analyzed separately.

Works Cited

• Caroti, Simone. “Science Fiction, Forbidden Planet, and Shakespeare are The Tempest.” CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 6.1 (2004): 11.
• Dean, Jodi. Aliens in America: Conspiracy cultures from outer space to cyberspace. Cornell University Press, 1998.
• King, Geoff, and Tanya Krzywinska. Science Fiction Cinema: From Outerspace to Cyberspace. Vol. 3. Wallflower Press, 2000.
• Wierzbicki, James. Louis and Bebe Barron’s Forbidden planet: a film score guide. Vol. 4. Scarecrow Press, 2005.