The Fantasy Genre- Love it or Loathe it

Well, I love it. There's good and bad of course. I LOATHE Star Trek, I find it tedious and unimaginative, but the Sci Fi/Fantasy genre as a whole, is one I love. I find it really expands the imagination, but also provides a medium so much freer for real philosophical and political thought, the great issues of life can be examined outside the constraints we normally find them in. A novel or film about real life on real earth doesn't really think outside the box in the same way. Sci Fi/Fantasy is modern myth, and like all myth, it strikes an inner reality that daily reality cannot scratch the surface of.

This is from Krull, which I first saw aged five. I have seen it several times since, just a really stylish film, dark, brooding, atmospheric.
For its day, the special effects are amazing- plus, it's actually a British film!
Note Francesca Annis!



The next clip is from one of the series that became a real cult, and I was one of its earliest followers- I caught the first episode (this one shown) at University and never missed an episode. A dark mix of horror, black comedy, satire and occasionally, eroticism, I feel this really pushed the boat out in Sci Fi terms. The later series weren't quite as good, but Lexx really stirred my mind.

Be warned, this clip carries an 18 rating.



Then of course, there is Farscape. Again, you can't really knock this, this is what Star Trek SHOULD have been. Visually stylish, compelling viewing, and great storylines.

You couldn't really afford to miss an episode, because you'd really miss out on the storyline, but it actually had a hero you could like- and even for a cynic like me, the love interest between John and Aeryn (the lovely Claudia Black) was just one of the greatest ever shown on screen.

Never before, perhaps, has a woman been portrayed so captivatingly, strong, assertive, unbreakable. This is not a woman who will be mastered by her emotions. This is not a woman who will bow to anyone.

And yet... that smouldering intensity.



Lastly, there can be fun Sci-Fi too. It doesn't all have to make you think. Sometimes, you can just be amused.

In this scene, you just cannot help but admire the stamina of Barbarella...



Incidentally, the crazy looking guy in the clip is called Duran Duran- it's where the group took their name from.

Well, all these have had effects on me, one way or another. I really do find the genre the most worthwhile to read, and to watch.

If you feel like perusing the effects it's had on my mind, feel free.