The Reality of Science

Fiction Around

Us…

By: Carolina Lopez

A is for ALIENS

Aliens is a movie that represents women empowerment and is primarily surrounded by gender issues. Ripley, the

woman protagonist of this movie, encounters various situations where male figures try to control her, due to

the many masculine figures she was surrounded by. However, Ripley holds her own ground, using her

strength and intelligence takes charge in the obstacles she encounters.

B is for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Battlestar Galactica depicts the conflict encountered between the Asian interracial families. This TV series

highlights a variety of interracial relationships and indirectly shows conflicts between these types of

relationships. For the most part, everyone in this show is in a relationship with someone of a different race.

However, the marriage of an Asian woman with a white man, illustrates how the U.S/Asian relations has altered

overtime.

C is for Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk is a term that represents the oppression in a society dominated by computer technology. This genre

of science fiction pertains to the loss of morality and humanity, due to a sense of helplessness and misery.

Most films that are based on cyberpunk are about individuals who use their technological expertise to dominate those around them. These individuals use

their computer-based knowledge to control the lives of others either for their own benefits or to benefit their

government and society.

D is for DARK ANGEL

Dark angel is a television series that pertains to the use of technological means to alter the human genome. This

series is full of bioengineering, in order to make the ‘Dark Angel’ strong and fit for survival. The government uses a combination of human DNA with feline DNA, to

increase the individual’s strength, high stamina, enhance vision and quick healing (to name a few), to create the

perfect soldier that they could benefit from.

E is for ELYSIUM

Elysium explores a variety of themes. However, this movie primarily reflects on class struggles between the

wealthy and the poor. Additionally, there are comparisons of the ‘American Dream’, the reasoning why many immigrants come to the United States. Elysium is considered to be like the U.S, a place that many people believe to be the good life, surrounded by opportunities and less hardships. Everyone who lived in the Elysium space station are considered to be the wealthy and this

is where everyone who lived in the corrupted Earth wanted to go to, to either survive the hardships or life

itself.

F is for FIREFLY

Firefly depicts a an indirect theme of social class and the lack of help by the government to those in need. In this

show the Alliance, the federal government formed by the American and Chinese culture, are considered the

top class and potentially live a good life with all the resources they have. However, the Alliance push the

frontier and those below them aside, depriving them of any resources and help, due to the little benefits the Alliance would get from helping them. The Alliance in

this show would rather see others die and sick, as long as their own necessities are met.

G is for GATTACA

This movie focuses on the future of technological developments, regarding genetic manipulation and

discrimination. The idea of the ‘perfect gene’ is what is looked upon and studied. However, if the perfect gene did exist and technology had the capability of inserting

these genes in humans, wouldn’t the human population be closely related. Now a days, many possible

technological advancements are possible, which is why this movie reflects such a possibility of creating the perfect individual, if they acquire the perfect gene.

H is for HALLE BERRY

Halle Berry, represents an opposing view on gender roles when it comes to women. Women are seen to be

passive and dependent on the power of a masculine figure. However, in ‘Catwoman’, Halle Berry uses her

femininity to control those around her. She is independent and shows no sort of attachment to a

masculine figure for her well being. She instead, shows that women can use their sensuality and feminine

attributes for their own benefit and control.

I is for INCEPTION

This movie is a representation on how the government uses technology to acquire what they need and are

looking for. In inception, technology is used to invade a person’s dreams and inner most thoughts, in order to steal one’s plans and ideas. In this world of inception, being physically safe from burglary isn’t good enough.

Now, those who are targeted are invaded through shared dreams, so that people like the government or

others can get information that one wouldn’t speak of in a conscious state.

J is for JULIANNE MOORE

Julianne Moore plays a dominant role in the movie “Children of Men”. She is the leader of a terrorist

organization, looking into and fighting for bettering the rights of illegal immigrants. In order to do so, Julianne is

not afraid to use weapons and be physical to get what she wants. Her character in this movie represents the

traditional masculine behaviors and shows how a female can adopt these behaviors as well. In this movie, it is evident that Julianne didn’t use her femininity to get

what she wanted, she adopted the masculine behaviors and got physical.

K is for KATNISS EVERDEEN

Katniss Everdeen plays a unique feminine, yet dominant role in “The Hunger Games”. She is a typical bad a** female protagonist who kills, fights and protects her

own. However, the gender role is seen with her partner, Peeta, who is physically masculine and strong, but

emotionally a stereotypical female. In this relationship between Peeta and Katniss, Katniss plays the man in the relationship and shows little dependence on a male in her life. She is hard to read and isn’t the typical lovey dovey, emotional female protagonist in a relationship,

which shows that not all women are vulnerable in relationships like many believe.

L is for LOOPER

This movie depicts the benefits criminals get from the use of technology to time travel to the past and future. The point of time traveling in this movie is to allow criminals to kill whom

they like or need dead, but to avoid any evidence in the future (body or remains), the victim is sent to the past and killed there, leaving their remains behind. This shows how

intelligent criminals are getting over time and although time traveling isn’t available now, there are other means criminals can use to avoid getting caught and successfully commit their

crime.

M is for MELANIE STRYDER

Melanie Stryder plays the leading role in the movie ‘The Host’, a movie about extra terrestrial species taking over

the human race. These species want to capture every human on earth and in order to find the last humans

alive, they use Melanie’s body and memories to do so. These creatures are trying to alter the human body and

use Melanie for their beneficial purposes and needs, just as seen in the novel Dawn with Lilith and the Oankali.

N is for NATASHA HENSTRIDGE

Natasha Henstridge in the movie ‘Species’ shows her audience how it is to be a combination of two races,

human and alien, due to a DNA exchange and ATTEMPT for a successful experiment. In this movie, Henstridge

uses her sensuality and human-like, supermodel female body to seduce men and potentially target them as

mates. However, her extreme violent alien side comes out when these men don’t fit her criteria and she

considers them to be in suitable for her needs. Her character depicts how she uses her different human and

alien like attributes to get what she wants and for her control.

O is for OBLIVION

In this movie, it is though that a different race of species, aliens, invaded the earth and the protagonist (Tom

Cruise) is fighting to save humanity. However, the reality is that humans are going against each other to acquire

and keep as much of earth’s resources to themselves. In order for this to occur, Tom Cruise is lied to and cloned,

making the process easier and beneficial for their superiors. This movie depicts how humanity can go

against one another to benefit from the loss of others.

P is for PLANET OF THE APES

In this movie franchise, humans experience a world that is dominated by members of a different species, apes. In

this world, the humans are known as the “others”. It is evident that there is a reversal in social order, when

humans are being shot, killed, held captive and tortured by the apes, a species that we would normally see as the

“others”. This representation of social order, can be compared to the mistreatment many minority groups

experienced by those in dominant groups.

R is for RESIDENT EVIL

Resident Evil is a movie pertaining to biotechnology manipulation, in order to make the strong soldier. The pharmaceutical company, Umbrella, made the T-virus, which is used to change the host’s DNA, allowing the person’s body to biologically be able to take on the

enemies and differing it from the normal human body. This virus allows the host to lack the sensation of pain

and fear. However, a side effect for this virus can potentially turn a person into a zombie and provide

them with the opposite effects.

Q is for QUARANTINE

Quarantine is yet another, but popular film pertaining to the loss of humanity from changing the human race into zombie like creatures. These zombies are a product of a mysterious strain of rabies, that once infected by a bit or

scratch urns humans into incontrollable maniacs attacking other humans. This transformation from

humans into zombies, can represent how humanity acts towards the negativity going on in the world around them. Humans aren’t getting any more passive than

zombies themselves.

S is for STAR WARS

In this movie series we encounter various characters that make up the racial and stereotypical profiles of different

ethnicities. The high ranking officers are white males, which shows the power by a dominant racial group.

Additionally, the Neimoidians are described with Asian stereotypical profile and the Gungans have more of an

African American profile.

T is for TERMINATOR

Masculinity and the depiction of white males as the ‘superheroes’ is highly evident in this movie. However

this movie franchise has altered its image on masculinity throughout time. The first movie in this franchise,

masculinity is seen in an exaggerated amount (hyper masculinity), to the point that a lack of reality and humanity was present in this individual. When the

second movie came out, masculinity was more humane and relatable to the present day masculine figure,

strong, yet consisting of emotions.

U is for ULTRAVIOLET

In Ultraviolet we see the how the government uses their control for their own benefits, rather than help the

people in need. The government is trying to capture and exterminate citizens who are infected with a virus, that

gives them vampire-like symptoms. In order to avoid the spread of this virus, their first and only approach is to kill these citizens, when they could easily just try to isolate them and find a cure. This movie depicts unnecessary violence and in a way shows a form of genocide to the

infected population.

V is for VENDETTA

This movie depicts a form of gender and mistreatment to minority groups who are classified under

homosexuals, political opponents or those considered to be undesirable. In Vendetta, gays and lesbians are imprisoned by the government and are subjects to medical experimentations in concentration camps.

These people were tortured, due to their sexual preferences, which made them undesirable to the

community or society at that. Vendetta on the other hand, shows how violence can be used to fight for

freedom and obtain equal rights for others.

W is for WOLVERINE

A theme that is considered to be very powerful is the idea of immortality. In this movie, Logan also known as the Wolverine has the power of being immortal, never dying. With that said, everyone who wants to hurt the wolverine can’t physically hurt him, but they do so by killing the people closest to him. This movie depicts a

sense of helplessness and loneliness by the wolverine’s part, because he can’t prevent anything from happening

to his loved ones, due to his curse and the hate of his enemies.

X is for X-MEN

X-men shows a representation of racism and oppression to the mutants, those humans who have the X gene and

are different from the rest of society. In various ways these mutants and x-men are compared to African

Americans, because similarly to them these species are attacked by the government and mobs. Professor X is known and considered to play a role like Martin Luther

King, because he is fighting to stop the oppression against these species. Racism doesn’t necessarily need to be against different ethnicities, in this case racism is

seen against the different species.

Y is for YESTERDAY WAS A LIE

Yesterday was a lie depicts the idea of reality and illusion. This movie is based on a detective who is

looking into an investigation, that in all sense may be out of reality. She is faced with many obstacles and

unforeseen twists as things around her start to feel surreal and disconnected to reality. This film represents how the literal, things that we literally see going on may

not necessarily be its significance.

Z is for ZOMBIES

Zombies are seen in many science fiction movies and depicts the loss of humanity. Although this idea of

zombies can seem absurd to a certain extent, zombies can relate to real life issues in different ways. These

creatures lack motor and coordination skills, as well as memory, due to a malfunctioning of specific areas of the brain. An exact representation of a zombie can be quite

difficult to obtain in the real world, but various neurological diseases and viruses can cause a person to

act similarly to a zombie.

THANK YOU