Whoppin' the E.T.'s Ass: The Spirit of the Scifi Movie in the 90's

by Alexandria Tervaniemi

Return of the SciFi

'Science Fiction is Back!' A random headline on a random movie magazine was published around the same time as Ronald Emmerich's Stargate hit the silver screen in 1994. The same idea of the return of a certain genre seems absurd, especially when you think about such movies as Alien and Terminator, which have both crossed the magical barrier between the decades quite smoothly despite their questionable 'sequel' reputation. If these movies aren't Science Fiction then what on earth is?

No, Science Fiction didn't disappear. But it has experienced some sort of a resurgence in popularity lately. This means that it's no longer the property of the devoted followers but has squeezed its tentacles around the 'ordinary' moviegoer as well. One may notice the same phenomenon in the beginning of the 1980's when such masterpieces as Star Wars, Alien, Mad Max, Superman and - oh yes - E.T. lured swarms and swarms of people to fray the cinema seats all around the planet. An example of a new mysterious cycle that might change some laws of nature? Perhaps.

Another interesting detail is the change of atmosphere between these two waves of SciFi hysteria. In the 1980's it was heavily colored by the burning optimism that most of the movies shed upon their audiences. Emotions were ruthlessly abused when the universal love came down to Earth and touched us with the forgiving finger of a childlike alien. Even Blade Runner had to answer this hunger of euphoric happiness.

But as the decade moved on something radical took place. The innocence and the enthusiasm turned to doubt and irony that now lurks everywhere - even in Independence Day, which, despite its seemingly joyous surface, has plenty of black humor in its structure. The word of the day is self criticism: we study ourselves and our weaknesses with a kinky smile on our faces, and we do it by using the very means and methods that have already been used before, although this time we do it with more sophisticated technical wizardry than before. And that is one of the most visible features that make us the children of the post-modern era.

The Heart of the Theory

What is post-modernism? To find a proper answer we should have a peak at the modern period that could be placed somewhere between the industrialization in the 19th century and the 1970's when the information technology revolution took off and carried us to the wondrous world of the real time connections.

Whereas modern human individuals were still firmly tied to their background, we as their post-modern successors merged into the idea of the present so thoroughly that it blurred our sense of history and partially alienated us from the traditional ways of social behavior. And as the scientist became pretty sure that the future might not be as great as the modern optimists had imagined, we turned around on our heels and reached out to the glorious days of the past, to the things that we thought we knew best, which we felt were familiar and safe to us.

This movement can clearly be seen in the most favorite movies of the 1980's. Old cartoon characters like Superman, Flash Gordon and Batman became enormously popular, and TV-series like Star Trek build a status even beyond the inner circle of the avowed Trekkers. Epic stories like Star Wars and Dune were the futuristic sagas for the masses, not forgetting Back to the Future, which played the nostalgic game rather shamelessly. In the 1990's, movies such as Jurassic Park, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Independence Day give this strangely satisfying 'been there, done that'-feeling: nothing is really new, only the budgets are larger. One of the most eyebrow-raising facts of the day is that moviemakers don't even bother to go very far back in time to snatch the story they want to be warmed up again: for instance, Waterworld is obviously just a soaking version of Mad Max.

However, post-modernism is not simply about nostalgia but also about self-irony and pure suspicion - the very thing I mentioned before. The crucial difference between good and evil is usually rather difficult to distinguish, and human corruption is always present in one form or another. We laugh and sneer at our own faults, and we acknowledge our weaknesses and observe ourselves from a new down-to-earth angle. We are the criminals of our own stories, and we love it: being an antihero is not a bad thing at all.

In the next few chapters we're going to have a closer look at some of the popular movies of the (mid) 1990's to see whether they really fit into the mold of this represented slice of the post-modern theory. At the same time, my humble intention is to pay attention to some other peculiarities that caught my eye and hopefully raise questions about the more or less hidden symbolism that is usually tied to the spectator's own capacity of speculation (that is, of course, imagination).

Muscles of Metal

Arnie who? This question is bound to be one of the rarest of its kind on this planet because Mr. Universe 1967 is probably one of the best known actors today. Really. Even though most of the identifications might be a bit confusing as the interviewed people would point to his picture with a big smile on their faces and reply 'hasta la vista, baby' or 'Terrrminator' rather than 'Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger'.

The Terminator-movies are a solid part of the clanging boom of metal heroes and antiheroes of the late 1980's, including Robocop, who gained reputation especially among the younger generation. But, unlike Robocop, the Terminator was fleshier and nastier until the second part, T2: Judgment Day, softened him up and made him almost like any loyal family man who gathers his woman and offspring around his muscular legs and raises his weapons against the apparently unbeatable enemies. The other movie that is unavoidable when introducing Arnie and his SciFi achievements is Total Recall, which is a fairy tale of a man who happens to remember that the alien technology would be a perfect solution to the oxygen problem on Mars.

While the killer of the first Terminator transforms into a self-sacrificing hero, in the second movie, where he also, literally, meets his maker and destroys himself for common good, there's no use escaping from the religious undertones. I believe that the scriptwriters naming of that part as 'Judgment Day' was a very conscious move indeed. Simultaneously, one can't avoid the connection between T2 and Blade Runner where a cyborg/replicant is given an opportunity to greet the creature that was the origin of its own existence. But what else could Terminator be? A high technology answer for an unknown thread that creeps closer to the fragile humanity? In T2 this thread can take the form of a human being and infiltrate among the unsuspecting crowd. Is it an image of death? Could death be beaten by technology?

As far as Total Recall is concerned, some statements claim that it has a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs in it. Why not, but once again we should take a suspicious glance at Blade Runner. No - don't tell me - its the general appearance of the streets, isn't it? The idea that the hero is tempted to buy memories is absolutely hilarious as you ponder our notorious Theory and all the other details in this story that you think you are able to recognize but still can't quite recall...

Loving the Alien

An image has engraved deep into the poor writer's cortex: Sigourney Weaver alias Ripley dives in slow motion towards the infernal arms of the blast furnace that welcomes her to the merciful death while a new life is being born through her chest screaming like a baby at her sweaty bosom. The First Lady of SciFi has done it again: that image is, of course, one of the final scenes from Alien 3 that puts a (temporary) end to the Alien series that began in 1979.

A significant part of the charm of these three movies is the setting: the endless network of corridors, caves and air shafts, and a variable selection of vents and doorways that are impossible to plug and control. Then comes this woman who looks ageless, whose facial expressions are almost as vivid as Arnie's, and who hesitates, but not for too long, to be a sissy.

It shouldn't be hard to reveal the symbolism behind the plot: from the gloomiest corners of our minds emerges a creature like the reflection of our own wretched predator that prowls right beneath the thin layer of humanity. It destroys its victim's brain (sense) and procreates itself by spreading from one individual to another like a lethal viral infection. It nests close to our heart (emotions) until its ready to come out and strike again. And all this because it is made that way, because it has no other 'higher' function than to exist and to procreate.

The cycle of human sexuality? The plain, coarse portrait of humanity? Whatever the interpretations might be, there's no denying that this monster is more than a special effect: it lives within ourselves, it's the shadow that groans under your bed at night and scares you just because you know what it is. Don't you?

Monkey Business

Do you have an urge to get disoriented? Join Bruce Willis in Twelve Monkeys which is the unchallenged master in puzzling - a movie which demands the use of your brain, and this time it's not for the nutritional purposes.

"Twelve Monkeys" is the symbol and Willis, alias Cole, is a man who is forced to crawl through time zones to solve the mystery that holds the key to a better future. He ends up in a whirlpool of memories, experiences and coincidences that toss him around with no obvious logic attached and no clear direction to head to until the enigma reaches its climax, and the solution is only a couple of meters away.

The idea of being completely lost in a (familiar) time and environment holds the very tingle of this movie. Where are we? What is our task? Where to begin? Should we believe in our innermost feelings or just the reality that we can actually see? And as Louis Armstrong's 'Wonderful World' is being played in the background you may look for the tiny details that connect this pictorial riddle to a certain TV-classic called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That's right, the Theory is here again.

Whoppin' the E.T.' s Ass

'If somebody says this movie is a symbol of the fear for the uncontrolled immigration to America, he's wrong.' As Roland Emmerich, the director of Independence Day, and Dean Devlin, the producer, do their best in trying to explain that ID4 is only an innocent adventure, the fuss around the picture doesn't show any convincing signs of calming down at all. Like Jurassic Park it broke the previous records within the business and made the "serious" movie critics roll their eyes in vexation.

The story of the locus-like aliens that come with their spectacular U.F.O.'s and threaten to smash up the humanity is like a recreation of The War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells, but this time the visitors come from greater distances and with a better military arsenal. They re-landscape most of our largest cities until the hero of the day, U.S. President T.J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), unites the earthling forces and with the help of a black pilot (Will Smith) and a Jewish computer wizard (Jeff Goldblum) does what a man has to do.

The ID4 enthusiasm rushed across the planet like a shock wave, and one can only speculate, why. The story is a simple, straight-forward fairy tale that stumbles all the time in logic. Yes, it is fun, and yes, the effects are nice, but otherwise there's nothing that would separate it from the SciFi movies that have been done before. The patriotic fever could be understood in the U.S., where the traditional enemies have lost their charisma and the aliens offer a fine target for the new weapons, but the cinema queues in the other countries demand some more careful inspection.

Of course, there are people who go to see the movie simply because of the action, but the almost ridiculous naiveté of the script makes you wonder if that's what the whole thing is about: maybe it is meant to be naive and ridiculous, maybe we are laughing at the complete film rather than the lines and the characters of the story. As Emmerich and Devlin carefully admit that they worked the script to match most tastes by using numerous references to familiar movie clichés, one could ask what actually makes us to giggle at this film. What exactly do we witness? Ourselves? Our ideologies? The American ideology? Our whole history of story-telling? The clichés of SciFi in general?

I think the aspect of recognition and plain humor are the basic reasons that make this movie so immensely popular. When Emmerich made Stargate it was definitely not a laughing matter, and The X-Files is also the type of SciFi that doesn't really encourage you to grin: when Fox Mulder approaches the Area 51 it's probably a bit more discreet than Will Smith's dusty and rattling caravan column. By the way, did you know that our laptop computers are perfectly compatible with their intergalactic counterparts?

Good Heavens, They're Doing It Again!

And yes, they certainly are. According to the latest news the SciFi is going to rule the minds of the movie producers at least for the next couple of years as well. The rumors tell that Alien 4 is on its way, The X-Files will soon be on silver screen, Mel Gibson has the rights to re-make Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and Star Wars might end their decade-long truce. More information about the up-coming SciFi and other movies is found in the Empire Movie Magazine.

In the Year 2000

Some comments claim that the forthcoming change of century would have some effect on us and our taste of movies: we are afraid, and we need to be assured that everything is going to be all right (ID4), but at the same time the thrill of destruction and the end of the world tickles our minds and makes us to greed for dramatic performances on the big screen. Maybe this could partially explain the popularity of Independence Day and Twister, where the devastation is somewhat profound, and would also point out the secret of the best selling videos loaded with real handycam recordings of actual storms and other neat catastrophes that make you twist closer to the front edge of your seat. The moon has turned red, and the stars are falling from the sky: the seventh seal has been broken, and the true fun may begin.

The other alternative or co-existing explanation could be that we've finally seen everything that can be shown on film, that there's nothing new for us to experience even at the age of computer trickery which makes things even more alive than our own imagination. As a result there's nothing left to scare us but the nature that we'll never be able to control, and the alien beings that are totally beyond our laws and orders and perhaps our capability of understanding as well. It was quite enlightening to realize that when the scientists declared that there is, pretty certainly, life on Mars, it didn't cause the mayhem one might have expected because people were already more or less completely brainwashed to accept the idea of extraterrestrial life. Even religions have adopted a cautious attitude towards the aliens which are, according to the wildest explanations, the astray children of God. Interplanetary missions in distant solar systems could be a daydream of a priest suffering from a SciFi mania.

So where do we go from here? Some golden oldies will be done again, the ancient themes will be repeated over until there's nothing to chew from? Or do we act like the responsible recyclers and bring up the next wave of SciFi hysteria in 2005 - as an advanced virtual reality version? There are signs that the interest in documentaries might grow as it already has on television where the strive for the feeling of live action has become an essential part of program policy. Maybe Hubble Telescope - The Motion Picture wouldn´t sell today, but in 2020 Our Men and Women in Mars could be the entertainment attraction of the year. And maybe there will be a revolution in narrative style that will also renew the movie industry and the traditional ways of performance. But the Science Fiction as a genre is bound to survive: the future and the unknown will always remain out there, just beyond the reach of our inpatient fingertips.

Picture copyrights

(In order of appearance)

Independence Day © 1996 Centropolis Film Productions
Blade Runner © 1982 Warner Brothers
The Terminator © 1984 Pacific Western
Alien © 1979 20th Century Fox
Independence Day © 1996 Centropolis Film Productions
Twister © 1996 Warner Brothers

Used without permission.

Sources

Clute, J (1995). Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley.
Nathan, I (1996). Houston, We Have a Big Problem. In Empire. Issue 87 September: 108-120.
Nurmi, J (1996). Olemmeko Sittenkään Yksin? (Are We Alone After All?). Kivinen, A (prod).
Sobchack, V (1993). Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New York: Ungar.