The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
It occured to me whilst i was studying the numerous Sci-fi films around that in each decade the various Sci-fi titles reflected the world as people saw it.
Pre-WW2 people had no worries. There were no threats of nuclear missiles and people generally felt safe. They wanted to explore what had never before been seen and this was present in the few sci-fi films of the era. A prime example is the invention of the Flash Gordon comic. Flash Gordon did not involve any horrific aliens landing on earth, wanting to blow it up, it contained the thing that had fascinated people for so long- the exploration of a previously undiscovered universe.
In the 1950's, however, paranoia about Communism and panic about being invaded by alien forces was detectable in the films of the decade. Examples of the first alien invasion films were available in the 50's and were the first in a long genre of 'Us vs. Them' films where we are always the good guys battling against the overwhelming odds of the evil alien forces.
In the 60's there was more optimistic view of exploration, and there was a more social environment. There was a huge increase in divorce and people took a much more relaxed attitude to life, with hippies being a prime example. And too with this came a spirit of adventure which was the case in the early series of the famous Star Trek. It was also there in old TV series such as 2001: A space odyssey, although i'm not too sure if this was 60's or 70's.
However, in the 1970's there was growing environmental concern that human interference with nature was going to cause problems. And, in Sci-fi movies this was reflected by the theme of nature turned bad, with evil predators attacking man (Swarm being a very good example).
The 80's saw a growing fear for the future and environmental concerns. There was political unrest and the introduction of the dystopia movie reflected what would happen if there was a nuclear disaster and they would show the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare of baron landscapes complete with the terrifying fear that one day this world of horror might become a reality. Films raised the questions about the future and the role of man. They displayed the consequences of what might happen if humans carry on with their thirst for knowledge ('Aliens' being a prime example of science being a priority before peoples lives). These films were just the beginning of what could potntially be a gradually forming reality.
Films aren't just a form of entertainment, they're a reflection of the attitude of today's people...
Pre-WW2 people had no worries. There were no threats of nuclear missiles and people generally felt safe. They wanted to explore what had never before been seen and this was present in the few sci-fi films of the era. A prime example is the invention of the Flash Gordon comic. Flash Gordon did not involve any horrific aliens landing on earth, wanting to blow it up, it contained the thing that had fascinated people for so long- the exploration of a previously undiscovered universe.
In the 1950's, however, paranoia about Communism and panic about being invaded by alien forces was detectable in the films of the decade. Examples of the first alien invasion films were available in the 50's and were the first in a long genre of 'Us vs. Them' films where we are always the good guys battling against the overwhelming odds of the evil alien forces.
In the 60's there was more optimistic view of exploration, and there was a more social environment. There was a huge increase in divorce and people took a much more relaxed attitude to life, with hippies being a prime example. And too with this came a spirit of adventure which was the case in the early series of the famous Star Trek. It was also there in old TV series such as 2001: A space odyssey, although i'm not too sure if this was 60's or 70's.
However, in the 1970's there was growing environmental concern that human interference with nature was going to cause problems. And, in Sci-fi movies this was reflected by the theme of nature turned bad, with evil predators attacking man (Swarm being a very good example).
The 80's saw a growing fear for the future and environmental concerns. There was political unrest and the introduction of the dystopia movie reflected what would happen if there was a nuclear disaster and they would show the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare of baron landscapes complete with the terrifying fear that one day this world of horror might become a reality. Films raised the questions about the future and the role of man. They displayed the consequences of what might happen if humans carry on with their thirst for knowledge ('Aliens' being a prime example of science being a priority before peoples lives). These films were just the beginning of what could potntially be a gradually forming reality.
Films aren't just a form of entertainment, they're a reflection of the attitude of today's people...
Very interesting, and very probably true. Hmm, good posts like this often get missed, so I'll pop it for others to read like the nice man I am.
It occured to me whilst i was studying the numerous Sci-fi films around that in each decade the various Sci-fi titles reflected the world as people saw it.
Pre-WW2 people had no worries. There were no threats of nuclear missiles and people generally felt safe. They wanted to explore what had never before been seen and this was present in the few sci-fi films of the era. A prime example is the invention of the Flash Gordon comic. Flash Gordon did not involve any horrific aliens landing on earth, wanting to blow it up, it contained the thing that had fascinated people for so long- the exploration of a previously undiscovered universe.
In the 1950's, however, paranoia about Communism and panic about being invaded by alien forces was detectable in the films of the decade. Examples of the first alien invasion films were available in the 50's and were the first in a long genre of 'Us vs. Them' films where we are always the good guys battling against the overwhelming odds of the evil alien forces.
In the 60's there was more optimistic view of exploration, and there was a more social environment. There was a huge increase in divorce and people took a much more relaxed attitude to life, with hippies being a prime example. And too with this came a spirit of adventure which was the case in the early series of the famous Star Trek. It was also there in old TV series such as 2001: A space odyssey, although i'm not too sure if this was 60's or 70's.
However, in the 1970's there was growing environmental concern that human interference with nature was going to cause problems. And, in Sci-fi movies this was reflected by the theme of nature turned bad, with evil predators attacking man (Swarm being a very good example).
The 80's saw a growing fear for the future and environmental concerns. There was political unrest and the introduction of the dystopia movie reflected what would happen if there was a nuclear disaster and they would show the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare of baron landscapes complete with the terrifying fear that one day this world of horror might become a reality. Films raised the questions about the future and the role of man. They displayed the consequences of what might happen if humans carry on with their thirst for knowledge ('Aliens' being a prime example of science being a priority before peoples lives). These films were just the beginning of what could potntially be a gradually forming reality.
Films aren't just a form of entertainment, they're a reflection of the attitude of today's people...
Pre-WW2 people had no worries. There were no threats of nuclear missiles and people generally felt safe. They wanted to explore what had never before been seen and this was present in the few sci-fi films of the era. A prime example is the invention of the Flash Gordon comic. Flash Gordon did not involve any horrific aliens landing on earth, wanting to blow it up, it contained the thing that had fascinated people for so long- the exploration of a previously undiscovered universe.
In the 1950's, however, paranoia about Communism and panic about being invaded by alien forces was detectable in the films of the decade. Examples of the first alien invasion films were available in the 50's and were the first in a long genre of 'Us vs. Them' films where we are always the good guys battling against the overwhelming odds of the evil alien forces.
In the 60's there was more optimistic view of exploration, and there was a more social environment. There was a huge increase in divorce and people took a much more relaxed attitude to life, with hippies being a prime example. And too with this came a spirit of adventure which was the case in the early series of the famous Star Trek. It was also there in old TV series such as 2001: A space odyssey, although i'm not too sure if this was 60's or 70's.
However, in the 1970's there was growing environmental concern that human interference with nature was going to cause problems. And, in Sci-fi movies this was reflected by the theme of nature turned bad, with evil predators attacking man (Swarm being a very good example).
The 80's saw a growing fear for the future and environmental concerns. There was political unrest and the introduction of the dystopia movie reflected what would happen if there was a nuclear disaster and they would show the aftermath of an apocalyptic nightmare of baron landscapes complete with the terrifying fear that one day this world of horror might become a reality. Films raised the questions about the future and the role of man. They displayed the consequences of what might happen if humans carry on with their thirst for knowledge ('Aliens' being a prime example of science being a priority before peoples lives). These films were just the beginning of what could potntially be a gradually forming reality.
Films aren't just a form of entertainment, they're a reflection of the attitude of today's people...