October November Live Magazine

Science fiction is a one of a kind genre. It can take us to places that can only exist in our
imaginations. It can show us the future be it bright and optimistic, or dark and frightening.
It is a genre built for the screen. I’m going to take a look at my top five favourite sci/fi films
and my five favourite sci/fi Tv shows.
DISTRICT 9
2009
Dir: Neill Blomkamp
This is one of those films I knew I
was going to like but I didn’t expect
to love it as much as I did. It is just
an incredible film. District 9 tells the
story of a group of alien refugees
that get stranded on earth and seek
asylum in South Africa. We see the
intense persecution these aliens
suffer at the hands of human beings.
They are filed into slum and
basically left to rot. The film has an
interesting take on the whole alien
genre. The aliens are seen as persecuted
and innocent, just wanting
to survive. It is inspired by the true
life horror of District 6 during the
apartheid period in south African
history. It stands as a fascinating
social study using aliens as a metaphor.
CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS
OF THE THIRD
KIND
1997
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Close Encounters still stands as
one of my favourite films of all time.
Spielberg knows who to draw us in.
The story of seemingly regular people
all connected through an experience
they can’t understand, just trying
to work out what is happening.
Its simple and effective. The film
presents us with a very optimistic
view of aliens. Most sci/fi films see
Aliens coming to kill us all. Close
Encounters just shows us two species,
wanting to communicate. It is
an amazing film that is utterly captivating
from beginning to end.