By Miles Young
It’s shocking that science fiction isn’t considered literary or even highbrow – because it’s certainly raised a few. For decades, sci-fi writers have not only used their texts to predict the technology of the future (re: Prophets of Science Fiction), but they’ve also made strong social criticisms on the way we’d use it.
Sometimes these novels say even more on screen. Writers such as H.G. Wells created the masterworks War of the Worlds and Time Machine with messages so strong, one made the big screen twice. There’s no doubt, sci-fi films with collective critiques can reach a broader audience.
Read on for some of the best sci-fi films with social commentary, from the new classics to a couple of contemporary favorites.
7. Avatar (2009)
20th Century Fox
Avatar offers up some pretty strong social commentary about war. The Los Angeles Times reported the director, James Cameron, saying, “This movie reflects that we are living through war. There are boots on the ground, troops who I personally believe were sent there under false pretenses, so I hope this will be part of opening our eyes.”
There’s a message about the environment, too. It’s a central aspect of the film, which focuses on an invasion of a planet for resources, showing the audience the perils of destroying our own planet. However, even the environmental aspect may still be linked back to Cameron’s views on modern war since, likewise, many believe the Iraq invasion was a battle for resources.
6. Children Of Men (2006)
Universal Pictures
Director Alfonso Cuarón creates a torn version of the UK set in the year 2027. The film features fractured social commentary; the kind that’s broad and hard to pin down. There are themes of war and terrorism. But there are also notes on gender.
After all, the film is about the demise of the human race and women’s inability to reproduce. It shows how strongly our society relies on heteronormative culture and the control that many (sometimes desperately) seek to gain over a woman’s womb.
5. They Live (1988)
Universal
Propaganda meets the Illuminati? They Live features some pretty heavy-handed social commentary. From the television trances to alien control, John Carpenter is a bit all over the place in the way he critiques culture. But there are still some aspects that predicted the society we’d live in today.
It’s true, They Live features surveillance drones that monitor society not unlike the ones you’d find today. There are also undertones (and overtones) that chip away at the propaganda from our government and media. They Live asks the audience to see beyond these messages in their own modern world.
4. District 9 (2009)
TriStar Pictures
District 9 narrows down the commentary quite a bit. The setting, in Johannesburg, South Africa, creates a striking scene for a strong metaphor. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the setting relates directly to the message.
“There are still very ugly habits of thought that remain in South African society, even 15 years after apartheid. The black majority may now have power, and the white technocrat minority seems to have found a place for itself, but both groups have teamed up to wield their power against a new enemy: immigrants.”
In the case of District 9, the immigrants are literally aliens. This allows enough suspension of belief for the audience to push the agenda aside, if only a little, to enjoy the strange and hyper-real portrait of actual alien immigration and society’s response.
3. Her (2013)
Warner Bros.
It’s no wonder Spike Jonze would aim to create a stark sci-fi story with social commentary. The director is known for his work with not only award-winning musicians, but with the king of social commentary himself, Shane Smith. The dare devil director even traveled with Smith on a quest to find al Qaeda.
In Her, however, his missive is slightly less calamitous. It’s more of a “notification” to society – one sent specifically via a smart device. Samantha, the operating system to which the main character, Theodore Twombly, becomes desperately attached, is an obvious nod to Siri (the voice of Apple’s iOS). The relationship and the dependence that develops between the Twombly and Samantha show both our reliance on technology for everyday tasks, as well as communication. Perhaps the saddest bit of commentary is about the inauthentic interactions that result.
2. Logan’s Run (1976)
United Artists
Logan’s Run is a quintessential dystopian film. Fear and ageism abound in this creative look at what it would be like to eliminate the “voice of the future.” The film depicts a seemingly pristine and exciting society that functions for the moment – and its citizens only function till the age of 30, at which time they’re sacrificed (re: murdered).
In this classic tale of the hunter becoming the hunted, the audience is shown what it would be like if youth actually was silenced. The results aren’t pretty.
1. Robocop (1987)
Orion Pictures
On the heels of the [newly released] movie, it’s obvious that a best of the best sci-fi with social commentary list wouldn’t be complete without the original Robocop. John Kenneth Muir, of the blog Reflections on Film and Television, skillfully points out one of the film’s most poignant criticisms.
“RoboCop also accurately predicted the right-wing push towards the privatization of municipal and government programs, the dismantling of the social safety net, such as President George W. Bush’s (now stalled…) desire to privatize Social Security. Particularly, much of RoboCop involved OCP’s funding and running of the Detroit Police Department “as a business” – designed to make money and worried only about the bottom line.”
The place of Robocop within this society also speaks to our heroes and the value we place on flesh and blood cops and the sacrifices they make every day.
These seven sci-fi films are nothing if not socially conscious. They each tell their own tales of greed, government, and technology by artfully melding fantasy and reality.
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