Science fiction, as a genre, first found its place in literature in the late 19th century. It is a genre that is characterized by utopian and often dystopian atmospheres where the unpredictable is made possible by technological developments. Famous representatives of this genre include names such as Jules Verne, H.G.Wells, and Isaac Asimov.
However, when we look at the film industry, we see that the science fiction genre has gained significant momentum and development, especially in the last decade. So, what kind of messages does this genre, which offers a fantastic perspective to its readers or viewers in many respects and therefore adds to its appeal, actually contain?
Throughout the history of evolution, humanity has been marked by a single unchanging element: curiosity. The desire to explore everything seen and the desire to reach the unknown has opened the door to many developments in human history. However, it has been realized over time that humans try to touch and use everything they discover under the guise of curiosity for their own purposes. The existing culture-nature dichotomy and all its successors (such as male-female, black-white, lower class-aristocrat class) form the basic structure of science fiction.
In the works, we see that the attitude of “I know everything” of humans is destroyed with a critical attitude. Although they try to gain dominance over the order through technology, they cannot reach a superior position as they are also a part of this order. However, of course, a writer or director who is aware of this can successfully depict what will happen from the very beginning by loading an apocalyptic vision onto the work.
We, once again, read and watch these dark dystopian stories driven by our curiosity, without resisting it. Most of the time, we don’t even realize that this dark future is very close to us. Hopefully, science fiction will remain true to its critical approach and manage to tell the human beings who think they “know everything” that they actually know nothing in the near future.