Trends in Science Fiction Movies

Classic and modern science fiction films, or movies as they are called today all seem to share some similar trends. While there is a definite standard with situations in the films that leaves them to be predictable at times, there is also a degree of social influence that plays a role. In fact if one was to watch a film released in the 1970's they may find there to be a lot of politically incorrect language, offensive humor or concepts that have since been proven to be flat out wrong. A good comparison of this would be to look at the original film Ghostbusters released in 1984 and compare it to the dumpster fire reboot made in 2016. While the studio had hoped to rekindle the love of older generations to with the franchise while enticing a younger audience, they instead caused many of us to anxiously want a reboot of the reboot.

In analyzing the trends that surround science fiction movies from 1968 to 2019 there seems to be some trends that maintain over the decades with the exception of 1968. Once a film reaches the top spot it stays there for a prolonged duration. 2001 a Space Odyssey took the top spot and lasted nearly a decade. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope followed and remained number one until it was knocked out by Avatar over twenty years later. Another notable trend is a particular type of Sci-Fi movie generally holds the top 3 slots. With the exception of Jurassic Park, most of these movies involve something to do with outer space and / or alien life forms. One thing they all seem to have in common is the fact that they are unique concepts and exist in a reality all their own, where anything is possible.

The trend with 2001: A Space Odyssey seems to have been triggered with a fascination with space travel in the 1950s. This trend continued on for decades as Star Wars took over the top spot and then Avatar. But the interest in space travel by the general public declined over the years and Avatar had no issue with taking top spot.

Another factor seems to be in play with the role movies involving space have in the Sci-fi industry and their dominance of the market. Space offers limitless possibilities for characters and plots. Humans have not explored enough of it to even call what we know about space a fragment and the universe is ever expanding. This has allowed for Hollywood to “dream big” when it comes to creating movies about the final frontier. Although not all movies involving space make it to the top spot and some of the films that have come close do not completely revolve around leaving Earth.

The original Jurassic Park managed to hold the number two slot for several months and before 2001: A Space Odyssey took the top rank, Journey to the Center of the Earth was number one. However, there is a trend we can find with these movies that is also found in movies like Avatar. Although they don’t involve leaving the planet, they do involve being in their own “world” where the realm of possibilities is slightly more expansive than the typical movie about events on planet Earth.

In science fiction movies released between 1968 to 2019 there seems to be a few trends that films follow. Once in the top spot they maintain that position until another film immediately takes their place, almost all are related to space and / or aliens and they are original concepts that perpetuate their own realities.

Sources

2001: A Space Odyssey, Vulture, 2019.

Most Popular Sci-Fi Movies 1968 – 2019, YouTube, 2019.

Science fiction film, Wikipedia, 2021.

Why Do We Love Space Movies?, Space.com, 2016.

Cover Image

Project, R. S. (2021, June 25). A person in space suit wearing helmet · Free Stock photo. Pexels. Link