2022 Was an Amazing Science Fiction Film Year
We Need to Step Back and Appreciate Its Epic Acheivements
Praise Shai-Hulud!
Popular science fiction films have had a really tough time in the last few years. Star Wars has been a hot mess, with The Rise of Skywalker showing that major studios seem to have no problem releasing chaotic and incomprehensible films. Terminator fans have been disappointed, Blade Runner 2049 was ok but a bit droopy, and I’m not going to sink into Star Trek politics. We have Marvel, which has had a lot of quality problems from goofy pointless films (Thor: Love and Thunder) to shows that openly attack their fans (She-Hulk).
I don’t blame movie fans if they didn’t notice that 2022 was one of the best years for popular science fiction in the history of American cinema. The last year and a half has been a real delight, once you shift your attention away from imploding franchises.
I’m going to cheat a little and start in late 2021, with the release of the Dune movie. This film remembered a core lesson about adapting books to film. Don’t reinvent or “subvert” expectations. Instead, pick a few strong points of the original text and skip the other stuff so you can fit it into a two hour experience. Dune’s more heady and intellectual approach to sci-fi was a perfect fit for Denis Villeneuve who likes the slow burn. I consider this to be a real success, especially when compared to early adaptations.
Once we hit 2022, we get three master-pieces of sci fi. Each is an important contribution to different approaches to sci-fi. In terms of action films, we get Avatar 2. This movie is such a pleasure to watch. It knows what it’s about: fighting bad guys and inventing a beautiful world. What a pleasure when compared to productions like Game of Thrones and Obi-Wan Kenobi that literally hid their best scenes in darkness. In contrast, Avatar 2 is stunning to look at it. Simply incredible. Every scene is crisp and clear.
We then got the Andor TV series. Given how bad Star Wars has been in the Disney era, I was worried. I thought Rogue 1 was a fluke and Andor would trample its characters, mock its audience, abandon the basics of narrative, and film everything at night. I was so, so wrong. Andor perfectly captures the decaying and nihilistic side of the Star Wars universe that was only hinted at during the Lucas era. This show is really outstanding noir sci-fi. And the monologues! Check out Luthen’s eerie speech about losing your soul to the cause or Kino’s speech urging us to freedom.
Somehow, out of the blue, 2022 got even better with the release of the amazing Everywhere Everything All At Once. I discussed this a bit in the Fall of 2022, so you can check it out in detail here. But for this post, I note that EEAAO was an incredible application of the multiple-time lines sci-fi to a a basic story about family and being the best person you can be. Also, it’s probably the most important Asian-American film to date. Great entertainment and a cultural landmark.
I’ll wrap this up with another small cheat, Asteroid City, the Wes Anderson film released this summer. Most of Anderson’s films are basically family dramas told in a very constructed and coquettish style. Asteroid City is the same deal, but with 1950s Cold War trappings and a UFO lore side to the story. If you like the Wes Anderson-verse with a sprinkle of science and sci-fi, it’s good.
Bottom line: If you like science-fiction, get some popcorn and turn on the streaming service.
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