One small step for man, one giant leap for the film industry..
Sci-fi fans would have been in raptures last week over the news of plans for a new space hotel in 2027 - which came just after NASA’s Perseverance Rover successfully landed on Mars. JAANVI NAYEE goes where no journalist has gone before (well, not really) and looks at how one small step for man has spawned one giant leap for the film industry.
Since the first moon landing of 1969, the film industry has gone into warp-drive on outer space stories - with Netflix alone having more than 30 movies on the subject.
Of course, there were movies and shows revolving around space before Neil Armstrong took his legendary first step. But more than 50 years on, the TV’s fascination with the ‘final frontier’ shows no sign of letting up.
Star Wars and Star Trek have become the most well known pieces of entertainment of all time but even without them, there is a mountain of shows to transport you into other galaxies from the comfort of your living room during lockdown.
So, what is this obsession with space?
Young people in particular are adamant that there is life outside of Earth, and because of how quickly technology is advancing, the world is more capable of seeing into space, especially with this space hotel that will be available within the upcoming years.
Jacob Taylor, 19, from Milton Keynes,a Physics student at Cambridge, said: “I do think aliens probably exist, but I don't think we'll meet them any time soon.
“Space is one of those things that we now know quite a lot about, but confirming it is just out of reach which is one of the reasons I like it and as a lover of science I liked the fact that The Martian film was based on actual science.”
Others also like Sci- Fi for similar reasons.
Mate Lorincz, 18, of Milton Keynes, an Engineering student at University of Birmingham also liked the fact that The Martian was based on actual science. He said: “I like Star Wars because they’re all awesome movies, practically showing the evolution of how far sci fi has come. With the start of Sci-Fi being the relatively low quality stuff of the originals, the prequels played around with special effects to great effect. Modern, realistic CGI can bring any fantasy scenario to life.”
When movie directors and producers do their research for a space movie, they will come across facts, non-fiction and a pile of information that lies somewhere in between because scientists simply don’t have answers yet. Despite how rapidly the world is moving into technology, we are still far away from any proof of whether there are other life forms beyond Earth. Film writers seem to have taken this in between as an opportunity multiple times to explore some possible answers to the many many questions of the unknown.
Joe Dunning, 16, London, a Star Wars social media platform owner, thinks ‘the Science fiction film genre as a whole has had a tremendous impact on so many people all around the world’.
He added: “Independent filmmakers in the 60s and 70s like Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas revolutionised film and media with their stories and I'm forever grateful for their extraordinary contributions to the industry.”
JAANVI NAYEE’S 20 best space movies (in no particular order):
Star Wars (any of them)
The Space between us
Sputnik
The Martian
Hidden Figures
Avatar
Interstellar
Wall-E
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Space Jam
Independence Day
Predator
Planet of the Apes
Gravity
Guardians Of the Galaxy
Apollo 13
Aliens
Sunshine
A Space Odyssey
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