Some commentators have dubbed Méliès's film A Trip to the Moon the first science fiction movie. Not all critics, however, agree. Tom Gunning, the author of our essay on that film, argues for the contrary view. He states, " 'Science' fiction implies a certain sobriety and serious concern with scientific and technological possibilities. . . . But Méliès cannot take his scientists seriously at all, introducing them first as wizards with pointy hats, figures out of fairy pantomime . . . (70). What do you think? While you may not be able to judge whether this is the first of its kind, you can make a judgment about whether or not it qualifies as science fiction. Compare this film with other science fiction movies you have seen. How is it the same? How is it different? Can we call it a science fiction film, a precursor of such films, or something entirely different?
In Episode 5 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Neil deGrasse Tyson said, "Science needs the light of free expression to flourish. It depends on the fearless questioning of authority, and the open exchange of ideas... The nature of scientific genius is to question what the rest of us take for granted, then do the experiment." In other words, science fiction is about exploration and the imaginative desire to find answers to the world's questions. A Trip to the Moon certainly stretches the imagination by taking its characters to another planet where the interact with extraterrestrial life; however there is a case to be made about whether or not the movie's purpose is to advance this plot. I would argue that the movie's initiative to explore such a big idea cements it as a science fiction piece and overpowers any argument about the special effects being the centerpiece of the film.
ReplyDeleteThe short film A Trip to the Moon should belong to the category of science fiction because it falls under the broad definition of the genre: a work that is fictional and is loosely based on science. Although A Trip to the Moon has outdated ideas and special effects, the idea of science fiction is still there. For example, the scientists that were preparing for this trip were dressed as wizards in the beginning of the film. Many argue that because of the wizard costumes, this film does not accurately represent science. However, because science fiction is supposed to be a fictional work, it should be up to the director to make the creative decision on how they want to represent the appearance of the characters. Additionally, we can compare this piece to other works of science fiction, such as Doctor Who. The character the Doctor, a humanoid being from another planet does not look like the conventional alien, he also does not even travel in a scientifically accurate space ship (he uses a telephone box that is bigger on the inside). However, many deem Doctor Who as a good example of a work of science fiction. Another reason that A Trip to the Moon should fall in the category of science fiction is how the director presented the human encounter with aliens. The people that travel to the moon encounter a race of aliens; although there are no aliens on the moon, this scene is very similar to other alien encounters in other works of science fiction. Once again, we can look at an example from Doctor Who; in almost every episode, he encounters a different race of aliens on their planet that probably do not exist. The idea of the genre of science fiction does not have to encompass one specific type of work; there are hundreds of creative representations of space travel or extraterrestrial life. Although A Trip to the Moon is an old film and is far from being scientifically accurate, it still contains these ideas of characters using fictional science to go places humans have never been before.
ReplyDeleteDue to its grounding in the social implications of technological evolution, Georges Méliès A Trip to the Moon is a science fiction film. The core that links all great works of science fiction is a narrative that speaks on how technology and society interact, not necessarily on the specifics of how the technology functions. Taking two examples, one grounded in complex science and the other in vague Sci-fi jargon: Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a deep dive into theoretical physics and how gravity warps time and space, but its core theme is on how a father and a daughter are able to connect from across space and time, aided by the technology. Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future has an extremely loose connection to practical science, as its main technology is a sleek car kitted with a mystery machine flux capacitor but focuses on how time travel could alter reality. Both films tackle the issue of family drama and time travelling through different levels of specificity but are able to reach similar conclusions on how humans and technology shape and contort the future. Even with the flashiness and fantasy notes, similar to the presentation of Back to the Future, A Trip to the Moon creates a valuable commentary on the evolution of imperialism with aid of technology and the sciences. The intent of the film is to bring up questions about space travel, alien life and the definition of a civilization, while providing an easily understandable backbone of, at the time, unattainable scientific feats.
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ReplyDeleteBased on the definition of science fiction and the content of other science fiction films, A Trip to the Moon should be considered a science fiction film. Science fiction must include some aspect of science, which could be technology, time travel, space, etc. A Trip to the Moon revolves around scientists building a rocket and traveling to space, which is a large feature of many science fiction films. While these scientists appear to dress more comically, fantasy is still a big part of science fiction films. Just because they have a more fantasy-like appearance does not mean the film shouldn’t be considered science fiction. Later in the film, aliens living on the moon are introduced. Aliens are, like most other things in the film, a common theme among science fiction. The television series Star Trek, first made in the 1960s, shares many similar features with A Trip to the Moon. While the series focuses on more realistic things that might happen while travelling through space, there are many episodes with bizarre plotlines and more fantasy-like themes. Yet, it is still considered an iconic science fiction series, with the theme of exploring the unknown. Similarly, the point of A Trip to the Moon is to explore space and the moon, which was something that humans could not do at the time. It isn’t necessarily going to be realistic in every aspect; many science fiction films aren’t. But it still includes all of the main components that go into a science fiction film.
ReplyDeleteAs a film that explores the boundaries of scientific possibilities in its work, Méliès's A Trip to the Moon fits the description of the genre science fiction. While critics have pushed back on this claim citing the more whimsical aspects of the film, they neglect to address Méliès's choices that constitute the film as science fiction. For example, the scientists in the film use explosive measures to propel the shuttle into space, and upon return the shuttle lands in a body of water – both of which were portrayals of technology far before their time that were not entirely inaccurate. Accuracy isn’t necessarily the point of science fiction, though; the purpose of science fiction is to explore scientific possibility in a way that forces the viewer to consider the future - something that Méliès's has achieved. It’s also important to note that this film was created in 1902, far before space travel was in the realm of possibility. Therefore the claim that certain elements of the film should exclude it from science fiction (i.e. the pointy hats on the scientists, the face on the moon, etc.) is not a fair argument because it fails to acknowledge the limited science that existed about space travel at the time. The argument can be made that in comparison to newer science fiction films, such as 1979 Alien, Méliès's work can appear to lack the “sobriety” that science fiction constitutes. Alien features a much more realistic portrayal of space travel as the film follows a crew’s encounter with a sinister species of extraterrestrial life. However, it’s important to account for the 77 year difference between these films as technology changes every day. Though A Trip to the Moon may seem comical to us today, it should be considered the first work of science fiction.
ReplyDeleteIs A trip to the Moon science fiction or not? To me this really brings up a second question, how much true science has to be involved in the making of a science fiction movie? Now, obviously there is no concrete answer that some percentage of the movie needs to be actual science and that the rest can be completely grown up. All I can say is that after scouring the web for a good little while, the answer is really not all that much. It just seems to me that there has to be the absolute slightest bit of science involved in the movie, and bam there you have it a science fiction movie. Now, people like to argue that there really isn’t much science at all in A Trip to the Moon. I totally see where they’re coming from; however, there is just the slightest bit of actual science, which I would like to argue constitutes A Trip to the Moon as a science fiction movie. Now, in truth for the most part, I would say that the movie almost makes a mockery of the “science” that is involved in the journey to the moon. With scientists dressed as wizards, the moon having a face, and so much more, I feel that Méliès was just having fun with the idea. I do not really believe that this is what he thought a trip to the moon was really going to look like or even at that point, if he thought it was even possible to have a trip to the moon. Méliès did however use bits of science that were actually true, and therefor as I mentioned before A trip to the Moon is a science fiction movie.
ReplyDeleteA Trip to the Moon is, in fact, not a science-fiction film. I agree with Gunning's analysis of the film as he reports the film's lack of "sobriety and serious concern with scientific and technological possibilities" (70). In A Trip to the Moon, the scientists have pointy hats, there are mushrooms and indigenous moon men, and the trip from the moon back to Earth was a simple gravitational drop that has the characters somehow safely travelling 238,900 miles home. The film is more mythical than science-fiction. Compared to science-fiction movies today, such as Captain America, The Maze Runner, or X-Men, A Trip to the Moon has an absence of explanation and severity other science-fiction movies have. Having wizards teach science, a overly vegetated environment, and a short fall from an extremely far distance makes A Trip to the Moon somewhat foolish. The film was meant to catch the audiences attention with flashy dancing and bright colors rather than developing an intellectual plot. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve is an experiment for a formula that can make anyone into a perfect soldier. The audience sees the quick transformation in a lab surrounded by equipment. In the Maze Runner, children are brainwashed and put into a prison as subjects for a cure to the infection whipping out all of mankind. In X-Men: First class, Charles Xavier explains that a gene is mutated giving some people extraordinary abilities. These are some examples of science-fiction taken seriously in film. A Trip to the Moon lacks these elements that would make it a science-fiction film. In the end, A Trip to the Moon is far from a science-fiction film and, therefore, it is not the first science-fiction movie.
ReplyDeleteMéliès's film A Trip to the Moon, is a science fiction film due to the ideas and techniques it uses to present futuristic images. In this 1902 film, the audience is taken through scenes that display an adventure to the moon and back. Vaguely explained, the audience sees astronomers prepare for, launch, explore, conquer, and return from the moon. The genre of science fiction can be explained as fiction that incorporates futuristic concepts relating to science, technology, space, foreign life, etc. All of the scenes in A Trip to the Moon fall under at least one of the proper science fiction concepts. While some may argue there are several contemporary inaccuracies in the ways the astronomers went about their exploration, that analysis can not take away from the actual content that is being shown. Scenes that most notably support this point are the astronomers' experiences while preparing for launching to the moon. The way the rocket was launched is imprecise- the shuttle was too small, the cannon was too small to have the power necessary to send the rocket into the moons orbit, and the whole idea of a rocket launch to the moon was questionable. In this case, the mere concept overrides the details. The scene is revolving around the concept of astronomy and space exploration, and it involves futuristic ideas for space travel. The scene allows the audience to be engaged in fictional science, thus promoting the validity of the film being science fiction. Méliès was able to bend the rules of science fiction by offering the audience his take on the wonders of space.
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