Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: Science Fiction

Synopsis

Part of a documentary series exploring different film genres presented by renowned film critic Mark Kermode, this episode explores the art and science of science fiction movies, drawing on a wealth of examples ranging from early cinema to modern re-interpretations of the genre. The documentary is divided into seven sections examining familiar sci-fi tropes: Time Travel; Space Travel; Lost in Space; Aliens; Robot Companions; Technology Takes Over; The Future. Science fiction has been at the forefront of cinema technology with cutting-edge visual effects, but as well as the spectacle associated with the genre, Kermode explains how the philosophical and moral debates often found at the heart of these tales invite us to better understand our own humanity.

Films featured within this documentary include:

A Trip to the Moon (1902), Metropolis (1927), Vertigo (1958), The Time Machine (1960), La Jetée (1962), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Planet of the Apes (1968), Silent Running (1972), Solaris (1972), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Twelve Monkeys (1995), The Matrix (1999), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), War of the Worlds (2005), Wall-E (2008), District 9 (2009), The Hunger Games (2012), Gravity (2013), Her (2013), Under the Skin (2013), Ex-Machina (2014), Interstellar (2014), The Maze Runner (2014), The Martian (2015), Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Black Panther (2018), A Wrinkle in Time (2018).