Some sci-fi movies do not fit the stereotype.
Sci-fi films are thought to have a predictable pattern and tend to contain several elements considered classic, which make most of them relatively similar. In the essay “The imagination of disaster,” Ms. Sontag describes in detail some distinctive characteristics that most sci-fi movies have displayed since old times. However, we can find more than a few examples which demonstrate that those characteristics do not apply to all the films of that genre. The film The Adjustment Bureau is an exception to what Ms. Sontag considers the most common features of sci-fi films; consequently, this movie will be analysed with the aim of disproving Ms. Sontag’s hypotheses.
To begin with, Ms. Sontag describes some model scenarios which are supposed to apply to all science fiction films. The majority of them begin with the arrival of a thing – it can be an alien, a monster - in which a dangerous situation is thought to threaten life on Earth and this situation is suspected or witnessed by just one person. Nonetheless, in The Adjustment Bureau there is no arrival of the thing at all. The movie revolves around a politician’s and a ballerina’s love affair, which is affected by strange forces that keep the lovers apart. That is to say, there is no hazardous situation menacing life on Earth; the lovers are the only ones who have to fight for their destiny.
Secondly, Ms. Sontag states that science fiction films are not about science but about disaster, tragedy, catastrophe, destruction and so forth. Nevertheless, in The Adjustment Bureau – adapted from The Adjustment Team- there are no dangerous situations. The group called “The Bureau” (the agents of fate itself) has no intention of generating chaos in New York’s society, its only commitment is to keep David and Elise separated. David, whose destiny is prearranged, has two options: one is let Elise go and accept his predetermined path or risk his candidacy, defy fate and be with her. This is where the moralistic message of the film is conveyed; David fighting The Bureau reveals that only human beings are in control of their own fate.
Thirdly, Ms. Sontag asserts saying that in every sci-fi film there is always a hero, usually a scientist, however, David Norris' profession is not exactly that of a hero, but that of a politician. Moreover, the hero is expected to have an incredulous girlfriend, which is not the case, because at the very beginning of the film the politician is single. When he meets his lover, Elise Sellas, the character is displayed as a determined woman who helps him to fight against the powerful Adjustment Bureau (the ones who control David and Elise’s lives and have been doing everything in their power so as to keep the lovers apart, because they both have a predetermined future). As a result, the hero does not prepare to battle alone as Ms. Sontag says; here, we see that it is the couple which combats the enemy.
All in all, most science fiction films may be said to share some particular characteristics. However, we have seen that Susan Sontag’s model scenario about sci-fi movies seems to be incomplete and it cannot be applied to all the movies of the genre. In The Adjustment Bureau there is no concrete appearance of a thing; there are no aliens or monsters involved in the drama and no life-threatening situation. Furthermore, the element ‘disaster’ does not revolve around a catastrophic situation but about the destiny of the main characters. And finally, the hero does not fit the stereotype presented by Ms. Sontag
Comentarios