Defining science fiction is a difficult task. The origins of the term reside in the scientific fantasies of technological developments. However, science fiction can be defined as characteristics of the text (or film), as the speculation on or extrapolation from current events, or as a set of reading (or viewing) protocols. However, in common usage, the term science fiction often encompasses a wide range of concerns, including fantasy and horror. Arguably, the origins of all film lie in science fiction. Many of the early, short films by George Méliès, Gaston Velle, Max Fleischer, and others were depictions of trips to the moon or Mars. They speculated about other planets and offered fanciful technologies in order to reach them. However, these early films often had little to do with actual science, technology, or the laws of nature, but were fantastical in nature. Consequently, some critics argue that science fiction film came of age in 1950 with Irving Pichel’s Destination Moon by ushering in a more scientifically grounded age of science fiction films. In actual practice, science fiction film remains quite varied in its focus and topic. Much of the early writing on science fiction film dealt with techniques, with lineage, and with plot summary. A great deal of science fiction film theory and criticism has been rooted in the auteur; that is, it is focused on the creative mind behind the work. Over time, the criticism of science fiction film shifted toward genre theory, a focus on the generic characteristics of science fiction film that both delineates the history of the genre and develops the definitive characteristics. As the number of science fiction films proliferated, and as the number of texts dedicated to its study proliferated, science fiction film theory and criticism has also become more specialized. Some texts consider the history of the genre; some undertake particular thematic considerations (such as a particular author or a particular trope); some utilize and develop a particular ideological or theoretical framework (such as feminism or Marxism); and some analyze significant films within the genre. As the number of science fiction films continues to grow each year, the number of analyses of those films and the number of approaches to those films also increase.
Although encyclopedias of film can be extremely useful, they can also vary greatly in scope and focus. Some encyclopedias attempt a comprehensive overview of the genre (Henderson 2001, Maxford 1997, Young 2000), some offer an examination of only significant or canonical films (Costello 2004, Scalzi 2005, Scarratt 2008), and others provide encyclopedic looks at particular topics within the genre (Rovin 1995). Finally, pParticularly after the introduction of the videocassette, the DVD, and the Internet, some encyclopedias detail the availability of films (Schwartz 1997).
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