Patron-exclusive: The Fifth Element

I never really thought of 'sci fi' as a genre before as 'space/future' is more a setting then a genre. Like - 'fantasy in space' is so different from classical 'sci-fi'. To me 'sci-fi' is more about a critique on our current society with a lens of the future - examples as a warning of what could come (blade runner and class/race issues) or an imagination of our aspirations (2001 and our imagination of what we could find in space) or a thought experiment on the human condition (arrival and our thoughts on language and thought process). These are so different from movies like fifth element - which is more like star wars (hero's journey in space) than star trek (colonialism fiction). Setting expectations low - fifth element was a fun jaunt into the mind of a 13yr old boy thinking about what happens when John McClane goes to the future and lost his heart. But this did feel very 'star trek tng''ish with its camp, episodic feel, and production design.

jackson9

New here! I remember watching this film as a child and enjoyed it. Looking back I can see the colours and action being the part I like most, but now I feel like the only things I like are Gary Oldman’s performance and Ian Holm - who I can watch in anything. Great choice though from the patreons and a brilliant episode!

Adam MacKinnon

Just want to say that the die hard Die Hard fan joke was brilliant.

The movie is watchable because it has a consistent tone and style, which allows it to introduce crazy plot elements and characters without breaking itself or disengaging the audience. Tone is especially important to sci-fi (or sci-fi/fantasy in this case) because it is such a broad genre that can include elements of action, comedy, horror and thriller. Your example of MIB is a good comparison. Flash Gordon (above) is another.

andrew

Can we convince them to watch Buckaroo Banzai? (or other cult classic like Rocky Horror, Flash Gordon, and the like)😁

HemlockSillage

I’ve only heard the first 8 minutes but I am SHOCKED! We’re not trolling you! This movie is amazing, it’s insanely good. I feel like I’m in a parallel universe 😂 I was sure you were gonna love it. I’ll keep listening… maybe the intro is a troll situation for us…