Has the Sci-Fi Genre Become Too Dark/Cynical?

[Pinkie-Dawn]

I was reading this article where actor Simon Pegg is concerned about adults' obsession with science fiction causing society to become infantilized, dumbing it down and taking focus away from real world issues. Not only that, Damon Lindelof claims that because of the large number of cynicism thanks to the serious sci-fi and post-apocalyptic flicks, the fanboys won't admit that they liked Tomorrowland, which was suppose to be a breath of fresh air from all of the doom and gloom stories about the future but unfortunately got panned and lost to Mad Max. This made me worry about the attitude of the general audience, as if they want the world to perish and be more like the Sci-Fi flicks they enjoyed watching. So I want to ask you guys: has the Sci-Fi genre become too dark/cynical to the point where it corrupts our thoughts at this is how the future will be no matter what?

 

[maccrash]

sci-fi has been dark & cynical since its very beginnings. look at 1984 or A Clockwork Orange, for example. or fucking Brave New World. pretty dark pictures being painted there, and BNW was written 85 years ago.

 

[Her]

sci-fi has been dark & cynical since its very beginnings. look at 1984 or A Clockwork Orange, for example. or fucking Brave New World. pretty dark pictures being painted there, and BNW was written 85 years ago.

this basically

science fiction as a genre tends to explore human morality combined with the excess of technology. the other big moneymaker within the genre is fear, either of the biological unknown or of machines. think of the alien franchise, i have no mouth and i must scream, the fly, etc. hell, every twilight zone episode to do with science fiction is a foreboding meditation on something. the genre is built on cynicism of what the future has to offer, because the genre is a reflection of our thoughts on the human race. sci-fi is the unshaven older brother to the fantasy genre. it listens to morrissey. it is very deep and intellectual and it'll bum a cigarette from a body in an alleyway.

the works within the genre that get the most attention tend to be cynical and grim, perpetuating the thought that science fiction isn't a happy genre. sci-fi works have a habit of being self-destructive, in a sense. they're focused on tearing down whatever reality they're in, examining the worst that their reality has to offer. of course, this isn't a law for all sci-fi. portal, although a game, is a wonderful series where science can be fun! the laboratory you're in is controlled by a robot who freaked out and gassed almost everyone to death, but it's a relatively upbeat series regardless. but yeah, while cynicism and dark scary futures aren't mandatory for sci-fi, it's certainly one of the oldest habits in the genre.

 

[Karma Police]

The reason Tomorrowland wasn't liked was not because of a cynical audience, but because it had some genuine issues with storytelling. Also, it's weird how Damon Lindelof complains about such an issue when he is responsible for one of the grimmest and nihilistic series on TV right now - The Leftovers.

Anyways, what Maccrash said is right, sci-fi has been dark and cynical since the early days. Metropolis was sorta dark when it came to showing the future. So was Blade Runner, and the book it was based off.

But there's also the fact that sci-fi is actually being lumped together with dystopian or post-apocalyptic movies. I mean, there have been plenty of sci-fi movies that haven't been as dark. Back to the Future, Star Wars, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, E.T. come to mind.