Fiction Film Research Articles

Aesthetic Study of Spatial Design in Denis Villeneuve’s Films

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has carved a distinctive niche in the realm of science fiction cinema with his unique spatial design aesthetics. This paper examines his directorial works including Dune, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival, exploring how he intricately reveals complex relationships among human emotions, societal structures, and future technologies through natural landscapes, architectural styles, and narrative temporality. Natural landscapes serve not merely as backgrounds but as profound mediators of emotional dialogue with characters. Architectural styles not only align with world-building but also embody technological practicality and functionality. Narrative temporality, employing non-linear structures, deepens inner struggles of characters and exploration of destiny. Villeneuve’s films dazzle not only visually but also provoke profound contemplation on human existence and cosmic significance.

The Poetics of Journey to the West (2021): Disclosing a Way to Dwell in the World

Abstract Science fiction films and poetry are often assumed to be unrelated or even mutually opposed. Among Chinese science fiction films in recent years, Journey to the West is a uniquely poetic example. It offers a secular challenge to science fiction while simultaneously performing a dual construction of science fiction textually and thematically through poetic expressions – thereby expanding the genre boundaries and localized creation possibilities of science fiction films. This paper uses life-world philosophy to examine the film’s existential theme and analyzes the film’s science fiction poetic expressions through the theoretical perspectives of film poem, poetic thinking, poetry-film, and Chinese poetics, arguing that they illustrate and compensate for the limited meaning of the science fiction genre and scientific rationality itself, while exemplifying the ability of science fiction films to serve as a way of disclosing being-in-the-world.

Between Shenguai and Science: The Visual Imagination of Technical Objects in Republican China

Abstract This article first examines the technical objects in three Chinese graphic novels (lianhuanhua) during the Republican era: Scientific Investiture of the Gods (Kexue fengshenbang), Scientific Demon King (Kexue mowang), and Black Bat (Hei bianfu). I regard the visual construction of technical objects in these works as a prehistory of Chinese-styled science fiction films between the 1930s and 1940s. I argue that early Chinese science fiction films share the same resources of traditional shenguai xiaoshuo with these graphic novels in Republican China. Scrutinizing the information about several early Chinese science fiction films, I locate the visual imagination of technical objects in the context of Chinese art history combined with local and imported conventions. I attempt to answer the following questions about the visual construction of technical objects in Republican-era artworks: how does the visual tradition of shenguai xiaoshuo connect to graphic novels and films in Republican China? To what degree could the hybrid modernity of shenguai combined with Hollywood films become a unique legacy for visualizing the technical objects in Chinese science fiction arts?

Ambivalent Utopias: Corporate Biopower and the Gendered Limits of Agency inReset

AbstractThis article examinesReset(逆时营救, 2017), a Chinese science fiction film that diverges from the genre’s typical patriotic themes.Resetoffers a compelling case study for exploring technoscience’s impact – as a tool of corporate biopower and neocolonialism – on human corporeality, subjectivity, and female agency. The film’s protagonist, Xia Tian, transforms from a career-focused scientist to time-traveling cyborgs, ultimately reverting to a traditional maternal role. Analyzing this trajectory through Foucault’s biopower, Haraway’s cyborg feminism, and contemporary theories on reproductive futurism and sacrificial motherhood, the study unveils Reset’s function as an allegorical lens. It magnifies the effects of global corporate biopower on human subjectivity, particularly female agency amid apocalyptic upheavals. Xia Tian’s journey illustrates the complexities professional women face in balancing career and family, reflecting broader societal issues and mirroring Chinese cultural imperatives that simultaneously valorize motherhood and women’s workforce participation.Resetperforms a double movement: introducing alternative forms of womanhood via cyborg iterations while framing these as incompatible with the envisaged societal future. This paradox highlights the film’s ambiguous stance, critiquing neocolonial capitalism’s manipulation of human bodies while exhibiting a conservative approach to gender roles.

From Home to Homeland: Re-Imagining Chinese Diaspora in Recent Science Fiction Films

Abstract This article investigates the representation of the Chinese diaspora in the films Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Wandering Earth 2, employing a comparative approach to explore how these narratives engage with and reshape notions of diasporic identity within a transnational context. Through a detailed analysis of both films, it highlights the complex interplay among cultural memory, identity, and migration, using the sf genre as a framework to examine these dynamics. It further argues that the films challenge traditional understandings of Chineseness and homeland, presenting a more fluid and dynamic portrayal of cultural identity that responds to contemporary global movements and cultural intersections. By juxtaposing these films, the article contributes to the discourse on globalization and cultural hybridity, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of ethnic and national identities in a progressively interconnected world.

Navigating the World of The Stranger (1979) After the Cultural Revolution: Unveiling Hong Kong Leftist Science Fiction Film by Bao Fang

Abstract After the Cultural Revolution, a period marked by a global retreat from radical politics and increased compromises, filmmakers in the Hong Kong leftist film industry faced financial challenges stemming from the studio’s struggles during the Cultural Revolution. Despite these difficulties, they ingeniously incorporated generic elements to captivate audiences, using popular genres as conduits for social commentary. The Stranger by Feng Huang Motion Picture company stands out, as director Bao Fang adeptly appropriated science fiction elements to adapt a real story of espionage in Hong Kong. The film signifies Bao’s transition from opera film and historical pictures to negotiating realist and science-fictional elements to convey social innuendo. Drawing inspiration from recent works by Mingwei Song and Seo-young Chu, my argument extends to explore how sci-fi serves as a mode of expression for geopolitical commentary. The film not only expresses concern over Soviet espionage and also reflects the fear over the collapse of grand narratives such as Enlightenment and Revolution.

Exploring Chinese Characteristics in Science Fiction Films: A Case Study of 'Wandering Earth'

Chinese science fiction films were first created in the 1930s, but few outstanding works appeared until the beginning of the 21st century. With the appearance of Wandering Earth in the 2019 Spring Festival, Chinese science fiction films entered a new stage of development.This paper, using the 'Wandering Earth' series as a blueprint for research, first summarizes the development of Chinese science fiction films. Secondly, it focuses on analyzing why 'Wandering Earth' can be considered a genuinely Chinese hard science fiction film.Finally, through the analysis of the Wandering Earth series, we will summarise the future creative direction of Chinese sci-fi films and the experience that can be learnt from it, so as to accumulate creative experience for building domestic sci-fi film IP in the future.

Professional and novice audio describers: quality assessments and audio interactions

Empowering novice describers can reduce costs and expand access to high-quality audio descriptions (ADs). This study explored differences between novice and professional practices by analysing their ADs for a 3:42-minute scene from a Japanese fictional film. A film producer rated both the overall quality and volume quality of ADs. The perceived AD volume quality reflects the comprehensive volume experience within ADs beyond loudness. The assessment revealed that ADs created by ten novices using speech synthesis reached approximately 60% of both the overall quality and volume quality of published ADs with human voice. Kernel density estimation showed significantly lower mean loudness in published ADs than in novice ADs. Additionally, a significant negative correlation existed between perceived AD volume quality and mean film loudness during AD presentation across all AD sets. However, published ADs had longer durations compared to novice ADs. Contrasting cueing strategies were observed. Published ADs relied on film sounds, whereas novice ADs leaned on visual cues. Consequently, we developed a professional technique: carefully curating the film information to be heard and balancing AD placement to ensure the audio experience of both ADs and film sound without abrupt AD loudness increases. This sonic approach empowers novices to craft impactful ADs.

Exploring the Development of Soft Science Fiction Films in the Chinese Film Market: Taking Dune 2 as an Example

Following the cessation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese film industry has experienced a resurgence, leading to fresh prospects for the Chinese science fiction film market. On March 8, 2024, the Chinese mainland will host the release of Dune 2, which has garnered significant popularity in the Chinese science fiction cinema market. The goal of this study was to investigate whether the popularity of the Dune series of movies in the Chinese film market persists. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential influence of the Dune series of movies on the Chinese science fiction film industry. This article provided an in-depth examination of the film "Dune 2" as a specific example. This analysis utilized the distinctive attributes of the "Dune 2" film series, as well as the commercial performance and value demonstrated in the Chinese film market. It combined fundamental business theory and cinematic art knowledge to conduct a thorough examination and observation. The study yields three key outcomes: the successful adaptation of movies based on popular intellectual properties, achieved by appropriately innovating the original IP; the advancement in filming technology, which propels the growth of science fiction movies by establishing a dedicated technology park for the film industry; the influence of film music on the coherence of movie narratives, through the creation of music that aligns with the unique style of each film. This study aimed to investigate the attributes of the Chinese science fiction film market and offers recommendations for the advancement of Chinese science fiction films.

A Metaphorical Study of the Chinese Science Fiction Film "Journey to the West"

A Metaphorical Study of the Chinese Science Fiction Film "Journey to the West"

Space Representation in Science Fiction Cinema: A Semiotic Analysis of Prometheus Film

This research examines the relationship between science fiction cinema and space representation, with the aim of evaluating the effects of the use of space on visual narrative through interdisciplinary relations. In this context, the study discusses the experimental environment established by cinema art for space design through science fiction cinema, and is shaped around two research questions: 'the effects of space representation on visual narrative in science fiction cinema' and 'the integration of space representation in science fiction cinema into visual narrative'. The study employed a qualitative research design and addressed the research questions using Peirce's semiotic analysis model. This framework was used to analyse the spatial elements that directly or indirectly affect the visual narrative in Ridley Scott's Prometheus (2012) through the triple relationship of semiotics (representamen, object, and interpretant). The analysis indicates that the representation of space is integrated into science fiction cinema through a series of design factors, including form, colour, light, material and structure. These factors exert a significant influence on the visual narratives of science fiction cinema.

‘You Want Drama? Go to the Opera!’

This article addresses the role played by opera in fiction film by drawing attention to the action film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie, 2015). Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot (1926) is treated here in a way that makes it appear as something more than a diegetic background and energy reinforcement for action scenes. By taking into consideration Daniel Yacavone’s (2012; 2014) view of film as a combination of a construction and a known world, I argue that the use of opera displays a stretching of the boundaries between fiction and real life, which in turn has implications for how the film can be regarded as an opera–film encounter. The film makes the opera emerge as significant in its own right through an intricate interaction between fictional denotation and engagement with the lived reality of the film viewer. Ultimately, I suggest that Rogue Nation provides an opportunity not only to reconsider a common way of approaching intersections between opera and fiction film, but also to extend and refine Yacavone’s theory.

De-figuring and Blurring Bodies from Cinema to Data Moshing

In the post-medial era of maximum digital definition of images (Eugeni 2015; 2021), a part of the aesthetic research on images work on the modes of the indistinct and indeterminate, the formless and the blurred (Dusi 2013; 2019). Fictional cinema and TV series, documentary photography that investigates movement and performance, experimental video art that works on the limits of vision, use operations of “imperfect” visibility dominated by a subjectification and non-closure of meaning. They decline the modes of filtered or blurred vision, for example alternating montage of sharp and blurred images or using indistinct images within a single frame. Blurring the images is a way to filter the opposition between visible and invisible and between presence and absence. It complicates the game between real and virtual, opening the audio-visual media products to the drift of interpretations and the vertigo of potential worlds. For some directors (i.e. David Lynch) this type of imperfect vision and the mechanisms of de-figuration by blurring or rarefaction are a way of narrating the loss of identity of the subject (Ricoeur 1990) and become structural mechanisms that affect representation. Nowadays we also face a new manipulation of moving images, producing melted and liquefied images, a collective and playful sharing of a practice that until ten years ago was considered experimental. It is the case of data moshing and glitching, actually an exercise in rewriting and manipulating the algorithms and an intervention on the digital medium that reveals its capacity for decomposition and manipulation of the image.

Nothing Echoes Here

Nothing Echoes Here (Hay, 2022) charts a 36-hour period in the life of a woman and her two children, in the near-aftermath of the death of their husband and father. The film explores the role that space – interior, exterior, familiar, non-familiar – plays for those grieving a profound loss, while using formal elements of film language and performance to portray grief in an authentic and empathetic manner, prioritising a sense of experience over story and narrative. Informed by phenomenological approaches to grief; current grief theory including the ‘dual-process approach’ ; and Gilles Deleuze’s theory of the time-image and the any-space-whatever , Nothing Echoes Here considers whether it is possible to affectively portray the lived experience of grief in a fiction film.

Exploring the Evolution and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Cinema: An Overview with Financial and Economic Context

"The research Paper examines the complicated interplay of AI and science fiction films, which charts its evolution in terms of depiction while examining how it impacts society’s perceptions. Traversing historical epochs, from early portrayals in classics like “Metropolis” to contemporary narratives in films like “Her” and “Ex Machina,” the study employs a qualitative analysis of key cinematic works. In methodological terms, this research is based on a sequential framework that examines the evolving themes, ethical issues, and transformation of artificial intelligence characters. To understand recurring themes and their implications, a qualitative content analysis has also been applied. The paper reveals the symbiotic relationship between movie stories and society’s perceptions, shedding light on how science fiction cinema has a role to play in shaping national opinion about artificial intelligence, influencing ethical concerns, technological progress, and social attitudes. This paper seeks to provide insight into the cultural, technological and commercial aspects of this widespread theme through an examination of the intersection between artificial intelligence and science fiction in films."

A Study of Metaphorical Color in Visual Texts in Science Fiction Films - The Matrix as an Example

This research article focuses on the symbolic and metaphorical roles that color plays in the visual text in the science fiction film The Matrix. First, the article discusses the concepts of visual text and metaphor, providing theoretical support for the subsequent analysis of color in The Matrix. Again, the article examines in detail the use of different colors and their symbolism in the film. Finally, it is pointed out that color in The Matrix not only deepens the audience's understanding of the film s themes and emotions, but also shows its far-reaching influence in the wider field of science fiction cinema. Overall, through an in-depth analysis of the use of color in The Matrix, this essay demonstrates how color plays a key role in the art of cinema, particularly in its ability to convey metaphorical and symbolic meaning.

20,000 Species of Bees: Fictional film as a tool for queer pedagogies

Films on trans children often portray transgenderism as a disorder with a tragic ending for the protagonists, thereby ignoring the existing research on children being capable of expressing their own gender. In this article, we perform a close reading of the feature film 20,000 Species of Bees from a queer and feminist perspective. We focus on the potential of the film as a tool for educational practice as part of queer pedagogies. This coming-of-age movie portrays a family in which both daughter and mother undergo an identity crisis, challenging the traditional (gender) norms in the Basque society in which they are embedded. We argue that, unlike some of the recent films featuring trans children, 20,000 Species of Bees breaks with the conventional structures of mediated trans identities as problematic and opens a new perspective on the pedagogical use of the media, particularly cinema, as a space for imagining a ‘future to become’.

Interpretation in reverse: Remixing the Three Kingdoms

AbstractThis article investigates online fan video remixes that combine footage from the televisual adaptation of the Chinese classic The Romance of Three Kingdoms, set in ancient China, with soundtracks from the American science fiction film Inception (2010) and the magical fantasy Pirates of the Caribbean (2011). Analyzing the audio‐visual aesthetics of these videos, I propose a reversal of Henry Jenkins's “additive comprehension” framework, which suggests that fan works aim to interpret and complete the original story‐verse. Instead, I argue these videos reverse the process of interpretation through temporal–spatial transportation and corporeal transfiguration with false continuity editing, acousmatic aesthetics, and gravitational disorientation.

The Japanese Film AI Amok (2020) and the Collapse of Realist AI Vision

AI Amok (2020), directed by Yu Irie, offers an incisive exploration of artificial intelligence’s role in a near-future Japanese society and is set in the year 2030. Employing the analytical framework provided by Bordwell and Thompson’s Film Art: An Introduction, this research explores the film’s narrative construction, visual storytelling techniques, and its thematic depth, particularly focusing on the portrayal and implications of artificial intelligence. Distinct from the often distant futures depicted in science fiction cinema, AI Amok presents a vision of the future that mirrors current technological trajectories, especially in healthcare and urban development. This stands in contrast to films like Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Her (2013), which envision more abstract futures. AI Amok thus distinguishes itself through a narrative that integrates AI into societal fabrics, confronting the ethical quandaries this integration elicits. The analysis reveals a scenario that feels immediate and tangible, offering a credible sight into the technological advancements and challenges of the near future. Moreover, the study highlights AI Amok’s nuanced depiction of AI’s roles within healthcare and government, suggesting a reflection on and projection of these technologies’ evolving paths. Unlike the overt technologization seen in The Matrix (1999) or Ex Machina (2014), AI Amok opts for more subtle visual effects to convey AI’s ubiquity, providing a unique perspective on AI’s potential to shape societal dynamics. This approach enriches the discourse on science fiction cinema, contributing a distinctive viewpoint to the ongoing debates concerning the ethical development and integration of artificial intelligence in real-world contexts.

An Exploration of the Genre of Korean Space Science Fiction Movies — Taking the Movie Space Sweepers as an Example

Although Korean science fiction films started late and developed slowly, the Korean film industry is developed and has never stagnated in the exploration of film genres. The movie Space Sweepers is South Korea’s first exploration and attempt at the science fiction sub-genre of space science fiction. Since its launch on the streaming media platform Netflix in February 2021, it has topped the global movie popularity list for five consecutive days and won 29 countries. It ranks first in broadcasts in the region, and it has also made space science fiction a genre trend in South Korea. This article will take the movie Space Sweepers as an example to sort out South Korea’s development path for the space science fiction film genre, and analyze the reasons for Space Sweepers’ global success.