SCIENCE FICTION DURING THE PANDEMIC Film Review by Thomas Lombardo
Center for Future Consciousness
THE EXPANSE
WATCHMEN
LTHOUGH science fiction movies continued to be released over the last year, I have not been to a movie theater since 2019. Since then, sequestered away in the protective bubble of my home during the pandemic, almost all the science fiction I have watched has been on TV, and primarily productions made for TV. Yet far from feeling deprived of quality viewing experiences, much of the best science fiction I have seen over the past few years have been productions specifically made for TV. While all of us have been physically isolated to various degrees, as the pandemic has swept across the globe, there has been a wealth of excellent science fiction TV movies and series providing numerous opportunities for our minds to vicariously travel outward into the vast mysteries and incredible wonders of outer space, the future, and alternate realities. I can only mention in passing some of the many, very good recent science fiction TV series, such as Dark, DEVS, The Mandalorian, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Westworld, Black Mirror, and His Dark Materials. Among the many excellent TV shows, two series I have found especially impressive are The Expanse and Watchmen. Both series present complex and emotionally engaging visions of human society, including both technological and cultural dimensions, and both shows are populated with a rich diversity of distinctive and memorable characters. The Expanse is fantastical space opera, taking place hundreds of years in the future, in which a significant portion of the solar system has been explored and settled by humans.
Inspired by the original graphic novel and subsequent movie of the same name, the Watchmen TV series is an alternate reality tale in an alternate present earth, in which the themes of super-humans, biotechnology, race discrimination, and white supremacy are woven together in a story of great relevance to contemporary social issues. Both series have won numerous awards. To highlight just a few more striking qualities of these two series: The Expanse is visually stunning with probably the most realistic and phenomenal outer space special effects ever produced for TV. The series weaves together intricate interplanetary politics and intrigue, vivid depictions of gritty urban life on the asteroid belt, a highly imaginative and enigmatic alien intelligence, and a host of compelling and unique women characters in lead roles. Also with several lead women characters, Watchmen recreates the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, but now historically developed along a different trajectory in time, with super-hero vigilantes, a mad but endearing scientist, corrupt law enforcement and politicians, and a moving love story—with a little magic at the end. I found it the most powerful and thought-provoking cinematic science fiction ever produced on the Black American experience. Expand your imagination, stimulate your intellect, and heighten your social consciousness. As the pandemic still swirls around us, watch these two great series from at home. Your mind will be propelled into the far reaches of space, time, and fascinating, plausible, far-out realities.
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HUMAN FUTURES
