Representation across a range of sci-fi films

1. Representation in
Science Fiction Films

2. Mimic (Del Toro, 1997)
• Hero = the female scientist
• She defeats the plague (representing fear of
contagious diseases, like AIDS)and then the
strange mutated insect creatures caused by the
vaccine
• She is stereotypically attractive and young; there
is one point where she’s in peril, screams and is
rescued
• BUT… she single-handedly defeats the king insect
– so here we have female defeating male.

3. Dr Susan Tyler – scientist, killer of the chief male mutated insect or stereotypical young,
attractive female victim, represented as prey for the male insect in this deserted,
threatening mise-en-scene

4. Alien (Scott, 1979)
• Hybrid – Sci-Fi/Horror
• Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)
• Alien picks everyone off – until only Ripley and
the cat
• Final scene, she strips down to her skimpy
underwear and is filmed from a low angle to
accentuate her figure, but…
• She single-handedly defeats the alien, which
has been portrayed previously portrayed as
phallic-like (i.e. male) – so, yet again, gender
representation is not straightforward.

6. The Thing From Another World (Nyby, 1951)
• A Cold War science fiction film where the alien
represents the Russians and the scientist who
would rather save the alien and examine it dresses
in a stereotypically Russian fur hat and has a Lenin
beard.
• The film promotes American Cold War attitudes in
that the military men are seen to be right.
• The journalist at the end tells everybody to
“Watch the skies!” Although he’s talking about
aliens, this is also is a reference to contemporary
American fear of a Russian attack.

8. The Thing From Another World (Nyby,
1951)
• The men – especially the military men – are depicted as the
heroes
• At the end of the film, after the men have defeated the
alien, Nikki comes in with a pot of coffee as if conforming to
a traditional gender role of being servile to the men
• Elsewhere, she is portrayed as ‘one of the guys’ bantering
with the men. Although she doesn’t go on the mission to
see the alien craft and she IS with them when they face
down and destroy the alien.
• In one scene, she has tied up her lover, Captain Hendry, and
feeds him alcohol – thereby being represented as the
dominant one in their relationship.

9. Independence Day (Emmerich, 1996)

10. • Represents American ideology – the president’s speech notes that
on this 4 July, it’s independence day for the whole world. President
sounds like a Westerner, as if in reference to the cowboy heroes of
westerns; later, he even flies with the pilots against the aliens.
• “And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be
known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in
one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish
without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!
Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

11. • While he’s speaking, the camera pans around
the people listening and we can see they are of
different ethnicities and from different social
classes, as if to underline the fact that America
is a democracy where, in theory, everyone is
equal.
• Note the prominent role given to the black
actor Will Smith as the fighter pilot, Hiller – his
first role as a science fiction action star (Wild,
Wild West, I Am Legend, Men in Black I, II and
III, I Robot, After Earth).

12. • The pilots are represented as bantering, slightly gung-ho,
eager to fight and whip the aliens.
• Russel Casse: All right, you alien assholes! In the words of my
generation: Up... YOURS!

13. • IT’s noticeable that we are shown the destruction of
iconographic American landmarks like the White
House and the Empire State Building and when we
see the attack on the aliens, we see American pilots
(even though we’re told this is happening around the
world).

14. • To give the idea that the aliens are defeated
by all American society is underscored when
the man who ultimately sacrifices himself to
blow up the alien ship is an alcoholic, working
class Vietnam veteran who is single father.
• It’s not just American force and tactics that
save the day, it’s also American science a
computer virus is implanted inside the alien
ship by Hiller and the scientist, Levinson.

15. • During the scene in which Hiller and Levinson enter the
alien ship, the mise-en-scene is a silvery-blue pallet often
associated with science fiction films. The tone is almost
reverential as the camera moves slowly and the shots are
quite long. The music sounds pseudo-classical and also
reverential as if we are being invited to see the scale of the
task because Hiller and Levinson’s craft is tiny compared to
the vast alien craft.

16. • During the fight scene, the editing is faster-paced, the
colours are orange/red, the music is faster. There are
close-ups of the pilots as they communicate, POV
shots and the standard action shots where crafts seem
to head towards the camera then divert overhead at
the last minute

17. Jurassic Park (Treverrow, 2015)
• How is the hero represented here?

18. • Owen Grady. Young, white male. Unshaven to show he
doesn’t do things by the book; physically fit; able to
compete with the dinosaurs – somebody who understands
them; an action hero on his bike. He is against the idea of
training dinosaurs for military use
• Key issue – fear of genetic tampering/genetic mutation
• The eager kid who pushed his way to the front
• Gullible public in search of thrills whatever the cost
• Female scientist – harsh features accentuated by the haircut
and the smart white shirt– has created genetic hybrid – but
she realises later the error of her ways and it’s during this
time that she becomes more feminised, losing her overshirt
revealing tight vest top, messing up her hair.
• Male hero – against this – more naturalistic. Doesn’t think
that’s a good idea. Denim shirt and black waistcoat –
cowboy like – a throwback to the all-American cowboy hero