7. "but what is not derivative?" In response to In response to 3
>other than that, everything u listed is derivative. >
How many recent movies of ANY genre cannot be seen as derivative? There's only so many stories. How many movies can you name that are not easily related to a handful of other movies that dealt with the same basic story? Movies are typically pitched by saying they are just like two other movies put together.
I tend to think Ridley Scott's comments, and other people's complaints about sci-fi movies (because he ain't the only one to bitch about the state of these movies) is more about the way these stories are told -- the effects, yes, but also the manner in which the "new worlds" of sci-fi are presented. After The Matrix, for example, every new Sci-Fi movie had to have "bullet time" and all that. Then there is the standard "hero's journey" as you mentioned. (But that ain't going anywhere.)
But the reason why Sci-Fi is here to stay is that it is the one genre, at least in print, that is all about social commentary. It's all about focusing on our current condition through extreme analogies. Yeah, a sci-fi movie can be about just telling a fun story, but the best sci-fi is rarely about what it is about. It is not about time travel or aliens or any of that. It is about using those things to make a statement about what is going on in the here and now. And as long as there are people who think we are going to hell in a handbasket -- and someone always thinks that, no matter who is in power -- there will always be sci-fi.
There have not been many really good sci-fi movies lately. Most of the better ones listed above are from books or stories written decades ago. Part of the problem may be that the new sci-fi books aren't as good. I don't read much of the genre, but I suspect there are some really good ones recently. Maybe they are not getting made because the current Hollywood mindset is still about making Matrix-y stuff or having obvious toy tie-ins.
I would love to see THE SPARROW make it to the screen, but I don't have much hope of it having the same impact the novel had.
CHILDREN OF MEN was excellent. (That was based on a book, wasn't it?)