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Science Fiction Representations in Film

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Science Fiction Representations in Film
Alien friend or foe?
Written by: ????

"Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not." -Isaac Asimov.

Science fiction films have become extremely popular over the last 30 years, with one of the most significant being Alien. These films are becoming more similar in structure; the hero versus the villain. And we all know that the hero, also known as the human, triumphs to victory. Is this because sci-fi films have a message to the viewers? Certain viewers may believe the producers of these texts are trying to send some sort of message, perhaps to prove to viewers that humans are the only species known to man, and if there was to be such a thing as an 'Alien,' would the human race eliminate them from earth?

Texts such as Alien, Independence Day and Contest all have villains in common. In all sci-fi films heroes are also common in their characteristics as they are always human. By the end of the text the human defeats the villain and becomes the hero, usually by saving the world from the unfriendly foe.
‘Independence Day’ was made in 1996 and was one of many science fiction films to win multiple awards and nominations. This film shows an excellent representation of aliens being portrayed as villains. In this film the humans devise a plan to fight back against the impostors, and when they spend their 4th of July fighting for freedom, the 4th of July becomes the worlds 'Independence Day.' This film depicts many representations of a hero. The main hero in this text is the president,Thomas J Whitmore. Other characters in the text also show characteristics of a hero such as the drunken pilot Russel Casse, and U.S Army Captain Steven Hillar. There are many discourses in this film such as the dominant hero discourse which is used throughout the film, and the presidential and military discourse.

In contrast the instant classic 'Alien' set a tone of its own, offering the

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