Overview

Can blockbuster films be socially relevant or are they just escapist diversions to entertain the masses and enrich the studios? Not every successful film contains thoughtful commentary, but some that are marketed as pure entertainment do seriously engage social issues. Popular science fiction films of the late 1970s and early 1980s--such as George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy, Ridley Scott's Alien and Aliens, and James Cameron's Terminator films--present a critique of our engagement with technology in a way that resonates with 1960s counterculture. As challengers of the status quo's technological underpinnings, Luke Skywalker, Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor echo the once-popular social criticism of philosopher Herbert Marcuse and speak directly to the concerns of people living in a technologically complex society. The films of Lucas, Scott and Cameron made money but also made us think about the world we live in.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mark T. Decker
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.308kg
ISBN:  

9780786499113

ISBN 10:   0786499117
Pages:   216
Publication Date:   08 March 2016
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface 1. Big-Budget Science Fiction Film and Profitable Social Critique 2. Creating Cleverly Subversive Science Fiction Universes 3. George Lucas Battles the Empire of Unfreedom in American Graffiti and the Star Wars Films 4. Ridley Scott Takes On Apparently Evil Corporations in Alien, Blade Runner and Prometheus 5. James Cameron Reforms the Company Man in Terminator and T2 6. Cameron’s Questioners: ­Two-Dimensional Protagonists in Aliens, Titanic and Avatar Afterword: The Cultural ­Half-Life of Subversive Blockbusters Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Mark T. Decker is an associate professor and the assistant chair of Bloomsburg University’s Department of English. His publications include articles on George Lucas’ Star Wars films and John Carpenter’s They Live.

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