Types of Sci-fi

There is a myriad of subgenres in sci-fi: you got the robots, simulations, aliens, aliens that make you go insane if you look at them, and the good ol’ “everything is wrong how did we get here” subgenre. These subgenres usually intertwine while still being able to stand out. For the example, The Matrix is a mixture of simulation theory – the remains of the human race live in a simulation – and dystopian – because the real reality is nightmarish. The fact the sub genres are usually mixed together can make it difficult to find sci-fi movies that are strictly one subgenre, but it does narrow the amount of research while also allowing more creativity since the directors, cinematographers, director of photography, etc. do not need to worry about confining to one specific style. Each genre, however, has unique qualities that make it easy to identify what subgenres a film belongs to. Some of these subgenres are alien, cyberpunk, dystopian, Lovecraftian horror (this subgenre belongs both sci-fi and horror), simulation theory.

Alien

Notable media: Alien, Predator, The Thing, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

As the name suggests, this subgenre involves aliens (what a shocker). The aliens are usually end up on Earth but on some instances humans find themselves on alien planets. Xenophobia and how we see outsiders are often hot topics in alien movies.

Cyberpunk

Notable media: Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Robocop

This subgenre is often, if not always, set in the future and a trademark of it is artificial limbs/implants. Cyberpunk often questions the boundaries between man and machine which is shown in many ways such as giving AI the desire to be more human such as in Ghost in the Shell where The Puppet Master (the antagonistic AI) tells Major Motoko Kusanagi that he/she/it desires to have the ability to reproduce and die. Another characteristic of the cyberpunk is the setting which is usually a massive city in the future with ads and technology everywhere. When politics is involved, cyberpunk movies tend to be anti-capitalist.

Dystopian

Notable media: A Clockwork Orange, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, 1984

Dystopian movies can be summed with a question: how did the government get so much power? While some dystopian films do not involve the government (see The Matrix), they often involve some higher power being oppressing the masses. These movies usually take place in the future (relative to the source material/movie) and are usually very anti-communist.

Lovecraftian horror

Notable media: The Void, Annihilation, Bloodborne (video game), Dagon (short story)

Lovecraftian/cosmic horror – my personal favorite subgenre of both sci-fi and horror – is similar in premis to the alien subgenre: some other worldly being is within our boundaries. However, Lovecraftian is a little more specific than that – the “aliens” that invade us are more akin to gods (especially in H.P. Lovecraft’s writings such as Dagon) and we, as humans, cannot fathom such beings so we either cannot see them or go insane in their presence. This previous statement clearly shows why there are few Lovecraftian horror movies (and even fewer good ones), it cannot be created in a visual medium. How do you show something that, once seen, makes those who see it go insane?

Simulation Theory

Notable media: The Matrix, Ready Player One, Inception

The simulation subgenre focuses on the idea that we are currently living in a simulation “unbeknownst” to us. This subgenre mostly takes in place in a simulation but usually shows what the world outside the simulation is like and usually has themes of our lives being out of our hands.