Product Description

This A-Z of science fiction films includes entries on individual films, actors, directors, screenwriters and studios, as well as information on national traits and themes, and the novels and stories that have formed the basis of the genre. As well as dealing with blockbusters such as "Independence Day" and "Mars Attacks", the text also looks at early big budget productions such as "When Worlds Collide" and "2001", the inept classics of Ed Wood, Hammer films and the early work of John Carpenter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1965902 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

-But the pictures are nice...
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I find myself constantly disagreeing with the author on so many of his views. Strangely enough, this was also the case with his two other books on similar subjects; "The A-Z Of Horror Films" and "Hammer, House Of Horror". (Why do a Hammer book, when obviously no fan?.) The problems with the short "reviews" are that comments are constantly made on the age of the films, and how incredibly dated they look. Certain classics are trampled on. -A few irritating examples: "The Time Machine",1960,("has dated somewhat"),"Logan's Run",1976,("very dated set and costume design - the usual 70's view of the future as a kind of antiseptic EPCOT"),"Journey To The Center Of The Earth",1959,("dated fantasy adventure - a film just begging for the remake treatment" - not!), and the giant squid in "20.000 Leagues Under The Sea",1954, gets a mention as if it's one of the only good things about this classic. "2001:A Space Odyssey",1968, on the other hand, is praised to the skies. -Now, there's the mother of all dated sci-fi films, if there ever was one!. All movies show signs of the times in which they were made, but one should just enjoy them, and not focus on these things. Sure, taste is a funny thing, but a little objectivity is a good thing, too.