The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies 1

I picked this one up because (1) I'm a fan of Scalzi's fiction and (2) I'm a fan of science fiction films from way back. It turns out to be a very useful combination of obscure information, literary and cinematic theory, film history, and pure, unadulterated fandom. (I knew I was in the right book when the author paused at the very beginning to explain the difference, to fans, between "SF" and "sci-fi.") He selects fifty films from the past century as his "Canon" and discusses them in detail, pointing out the many interconnections and derivations, and tossing off scores of highly quotable lines; of _Buckaroo Banzai_ (one of my own favorites), he comments, "Don't be ashamed to laugh at this movie; just be aware of what that laugh says about you." But he also provides a "warp-speed" history of the science fiction cinema, which allows him to give brief mention of many other films, both good and bad (and very, very bad). Likewise, there's an idiosyncratic chapter on the "faces of sci-fi film," crossover films, the pseudoscience that backs them, and the state of SF film-making in various countries. There's a great deal of good stuff here and I began making a list at the very beginning of films I hadn't seen that I wanted to (not many of those) and those I'd seen in the past and now wanted to see again (lots and lots of those). It's a shame, then, that the copyediting was so poorly done; it's difficult to find three pages in a row without a horrendous typo, misspelling, or apparent missing word. (And, no, you don't capitalize every single word in an italicized title.)

This was a generally fun book. It is not designed to be read cover to cover, but picked at. It's lighthearted and I think it is pretty fair to the movies it covers. It also notes which movies (like Blade Runner) were very influential on those that followed. If you're a big science fiction fan, you probably won't learn too much that's new, but you'll learn some, and you'll have fun.

To someone unfamiliar with the genre, science fiction movies can appear to be a collection of awful movies that rely on little more than cheesy special effects. To some extent, it's true: to paraphrase Sturgeon's Law (he was a sci-fi writer), 90% of science fiction is garbage, but 90% of everything is garbage. There are plenty of lousy science fiction movies out there, but there are also some real gems. The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is a decent, though not perfect, reference book about these movies. It starts with a brief history of science fiction literature and then gives a history of sci-fi at the cinema, from the early silent days through the serials of the 1930s to the "golden age" of the 1950s to the darker works of the 1970s to the special effects driven movies of modern times. Essentially, however, the history of sci-fi films can be divided into two periods: Before Star Wars and After Star Wars. The Guide also provides what the author, John Scalzi considers to be the key 50 movies. As he admits up front, you may disagree with his choices as I certainly did, but many of his choices are solid ones: choices such as Blade Runner, Star Wars, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey have to rate on the list of anyone familiar with the genre. There are also sections on the faces of science fiction, the locations of science fiction and science fiction movies produced around the world, as well as a couple other sections. While not comprehensive, the book doesn't really neglect anything truly significant either. For a reference book, however, we do get a lot of opinion, and for a book that seems to be well put together, there are lots of typographical errors. This is not a great book, but it is good enough (maybe a low four stars) and for an introduction to these movies, it is more than adequate.

As long time SF fan, even I discovered some data in this book that I did not know (or forgot). And was glad of mentioning other countries tradition in SF, not only USA's. Altough I may not 100% agree with movie selection stated there, I do admit that each movie mentioned has to have a place in book which has word "guide" in title. A lot of other details with importance for SF on screen are also there. For each movie there is original title (or it's latin interpretation - movies from USSR or Japan, i.e.), year of release, actors, director, score composer and man behind camera. Also, short synopsis and why is that movie important. Oh, and 4 stars? Only because something with "Rough guide" in title by default can not get 5 stars...

I got the chance to look at this book extensively at my local barnes and noble. It does a very well written summary of most of the luminaries of the Sci-Fi genre. There are alot of funny inside jokes that only fans of these films will get. But, it also introduces Sci-Fi to those who aren't familiar with it. Need a book to explain your obsession with Sci-Fi to your significant other? Heres the book. Complete with funny notes and misc. bits and pieces that will help them catch up to the culture. Who knows? After reading it they might know more than you.