Roadside Picnic Vs S. K. Rr

S.T.A.L.K.E.R., by Andrei Tarkovsky, is a film based on the book Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Both stories take place in a science fiction location known as “the Zone”. The Zone is a place where bad things happen and is the main source of science-fiction throughout the stories. Although the stories were quite similar, the Zone in Roadside picnic is more fascinating and has a stronger sense of fantasy, whereas S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is more realistic and not as engaging. The Zones from both Roadside Picnic and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are both forbidden areas that only a select few dare to enter. These select few were known as the “Stalkers”. These zones had many similar characteristic that I found very fascinating. For example, in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., in the Zone there was a place called the “Room”, which was said to grant the wishes of whomever entered. Similarly, in Roadside Picnic, there

In Roadside Picnic, the Zone was created by the visitation of aliens, whereas the Zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was created by some form of nuclear catastrophe. This difference is another example for the different level of science-fiction use. The zone created by the visitation of aliens is more surreal and fascinating because it is nearly impossible to happen. While reading the Zone in Roadside Picnic, I pictured the Zone to be almost like a different dimension. Although the Zone was formed by the visitation of aliens which is highly unlikely, the way the actual imagery of was told could easily reflect a very realistic environment. The Zone seemed to just be an abandoned town because the items that were left in the Zone were unmoved were smothered with the wild growth of mysterious vines. Meanwhile, the Zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. did not have the same impossible surreal effect; it seemed like an environment similar to Chernobyl that was not a fantasy setting