The media plays a very important role in the communication and passing of information to its viewers, readers, and listeners. One of these forms of communication relayed by the media is provided by the film industries where most films are produced to communicate to those who watch them. The messages these films offer can either be positive or negative; therefore may result in people acquiring certain trends or even stopping the performance of particular activities commonly described in these films. The influential nature of the movie Terminator, in the various aspects of the society and popular culture will subsequently be identified, discussed and analyzed in the paper.
Terminator, which has been considered to be of high influence in society, is a science fictional film which was a great success and became quite popular between 1984 and 1986. A clear indication of this fact is that Terminator is listed under the top one hundred iconic movies of all times. Terminator also played a vital function in the influence of the popular culture and society in general with regards to provision of lessons concerning morals as well as admirable characters that individuals should attain in the society. In summary, the film can be used to shape the attitudes of individuals as well as society.
The Terminator can be categorized as a science fiction, horror as well as an action filled thriller movie. The movie was produced in 1984 during which it gained immense success. The opening scene reflects that of the future in Los Angeles where a great deal of technology which includes presence and ruling of the world by Al machines. This plus the timing of the movie is a huge technological influence to society and popular culture. An incredible shift of ...
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Society tends to associate propaganda films with issues such as Nazi Germany and their film messages for their country; however, it is also possible for small independent companies, groups of like-minded people and individuals to use the media of film to incorporate messages for our society (The Independent, 2010). These messages are often in relation to changes that individuals should make in order to improve the standards by which they live their lives and changes to everyday habits that will benefit the individual, the individual’s family, a group of individuals or even a single person (Barnhisel and Turner, 2010).
One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak
Context leading to being critically acclaimed now. Blade Runner was a box-office failure compared to Ridley Scott’s other films. Their messages transcended context-breaking boundaries of their time. Yet issues explored are still relevant and permanent today.
Motion Pictures have always had a strong influence in today’s culture, but maybe none as prevalent as Star Wars. Originating with Episode 4 A New Hope, the series boomed from 1977 to 2005 with yet another addition coming in 2015. The strongest of the series was the original trilogy episodes 4, 5, and 6, all generally released in the 1980s. As one of the strongest film francaises still today, it’s impact within the 1980s was only the tip of the iceberg. Children and adults alike still anticipate the new edition of this seemingly endless journey. If any singular film series still holds prevalence in its future decades it is Star Wars: Original Trilogy.
...tands the test of time, thanks only to its screenplay; the effects, score and sets can all be outdated, but a good script will never date until dealt with. Many of the influential screenplays, hence films, have risen from the sci-fi genre and they will undoubtedly continue to do so as long as the genre keeps re-inventing itself visually. This is something the Wachowski bros have done; they’ve started a new chapter in the history of cinema and sci-fi, one which has already spawned the likes of ‘Pitch Black’ ( Ian Thorburn and David N. Twohy , 2000), ‘Minority Report’ ( Steven Spielberg , 2002) and of course, the next two Matrix sequels.
The Matrix is a film, while classified as sci-fi, mirrors the growing influence and mistrust of technology today. At the time of the film’s release, an audience may have
In his essay, “It’s Just a Movie: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes”, Greg M. Smith argues that analyzing a film does not ruin, but enhances a movie-viewing experience; he supports his argument with supporting evidence. He addresses the careful planning required for movies. Messages are not meant to be telegrams. Audiences read into movies to understand basic plotlines. Viewers should examine works rather than society’s explanations. Each piece contributes to Smith’s argument, movies are worth scrutinizing.
of influence in both the characters and gender roles of people in our society. The films have brought about the shaping of morals, behaviors and characters of not only children, but also adults in todays society, through engaging them in a constant series of unthinking consumption. In addition, most of the films in Disney bring out many different gender roles and people who grew up watching them have been influenced greatly by the content in the films (Blum 13). This paper will involve the various roles played by the characters in the films and how their roles have influenced the society at large.
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) presents an imminent look into the future of the 21st century. A film adapted from the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick, Blade Runner focuses on the struggle of humanity – often accentuating the notion that humanity in the year 2019 co-exists with android-like humans (replicants). The idea conveyed behind Blade Runner becomes additive to the sizable realm of Sci-Fi films that attempt to peek into the future of humanity. With comparable scenery, films such as Star Trek and Star-Wars may seem related, but Blade Runner contains an underlying culture that causes vast separation. A deeper analysis of Blade Runner will uncover the films
The culture and philosophy of Ridley Scott (pp. 231-243. United States: Lexington Books, Inc. Pramaggiore, M., & Wallis, T. (2005). Film: A critical introduction to the film.
The creators of anime present views of the future that are often very similar. Big robots, crowded metropolises, and powerful corporations are all commonplace. The Tessier-Ashpool mega-corp of Neuromancer can be likened to GENOM, a multinational corporation from Bubblegum Crisis. The Tessier-Ashpool artificial intelligences, Wintermute and Neuromancer, quitely amassed power and eventually changed the world. This idea of technology out of control is mirrored in GENOM's escaped Boomers. Boomers are pretty much Terminator endoskeletons, but even more bulky. Occasionally, one would escape and wreak havoc on the surrounding city. Both the novel and the anime film examine the social ramifications of technology beyond human intervention. And while it is true that Gibson's take on it is much more subtle, watching a Boomer get blown up by a cyberbabe in power armor can be pretty rewarding in its own right.
The postmodern cinema emerged in the 80s and 90s as a powerfully creative force in Hollywood film-making, helping to form the historic convergence of technology, media culture and consumerism. Departing from the modernist cultural tradition grounded in the faith in historical progress, the norms of industrial society and the Enlightenment, the postmodern film is defined by its disjointed narratives, images of chaos, random violence, a dark view of the human state, death of the hero and the emphasis on technique over content. The postmodernist film accomplishes that by acquiring forms and styles from the traditional methods and mixing them together or decorating them. Thus, the postmodern film challenges the “modern” and the modernist cinema along with its inclinations. It also attempts to transform the mainstream conventions of characterization, narrative and suppresses the audience suspension of disbelief. The postmodern cinema often rejects modernist conventions by manipulating and maneuvering with conventions such as space, time and story-telling. Furthermore, it rejects the traditional “grand-narratives” and totalizing forms such as war, history, love and utopian visions of reality. Instead, it is heavily aimed to create constructed fictions and subjective idealisms.
Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..
In the history of film art, there was a range of films that created long-lasting trends and resulted in a number of subsequent films. Similar to the Star Wars that caused a revolution in the film industry, the Alien that was released in 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott experienced immense success. This film reaches its main aim of appealing to the viewers in terms of the content, the created tension, and the cinematographic techniques applied for the creation of the movie. The movie cannot leave anyone watching it indifferent and tends to impress. The film Alien defined the mainstream tendencies for a long period, and even nowadays its impact on the film industry is still quite visible.
Cyborgs are portrayed as an evil force in Terminator and Bladerunner. In Terminator, the cyborg is a killing machine sent back in time from the future. The mission of the cyborg is to terminate the mother of a rebellion leader before he is born. Throughout the movie, the Terminator takes many gunshots and withstands punishments that would destroy a human’s frail body. The Terminator experiences a high-speed car crash and walks away nearly unharmed. His layer of flesh is damaged, but he proceeds to cut the damaged portion away and continues his mission. Near the end of the movie, the Terminator is in a fiery explosion involving a...