Ghost In The Shell Film: A Major Motoko Kusanagi Controversy (Part II)

"The past is just a story we tell ourselves." -Samantha, played pitch perfectly by Scarlett Johansson in Her (2013) clearly in preparation for her role as Major Motoko Kusanagi in the live action Ghost In The Shell film-

"I want to learn everything about everything. I want to eat it all up. I want to discover myself." -More Major Kusa ... I mean Samantha from Her-

"You know what's interesting, I used to be so worried about not having a body, but now I truly love it. I'm growing in a way that I couldn't if I had a physical form. I mean, I'm not limited - I can be anywhere and everywhere simultaneously. I'm not tethered to time and space in the way that I would be if I was stuck in a body that's inevitably going to die." -Major... oops, Samantha from Her again-



Obviously I offer these quotes with a touch of humor. I finished the film Her and was actually overcome not only by the beauty of that film, the emotional depth is stunning, but the fact that the role of Samantha, played by Scarlett Johansson, thematically echoed the spirit of identity and life through the concept of a ghost-like entity, in this case, Theodore's computer. Theodore is played with such relatable grace by Joaquin Phoenix it's hard not to love every fiber of this Spike Jonze film that probes deeply at the human condition and what it means to be alive. It was easy to connect with Her if you are someone who is searching for answers and looking to discover deeper meaning from this life.

But we turn our attention back to the slated live action Ghost In The Shell film and the casting of the role of lead Major Matoko Kusanagi and the rather pathetic controversy of it all.

Apparently I will be forced to add my two cents to this ongoing controversy for as long as it is sustained in the annals of the positively ridiculous.



Yes, the fact Hollywood, and specifically DreamWorks, is working on a live action adaptation* (and that's exactly what it f@!#ing is people) of Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell has apparently worked people up into a right lather (think of shaving cream) with the casting of white (hot) actress Scarlett Johansson. I may forever Wikipedia that last name, yet for some unknown, unearthly reason I have mastered J. Michael Straczynski down cold. Go figure.

Some anime fans have been bothered over the fact an Asian actress has not been cast in the role of the beloved protagonist from Ghost In The Shell. Groups have lashed out and called the casting move the latest in "whitewashing." Honestly, I hate to be colorful here but this politically correct garbage or efforts to hijack just about anything and make it about race just goes up me. In fact, as many of you know who visit here, I was one of the earliest to jump in and comment with this post here.



Well the latest update proves this thing won't be going away any time soon and I will continue to add a dissenting voice to the masses. The newest development reveals there is now a petition with somewhere in the ballpark of 36,000 names calling for a casting change for an actress of Asian decent to take the role of Kusanagi. The petition is targeted at DreamWorks. It's downright insulting and tells you a lot about people. I wouldn't sign that petition if they needed just one more name. Hell no! And DreamWorks should hardly cave to pressure. Don't you dare.

The petition reads as follows: Dear Dream Works Studios, As moviegoers and fans of the original 1995 Ghost In The Shell film, we respectfully request you cast an actor of Asian descent for the lead role of Motoko Kusanagi rather than Scarlett Johansson.

The American film industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4 % of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollwood films.

Please use this opportunity to help talented Asian-American actors receive recognition for their work. There are so few opportunities for them to shine in Hollywood, and this film would be a perfect platform. Good grief. I guess we can expect petitions from every ethnicity in the future.



Okay, I'm going old school California valley girl here, but gag me with a spoon.

I've heard people mention Lucy Liu (Kill Bill) and bloody hell I couldn't bear a movie starring her. No thanks. Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim) is certainly a fine idea, but she simply doesn't have a North American following and that is exactly where the money for this thing is going to be coming from.

This is a ludicrous controversy. But let's take a look at the counterpoints out there that make a whole lot of sense beginning with my man Robert over at Robert's Anime Corner Store.

Robert writes, "While I agree that Kikuchi is absolutely perfect for that role, it's never going to happen and the 'whitewash' argument is stupid. If the film is made in Hollywood it's going to have a Hollywood adaptation, and that means westernizing many of main characters with big Hollywood names for the primary audience - which isn't us. I doubt the movie will even be set in Japan. This is one of the reasons I rarely support Western adaptations of Japanese properties, though I admit Edge of Tomorrow was pretty awesome. For what this adaptation must be to get made, I think ScarJo is a fine choice and it will be up to the producers if we end up getting something that resembles GiTS in name only or not."



But I will go one even further, I fully support DreamWorks efforts and the casting of Scarlett and I hope they make a killer Ghost In The Shell adaptation true to the spirit of the original film. The Matrix (1999) channeled anime concepts beautifully. Look no further than The Animatrix (2003) itself for gorgeous evidence. Even Pacific Rim (2013) was masterful in channeling the spirit of the anime piloted mecha subgenre. So it is possible. But an Asian actress is not required for the role. If that's how anime fans view the original Ghost In The Shell (1995), then we all have the anime don't we?

Just look at Avalon (2001), Oshii's live action picture. There was a clear effort to cast an actress that built upon the thread and spirit of Ghost In The Shell in Polish actress Malgorzata Foremniak. It's a fine film, but look how well things turned out with an actress with zero name recognition. By all accounts the film was a financial disappointment. Oshii was channeling his former character through that actress, but for all intents and purposes, his vision, while unquestionably realized, was seen by few. Not to mention, Oshii himself crafted the role of Ash after the Kusanagi character and turned to a Polish actress not an Asian actress for the part.

Here's a terrific letter to DreamWorks from an anonymous author. "Dear DreamWorks Studios, As moviegoers and fans of the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, we respectfully request that you cast a machine for the lead role of Motoko Kusanagi rather than Scarlett Johansson.

Motoko Kusanagi is a machine. By casting a meat popsicle, instead of a machine, DreamWorks is perpetuating and endorsing the bigotry against machines that pervades human culture." Ah, brilliant. That is absolutely classic.



People have said, 'well, her name is Japanese, therefore she must be Japanese' and that is a false deduction. There are more than enough people in this world with names that might lead one to think a person is from a country of origin or of a racial persuasion of which they are not.

Further Mamoru Oshii adapted the work of Masamune Shirow and made significant changes to the manga text. Others have gone on to adapt the franchise further and continued to alter the thread of the franchise through the evolution of these characters and concepts.

Even Mamoru Oshii would tell you as recent as a 2013 interview with TIFF that Hollywood copies Japanese films and Japanese films copy Hollywoood. Ghost In The Shell was even Oshii's loving riff on Blade Runner (1982) with his own distinct and original touches, whereby The Wachowski Brothers generated The Matrix trilogy paying tribute to Ghost In The Shell while infusing the series, once again, with their own unique and original storylines and artful ideas.

This is indeed a cycle and one in which an Asian actress is NOT at all necessary for the role.

A live action Ghost In The Shell could do for Ghost In The Shell (1995) what Gareth Edwards did for Godzilla and with the right names attached and people behind it it could certainly be a hit. It could also very well be a Battlefield Earth (2000), based on Ron L. Hubbard, but be assured that it will not succeed if the backers of Ghost In the Shell go the Japanese route of Space Battleship Yamato, Gatchaman, Patlabor or Blood: The Last Vampire where these films will remain niche favorites. DreamWorks has certainly delivered a number of great films like Saving Private Ryan (1998), the thoughtful Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Minority Report (2002). Why not? Okay, discard those alliances made for the Transformers films.



One anime fan wrote on OtakuUSA.com that the petition was "rude" and "silly" and that there were "more important" things to worry about. The person called it a "sad day." Yes, we've had a good many of those lately. It's nice to see a sensible anime fan who gets the bigger picture and fortunately there are many of those voices out there.

Besides, when you stop to think, isn't Scarlett semi-qualified after portraying the artificial, disembodied voice of Samantha in Her coupled with the ass-kicking Lucy or Black Widow? Maybe, just maybe, she will be an exceptional choice.

*Adaptation (n): Transfer and interpretation of another's work, written, film or other; ironically a 2002 film by Spike Jonze.

Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

"Live long and prosper."

and

"Fascinating."

 

I knew the day would come one day, but I never prepared myself for how crushing that feeling would be. It's kind of hard to accept.

Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015) passed away today. What more can you say about this great and influential actor who gave us the iconic Mr. Spock and affected generations through three seasons of Star Trek (1966-1969)? I have no words at the moment.

Honestly, that's all I have for now. There is no breadth or scope of words to do this man justice. Though it feels a piece of us is lost with his passing we have gained everything and more from his contributions.

It's a sad day to be sure.



So gosh, now that I've had a little time to compose myself, it's still hard to believe Leonard Nimoy is gone.

It seems like yesterday I was catching him on Fringe (2008-2013) as Dr. William Bell, and well it was pretty much yesterday.

In the last many months there were hints and signs of Nimoy's failing health and I was indeed concerned this day would arrive sooner than any of us would want for those we love. Nimoy was indeed one of those people.

On a personal note I can tell you that some of my fondest memories was having dinner with my grandmother and watching Star Trek in syndication in the 1970s. The two of us adored the characters. And when Spock offered his often sage analysis my grandmother and I would look to one another and essentially nod in agreement as if to say and confirm, "you see there, Spock knows all."



Star Trek (1966-1969) has sometimes been derided for a lack of character development for its ensemble cast, but that certainly doesn't hold true for the triumvirate of Spock, Kirk and McCoy. If ever characters were given multi-dimensional care in performance it would be those characters. Mr. Spock was a big part of Star Trek's success and the character was indeed one aspect of the series that made instant fans fall in love with the show. Leonard Nimoy was the reason Spock was so unforgettable. Under that cool, clam exterior was a half-human, half-Vulcan bubbling with conflict and emotion underneath it all. Nimoy conveyed in a meaningful way to everyone what it meant to be alien and to be accepted for his unique qualities despite being different.



I know Nimoy once penned I Am Not Spock (1975) in an effort to differentiate himself, the person and actor, from the beloved character, but with some soul searching and acceptance and some time away working on projects like the wonderful In Search Of (1977-1982) Nimoy returned with I Am Spock (1995). It speaks volumes for all of us who simply couldn't separate the character from the man. Even Nimoy realized resistance was futile and embraced it. Of course Nimoy was much more than Spock, but he was also Spock and gave everything of himself to that character and we connected with him more profoundly in just three short years than we do many characters that remain on television for far longer. Spock was special and Leonard Nimoy made him special. There was something about the message and the sincerity of those beliefs that transcended short term memory. This is why the character prospers. This is why Nimoy will be missed. He will forever live long and prosper in our hearts and minds. Leonard Nimoy was 83.




A science fiction selection of Film and Television highlights:

Apart from narrating the introduction to the Omni Theatre shows at the Mugar Omni Theatre in the Boston Museum Of Science where he talked about growing up just a few blocks from the museum - I always loved hearing him in those intros - these are some of Nimoy's career TV and Film highlights.

Them! (1954)
The Twilight Zone: A Quality Of Mercy (1961)
The Outer Limits (1964)
Star Trek (1966-1969)
Mission: Impossible (1969-1971)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
In Search Of... (1976-1982)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984; director)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986; director)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Unification (1991)
Star Trek (2009)
Fringe (2009-2012)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

My look at Leonard Nimoy's I Am Spock autobiography here back in 2008.
It offers a nice synopsis of the man's fascinating, to borrow a word, life. Gosh, we'd all like to live forever.

Sixlets

Sixlets! In A box! Are you kidding me?

Some days it's the simple things that make you happy. I always enjoyed Sixlets when I was a kid. A clear wrapper tube with about 8 Sixlets was the perfect mechanism for delivery to the mouth as you ripped the end of the wrapper with your teeth. And those wrapper ones are still out there.

But, wow, I had no idea they came in a box, but by God there they were right next to the Junior Mints and Raisinets, two other favorites. All favorites were by-passed for the Sixlets for now - a candy-coated, chocolate taste treat and a whole box load of them!

I know I refuse to grow old. Always a kid at heart and stomach.

Science Fiction On Film: A Visual History

Science fiction on film has had a long, proud, rich and storied history.

Let's turn those pages in a post dubbed Science Fiction On Film: A Visual History.

This post actually began as part of my Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams post, but then mutated, like a good science fiction creature does, into Science Fiction On Film: A Visual History. Thus one post, split like a good bit of mutation into two unique posts. Ah, blogging can be fun. Perhaps Science Fiction On Television: A Visual History will be for another time. 

For those looking for a good starting point featuring the themes of science fiction discussed in my Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams post than look no further than right here. I planned this visual post to be a fairly dynamic thing. This post will likely be revisited from time to time and updated. I will certainly re-post with updated material in another year.

This list will highlight some of my personal favorites, including some highlights from the world of anime and kaiju, the classics of course and some solid entries that fall somewhere in the middle and of course maybe some films that were less than stellar, but certainly have a place in our hearts for one reason or another.

This will never be a complete list of all the wonderful science fiction attempts that have been made out there. Nevertheless, this list will likely grow like any good mutant monster over time. I will attempt to make this list as complete as possible to my liking. This is a work in progress for now.

I've done my very best to avoid promotional shots and posed images. I wanted to strictly look at these films through images from the actual films that we best remember. That was my hope. I hope you enjoy it and revel in the ever changing history of science fiction on film.


Metropolis (1927)


Frankenstein (1931/1910)


King Kong (1933)


Flash Gordon (1936)


Buck Rogers (1939)


Mighty Joe Young (1949)


The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)


The Thing From Another World (1951)


The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)


It Came From Outer Space (1953)


The War Of The Worlds (1953)


20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)


Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)


Gojira (1954)


Them! (1954)


Godzilla Raids Again (1955)


It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)


Half Human (1955)


This Island Earth (1955)


Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)


Forbidden Planet (1956)


Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)


20 Million Miles To Earth (1957)


The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)


The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)


The Mysterians (1957)


The Blob (1958)


The Fly (1958)


The H-Man (1958)


Varan The Unbelievable (1958)


The Angry Red Planet (1959)


Battle In Outer Space (1959)


Journey To The Center Of The Earth (1959)


The Lost World (1960)


The Time Machine (1960)


Gorgo (1961)


Mothra (1961)


Mysterious Island (1961)


The Phantom Planet (1961)


Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (1961)


The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)


Gorath (1962)


La jetee (1962)


King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)


Atragon (1963)


Matango (1963)


X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963)


Dogora (1964)


First Men In The Moon (1964)


Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)


Mothra Vs. Godzilla (1964)


Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964)


Frankenstein Conquers The World (1965)


Gamera (1965)


Invasion Of Astro-Monster (1965)


Fantastic Voyage (1966)


Gamera Vs. Barugon (1966)


Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster (1966)


The War Of The Gargantuas (1966)


Gamera Vs. Gyaos (1967)


King Kong Escapes (1967)


Son Of Godzilla (1967)


The X From Outer Space (1967)


Yonggary (1967)


2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)


Barbarella (1968)


Charly (1968)


Destroy All Monsters (1968)


Planet Of The Apes (1968)


All Monsters Attack (1969)


Doppelganger or Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (1969)


Gamera Vs. Guiron (1969)


Latitude Zero (1969)


Marooned (1969)


Moon Zero Two (1969)


The Valley Of Gwangi (1969)


Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)


Gamera Vs. Jiger (1970)


Space Amoeba (1970)


A Clockwork Orange (1971)


Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)


Gamera Vs. Zigra (1971)


Godzilla Vs. Hedora (1971)


The Omega Man (1971)


THX 1138 (1971)


Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)


Godzilla Vs Gigan (1972)


Silent Running (1972)


Solaris (1972)


Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)


Fantastic Planet (1973)


Godzilla Vs. Megalon (1973)


Westworld (1973)


Dark Star (1974)


Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)


A Boy And His Dog (1975)


Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)


The Land That Time Forgot (1975)


Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)


At The Earth's Core (1976)


Logan's Run (1976)


King Kong (1976)


Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)


Damnation Alley (1977)


The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1977)


The People That Time Forgot (1977)


The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)


Space Battleship Yamato (1977)


Star Wars (1977)


The War In Space (1977)


Farewell To Space Battleship Yamato: In The Name Of Love (1978)


Gatchaman: The Movie (1978)


Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)


Laserblast (1978)


Message From Space (1978)


Return To Witch Mountain (1978)


Warlords Of Atlantis (1978)


Alien (1979)


The Black Hole (1979)


Mad Max (1979)


Moonraker (1979)


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)


Altered States (1980)


Battle Beyond The Stars (1980)


Be Forever Yamato (1980)


Virus (1980)


Flash Gordon (1980)


The Empire Strikes Back (1980)


Escape From New York (1981)


Mobile Suit Gundam (trilogy) (1981-82)


Outland (1981)


The Road Warrior (1981)


Blade Runner (1982)


E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)


Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)


The Thing (1982)


Tron (1982)


Brainstorm (1983)


The Dead Zone (1983)


Final Yamato (1983)


Return Of The Jedi (1983)


Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone (1983)


Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)


Videodrome (1983)


The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984)


Dreamscape (1984)


Dune (1984)


Gremlins (1984)


Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)


Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind (1984)


1984 (1984)


The Return Of Godzilla (1984)


Starman (1984)


Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)


The Terminator (1984)


Back To The Future (1985)


Brazil (1985)


Cocoon (1985)


Enemy Mine (1985)


Lifeforce (1985)


Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)


The Quiet Earth (1985)


Weird Science (1985)


Aliens (1986)


Castle In The Sky (1986)


The Fly (1986)


Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)


The Hidden (1987)


Innerspace (1987)


Predator (1987)


Robocop (1987)


Robot Carnival (1987)


Royal Space Force: The Wings Of Honneamise (1987)


The Running Man (1987)


Wicked City (1987)


Akira (1988)


Alien Nation (1988)


Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)


Light Years (1988)


Miracle Mile (1988)


Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988)


My Neighbor Totoro (1988)


They Live (1988)


The Abyss (1989)


Back To The Future II (1989)


The Blood Of Heroes (1989)


Communion (1989)


Deep Star Six (1989)


Godzilla Vs. Biollante (1989)


Leviathan (1989)


Patlabor: The Movie (1989)


Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)


Venus Wars (1989)


Back To The Future III (1990)


The Handmaid's Tale (1990)


I Come In Peace (1990)


Predator 2 (1990)


Robocop 2 (1990)


Total Recall (1990)


Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah (1991)


Naked Lunch (1991)


The Rocketeer (1991)


Roujin Z (1991)


Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)


Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)


Until The End Of The World (1991)


Alien 3 (1992)


Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1992)


Split Second (1992)


Fire In The Sky (1993)


Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla II (1993)


Jurrasic Park (1993)


Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993)


Godzilla Vs. Space Godzilla (1994)


No Escape (1994)


Stargate (1994)


Star Trek Generations (1994)


The City Of Lost Children (1995)


Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe (1995)


Ghost In The Shell (1995)


Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah (1995)


Memories (1995)


Screamers (1995)


Strange Days (1995)


12 Monkeys (1995)


Waterworld (1995)


Gamera 2: Attack Of Legion (1996)


The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)


Star Trek: First Contact (1996)


Alien Resurrection (1997)


The End Of Evangelion (1997)


Event Horizon (1997)


The Fifth Element (1997)


Gattaca (1997)


Mimic (1997)


The Postman (1997)


Starship Troopers (1997)


Dark City (1998)


Deep Rising (1998)


Godzilla (1998)


Lost In Space (1998)


Soldier (1998)


Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)


The Truman Show (1998)


The X-Files: Fight The Future (1998)


Gamera 3: Awakening Of Irys (1999)


Deep Blue Sea (1999)


Godzilla 2000 (1999)


The Matrix (1999)


The Iron Giant (1999)


Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)


The Cell (2000)


Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus (2000)


Pitch Black (2000)


Red Planet (2000)


Titan A.E. (2000)


A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)


Avalon (2001)


Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)


Jurassic Park III (2001)


Metropolis (2001)


Planet Of The Apes (2001)


Vanilla Sky (2001)


28 Days Later (2002)


Equilibrium (2002)


Minority Report (2002)


Reign Of Fire (2002)


Resident Evil (2002)


Signs (2002)


Solaris (2002)


Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)


Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (2002)


Treasure Planet (2002)


The Matrix Reloaded (2003)


The Matrix Revolutions (2003)


Code 46 (2003)


Wonderful Days (Sky Blue) (2003)


Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)


Aliens Vs. Predator (2004)


Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)


Innocence: Ghost In The Shell 2 (2004)


I, Robot (2004)


Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)


Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (2004)


Thunderbirds (2004)


Serenity (2005)


King Kong (2005)


Steamboy (2005)


War Of The Worlds (2005)


Gamera The Brave (2006)


The Host (2006)


V For Vendetta (2006)


The Mist (2007)


Sunshine (2007)


X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)


Wall-E (2008)


9 (2009)


District 9 (2009)


Terminator: Salvation (2009)


Watchmen (2009)


Predators (2010)


Battle: Los Angeles (2011)


John Carter (2012)


Dredd (2012)


Prometheus (2012)


Pacific Rim (2013)


Oblivion (2013)


Short Peace (2013)


Snowpiercer (2013)


Edge Of Tomorrow (2014).

The aforementioned films, if you haven's seen them, offer a terrific starting point and would easily rank, by some, among the very best science fiction has to offer.

A few notes and confessions. I had so many images that I doctored up and liked that I front loaded and back loaded them in the post for you to enjoy.

Again, this is not a complete list and there are plenty of omissions. Hopefully we can right that ship over time. I'm relatively comfortable with the films I wanted to note from 1927-1979. I'll need to do a revisit for the films from 1980-present and make some additions. I simply had to take a break from this post.

I also chose not to include any superhero films with the exception of Watchmen. That's saying something about that film for me. Perhaps superhero films will be added later but at the moment I refuse to include them.

I also listed a number of Japanese kaiju pictures and Toho-related films. I was also extremely thorough up through and including 1979. While many would certainly not qualify as classic in the strictest sense, they were films I remember quite fondly despite their deficiencies. So I decided to include them for my own post's historical recording.

Additionally, there are many films represented here that I recall images from or have memories of, but I confess I have not seen. I wanted to include them here as a reference for myself in the event I want to go back and enjoy them.

So what will 2015 bring? These are the titles that interest me most: Jupiter Ascending (2015), Chappie (2015), Jurrasic World (2015), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Terminator: Genisys (2015).

As grim as things can sometimes look in sci-fi, and despite the glut of superhero films that have established a real foothold, the future continues to look very bright for real science fiction.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it offers you a nice visual reference when taking a look at science fiction films you would like to give a try or revisit.

And again, Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic will be back for the necessary modifications in the future to this visual record.