Department of Communication

University of Washington

Write a 500-word review of a one of science fiction films identified below. Science fiction films are important because they feed our collective imagination about how technology and science can be used to solve important social problems. At the same time, their plots often turn on an implicit critique of the role of technologies in exacerbating other social problems. You may review one of the following four films:

Bladerunner (1982)

EXistenZ (1999)

Gattaca (1997)

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

As you review these films, you must address two questions. First, how does the film present communication technologies that exemplify the basic attributes of new media as discussed in class? Second, since these films take place in alternate universes, how do the social critiques in this film relate to your own issues/concerns about the role of technology in society? You are encouraged to develop your own additional critique of the film, especially if you can apply ideas and authors that have been introduced in class.

The Essay. In this essay, you do not need to summarize the plot of the film. WRITE YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, LIKE THIS. Your topic sentence should be one sentence. In the beginning of the essay, write about future of technology and communication portrayed in the film. In the middle of your essay, write about how the film may challenge or reinforce ideas about technology and race, gender, or other forms of social inequality. Be sure to use examples from film scenes, and where possible, use ideas, terms, or authors we have discussed in class to help you analyze the film’s content. At the end of your essay, evaluate your findings by looking beyond the entertainment value and assessing how the film might influence its audience, how audiences might or might not relate to the ideas in the film, or how the issues raised by the fictional film have come to have meaning in the real world in the years after these films were made.

Assignment Goals. The first goal of this assignment is make you aware of how science fiction films feed our imaginations yet critique our innovations. The second goal of this assignment is to teach you how to structure a short movie review essay. The third goal of this assignment is to let you develop your writing style.

Assignment Grading. This assignment is due on E-submit by midnight on Friday October 22^nd, and is worth 20 points. To get a good grade in this assignment, you must a) have perfect grammar and spelling, b) show that you watched and understood the film by thoughtfully addressing the two questions, and c) develop your own original critique of the film’s themes. Be sure to review the guidelines for grading and labeling your essays. For example, if Ted Coopman submits his assignment, it would be labeled “coopmant_movie.doc”.