Technology and Scientists in Movies-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: "In what ways are science, scientists and/or technology portrayed in the film and for what purposes?". Answer: Science, scientists and technology form the core of all science fiction movies. These movies apply creativity and go beyond the everyday life experiences to portray science as an essential aspect of life and scientists as fearless and highly intelligent persons. Revelers of such movies never stop to wonder at the genius depicted in these movies and for this reason; they remain all time favorite genre for movie lovers across the globe. The film Close Encounters of the Third Kind is based on two parallel story lines depicting scientists on a discovery mission. The first narration involves a group of research scientists investigating the strange appearances of items in remote locations. Claude Lacombe, one of the investigators uses the Kodaly method of music education as a means of communication as they go on with their investigation. This action at first baffles the scientist but soon, an American cartographer, David Laughlin unravels the meaning. The second plot introduces Roy Neary, an electric company lineman and Jillian Guiler, a single mother among some persons in Munice, Indiana. They experience a paranormal activity before a flash of lightning shoots up the sky. They largely believe this to be an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO). Although all others believe the object is a UFO, Roy becomes curious and gets obsessed with the phenomenon. He is out to unravel the truth about the UFO lie as propagated by persons in authority. In these two parallel plots we see two ordinary individuals transform into great scientists because of the strange happenings around them (Landon, 2014). This particular case demystifies science and scientists as people who look out for vanity. It depicts science as a necessity to solve the dilemmas of life.Science in this movie is portrayed as the answer to mans search for meaning (Barsam and Monahan, 2015). Through science, we discover through the movies that there is more to life than what the human mind can grasp. It appears that the creators of these movies intend to offer hope to man in the current sufferings. There is also a depiction of truth that can be discovered by science. In the story line for the movie Close encounters of the Third Kind, both Roy and Jillian refuse to accept a belief that is generally agreed among their contemporaries (Redmond, 2014). Although the flash of light in the sky remains a mystery, they are daring enough to go against the grain and seek for truth. Scientists in movies are mostly depicted as curious and courageous people who seek for answers in difficult places. There is usually a show of high level intelligence in these individuals who stop at nothing to unravel a mystery. The American Cartographer, David Laughlin uses his brain to decipher the meaning behind the Kodaly music. This discovery stirs the mind of movie watchers assuring them that there is no mystery in life that cannot be solved. This communication technique ultimately leads humans to discover the communication code of the aliens. Movie lovers visualize this as an indication that the human mind bears the capacity to bring solutions to sophisticated problems that confront humanity. Scientists in movies do not believe in common sayings that have no evidential back-up. This quality is seen in Roy who declines to believe that the mysterious flash of light in the sky is a UFO as largely believed by his seniors. He does not allow his mind to recede into a lazy mode and works hard to unravel the mystery. When the Frenchman Lacombe and David Laughlin discover Flight 19 that went missing from the American air space thirty years earlier, their curiosity is triggered. The two begin to connect events together and to unravel the mystery is missing planes. This is an extrapolation of real life events where planes are said to have mysteriously disappeared in the Bermuda triangle. In this regard, the movie offers answers to mysterious happenings (Dourish and Bell, 2014). Scientists are often depicted as fearless individuals who endanger their lives for the benefit of humanity (Brown and Rapper 2017). In the movie under review, Jillian is determined to get to the bottom of the UFO mystery. She is driven into this expedition not just for herself but for her son who has undergone his share of strange experiences. This courageous character joins with selflessness to portray her in good light in the eyes of the viewer. Scientists are also depicted as having no malice in their endeavors and their investigations always lead to goodwill for mankind. In science fiction movies there is the use of cutting edge technology to unravel mysteries in strange places (Johnston, 2013). Technology becomes an enabler for carrying out explorations that baffle the mind. The scientists never allow technology to replace their creative energies as they unearth the working of things in mysterious places. The title of the movie talks of the third kind which relates to encounters with aliens. Aliens are creations in the mind and many people have dilemmas as to whether they actually exist or not (Alkon, 2013). The ingenious discovery of the language of the aliens is a work of expertise for the scientists. Their expedition soon gains national importance and is seen as the answer to long unsolved mysteries. The result of the communication is that the UFOs land on earth with their spaceship and many people who were captured by them earlier walk out Roy is ultimately holds a conversation with the aliens in coded language. This elevates the place of technology as the ultimate answer to lifes difficult questions (Kozlovic, 2016).The ultimate goal, however of all movies is entertainment. As much as science fiction leaves many questions in the mind of the viewer, the objects created therein are usually a creation of mans imagination. Persons who are frustrated with things that remain a mystery to them gain hope but are also entertained. Conclusion The popularity of science fiction in the entertainment scene is a testament of how they serve to entertain and also trigger the imagination of viewers. Many people will continue to patronize the movies as they peg their hopes that lifes unexplained mysteries will be unraveled. References Alkon, P. K. (2013).Science fiction before 1900: imagination discovers technology(No. 3). Routledge. Barsam, R., Monahan, D. (2015).Looking at movies. WW Norton Company. Brown, N., Rappert, B. (2017).Contested futures: A sociology of prospective techno-science. Routledge. Dourish, P., Bell, G. (2014). Resistance is futile: reading science fiction alongside ubiquitous computing.Personal and Ubiquitous Computing,18(4), 769-778. Johnston, K. M. (2013).Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction. Berg. Kozlovic, A. K. (2016). From holy aliens to cyborg saviours: Biblical subtexts in four science fiction films.Journal of Religion Film,5(2), 3. Landon, B. (2014).Science Fiction after 1900: from the Steam Man to the Stars. Routledge. Redmond, S. (2014).Liquid metal: the science fiction film reader. Columbia University Press.