Where's Science Fiction?

Have there been any science fictions films lately? I mean, real science fiction. Spaceships and laser battles do not a science fiction film make. The entire Star Wars double trilogy is often termed as space opera. It's a story set in space, but it's not really about science or science fiction.

Lately, films that are considered science fiction have dealt with "what is real?". The Matrix is about human society controlled by robots who produce a virtually real society. Reality, in the Matrix, is alas, far more bleak than the illusion generated by the Matrix. Cypher pretty much sums up the view that a pleasant illusion seems a lot better than a bleak reality.

The best science fiction isn't about adventure, or people, although it can have both, as much as it is about ideas. Great science fiction is often creepy, as it posits a future where humans may not be in control. I remember reading a short story about a man who's created smart cells in his body. Alas, the cells are learning very quickly, and will soon discover that they are in a human body that has an intelligence that is trying to control them, and he fears he will soon lose control of himself (which he does). He becomes photosynthetic, as these cells learn how to harness energy.

This is the kind of creepiness you don't see too often in so-called science fiction films. As influential as Star Wars has been for "SF" films, it had few imitators. It seems filmmakers wanted to avoid making films for teens. Perhaps more influential has been "Alien", which was basically a horror film set in space. Of that era, Blade Runner is perhaps the most science fiction of the films, positing the desire of replicants to want to live beyond their short life-span, and whether it's right to make replicants do slave labor.

The best science fiction doesn't, apparently, make for the best science fiction films. The average filmgoer wants action, and occasionally something mildly brainy. However, the success of the Matrix had as much to do with wire fu and cool sunglasses as it did with an interesting science fiction idea. It goes to show that books still have a place in the world, and what makes for a great book (which appeals to a much smaller, more literate audience) doesn't yet make for a great film.