Why Do We Love Bad and Obviously flawed Science Fiction. Fantasy Films, Tv Shows and Novels ?

BAYLOR

There Are Always new Things to Learn.
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It's possible that when we first see them, we don't see their flaws and problems but later on , we do . So, how it we still manage to enjoy them regardless ? And , what are your favorite flawed science fiction and fantasy tv shows , books and movies ? What makes them so compelling that you still partake of them warts and all? :D
 
Maybe we didn't realise they were flawed at fist glance. This could be because we just didn't have the knowledge to know that they were flawed when we consumed them.

Take the game The Last of Us, for instance: it's a total rip-off from a book/movie called The Road, and it makes absolutely no sense. In TLoU, they want to make Ellie undergo brain surgery, so they can reverse engineer her brain and make a vaccine for the fungus that turns people into zombies. Firstly, why would you like to make a vaccine, when 99% of the world is already dead or undead? Vaccines are a form of prevention, not cure. Secondly, you don't make vaccines for fungus, you just don't; there are other ways of dealing with funguses. Thirdly, you don't mess with someone's brain to make a vaccine: you just need to take a sample of their blood to study the plasma. But we all played this game and loved it, because 99,9% of us are not biologists/medics, and 99% of us didn't read/watch The Road.

Another example is Back to the Future. It's take on time travel is absurd, but we didn't know that at the time. Now we know about bootstraps and stuff, but who cares? It's still entertaining.

My last point is: bad movies are funny as hell. Did you watch The Room? Tokyo Gore Police? White Chicks? You should.

There's a manga called Chainsaw Man. In it, the protagonist is fighting the villain, and he asks her, "In your ideal world, there will still be crappy movies?"
"I don't understand your question," she answers. "But I think that a world without bad movies would be a better place."
He thinks for a bit, exhales, and finally says, "I guess I'll have to kill you, then."
 
All productions [book, film TV, interpretive dance] are flawed. We either accept the flaw or we don't. If we do accept the flaws then we probably end up liking it. If we don't, we can't see how anyone could enjoy it...
For me it is when something doesn't obey its own rules or changes them for some reason... that is what annoys me.
Don't get me started on Midi-chlorians - The answer to a question no-one was asking...
There's a manga called Chainsaw Man. In it, the protagonist is fighting the villain, and he asks her, "In your ideal world, there will still be crappy movies?"
"I don't understand your question," she answers. "But I think that a world without bad movies would be a better place."
He thinks for a bit, exhales, and finally says, "I guess I'll have to kill you, then."
A man after my own heart!
 
Let me stick to SF movies for this one.

I think bad science in SF movies ends up irritating me, but the trouble is that it's virtually impossible to have good science and enjoyable SF. The only movie that managed that was Apollo 13 and that arguable wasn't SF (but it was a good movie).

Bad science SF that I still enjoyed? Mmmmh...something about Annihilation that I found compelling.

When I was a kid I watched Green Slime and had nightmares for a week afterwards. I watched a bit of it again recently. Oh boy. I also was riveted by UFO in my tender youth but it makes me laugh now. Those moonbase females with purple hair...
 
Space 1999 ran for two seasons produced by Grey and Sylvia Anderson . This show had great production values and terrific special effects for its time . Unfortunately the series premise of the moon being biased out of orbit because the nuclear waste dumps nearby went up is implausible for a number of reasons and, the fact that the moon traveling at well below the speed of light would result in them not being able to visit other worlds.
Yes. lots and lost of implausibilities with this one :)

But I can suspend enough disbelief to enjoy this one .:D
 
It might have something to do with our love of cringe, or it could make us nostalgic. As for myself, bad films and TV shows remind me of a time when I was "serious" about making something similar, and being able to spot similar pitfalls can be fun.
 
Part of the craft of writing, stories or screen plays, is to get the reader or viewer engrossed in the plot and character instead of looking for nits to complain about.

I remember as a teenager being enthralled with Michael Moorcock's eternal champion series. Now, when I try to reread some of his stories, I can never seem to get through the first chapter. I think if you manage to hook the reader early, the reader will gloss over minor and sometimes significant issues. Fail to hook the reader, and the reader will discover every flaw (and perhaps make up some more).
 
What he said.

It's entertainment and i pay to be entertained.
 
Pretty much what Big Peat said. As long as I am invested in it, I don't really care if someone hasn't go their magic system perfect or their jet propulsion engines so they might function. I care about the storytelling talent and imagination involved.

I did archaeology and worked in museums - if I want historical knowledge that is mostly accurate then I read a text book but even they have flaws and change over time. What is good historical knowledge this year might not be next year.

The same goes with mechanics and engineering.

One of my favourite concept cars is a 1949 Buick Skyliner. But, as I found out, if you try to reproduce the body on a smaller electric car it looks like it should be painted red and yellow and be driven by a small guy in a hat. It seriously loses its elegance.

What we see as "accurate" in 2021 will be a weird perception of accurate in 2041. So if academics can't get it "right", when it comes to fiction why get hung up on the details?
 
I guess a good example of a book I see as flawed that I enjoy would be the Harry Potter books. I think the worldbuilding, particularly the magic, and therefore the plot when it hinges on said worldbuilding, is very easy to pick apart. Sure, everything can be picked apart in everything, but in Harry Potter it's very easy. However, the tone and immediate tensions and sense of mystery carry me through the story without looking too hard.
 
Gunsmith Cats. Here's a 30 minute episode for you.
(And I got it so bad I bought the Manga too. :cool: sorry.)
 
What The Big Peat said.
Besides which, I defy you to name one science fiction or fantasy book, film or TV series that is completely flawless. No such beast.
 
It's just like with historical drama; do you want accuracy or do you want an enjoyable film? Is it even possible to make both happen together in the same book/movie?
 
The original Trek had a flaw or two.:D
 
Buck Roger in the 25th Century could have been better then it was, It two pilot looked pretty good but the show quickly lost it age and decided into silly stories. But it was still enjoyable.
 
Simpler times then, Baylor and I think we were more easily pleased.

I rewatched Buck Rogers when it was released on DVD. It doesn't hold up at all well.
 
Simpler times then, Baylor and I think we were more easily pleased.

I rewatched Buck Rogers when it was released on DVD. It doesn't hold up at all well.

It takes place in the 25th Century but still looks like the 1970's to me., I did enjoyed it when I first saw it.
 
Ah, here I am in the minority again. Hated Buck Rogers but not as much as the original BSG. By today's standards, staggeringly terrible. And I thought so at the time.
 
I'm with you. I wasn't a fan of either show but I couldn't see why ANYONE would voluntarily watch Buck Rogers...
But there again I was the kid getting beaten up for liking Blake's Seven...
 

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