Research Article
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Search for Transcendent in Science Fiction and Apocalyptic Films

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 15, 75 - 90, 27.06.2023
https://doi.org/10.31122/sinefilozofi.1231327

Abstract

Humanity gradually shifted away from religion and the sacred in the modern age, but in the postmodern age, people have discovered that science and reason alone cannot satisfy them. As a result, people returned in various ways to mythology, religion, and the mystical. Cinema, one of the most popular arts of the visual age, could not possibly ignore this move. Religious themes and elements are prevalent in films. Humanity has lost confidence in metanarratives thanks to postmodernism, and is shown to be on a different quest for meaning, particularly in science fiction and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic films. In many films, this quest evolves into a quest for the transcendent. People contemplate the beginning and the end; they speculate about their origins and their future directions. Postmodern viewers are drawn to the holy, mystical, mythological, and transcendental quests offered in movie theaters. As a result, the film business, which is capitalist in nature, uses this tactic to produce stories that are transcendental, sacred, mythological, mystical, magical, supernatural, and, generally speaking, religious. This essay explores the attempt of postmodern man to use cinema to re-enchant the demystified universe. The postmodern man is tired of extreme rationalism and is on a philosophical quest.
The study analyzes five science fiction movies, which are also referred to as apocalyptic movies. These are Avatar (2009), Interstellar (2014), Prometheus (2012), War of the Worlds (2005), and I Am Legend (2007). The article argues that in these movies, post-modern man’s quest for meaning is addressed with some sort of transcendence, his modern identity is developed into a postmodern one, or a postmodern identity is brought forth, and his worries about the end are mostly appeased with a postmodern uncertainty.

References

  • din ilişkisinin sosyolojik analizi. İ.Ü. İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(1), pp. 195-210.
  • Arslan, Mustafa. (2011). Paranormalizm ve din. İstanbul: Bilsam.
  • Bell, Daniel. (1977). “Kutsalın dönüşü”. Ali Köse (Ed.) Laik ama kutsal. İstanbul: Etkileşim Yayınları.
  • Bell, Daniel. (2020). Post-industrial Society, The Information Society Reader (pp. 86-102). Routledge.
  • Blizek, William. (2009). The continuum companion to religion and film. New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Cameron, James. (Producer & Director). (2009). Avatar. [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox.
  • Debord, G. (2012). Society of the Spectacle. Bread and Circuses Publishing.
  • Eliade, Mircea. (1973) “The sacred in the secular World”. Rasmussen, D. M. (Ed.), Cultural hermeneutics. Boston: D. Rediel Pub. Co.
  • Fairbrain, Marty. (1995). Cinema as secular church: A phenomenological typology and hermeneutics. (Doctoral Dissertation). Hamilton, Ontario: McMaster University.
  • Hammond, Paul, (2000), The shadow and its shadow: surrealist writings on the cinema. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.
  • Harper, John C. (2003). Visions of a future god: religion in the science fiction film- Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Doctoral dissertation). California State University.
  • Harvey, David. (1989). The Condition of Postmodernity. Oxford: Blackwell
  • Heyman, D. (Producer), & Lawrance, F. (Director). (2007). I am Legend [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Bros.
  • Jameson, Fredric. (1991) Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalism. Duke University Press. Kennedy, K. (Producer) & Spielberg. Steven. (Director). (2005). War of the Worlds [Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures. Lyotard, J. F. (1984). The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge (Vol. 10). University of Minnesota Press.
  • Lefebvre, Henri, (1971). Everyday Life in the Modern World. New York: Harper Torchbook.
  • Leonard, Richard James, (2003) The cinematic mystical gaze: the films of Peter Weir. (Doctoral dissertation). Melbourne: The University of Melbourne.
  • McAvan, E. (2012). Postmodern sacred: popular culture spirituality in the science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy genres. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company.
  • Nolan, Christopher. (Producer & Director). (2014). Interstellar [Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures. Ostwalt, Conrad. (2003). Secular steeples. Harrisburg, PA, USA: Trinity Press International
  • Ostwalt, Conrad. (2009). The end of days. William L. Blizek (Ed) Religion and film. New York: Continuum. Partridge, Christopher. (2004). The re-enchantment of the west, London: T&T Clark.
  • Scott, Ridley. (Producer & Director). (2012). Prometheus. [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox.
  • Stark, Rodney and William S. Bainbridge. (1985). The future of religion. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Storey, John. (2009). Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction. London: Pearson Education. Taylor, Victor E. (2000). Para inquiry: postmodern religion and culture. London: Routledge.
  • Turner, Bryan S. (2006). The Cambridge dictionary of sociology. New York: Cambridge University Press. Warner, Rob, (2010). Secularisation and its discontents. London: Continuum.
  • Yenen, İbrahim. (2011). Toplumsal tezahürleri bağlamında Türk sinemasında din dindarlık ve din adamı olgusu. (Doctoral Dissertation). Ankara University.

Bilim Kurgu ve Apokaliptik Filmlerde Aşkın Arayışı

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 15, 75 - 90, 27.06.2023
https://doi.org/10.31122/sinefilozofi.1231327

Abstract

Modern çağda nispeten dinden ve kutsaldan uzaklaşan insanlık, postmodern dönemde bilim ve rasyonelliğin onu tatmin etmediğini görmüş ve biraz farklı bir şekilde olsa da yeniden dine, mite, gizeme yönelmiştir. Görsel çağın en yetkin sanatlarından biri olan sinema bu duruma ilgisiz kalmamıştır. Bugün sinema sanatı dini öğelerle doludur. Özellikle bilim kurgu ve apokaliptik/post-apokaliptik filmlerde postmodernizm ile birlikte üst anlatısız kalan insanlık, hayatı anlamlandırmakta başka arayışlar içinde gösterilmektedir. Bu arayış birçok filmde bir aşkın arayışına dönüşmektedir. İnsanlık başlangıç ve sonu sorgulamakta, nereden geldiğini ve nereye gideceğini merak etmektedir. Postmodern izleyiciler sinemada sunulan kutsala, gizeme, mitolojiye ve aşkın arayışlarına yönelmektedir. Kapitalist sinema endüstrisi de bu durumu değerlendirerek aşkın, kutsal, mitoloji, gizem, büyü, doğaüstü ve genel anlamda din ile ilgili anlatılar sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada aşırı rasyonellikten bıkmış ve felsefi bir arayış içinde olan modern insanın, büyüsü bozulan dünyada sinema ile dünyayı yeniden büyülendirme girişimi ele alınmıştır.
Çalışma kapsamında bilim kurgu ve apokaliptik alt türün beş popüler filmi incelenmiştir. Bunlar; Avatar (2009), Yıldızlararası (2014), Prometheus (2012), Dünyalar Savaşı (2005) ve Ben Efsaneyim (2007) filmleridir. Bu filmlerde modern insanın içinde bulunduğu anlam arayışının bir tür aşkınlık ile cevaplandığı, modern kimliğin postmodern bir kimliğe devşirildiği veya postmodern karakterin öne çıkarıldığı ve son kaygısının çoğunlukla postmodern bir belirsizlik ile giderildiği görülmektedir.

References

  • din ilişkisinin sosyolojik analizi. İ.Ü. İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(1), pp. 195-210.
  • Arslan, Mustafa. (2011). Paranormalizm ve din. İstanbul: Bilsam.
  • Bell, Daniel. (1977). “Kutsalın dönüşü”. Ali Köse (Ed.) Laik ama kutsal. İstanbul: Etkileşim Yayınları.
  • Bell, Daniel. (2020). Post-industrial Society, The Information Society Reader (pp. 86-102). Routledge.
  • Blizek, William. (2009). The continuum companion to religion and film. New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Cameron, James. (Producer & Director). (2009). Avatar. [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox.
  • Debord, G. (2012). Society of the Spectacle. Bread and Circuses Publishing.
  • Eliade, Mircea. (1973) “The sacred in the secular World”. Rasmussen, D. M. (Ed.), Cultural hermeneutics. Boston: D. Rediel Pub. Co.
  • Fairbrain, Marty. (1995). Cinema as secular church: A phenomenological typology and hermeneutics. (Doctoral Dissertation). Hamilton, Ontario: McMaster University.
  • Hammond, Paul, (2000), The shadow and its shadow: surrealist writings on the cinema. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.
  • Harper, John C. (2003). Visions of a future god: religion in the science fiction film- Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Doctoral dissertation). California State University.
  • Harvey, David. (1989). The Condition of Postmodernity. Oxford: Blackwell
  • Heyman, D. (Producer), & Lawrance, F. (Director). (2007). I am Legend [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Bros.
  • Jameson, Fredric. (1991) Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalism. Duke University Press. Kennedy, K. (Producer) & Spielberg. Steven. (Director). (2005). War of the Worlds [Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures. Lyotard, J. F. (1984). The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge (Vol. 10). University of Minnesota Press.
  • Lefebvre, Henri, (1971). Everyday Life in the Modern World. New York: Harper Torchbook.
  • Leonard, Richard James, (2003) The cinematic mystical gaze: the films of Peter Weir. (Doctoral dissertation). Melbourne: The University of Melbourne.
  • McAvan, E. (2012). Postmodern sacred: popular culture spirituality in the science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy genres. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company.
  • Nolan, Christopher. (Producer & Director). (2014). Interstellar [Motion Picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures. Ostwalt, Conrad. (2003). Secular steeples. Harrisburg, PA, USA: Trinity Press International
  • Ostwalt, Conrad. (2009). The end of days. William L. Blizek (Ed) Religion and film. New York: Continuum. Partridge, Christopher. (2004). The re-enchantment of the west, London: T&T Clark.
  • Scott, Ridley. (Producer & Director). (2012). Prometheus. [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox.
  • Stark, Rodney and William S. Bainbridge. (1985). The future of religion. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Storey, John. (2009). Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction. London: Pearson Education. Taylor, Victor E. (2000). Para inquiry: postmodern religion and culture. London: Routledge.
  • Turner, Bryan S. (2006). The Cambridge dictionary of sociology. New York: Cambridge University Press. Warner, Rob, (2010). Secularisation and its discontents. London: Continuum.
  • Yenen, İbrahim. (2011). Toplumsal tezahürleri bağlamında Türk sinemasında din dindarlık ve din adamı olgusu. (Doctoral Dissertation). Ankara University.
There are 24 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Philosophy
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Osman Şahin 0000-0003-2959-241X

Early Pub Date June 27, 2023
Publication Date June 27, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 8 Issue: 15

Cite

APA Şahin, O. (2023). Search for Transcendent in Science Fiction and Apocalyptic Films. SineFilozofi, 8(15), 75-90. https://doi.org/10.31122/sinefilozofi.1231327