Search for Transcendent in Science Fiction and Apocalyptic Films

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 15, 75 - 90, 27.06.2023

Osman Şahin

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.

Keywords

Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Movies., Postmodern, Transcendent, Sacred, Aşkın, Kutsal, Bilim Kurgu, Apokaliptik Filmler

Bilim Kurgu ve Apokaliptik Filmlerde Aşkın Arayışı

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.

Keywords

Postmodern, Aşkın, Kutsal, Bilim Kurgu, Apokaliptik Filmler

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