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i.e do you prefer:

  • technically grounded and plausible science elements (e.g The Martian)

or

  • stuff so fantastical that it doesn't even warrant trying to explain it (Dr Who, some Marvel/DC stuff, Star Wars)

Another way to look at this would be Sci-Fi versus Science Fantasy, perhaps.

  • Old-School Sci-Fi like HG Wells centers around a core scientific idea and the consequences arising from that,

whereas

  • Science Fantasy (more prevalent nowadays) only looks to science - or the impression of some science - to serve the fantasy devices it uses.

So which is better?

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[–] mr_account@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Science-Fantasy in games and movies where the goal is to just have fun. It's like wanting realistic physics in an 80s action movie; as long as it's reasonable, the suspension of disbelief is fine.

But for media that wants to tell a message, I really love elements that are very technically grounded. Obviously some stuff needs to be inaccurate in order to establish the setting and plot, but having realistic limitations and consequences adds a TON of weight to the story that I love.

The only real asterisk I have is that I wanted to love the movie The Andromeda Strain for the meticulous attention to detail, but in that case it felt boring as hell. It just needed another director to come in and tighten things up to be more energetic and engaging. But as it stands, it falls in-between the cracks for me, which is frustrating.