Abbotts’s piece introduces many different kinds of imagined cities in sci-fi movies. Although these cities were said to be ‘futuristic’, there are many parallels that can be drawn between them and the existing cities or cities that have been existed before. Take the distributed city ‘The Swarm’ which is constituted of airships serving different functions as an example, it resembles the cities that are involved in the global distribution of labour in the modern world. From this example, we can see that sci-fi movies have significance in foreseeing and predicting the possible trends that may occur in the future. By juxtaposing the sci-fi cities and realities, the audience can also reflect on the problems that may occur if our societies and cities are really following the predicted trend. Although all these predictions and imaginations of the future cities could be unreal, the purpose of sci-fi films is not to predict the future correctly but to arouse people’s critical reflection on the development of our current societies. In this sense, sci-fi films still have their substance.
Chan Chi Lam, 3035759064
Yes, sci-fi cities would be more meaningful if we draw parallels with existing situations. It would be great to analyze The Swarm with real cities to see what we can learn from fiction.