Praise be to the Sci-Fi !!

I adore Science Fiction. And if that makes me a big geeky nerd, then so be it. I just finished watching Solaris, which I remember getting terrible reviews at the time of it's release. I finally ended up putting it on my NetFlix list. Amazing. It's beautifully made, wonderfully acted, but more importantly it's Sci-Fi at it's best. The medium allows exploration of ideas beyond the scope of our every day life. Thus it allows us to create a context of hyper reality, illuminating with a brighter light our ideas and beliefs. To place them in a contemporary and "real" context would not allow for a complete examination of the depth of idea and thought, the environment would distract from the essential. We cannot carry these ideas to their complete and absolute end without bending reality and experience. In the medium of Science Fiction (and Fantasy certainly) we can take ideas to the extreme, showing us better how the idea will and can impact our present though. The environment becomes a new character in the story, a new influence on our experience, in a way that other genres cannot. The totality of the idea is created, and from that totality all component ideas can be applied, seen in full light, and realized in our real lives. At it's best science fiction transcends our accepted reality and opens new paths of thought, deepening our understanding and appreciation for the world we live in. See the movie, you won't regret it.