Since their inception, movies have loved to use holidays as
a backdrop to the stories they tell. It makes sense. Celebrated by large
swathes of the population, their inclusion lends an air of communality to the
proceedings, a sense that the people on screen are not so different from you
the viewer. Each holiday comes with its own set of easily recognizable tropes,
which go a long way to setting the scene, and many bring with them their own
set of complications and problems to add layers to a narrative. How many times
have we watched a family gathering set on Thanksgiving, where people not
usually in the same room with one another come to blows, real or metaphorical,
when forced into close proximity?
Christmas, being the biggest kid on the holiday block, has
easily amassed the greatest number of holiday-themed movies, and science
fiction is not immune from taking part in the cinematic festivities. In honor
of December 25 rolling around once again, we decided to put together a
collection of some of our favorite sc-fi movies set on or around the birth of
Baby Jesus. Take a look for yourselves, and let us know in the comments what
you think of our choices. And let us know if you have any favorite sci-fi
holiday gems that we may have overlooked.
Brazil
Part sharp political satire, part slapstick dystopian
nightmare, Brazil is Terry Gilliam at the peak of his
considerable filmmaking powers. The battle to get the movie to the big screen
is almost as epic as the film itself, with Gilliam in the role of the hero
slaying the metaphorical monsters of studio executives. Set against the
backdrop of Christmas in an uber-materialistic, overly bureaucratic society,
Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a low-level office worker with an overactive fantasy
life, smashes through all social mores and regulations to maybe save an
imagined damsel in distress. Near equal parts hilarious absurdity and grim
prognosticating, Gilliam shreds institutional and societal conventions with a
razor wit, fabricating a world that is both entirely foreign and all too
familiar. An early scene in Lowry’s office is eerily similar to the day jobs
most of us slog through.
Prometheus
If you’re like us, and I suspect many of you are, the first
thing that comes to mind when you think of the Alien
universe is, of course, Christmas. Those slobbery, acid-blooded xenomorphs
scream holiday spirit like nothing else in sci-fi. The latest return to that
world, Ridley Scott’s 2012 adventure Prometheus, takes this
to heart, and the action goes down around Christmas. While not the
game-changing event many fans hoped it would be, I’m of the camp that thinks
Prometheus got a bit of a bum rap. Are there problems, big
problems? To be sure. And it is full of the worst cinematic decision making
this side of the Hangover movies, but I enjoy it. It’s worth
watching to see the scene with drunk Idris Elba and the Christmas tree alone.
You might not want to watch it on the actual holiday, however, especially with
family, that alien-fetus abortion scene could lead to some awkward dinner table
conversations. Family gatherings are already tense enough without opening up
that can of worms.
Gremlins
Gremlins taught us many important life
lessons, chief among them is that when a wise old man at a mysterious,
hole-in-the-wall shop gives you a set of very specific instructions for the
feeding and care of that strange new pet you just bought, you follow those
directions, to the letter. You don’t get it wet, no matter how bad it smells.
You don’t feed it after midnight, even if it looks hungry and makes adorable
I’m-hungry-please-feed-me-even-though-it’s-after-midnight noises. None of that.
No, you listen to that wise old man because he is wise, and he is old, and he
knows what the hell he’s talking about. Now I know you’re a snot-nosed teen and
you think you have it all figured out, but come one, there’s a reason he’s a
wise old man and you’re just a punk kid. Also, be careful what you give as
gifts this holiday season. Sure, it isn’t like giving a hyperactive kid a drum
set, but a house full of Gremlins will most likely come back to bite you on the
ass.
Children of Men
Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of the child
who ultimately became the savior of all mankind. Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 film
Children of Men is about a birth, one that many people want
to stop, of a child who could very well wind up being the key to the continued
survival of the human race. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the dystopian
drama is set around the holiday? Neither do I. As much as I love his other
work, like Y Tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban, this is easily my favorite of Cuaron’s
movies. Thematically dense and tonally damn near perfect, his breathtaking
visual style, in my opinion, is even more impressive here than in Gravity.
Children of Men is one of those rare movies that manages to
be bleak and optimistic all at the same time, and isn’t that what this time of year
is all about, dealing with crushing realities and trying to find a glimmer of
hope anywhere you can?
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
With a name like Santa Claus Conquers the
Martians, you know you’re on the right track. In reality, this 1964
sci-fi holiday movie isn’t very good. That much is probably obvious from the
sheer number of worst-movies-ever lists it appears on. That said, what a
concept. And the film delivers exactly what the title promises, a jolly fat man
in a red suit battling it out aliens. Why, you may ask? For the kids, that’s
why. See, Santa doesn’t just care about the young here on Earth, oh no, he’s
universal, and when the children of Mars need saving from their strict,
overbearing parents, who better to help out than old Saint Nick? Maybe you
should watch it with the RiffTrax on. Cinematic Titanic and MST3K have also had
their way with the film, so you have options. Do yourself a favor, if you do
decide this is the movie for you, watch one of these versions, I’d hate
to be responsible for ruining your holiday cheer.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
It’s true that Jalmari Helander’s 2010 Rare
Exports: A Christmas Tale is probably more horror than it is science
fiction or fantasy, but it’s so damn much twisted holiday fun that we had to
include it on this list. And it does at least involve a scientist, he’s the one
who orders Santa’s grave to be excavated, thus dooming a bunch of unsuspecting
Finns to rather unpleasant fates. This may be a tenuous connection, but we’ll
take it. People need to learn that no good will come from disturbing an old
grave, none at all. The basis for the original Santa Claus myth, this
particular incarnation is more on the side of punishing the naughty children rather
than rewarding those who behave, and in this day and age, there’s way more
naughty than nice. Rare Exports certainly isn’t the first
holiday slasher, but it is wildly original, and more than a little insane, and
doesn’t that sound like one hell of a way to celebrate Christmas?
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