Rating: 5 out of 5
It’s very easy to make (describing) philosophy dull, but in this work Mr Johnson makes it accessible — science fiction movies from the last century are used to illustrate concepts that relate to philosophical topics. The themes that the author covers are really as wide as they can be. The restriction on the sci-fi side is that only movies are brought into the discussion: literature and TV shows are generally excluded with a few mentions.
What specifically makes this work so good is that at no point did I feel as if the author was trying to push his view. He would describe one side, using relevant examples, and then turn to the other side, using other examples to illustrate why that could be considered accurate. Especially the discussions about climate but also many others felt refreshing because the author did not simply repeat what others are saying, but evaluates the validity of generally presented arguments.
It’s a refreshing look at many very well known films, and for that alone reading this is worthwhile. The additional discussion on the potential topics that a film raises, including the validity of those points, only makes it much more worthwhile.
