5 Sci-Fi Movies About Fatherhood

 

Father's Day is this weekend, which means time to show love to the dads. In this blog I'm covering sci-fi films with strong dad themes. So, for that father who prefers to spend his day on the couch watching TV. Here are 5 recommendations for him.

After Earth

Let's kick it by being real and acknowledging After Earth is not a good movie. The 2013 film stars Will and Jaden Smith as a father and son navigating an abandoned earth and their relationship. 

Though flawed the film does touch on expectations by parents, legacy. Coming of age and the father/son dynamic when there are issues, but they must rely on each other to survive.

And You Thought Your Parents were weird 

This is a out of left field selection, that was a Disney Channel staple in the early 90's. The biggest star in the film was Alan Thicke who strictly did voice over for a main character.

The film follows two grieving brothers who are both intelligent and socially akward, grieving the lost of their father. A robot they create is suddenly infused with the spirit of their father.

The film touches on grief, just how much young men need their fathers. And getting closure when a love one passes.

War Of The Worlds

This 2005 Steven Spielberg directed, Tom Cruise starring Blockbuster is all about a dad trying protect his kids during an alien invasion. Cruise's Ray Ferrier doesnt have a great relationship with his son and daughter. He hasnt always done the right thing nor been there for them.

When aliens attack earth, despite his flaws his parental instincts kick in. All he's concerned about is getting his two kids to safety and far away from the invaders.

Return of The Jedi

Empire Strikes Back is considered the best film of the original Star Wars trilogy. Some may consider it still the best film in the entire franchise. Bookended by the classic reveal of who Darth Vader really is.

It's follow up film Return Of The Jedi didn't go deep into the topic, but touched on the aftermath. A son who realizes his father isnt who he thought he was. A legacy he was working to live up to is flawed. The father evil to the core..or maybe not? Closure on knowing who you are. 

It would have been a entirely different film if Lucas dug that deep into it. However the foundation is there.

Interstellar

Interstellar maybe Christopher Nolan's best film. The 2014 piece stars Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway alongside legends like Michael Caine. The filn can get quite complicated so I'll try to keep the summary simple.

Exploring space and time travel, wormholes, legacy and humanity resistance. The film follows a group of astronauts sent to a mission to save humanity. In the process we follow McConaugheys Coop who just a dad, trying to be a better dad. Who learns alot about time and whats most important during his mission.

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Creed II Themes

                         

Creed II released this week and despite some rumblings it wasn't as good as the first, it's a damn good movie. In fact it's a worthy sequel to the first Creed and fits in perfectly in the overall Rocky series of films. This article is not a review of Creed but my observation watching it. It's not spoilerish but some parts may be interpreted that way.

If you've never seen any of the Rocky movies besides the first Creed this film will pique your interest. If you've only seen Creed, Rocky IV, and Rocky Balboa then you'll understand the history referenced in Creed II perfectly. One of the themes of Creed II is redemption and rebuilding oneself. A very relatable theme in itself, the primary theme is even more relatable to alot of people.

The primary theme of Creed II is that of father and son relationships.
No parent is perfect in their job of raising a kid,
it's a tough gig.
Love is expressed in different ways, and a child's parental legacy doesn't have to be their own.

Adonis spent the first Creed trying to find himself. He longed to have known his father
but also aimed to distance himself from the Creed name.

In the sequel some of those feelings still harbor.
While not completely closing the chapter on his father's death, he’s getting ready to become a father.

One thing I personally would have liked to seen would have been one of Adonis older siblings talking to him about Apollo as a father
(Apollo had two young kids in Rocky II).

This father and son relationship is one of a boy growing into a man never knowing his father.
Yet he still wants to make his father proud of him.

Rocky is still estranged from his son Robert, but Adonis is his surrogate son.

Being around Adonis and realizing age is catching up to him,

Rocky realizes he's alone in the world besides Adonis and wishes he and his son were closer.

Rocky V and Rocky Balboa provides great context to what possibly led to this relationship souring.
This father and son relationship is one of making amends and repairing things before It's too late.

Ivan Drago the man who killed Apollo in the ring has trained his son Viktor since birth to be a brute force of evil.

He lives vicariously through Viktor and shows him nothing but tough love.

Often making you wonder if Viktor actually hates his father.

Despite being rough Ivan displays some fatherly characteristics in his own brute way.

This father and son relationship is one of a father trying to make his son into something he wasn't,
either a better man or a better fighter. Selfish or not it's for a better life.

The father and son theme is a universal theme that reaches across generations.

It teaches let the past be the past,

be inspired by your parents legacy but set out to create your own.

If there isnt a Creed III, this film nicely completes part of Adonis story

and successfully bookends the entire Rocky film series.

If there is a Creed III hopefully it shows Adonis cementing his legacy

but for now  enjoy the film and appreciate the message.

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