ACTION-+Sci-Fi

**__Action Sci-Fi__** Sci-fi and action movies from the mid '80s to the mid '90s banked on big stars, violence, special effects, sequels, and post-theater VHS sales. Hoping to draw crowds to the theaters for the blockbuster summer season, producers wanted to draw viewers back to the theaters using upgraded special effects from the late 1970s. After the early success of //Terminator//, //Aliens//, and //Die Hard//, directors and producers figured that as long as the big-name actors signed on, they could continue making sequels to these hits. The buddy-cop movie continued to be a fixture on the silver screen as well. Still marketing to the violence driven youth, these movies offered little but pure entertainment. Interestingly, this trend did not carry over to television. //Star Trek: The Next// //Generation// and The X-Files were two of the few TV series to incorporate the sci-fi action characteristics. **Teachable Moments** Most of these movies would be difficult to use in their entirety or with clips during class because of language and violence. However, because many students have seen these movies outside of class or at least know what they are about, discussions could connect them to texts read in class. Trailers could also be shown instead. //Terminator//, for example, could be used to provide a visual while reading novels that touch on the future such a s //1984//. You could also incorporate it as a tool to discuss different versions of what the future may look like. Certain episodes or clips of //Star Trek// and //The X-Files// could be used to discuss If there was an appropriate clip of //Lethal Weapon// was found, students could compare and contrast the "buddy cop" theme using //The X-Files// and //Lethal Weapon//, possibly tying it in with //The Hunger Games//. media type="youtube" key="txhzlfGG4Kw?rel=0" height="312" width="512" align="right" **TV:** //Star Trek: The Next Generation (’87-’94// //The X-Files ('93-'02)// //Terminator (‘84)// //Aliens ('86)// //Young Guns (’87)// //RoboCop ('87)// //Lethal Weapon ('87)// //Die Hard (’88)// //Lethal Weapon II ('89)// //Total Recall ('90)// //Die Hard II (’90)// //Terminator II (’91)// //Lethal Weapon III ('92)// //Die Hard with a Vengence (’95)// media type="youtube" key="mlZIVpVNgpI?rel=0" height="429" width="528" align="right" **Literature To Tie In:** //Frankenstein// by Mary Shelley //1984// by George Orwell //Brave New World// by Aldous Huxley //Little Brother// by Cory Doctorow //The Hunger Games// Trilogy by Suzanne Collins media type="youtube" key="8UjGt45uChk?rel=0" height="390" width="640"
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