In this unit we examined the concept of spectacle through American disaster films. We watched a clip from the 1954 Japanese movie Gojira by Ishiro Honda as well as a clip from Independence Day. Gojira represents the "imagination of disaster" and the anxiety and fears of the Japanese people following the nuclear attacks in WWII.
Sontag claims that the science fiction film is "concerned with the aesthetics of destruction, with the peculiar beauties to be found in wreaking havoc, making a mess" (102, Sontag). She discusses the different aesthetics of destruction between high budget films and cheap sci-fi films. They have similar themes and sequences but differ in believeability. "Destruction movies" like Gojira provide an outlet to release anger and anxiety about tragedy and war.
The 2009 science fiction film District 9 uses spectacle to display cultural anxiety about Apartheid. The film uses the themes of xenophobia and social segregation to depict events that took place during apartheid in South Africa. One sequence in particular shows this anxiety about integration when the government brings the "prawns" (the aliens that represent the native South Africans) illegal eviction notices and tells them they must move to a new government camp.
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