ABSTRACT
The genre of science fiction itself, with its permeable boundaries and its visionary themes, frequently asks us to look beyond the apparent limits of the known. This chapter looks beyond of science fiction applies not only to the themes and plot of some science fiction movies, but also to their method of narration. While the majority of science fiction films are structured conventionally, though, it would seem to be the case that throughout the long history of science fiction cinema filmmakers have reflexively explored themes of vision and perception in terms of cinematic form. All genre movies operate within a circuit of textual conventions and spectator expectations derived in large part from viewers already trained by the protocols of the genre system. For cognitive film theorists, even the most conventional of classic narrative films, as David Bordwell says, 'call forth activities on the part of the spectator'.
