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80s Teen Rage

Ts

(Romanian)

The Star of 1983 is undoubtedly a new episode of the “Star Wars” series through “Star Wars VI — Return of the Jedi”, concluding the original trilogy, giving fans an emotional and satisfying denouement…

Cementing Star Wars’ position as one of the most popular media franchises of all time, influencing generations of filmmakers, writers, and artists, using innovative special effects to create fantastical worlds and memorable alien creatures, blah blah…

“Brain Storm”, directed by Douglas Trumbull (known for his work on the film “2001: A Space Odyssey”), explores the possibilities and dangers of technology for recording and transmitting human experiences, raising important questions (What are the limits to which we should we get to explore the human mind? What happens when technology starts to interfere with human nature? Blah, blah…) about ethics and morality in the context of technological development, using impressive visual effects to represent the experiences conveyed by the machine.

At the time it seems to have been a revolutionary idea, the premise of the film being perceived as fascinating (a team of researchers invents a machine capable of recording and transmitting a person’s emotional and sensory experiences, opening “doors” to new forms of communication and learning, but also to potential abuses).

And why not (but for “laymen” and those who didn’t read “science fiction”), many of the ideas presented in the film have become reality today, such as virtual reality and sharing experiences online.

The film is marked by the tragedy that struck the actress Natalie Wood, who died during filming, a tragic loss that added a touch of sadness to the film and made her performance even more appreciated (in parallel with the sci-fantastic, the film presents an intense love story between the two protagonists, played by Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood).

“The Dead Zone” is an exploration of the psyche and destiny, captivating the audience by exploring complex themes such as destiny, psychic power, and the consequences of knowing the future, being a film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, directed by David Cronenberg.

Lead actor Christopher Walken gives a memorable performance as Johnny Smith (considered one of the most memorable “presences” in the actor’s filmography), a man who wakes up from a coma with the ability to see the future, masterfully conveying the complex character’s emotional journey from initial hope and excitement to despair and anguish, convincingly “depicting” how psychic powers can be both a blessing and a burden, with the protagonist facing the dilemma of using these skills to change the world or live a normal life.

“Videodrome” continues to be a dark journey into the world of television and mind control, being directed by horror master David Cronenberg, and stands out as a gem of the science fiction horror genre.

The film unsettlingly explores the relationship between man and technology, particularly the impact of television on the human mind and body (while also being a scathing critique of consumer society and the media’s influence on human behavior), Cronenberg “introduces” us to a world where television becomes a corrupting force, capable of shaping reality and controlling people’s minds, exploring the concept of “new flesh”, a mutation of the human body caused by exposure to a violent TV signal, a macabre idea presented in a visually shocking and memorable.

„WarGames” care a servit ca un avertisment cu privire la potențialele pericole ale inteligenței artificiale și ale sistemelor informatice complexe (explorând într-un mod convingător pericolul unei inteligențe artificiale care ar putea lua decizii autonome, cu consecințe devastatoare, într-un context real, istoric, marcat de Războiul Rece), fiind și un apel la responsabilitate, încurajând publicul să fie mai conștient de impactul tehnologiei asupra vieții noastre și să acționeze responsabil, „anticipând” dependența crescândă a societății de tehnologie și riscurile asociate acesteia.

“WarGames” served as a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and complex computer systems (convincingly exploring the danger of artificial intelligence that could make autonomous decisions with devastating consequences in a real-world context, history, marked by the Cold War), being also a call for responsibility, encouraging the public to be more aware of the impact of technology on our lives and to act responsibly, “anticipating” society’s increasing dependence on technology and its associated risks.

But, the “background” of this film “contains” something more…

Personal computers had been developing spectacularly for only “nearly” 10 years (through the Atari “stations”). But this year saw the release of the IBM PC XT, a significant evolution from its predecessor, the IBM PC, which played a crucial role in popularizing personal computers, becoming a kind of “global” standard of personal computers (be it by simply implementing a 10MB hard disk, which revolutionized data storage for home and office users, or “equipment” with the Intel 8088 processor, which created another standard).

Or, another “detail”, which I will develop now, so as not to mention it later, that of the initiation of the manifestation of the so-called “video cards”, which, “in the “background”, will significantly influence the “perception by image”, the development of “special” video effects, blah, blah…

This “benchmark PC” comes with a video card “called” MDA (Monochrome Display Adapter). Then a kind of “avalanche effect” is perceived, the CGA (Color Graphics Adapter) video cards “arriving” “rapidly” providing possibilities to use color, the mid-80s, bringing a significant increase in the quality of graphics through the EGA video cards (Enhanced Graphics Adapter), so that in the late 1980s VGA (Video Graphics Array) video cards were released, quickly becoming an industry standard.

Then VLB (Video Local Bus — the early 90s, offering a performance boost through a dedicated bus), the first 3D boards (mid 90s, with the advent of boards like the S3 ViRGE, although performance was still limited), AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port — mid and late 90s, specifically designed for video cards), first dedicated GPUs (late 90s and early 2000s, with companies like NVIDIA and ATI (now AMD) releasing the first high-performance GPUs) and… PCI Express (early 2000s, replacing AGP and becoming the de facto standard).

For a “layman” reader it doesn’t seem like much… But for those who “lived” those times (who participated actively, even as users, constantly adapting their “creations” to benefit from the newest “advantages”), “enjoying” each new “landmark” (from the little “list” above), everything has a different perception…

The presence of all these “landmarks” was, anyway, “announced” for a long time… Including WarGames including this seemingly insignificant detail (of affordable personal computers that could “globally influence”)… Also reminding of the global availability of the future “Internet”.

But for those “mentioned” above, the film was absolute kitsch… Limited, absolutely impossible, “signaling” the total lack of imagination of those who participated in the script, the primitive “special effects” even for those times, or the spirit of “ commercial” of the film, blah, blah…

Perception that will be “manifest” in almost all the steps of “science fiction” that will follow, with very few exceptions (this being also a kind of declaration of the “critical spirit” of the author, in the materials that will follow — adolescence being “ the “step” of passing to maturity)…

So, going back to the cinematic achievements there would be “Krull”, a classic “hero” story with a classic narrative structure (with a hero who must defeat evil and save the world) that managed to successfully combine elements of the genres fantasy and science fiction, creating a complex and interesting cinematic experience, especially with the help of special effects in the film, appreciated for their originality (especially those related to The Beast creature and the Glaive sword).

And, even the “relative kitsch animation” “Rock & Rule”, a Canadian animation that managed to capture the attention of the public through an unusual combination of elements: rock music, animation, and fantasy, being a bold experiment for the time that, although it was not a major commercial success, it gained cult status over time.…

The plot of the film is a combination of mythology and science fiction (an evil rock star, Omar, tries to summon a demon to obtain unlimited powers and, to achieve his goal, kidnaps a young singer and forces her to participate in the ritual), noting the soundtrack, made up of original songs performed by famous artists such as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Deborah Harry… And that’s about it…

From the point of view of television series, the year 1983 is notable for Automan, a series that “ran” between 1983 and 1984 (13 episodes of one hour and 10 minutes each), it was an interesting foray into the world of science fiction, combining elements of action, drama and futuristic technology, where the protagonist, a software designer named Walter, accidentally creates an artificial intelligence program that takes the form of a red sports car, Automan, which is not just a vehicle, but a partner and protector, able to transform into different configurations to handle any situation.

It can fairly be said that it had an “alternate line” of inspiration from the series “Knight Rider”, which ran from 1982–1986, reaching a total of 90 episodes of 46 minutes each, but KITT, another red sports car with artificial intelligence, driven by Michael Long who will become Michael Knight, are the main characters of an action thriller series (in addition to the fact that the Automan series focuses more on the relationship between a human and an artificial creation, which is more than a machine, having feelings, emotions and a distinct, dynamic personality that created an emotional and complex story). What is certain is that both series participated in what would be a cult, quite appreciated in those days.

Or through the animated series:

• Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince, a live-action children’s science fiction television series created by Joe Camp, creator of the Benji film series (which ran from 1983–1984, 13 episodes of 22 minutes each), featuring the adventures of Benji the dog who helps an alien prince and his droid evade various henchmen sent by a dictator to capture the prince.
• Terrahawks, a British science fiction animated production from the 80s (it “ran” from 1983–1986, 39 episodes of 23 minutes), created by Gerry Anderson’s team, famous for series such as “Thunderbirds” and “Space: 1999 “, having a tradition of creating science fiction series with a futuristic design and great attention to detail. The series transports us to a future where humanity has colonized outer space and faces alien threats, with the Terrahawks being a mobile space base, equipped with a variety of vehicles and weapons, defending Earth from invaders (the Zworg, an evil alien race bent on conquering Earth)…

We have also made a small introduction to one of the next episodes, which will “follow” the line of “Asian animation” where the series Choujikuu Yousai Macross (also known as Super Dimension Fortress Macross) already stands out, which will attract many ideas found in gradually in Western “achievements”, inducing the emergence of the concept of “idol” in anime, which was largely popularized by Macross.

As a teaser, I can tell you that this series is a milestone in the history of sci-fi anime, revolutionizing the genre by combining innovative elements in a way that has captivated audiences around the world through a unique combination of mecha, intense space battles, and a complex love story set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, a formula that became a defining element for many subsequent series (mind you, at my age, I didn’t really “adhere” to these forms of “science fiction presence” but, I can describe a lot to you by what I was seeing, hearing, blah, blah, in my children).

In order not to prolong this material too much, I will go directly to the most important novels of 1983, represented by:

• Startide Rising by David Brin, the second book in the “Uplift Universe” series, an epic work that explores themes such as evolution, extraterrestrial intelligence, and responsibility towards other species, the novel is appreciated for the complexity of the characters and its optimistic vision of the future of humanity.
• Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, the second novel in the “Ender’s Game” series, which explores the consequences of war and the importance of communication between different species (the novel won the Hugo and Nebula awards, cementing Orson Scott Card’s reputation as one of the most important SF authors).
• Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness (re-release — although originally published in 1969, it was re-released in 1983, benefiting from a new cover and increased public attention as a masterpiece of women’s science fiction, exploring themes such as gender, identity and interpersonal relationships in a unique alien society).
• Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (an alien invasion threatens Earth), The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (an encounter with a highly advanced alien civilization), The Crystal Spheres by David Brin (an exploration of galactic history and the origin of intelligence), etc.

Many of the ideas and concepts presented in these novels have become an integral part of our culture, influencing films, video games, and other art forms, 1983 science fiction novels reflect society’s anxieties and hopes for the future, exploring themes such as war, technology, the environment, and interpersonal relationships. And why not, these works continue to inspire writers and readers, offering a unique perspective on the potential of humanity and the universe.

Merticaru Dorin Nicolae

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