is that the problem is not with the social relevance of the material (SF), or with the technical or artistic people involved. The problem is with management. The money people are philistines, they know the price of everything and the value of nothing. They want car chases and rough sex, and lots of gore because they think movies should be made for teenagers, or as a focus around merchandising tie-ins.

The business end is afraid to take chances, so they resurrect tried and true formulas that worked well in the past because they are afraid to take a chance on doing something new and creative. Good films are being made, but its only because individual creative producers, and in some case, actors and directors themselves, are betting the farm to get them done. It is inevitable that a certain percentage of them will fail, just because a product is good doesn't mean it will necessarily catch on with the public. Being the famous producer of a film that becomes a cult favorite 20 years later is great in cinematography class and wins you artsy-fartsy awards, but it doesn't pay your bills or steer big budget projects your way. In order to come up with the financing, the money guys insist on a voice in the final product. And they speak with forked tongues.

The money guys suck all the oxygen out of the room, taking all the money and talent and blowing it on material that worked in the past, but that the audience recognizes as derivative crap. It's not just SF, look at how many bad movies today are just big expensive remakes of good films done just a few years ago, or are simply successes transferred from other media (graphic novels, computer games, TV, even hit songs).

Thank heavens for a few people out there like HBO who are willing to take a chance and put out a good product, even if it means hocking their wives' jewelry to do it.