On the Engineering Turn in Modern Science Fiction Cinema

Abstract

With the profound advancement of technological development and social transformation, science fiction cinema since the mid-twentieth century has increasingly exhibited a distinct “engineering turn,” undergoing significant shifts in both narrative structures and creative mindsets. This marks a transition from early narrative modes reliant on fantastical props and romantic imagination toward a systematic, materialistic narrative paradigm centered on engineering thinking. This study examines this phenomenon through two primary dimensions: “super-apparatus” and “world-building.” Through comparative analysis of cases such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Wandering Earth, it analyzes how engineering thinking reshapes the visual aesthetics and narrative logic of science fiction cinema, and investigates the underlying sociocultural drivers, including technological imperatives, the evolution of the film industry, and the enhancement of public scientific literacy.