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Elements of Science Fiction
Where is the science fiction in Vanilla Sky? There are two major elements of science fiction in Vanilla Sky. The first occurs after David’s accident when he seeks medical help. At first the doctors tell David they cannot reverse the effects of his car accident – significant facial scars, terrible headaches, a crippled arm and leg. Fortunately for David, the doctors develop a new surgery. The film describes this new form of reconstructive surgery in great detail and even notes it was developed with the help of a doctor from Berlin. The film includes details like the “odds were one in three that the headaches could be reduced by 50% and facial tissue could be reconstructed” (Vanilla Sky, 2001). Finally Tom Cruise makes a direct allusion to science fiction, stating “I can’t even tell you what they did; it seemed like science fiction to me” (Vanilla Sky, 2001). The film goes to great lengths to make these new techniques sound plausible, providing details on the treatment similar to the manner Jules Verne used in describing the Icelandic countryside in Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864). The second element of science fiction is David’s lucid dream. Here the idea of freezing a human’s body after death, only to resuscitate the person and bring him or her back to life in the future is presented. According to the film, the body is stored frozen, in a suspended state, within a regulated chamber. The film also proposes the ability to have one’s mind put into a dream-like state while being frozen. The lucid dream gives the mind the ability to control the dream, thus allowing David to live in a world in which his every desire could come true. According to the film, one will be “resurrected to live [one’s] own life as [one] knows it now. [One] will be living in an ageless state, preserved, but living in the present with a future of one’s choosing” (Vanilla Sky, 2001). At the end of the film David chooses to leave his lucid dream and is unfrozen at some date in the future. These two elements of science fiction make Vanilla Sky worthy of being included in the science fiction genre.
Why is Vanilla Sky noteworthy in the history of the genre? Vanilla Sky is notable for a number of reasons. One, the idea of freezing a human in the hopes of later resuscitating him or her is actually being experimented with in today’s society. Recently, former baseball player Ted Williams was frozen. Other films such as Austin Powers 2: The Spy who Shagged Me (1999) have also depicted this technology. Another important aspect of Vanilla Sky is its portrayal of the lucid dream. Lucid dreams are an actual psychological phenomenon. Although occurring infrequently, people do experience lucid dreams in which they can control what happens to them. Not much is known how about these dreams and Vanilla Sky offers its own interpretation of of what a lucid dream might be like. Finally, Vanilla Sky examines the problems of acquiring technology with the capabilities to freeze a human being in a lucid dream. David’s lucid dream turns into a nightmare because his subconscious cannot exist in a perfect world. By suggesting potential problems, Vanilla Sky contributes to the debate that might surround this technology if it ever become available.
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