Anyone else suddenly gone off sci fi/fantasy?

[AnneLovesGilbert]

I’m not sure what’s happened. I’ve always enjoyed some of both, loved Agents of Shield, Lord of the Rings, binge watched Fringe, X files, Orphan Black etc, enjoyed the Avengers films.

Anything we’ve tried to watch recently that’s at all fantastical I have no interest in at all. DH is agog at Loki and it looks pretty and the music is nice but I couldn’t care less that’s going on. I’m sure it’s good but I can’t connect to it because of all the special effects and daft ideas.

Give me people, talking about their feelings or going on realistic adventures.

Am I getting old? Is this a covid thing? Anyone relate?

I've had this over the past few months, but not really been able to explain why, even to myself. I want to watch normal things, set in the real (pre pandemic) world. I was watching Gilmore Girls a while ago, I'll probably carry on with that. DH is a sci fi nut though, he doesn't really get it.

I agree @PaulaPetunia but there's not enough of it...

Stranger things is my thing at the moment.

I have been craving more normal stories so I binged all 16 series of Grey's Anatomy. Great stuff!
I did like Loki though. Owen Wilson was great and it did have a good story.

All suggestions below are Netflix:

If you have a DH who is interested in comic books, W: Two Worlds is a fantastic, high concept & brilliantly inventive Korean drama based on the real world and a Manga universe colliding and bleeding into each other.

Similarly, Extraordinary You is comic-book related, engaging and narratively clever.

Chicago Typewriter is a past lives drama. Really, really good but covers a difficult historical period.

Black - grim reapers, thriller. The last 2 episodes were commissioned mid-run and let it down but amazing up to the scene by the swimming pool about 1.5 episodes before the end.

Sisyphus - slick time-travel sci-fi series, slightly less heart but still way more engaging than most US series.

My Holo Love - AI, engaging love story.

Kingdom - outstanding period zombie romp. Really, really good.

King: The Eternal Monarch - parallel worlds, has some fun with the concept but also dark, edgy and pacey.

I’m bored of marvel now it’s gone all time travel / multiverse. Too fantastical for me, and time travel stuff never makes any bloody sense. I much preferred the ones set on earth to the ones set in space anyway.

I love a good human story, in any genre though and agree that Wandavision was great. A really interesting exploration of grief.

I think the apocalyptic nature of real life is making some of these shows hard to watch. I felt dread almost all the way through Falcon and Winter Soldier, because it all felt too real.

I suppose escapism now is cosy, small scale, feel good human stories.

I did enjoy Loki, but Wandavision was better.

Star Trek Discovery is very variable but excellent at its best (series 2 and the Short Trek, Calypso)

Small scale human interest/slice of life Korean series I’d recommend:

Hospital Playlist (Netflix) - medical, friendship
Live (Netflix) - police, friendship
Misaeng (Netflix) - office life, underdogs
My Mister (Netflix) - starts bleak, but about community, friendship, family
Navillera (Netflix) - ageing, family, ballet
Prison Playbook (Netflix) - make friendship. Yes, really.
Hot Stove League (Netflix) - baseball

Prison Playbook should have said male friendship.

Not sci-fi but fantasy.

I have been rewatching GOT and it's the highlight of my evening! I find it very escapist but love the scope of it. The first 5/6 seasons are a (bloody/sweary) delight, feeling sad I am about to start season 8 and it will all be over soon.

Yes, I used to love sci fi and fantasy. Now, I am really into YouTube channels by mums and families about their day to day lives, vlogs essentially. I have missed out on so much of real life over the past year that I'm not interested in fantasy anymore.

You need Brigerton @AnneLovesGilbert

Wheel of Time is coming to Amazon Prime in November. I love the books, so hoping for good things (the casting looks pretty spot on to how I picture the characters in my head). That is more epic high fantasy of The Lord of the Rings ilk so you might enjoy that if they do it well.

I do think it’s a COVID thing. Dystopian stuff was the height of popularity for sci-fi literature it seemed, for roughly the last five years. And that was the case in TV and films, too. Even the last two Avengers movies were arguably dystopian, compared to their “fun” beginnings.

My friend said to me recently, about this stuff, that she had superhero and dystopia fatigue. The dystopia fatigue is obvious (who wants to read about the end of the world from pandemics when we’re having one) and she said… because if there really were superheroes, especially with COVID, they should have bloody shown up by now (I think she meant she was angry it highlights the lack but maybe she really IS upset there’s no Thor; aren’t we all).

Of you want a total change, The Great is great and the original Danish/Swedish Bridge is fab if you're open to subtitles. Police drama but v much more about human connection

@RightYesButNotYesBu...No I'm so sorry, ive been keeping him busy. He said he doesn't do Plauge as its immune to lightening

Both DH & I love sci-fi/fantasy. Huge Marvel fans but agree WandaVision was the best of the three series.
We're currently watching & enjoying The Expanse on Prime - very gritty sci-fi mostly about the human condition but still dystopian in places. To balance it out we're also watching all the seasons of The Great British Sewing Bee - can't get more cost than that!
We watched Contagion way back last summer & that did feel somewhat like a documentary at the time so I get where you're coming from.

I've recently rewatched lord of the rings and found that very comforting because of the friendships and the triumph of good over evil.

I have also been watching a lot of 'historical' stuff. The Last Kingdom is very good if you haven't seen it. Similar to fantasy and the main actor is very easy on the eye!

But I have also been drawn to a lot more gentle stuff too. Jane Austen as PP mentioned and sewing bee and bake off have been great.

I completely went off fantasy because it has become very much rape and sexual mutilation/humiliation/torture for male entertainment, just as horror has (not that this hasn't always been a significant element of some horror subgenres, but now it's all of it all of the blasted time). DP now scans through things before playing them properly because he knows whilst I'm perfectly happy to see somebody being eaten by angry mutant sharks/dinosaurs/zombies/stomped on by kaiju, some natural disasters, and any variation upon a hero quest theme, the moment it goes into 'here's another bit for you to wank off to', it's not escapist anymore.

At least with Marvel, whilst the current TV offerings are setting things up for the change, so are very small in scale compared to blockbuster movies, it's not like that. Especially if they don't just move away from the stupid depictions of females in completely unsuitable clothing, they stop before they do the touchy feely 'This is about a woman, and women's superpower is lurve' shit that made Wonder Woman so fundamentally disappointing (although DC never seem to get it right these days for some reason) or the quivering lipped 'But...but...I wuvs my husband' bollocks that reduced a strong and equal female character in Robocop to an utter pile of fucking simpering shite wife in the remake.

And obviously there's the Battlestar Galactica remake if you want superlative Sci fi.

@Bryonyshcmyony

And obviously there's the Battlestar Galactica remake if you want superlative Sci fi.

Seconded. The remake was outstanding and very even handed in its casting. Jam for all!

It was SO so good