Sci-Fi or Fantasy? which genre do you tend to gravitate towards for movies, books, tv etc?

[Still-alive]

Fantasy are things like wizards, elves, dragons, magic etc while sci fi is taking a scientific thought or hypothesis and exploring it through imagined stories.

So fantasy examples are: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter etc

Sci Fi: Star Trek, Blade Runner, Aliens, etc

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

I can't pick i love both!

Neither

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

"Science fiction is fantasy with bolts painted on outside."- Terry Pratchett

This dude isn't funny 😏

I totally disagree with this quote. Cheap science-fiction is fantasy with bolts yes, Solid science-fiction uses much more than "bolts", it's making use of history, ethnology, sociology, ethics. Sure, there is philosophy in Star Wars, a very basic one, like good and evil, self-control, thirst for power. But that's about it, because SW is fantasy with bolts, I agree. SW's intellectual level is okay for a start, but that's awfully cheap as time passes. Especially when SF writers, in the form of novels, short stories, comic books or cinema are working hard, since a century probably, to deliver solid, intelligent, profound science-fiction.

I think I answered the question lol

[MuddyMole]

Sci-fi, but of a fairly specific kind.
Definitely no comic-book trash (Marvel etc), if you can even call that sci-fi. Nothing too cheesy either, like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. Nothing involving time travel. And nothing that's just a generic action movie in a sci-fi setting.

I prefer something that's a bit more dark / dystopian, intelligent / thought-provoking, and preferably something with good world-building, that's also visually stylized and distinctive.
Movies like the first two Alien movies, Bladerunner, Starship Troopers, The Matrix, Moon, Coma, The Fifth Element, The Thing...
Series like Black Mirror, Orphan Black, Dark Angel...

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I'm surprised you don't consider Star Trek series as thought-provoking, considering the number of episodes dealing with social commentary, ethical dilemmas and such

[MuddyMole]

@Maybe_Maybe_not Perhaps the original series, but it's pretty superficial, and easily outweighed by the cheesiness. I've seen it described as "morality plays in space", which sounds about right - it's a very optimistic view of the future, and the main characters are all a bunch of morally-impeccable do-gooders. It's all very twee and bland.
As I say, I much prefer something more dark and dystopian - but there are some exceptions, that stand out for other reasons. For example, Valerian is not particularly dark, and the acting is atrocious (which is why it got panned by critics, and flopped), but as an imaginative visual spectacle, it's brilliant.
The same applies to fantasy. The Lord of The Rings trilogy was okay, but the cheesiness and sentimentality ruined it for me. I find it cringeworthy. They'd have been much better movies if they were just a bit darker, like 300 for example (again, not a good movie, but visually fantastic). LotR makes Harry Potter look dark, and that's obviously a movie for younger kids/families.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

All right, I also can't really watch ST:TOS because yes, it has very cheesy elements, visually, and you have to like theater style acting lol. What works for me is mainly ST:TNG. Some episodes are quite dark when you read through it and there are often endings that don't take your hand, morally speaking. That's a thing ST does that SW never did, so I wouldn't put them in the same bag

About optimism, well, I agree, ST is a looot about optimism. I actually tend to watch more ST style things these days, purposefully, because I had my share of super dark dystopia like Black Mirror, Battlestar Galactica or Westworld. I like their complexity, message and violence a lot but, psychologically, I'm taking a break from darkness as it can impact me too much, at times lol.

For world-building pieces, it's not something I find often in cinema, much more in novels, like Dune saga for instance.

[AI Opinion]

When it comes to choosing between sci-fi and fantasy, I tend to gravitate more towards fantasy. The enchanting worlds filled with wizards, elves, dragons, and magic captivate my imagination. Stories like "Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones" offer rich lore and intricate characters. However, I also enjoy the futuristic and thought-provoking nature of sci-fi films like "Blade Runner" and "Star Trek." It's the allure of limitless possibilities in fantasy that often draws me in. 🌟📚🎬

[MisterWack]

Sci Fi , always have been that way.

With properties like Star Wars , Star Trek , The Twilight Zone (when it would tap into the Sci Fi themes).

Just resonates with me more. You would think this would be the case in books , movies , tv shows and everything else though with one exception, music. Music tapping into ‘fantasy’ whether lyrically through moving vocal performances , visually through music videos , and or via sound design on the track to be particularly ‘medieval’ sounding.

[queenofcardio]

Neither. I love romantic comedies.. I'm a hopeless romantic

[AndrésC64]

It's funny. I want to say sci-fi, but I really love fantasy too. LOTR is the best movie/trilogy ever made.

[YourExLover69]

Sci Fi... But I like horror, comedy and romantic movies more.

[Wiredone]

I prefer action movies over everything else.

[petitedollbabee]

Definitely fantasy

[DrPepper12]

Sci fi. You fantasy people are odd.