On primal phantasies in science fiction film

This paper applies the concept of unconscious phantasy as an instrument for the analysis of a heterogeneous sample of science fiction movies that marked the history of this film genre, from the fifties of last century to the present day, including different subgenres, such as space operas and time-travel movies. Based on a non-systematic or narrative literature review, the protophantasies underlying the dramatic plot of several notable motion pictures are identified and explored, namely seduction, castration and primal scene phantasies. Science fiction film seems to convey a contemporary archetypal mythology, with its own gods and heroes in connection with dramatized originary/primal phantasies, whose idiosyncratic appropriation transcends borders, embracing different peoples and cultures.