A Sci-Fi Shortcut

I just finished 'Science Fiction Cinema: From Outerspace to Cyberspace', part of the Short Cuts series on Film Studies. Not too bad. It provided a reasonable survey of the genre and the theory, though by its very nature it skimmed rather than go into any real depth. Do not expect in-depth analysis (even of the case study chosen, 'The Phantom Menace'). Often it seemed to be just name-dropping, both theories and films. Nevertheless for a nut like me it's nice to be reminded of the classics, as well as the fact that I am not alone in treasuring them. From 'Forbidden Planet', with Leslie Nielsen playing Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' in space, to Carpenter playing things true to Campbell's original story ('Who Goes There?') in 'The Thing'. A lot was left out though, particularly the mad scientist movies from the 30s (eg. 'The Man They Couldn't Hang', 'Doctor X', 'Devil Doll', the Invisble Man series). Or Germany's Alraune series of films, about the then science fictional concept of artificial insemination. True, these films are often seen as horror, but as the book points out, there is a healthy overlap between the two genres. And what does one make of the original 'Invaders from Mars', surely one of the most disturbing kids' films I've ever seen, but one that scarcely gets a mention here.
For the student approaching the genre for the first time, or indeed beginning Film Studies, it is a useful, and quick, read, with a good bibliography suggesting further reading. For any veterans out there, there are no revelations, but it is a nice, short stroll down memory lane.