When sci-fi becomes sci-fact

Despite the fact that ex-conmen get employed to sell popcorn and pick 'n' mix, I love taking a trip to the cinema. Now usually I'm not too keen on sitting in a darkened room full of sweaty strangers, but I take comfort in the fact that inane chatter, annoying mobile phone ringtones and touching each other is banned; or at the very least, frowned upon. A quick look over my previous posts suggests that taking a trip to the cinema is about the only thing that actually inspires me to write blogs. And if you know anything about the latest cinema releases you'll know there's only one film worth mentioning at the moment; Inception.

There are plenty of entertaining films about, but every now and then entertainment becomes something more - an escape from reality. A good film will entertain you, but a great film will engross you. No matter how unrealistic and mind-bending the plot might be, so long as the story is told in that magical way, you'll be completely submerged in another world. And even though you're sat with a bunch of strangers, on a chair that's rapidly degrading in comfort and you've just cannonballed a giant slushie, you're drawn into an environment that, at the time, you're entirely convinced is real; like a dream.

Technology doesn't necessarily make it easier for a film to make the small, yet significant, step from entertainment to escapism. I willing to suspend my disbelief and become completely engrossed in the original 1970's Star Wars films, despite the fact that Chewbacca is clearly just a man wearing a rug. 3D films might be the future of entertainment, but they're not the future of escapism. This can only be achieved when the way in which we watch films changes; not 3D, but virtual reality. Beaming images directly into our heads might seem improbable, but nerds have been dreaming about it for years; so if there's any chance that it's actually possible, we'll know it's being pursued by the world's greatest, yet geekiest minds.

All this brings me back to Inception; if in the future we go to the cinema for a virtual escape from reality and we descend into an alternate universe, it's only a matter of time before we begin to question which is real. This might sound absurd, but thousands of people already live in alternate worlds in online multiplayer games. Goblins, warlocks and elves might not sound like your perfect world, but imagine being able to create one that is. Imagine living in a world entirely suited around you, being able to do anything, and be anyone you desire - the ability to escape an imperfect world into a parallel universe.

It's a misconception that believing in an alternate reality is a sign of ignorance; it takes true intelligence - or an advanced understanding of the Matrix - to expand your mind to the point of questioning everything we previously believed to be absolutely true. Though currently, what with virtual reality looking about as likely as a tanned Star Trek fan, and cinema insisting on producing lacklustre, gimmicky films for the masses, it's a little too early to start questioning our place in the universe. Besides, we've got far more pressing issues to be dealing with, like figuring out how to harness the immense brainpower of writer-director Christopher Nolan before he takes over the world by convincing us we're all chickens.

Making the world a safer place, to the soundtrack of AC/DC

A visit to the local cinema to experience Marvel's new testosterone-fuelled blockbuster Iron Man 2 has taught me a few things; that playing 'cinema seat roulette' is truly the most stressful thing you can do sitting down, and that I cannot wait until I'm able to buy a computer that I can have witty conversations with and can control by flailing my hands around in mid-air. But perhaps the most important thing I learnt is that we could do with some dependable and unyielding super-heroes in reality to casually sort out the world's scum.

If we had the technology to create a symbiotic suit of armour capable of pounding the world's terrorist ne'er-do-wells into submission, then I'm sure the petty street criminals would fall in line - with Bruce Wayne going around battering the ones that don't. I'm not talking about super-heroes with stretchy limbs, telekinesis and the ability to shoot lasers out of their eyes, that would be absurd; we just need a few billionaire playboys with a righteous conscience and some major cash to burn.

However, the more I think about the film, the more I change my mind about real-life super-heroes. In comic book films, the only reason there are bad guys is because there are caped crusaders to stop them. It's a strange concept, I know, but villains wouldn't be villains if nobody exposed their evil plans and tried to prevent them. We can only perceive opposites if we can see both sides; you can't have hot without cold, rich without poor, or super-hero without super-villain. If we remove one side of the coin, does the other side cease to exist? And on that assumption, does it work both ways: by introducing super-heroes, are we also introducing super-villains?

I should probably concentrate more on the colossal explosions, idyllic women dressed in skin-tight body suits, and being jealous of Robert Downey Jr, rather than trying to find ethical messages within a Hollywood blockbuster. And besides, trying to remove all perception of 'good and bad' is like trying to deprive people of their opinions and emotions - and that's exactly the sort of crazy plan a comic book villain would try to bring to fruition. Overall we're probably better off planning for peace by preparing for war.

Though I can't quite decide what the film is trying to tell us about super-heroes, it certainly teaches us one thing: if we do develop the technology to create a super-suit capable of either protecting or enslaving the world, as long as we give it to an egotistic, recovering alcoholic who displays signs of obsessive and compulsive behaviour and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, then it's definitely in safe hands.