"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream," seems to fit the typical '60s persona, at least in my eyes. It mixes futuristic ideas, like the computer, while keeping a primitive basis. The captives don't have any sort of technology, like a car or other means of escape. The computer seems to have taken away the scientific means that led to his own assembly.
I say it reminds me of the '60s because it makes me think of "Planet of the Apes" for some reason. Like the show, things are primitive while being in the future, at least that's my take. Both examples show humans as the captive, or the ones who don't belong.
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I agree with you about planet of the apes. It also reminded me a little of the Matrix. I know that they have lots of technology but they are all in ratty clothes, everything seems dirty, and the planet has been destroyed by the taking over of the machines.
ReplyDeleteIt was very 60's for me, too, but mostly because of the underlying fears about the Cold War and what the technology race we were in with the USSR might lead to.
ReplyDeleteI thought of Michael Crichton's Sphere because of an AI entity entertaining itself by torturing people. The difference is that in Sphere the computer is childish and wants to play, but in "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" hates humans and is purposefully torturing them. I also thought about the Terminator movies when it discussed the network of computers becoming self-aware.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the 60's vibe. It came off to me like a bad 60's movie, trying to push buttons and be edgy. Like was mentioned last week, this seems like another story that uses technology and what it might become as the "fear." In a time when technology was still so new and underdeveloped, it is easy to see where these kinds of fears come from.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention The Terminator, Charlie, since Ellison sued the producers upon the original movie's release, pointing out similarities to two Outer Limits episodes Ellison wrote in the '60s. The producers settled out of court, and all editions of The Terminator now include a credit "gratefully acknowledging" Ellison's work.
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