Journey Through Sci-Fi

This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we revisit Flubber (1997) and The Nutty Professor (1996) to explore how both films became showcases for the 90s CGI boom.

We look at how early digital effects, morphing tech, ILM's rubbery animation, and ambitious makeup and prosthetics reshaped the mad-scientist trope for a family audience. From Eddie Murphy's multi-character transformations to Flubber's bouncy CGI flying rubber, we break down the moment Hollywood shifted from practical FX to digital spectacle and what effect it had on the depiction of Mad Science.

"Remember, no matter where you go… there you are." This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we're looking at two very different visions of genius at work - one saving the world, the other stealing dreams. We discuss The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) - now say that five times fast - and The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus, 1995) to explore the heroes and villains of mad science.

We're back with another Future Frontiers episode, covering all the latest sci-fi hitting screens this month.

We chat about Predator: Badlands, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia and the upcoming Running Man remake from Edgar Wright - plus we try to decode what on earth Vince Gilligan's mysterious new series Pluribus might be.

We also talk about what we've been watching lately - Peacemaker S2, Gen V, Foundation, and Demon Slayer - and tackle your big listener questions. Should The Thing and Predator start one minute later?

• 00:00:00 – Welcome Back to Future Frontiers
• 00:01:05 – What We've Been Watching
• 00:05:32 – Anime at the Box Office Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man.
• 00:08:15 – New Sci-Fi in Cinemas - Bugonia, Predator: Badlands, and The Running Man remake.
• 00:15:01 – Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
• 00:17:51 – Upcoming Sci-Fi Series: Pluribus & Stranger Things 5
• 00:22:26 – Mailbag: Time Travel & The Toaster Paradox
• 00:26:02 – Jake's hot take on re-editing iconic openings and fan edit talk.
• 00:30:12 – What's Next for Journey Through Sci-Fi
• 00:31:00 – Outro & Sign-Off

Subscribe for deep-dive sci-fi chat every other Thursday, and join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes.

"Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow!"We're diving head-first (literally) into the weird world of Frankenstein's legacy once again, with Re-Animator (1985) and Poor Things (2023). From glowing green serums to brain-swapping brilliance, we explore how both films rewire the Frankenstein formula mixing horror, humour, and the eternal question of whether a mad science creation can ever truly go 'right'.

To celebrate the upcoming Predator: Badlands and the big-screen re-release of Prey on November 5th (for a very limited cinema run) we're bringing one of our favourite Patreon episodes to the main feed.

In this bonus epsiode we revisit Prey (2022), and discuss how it re-energised the franchise, why it works as sci-fi horror, and where it fits in the Predator legacy.