Let’s face it: if you’ve seen a big sci-fi or fantasy film lately, you feel like you’ve seen it all. Desert worlds? Yes. A dark hero who must save everyone? Always. And the women? They’re often just the mom, the love, or the one who dies. The faces change, but the tale does not. If you’re asking why these films feel stuck, you’re not alone.
Look at the new Dune movie. It looks great. The big worms scare just right. But the story? If you’ve watched Star Wars, you’ve seen Dune—just with more spice and less cool swords. As Ms. Magazine said, it doesn’t just take from old sci-fi; it leans hard on the same old bits, lines, and even the actors. Big ships over worlds, bad guys with armies, heroes seeing bad dreams—it’s all old news. The tech and clothes seem like Hollywood just ran them through a filter, over and over. It stops being a nod to the past and starts feeling like a lazy copy.
But what’s even sadder than reusing old looks is how these tales don’t change in who they focus on. In Dune, Lady Jessica has powers, but soon just helps Paul’s path. She’s just a step in his tale. And Zendaya’s Chani? She’s there for about seven minutes. If Hollywood can dream up giant worms and mind tricks, why can’t it think of women as more than side parts?
And it’s not just Dune. Hollywood loves those same old “classic” tales by men, so new, different voices don’t get a chance. Yes, we’ve seen some sci-fi and fantasy by women on screen (like The Hunger Games or Shadow and Bone), but they’re often seen as just for teens or just love stories. This idea only backs up the thought that women can’t write deep or strong stories like men.
Then there’s how women are shown in films. The Neon Vulture explains it well: in hero and sci-fi films, women are often shown more like things than people. See how Natasha Romanoff looks in The Winter Soldier versus Black Widow. In the first, she’s made to catch men’s eyes—too sexy and shiny. In the second, made and directed by women, she feels real. Strong, open, complex. When women make the stories, female roles truly shine.
And truly, it’s not just women stuck in boxes. Hollywood’s view of men is tight, too. The silent, strong hero is the norm, not because it’s what women want, but because it’s what men are told to be. So, everyone loses—men, women, and those outside these strict roles.
Take Yellowstone, for example. It digs into an old, white, male story. As Liza Black from the Cherokee Nation and a UCLA expert says, the show loves lonely land and says violence is needed. Native roles are there, but their tales are told in a narrow, often hurtful way. Monica Dutton, a Native woman, is shown as always the victim. Her pain supports the tale more than her character. Even real sad events like forced surgeries are shown in ways that focus on white sadness more than Native truths.
Why does Hollywood keep using the same old tales? It’s easy. It’s known. Because the ones in charge—still mostly white men—are more comfy repeating what they know than making room for new ideas. In 2019, only 10% of big-hit films were made by women, and most of those women were white. The system isn’t set to let in new voices—it’s still keeping them out.
But when studios dare to try, it can be great. Take Birds of Prey, made by women and with a mix of messy, strong roles. It felt new. The clothes made sense. The talk wasn’t just filler. And yes, it passed the Bechdel Test easily. It showed that when new voices lead, tales feel fresh and exciting.
There’s a lot of strong, new sci-fi and fantasy out there waiting to be made into films. Think about N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti, or Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves. These books are as big and full of new ideas as any film we’ve seen—but they also mirror our world now, not just the same old one.
Until Hollywood is ready to leave its safe zone, we’ll keep getting the same old worms, the same hero tales, and the same women on the side. But for those of us wanting more, the books are there. Now, we just need the screen to catch up.