The watershed year for science fiction must be 1968, when Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey appeared, not only dramatically expanding for this kind of motion picture the potentials of film technology, but making science fiction a vehicle for both poetic vision and metaphysical exploration.
What is a watershed? It’s a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean.