Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-208) and index
Introduction: spectacle, narrative and 'frontier' mythology -- 1. 'Frontier' narrative and spectacle in Twister and Independence Day -- 2. Digital dinosaurs: from T-rex to Titanic -- 3. The final frontier: space fictions -- 4. Maximum impact: action films -- 5. Seriously spectacular: 'authenticity' and 'art' in the war epic -- 6. Apocalypse, maybe: pre-millennial disaster movies -- 7. Conclusion: into the spectacle?