I wouldn't say Sci Fi is totally dead. I'd say that special effects alone don't make the movies. The stories often try to do and show too much too fast with too many main characters surrounding a story with an empty plot with no human emotions, feelings or mystery. You can't bond with one character before they switch to another or kill the other one off. By the end of the movie the viewer saw many amazing things but is left with no feelings whatsoever. As if nothing was accomplished at all.  Nice space ship!