Okay, all kidding aside, there really is some good Turkish science fiction out there. Take G.O.R.A., for instance.

Here’s the details: released 2004, directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak, written by and starring Cem Yýlmaz. The plot doesn’t really give you an idea what to expect; a used carpet salesman is abducted by aliens and becomes involved in their planet’s power struggles (eventually saving the world, of course — gee, I hope I didn’t spoil the ending for you!).

Lead actor and writer Cem Yýlmaz is a well-known Turkish comedian, with a stand-up act that merges observational humor (of the Seinfeld variety) with insightful and subtly controversial cultural criticism. G.O.R.A. takes this approach to ridiculous extremes, lampooning well-known science fiction cliches as well as certain close-to-home elements of the Turkish experience.

It’s difficult to compare G.O.R.A. to anything directly, though you’ll undoubtedly think of the Matrix films several times. It’s not-really-but-kinda like Spaceballs (or any other of the space opera send-ups that you may have seen), though if you go into it generally looking forward to a sci-fi-themed Sacha Baron Cohen or Will Farrell/Ben Stiller farce, you won’t be too far off either. So put on your bathing suits, bring your prom dresses and join the fun!

It helps (a lot) if you’re both Turkish and a sci-fi fan, but a fair amount of the humor is accessible to pretty much anyone (assuming that most of us get a certain amount of exposure to mainstream science fiction, and assuming that you have a sense of humor in the first place).

The special effects and cinematography is also worthy of note; though perhaps not quite as state-of-the-art as Industrial Light and magic, they’re significantly better than the average medium-budget film…and definitely raise the bar for Turkish production quality.

Every science-fiction spectacular has to have a sequel, and G.O.R.A. is no exception; in 2008, Yilmaz released A.R.O.G., a time-travelling epic that is slightly like Bill and Ted and slightly like History of the world Part 1. But not really much like either one…