You see, in B Movies (especially B Sci-fi movies) there is a certain over the top style and method in witch the cast and crew utilize as part of their formula for making a truly awesome b movie!
A great example of this is, THX 1138 (1971).... Now I am going to go so far and say that this movie is a great example of a B Movie, and utilizing certain elements in an over the top fashion, and how it seems to expertly compliment the movie itself... The main thing that I am taking about in this movie is the use of the color, 'White'... You see, in this movie, (which is set in a rigid dystopic future), everyone wear's white (except for the Android law enforcement), just about all of the walls floors and ceiling are white (not all but pretty close to all...)
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Etc... etc...
Another great example is the first Star Trek TV series, and the low budget awesomeness in the feel of the first show!
Well that is just a few of the examples of this phenomena in Science Fiction on both the TV and Movie platform... Another version of this is also in the written form of this.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="285"]

What I mean is that at one point (at least in my opinion, and it was certainly exemplified in the works of the era.) But there was a lot of pulp science fiction out there, with a lot of extreme empires, with their extreme ambitions to take over the world or galaxies, as well as their over the top heroes who would go to battle with these bad guys using weapons that will probably always be considered to be scientifically impossible.
But some time around the 1980s, Science Fiction (really in just about every facet) began to change... Even Star Trek, which had up til 1982 really enjoyed a certain degree of, 'B' in what it produced had gone from that over the top, 'B' status that we as fans of low budget entertainment have always enjoyed, to something that not only mankind could imagine as being possible... But that certain billionaires out there are to some extent trying to make real...
It was the turn from using, 'The Force' or, 'A lightsaber' or what ever (I am only using these as examples... Because the chance of these things ever being probable are pretty slim... And if they are possible, are probably not something that we would see in our life time. But either way it turned from that to things that Science has already began in the real world to either prove, or actually surpass.)
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"]

Is that better in any of it's forms or worse? Well for me I will say this... As far as, 'Movie' or, 'TV' go, both are pretty spectacular in my opinion, but in written form, I am going to say that the Sci-fi switch was a good thing... Primarily because I have read some pretty low budget, and extremely bad, 'B' Sci-fi... But mostly pretty spectacular A-list Science Fiction...
But rather you are a fan or not... If you are looking for some great, 'B' Sci-fi, check out the works made before the 1980s... I think you might like it, for some great A list Science Fiction, check out the stuff starting in the 1980s, I think you might really like it!