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The era of SF dominated by the Heinleins and Bradburys, etc, was an early, romantic, adolescent period of "anything goes," where the actual science wasn't that important, and the fiction had literally no boundaries.
It's perfectly natural that as the genre grew up, boundaries were indeed recognized, science was seen as an actual limitation and not a license to get away with murder, and stories would have to change to reflect that.
Yes, it's a shame that some of the wild-eyed works of yesteryear will never be seen again. But in their place, new authors are writing new material that can stand toe-to-toe with the rigors of modern SF without blinking... as well as occasionally planting tongue in cheek and taking off on knowing flights of fancy. From Bradbury, we got Gibson. From Heinlein, we got Stephenson. From Clarke, we got Stross.
Much of the references made by the OP are examples of the most commercially-prominent of SF and fantasy out there... but it's hardly all. There is plenty of good modern SF to read and to see.
Something about this discussion makes me remember the day Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released. I'm not thinking about the plot, etc; I'm remembering the early scene in which the viewer is treated to the first sight of the refurbished U.S.S. Enterprise. After having our retinas pre-burned with images of the TV-Enterprise, crude and pixelated and plastic-looking, seeing the new Enterprise, rendered by modern effects and on a big screen, was like being reintroduced to a gawky but favorite cousin you hadn't seen for years, who had grown up to be the most beautiful person you'd ever seen.
That moment, to me, epitomizes the evolution of Science Fiction: It isn't withering... it's growing up before our eyes, losing its innocence, and forcing us to abandon ours. Time to move on.
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