Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Our Fascination with End of the World Movies

End of the world movies always perform well in the movie Box Office. Moviegoers are drawn to end of the world scenarios in movies. Is the world ending that exciting of a theme to capture the allure in end of the world movies?  Nonetheless, end of the world entertain moviegoers for a number of reasons.

Our fascination with end of the world movies demonstrate that we want to seek forgiveness and rekindle with family members and friends. The world is a selfish place. Most end of the world movies show people stepping on another person to escape danger. End of the world movies touch on zombies, disease, comets, asteroids, nuclear destruction, Aliens, the sun, Mayan Calendar, and natural disasters.

This past May 21, 2011, a Christian reverend Howard Camping predicted the end of the world. His prediction was obviously false because the world is moving on just fine after the apocalyptic prophecy failed to materialize. Are people that unhappy to be depressed after the end of the world ceased to produce massive earthquakes across the globe? Religious denominations speak of the end of the world in their sermons. We live in a life constantly thinking about the end of times.  

End of the world movies and prophecies are popular among religious followers. There is a sense of encouragement that refusing to submit to Christ will leave people to deal with judgment day on Earth. Religious followers suggest that the end of the world is near. They want to show that their submission to God and Jesus will reserve their spot in Heaven.

The last end of the world movie that hit theaters is Contagion. Contagion is a virus movie about the effects of a deadly virus spreading across the globe in a matter of days. As depicted in 12 Monkeys, deadly viruses travel fast through airports since people usually disperse to various areas. There may be a deadly virus brewing in a laboratory or in a juggle in the Amazon Forest. We really can't predict whether a new deadly virus will surface to sweep the globe in deadly fashion.

Virus movies are even more daunting when they involve zombies. Movies such as 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Zombieland, Dawn of the Dead, I Am Legend, and Resident Evil depict a virus that transforms people into flesh eating zombies. The new popular AMC television show The Walking enters the world of zombies infected with a deadly virus that takes over the brain. Then, these Infected humans crave human flesh. There is a silent ambient tone that shows how lonely the world becomes in the face of a zombie apocalypse. 

Quarantine shows what a manufactured rabies virus can do to humans. Is it possible to see a zombie world on Earth? I would like to avoid the topic since I had dreams about zombies terrorizing the world on several occasions. Even so, the rabies virus is a frightening virus that is lethal once symptoms begin to show. There is no known cure for rabies. Therefore, a vaccination is quickly given to animal bite victims. The precaution is to prevent rabies rather than try to treat an incurable virus after onset.

Deep Impact and Armageddon are two popular comet movies that face extinction level events (E.L.E.). Comet movies depict human bonding dealing with a near end of the world event. We tend to be drawn to these characters because they are like us. Every person has some sort of flaw. They also allow their hate to manifest.

Comet movies show people making amends to seek forgiveness. Religious locations such as mosques and churches attract millions of followers. Essentially, comet movies are more real rather than metaphysical. NASA monitors space for Near-Earth objects. We can never scan outer space enough to detect every comet or asteroid that is on course to hit Earth.  

Natural disasters in 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow are plausible end of the world movies. The movies show that natural disasters can end the world. Therefore, the world must be prepared to respond after an end of the world event. Whereas 2012 channels the end of the world events reminiscent of predictions based on the historical Mayan Calender, there is truth to the natural disaster such as a major earthquake, the Yellowstone super volcano, and enormous tsunamis forming across the world.

The most terrifying end of the world movie is nuclear destruction. I once had a fear of nuclear weapons as a kid. After watching The Day After, the end of the world events depicted a world crippled after an all-out nuclear attack. The nuclear blast killed millions and possibly billions of people.

The effects of nuclear destruction turned the world into a nuclear winter. Thus, radiation poisoning then decays the human body, accelerating cells to rapidly grow into cancerous tumors. The Book of Eli, Terminator movies, The Day After, and Threads are end of the world movies about nuclear disaster.

Devil movies are popular end of the world movies. In devil movies, a woman must give birth to a devil baby, leading the world to the end of times. Devil movies depict judgment day events. Examples of devil movies with end of the world themes are Constantine, End of Days, and Omen. Devil movies attack the religious belief system to challenge nonbelievers, making them feel they will succumb to a fiery death without adopting faith in God and accepting Jesus into their hearts.

One rather interesting end of the world movie is Knowing. The end of the world movie chronicles past disaster events. The predictions are made prior to the tragic events via a number system. The movie is about religion, science, Aliens and the end of the world triggered by a massive solar flare.

The main character comes to term with his lost in faith to accept the world will end. He watches Alien-angel beings take his son away, believing that life goes on after death. Therefore, the end of the world movie captures the essence of biblical events of winged Aliens possibly confused as Angels in Ezekiel's Wheel. The movie challenges the notion that human life is based on both scientific and religious events.

There are many end of the world movies with different themes. Moviegoers enjoy watching end of the world movies to entertain the idea of society reacting to the moments prior to an end of the world event. Will people ask for forgiveness? Can they rekindle a lost flame? Do people apologize to another person they hurt?

End of the world movies are popular because they humanize characters to make them as real as us. We can relate to human suffering. We all have fear. Religious followers accept the end of the world as a spiritual event to end suffering. The pain and suffering exhibited on Earth points to a need to begin anew.

End of the world movies convey that when the end of the world arrives, there is no escaping the events. You must have faith that "This is not the end" as depicted in Knowing,  In essence, end of the world movies portray real human bonding leading up to the end of the world. 

             

No comments:

Post a Comment