By Farther Steps

Reformed and Reforming, semper reformanda to Christ's glory.

Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

The Function of Our Fear-Fantasy

Why are zombie movies so popular these days? I’ve heard a few theories lately but haven’t been satisfied with them so I figured I’d offer my own. One thing to keep in mind is that zombies have changed in film over the past 30 years. At first they were living dead who were under the control of a voodoo witch doctor. They didn’t eat your brains and you couldn’t become one if they bit you. So for clarity, we really need to consider the zombies of today’s movies.

One of the ways to understand American eras is to consider what they were afraid of and one of the best ways to do that is to consider the horror movies of that era. Invasion of the Body Snatchers was so powerful at the time because of the fear of Communist invasion. What if your neighbor was a secret Communist? The Day the Earth Stood Still, Them and The Incredible Shrinking Man (for example) demonstrated our fear of nuclear war and nuclear radiation. So what are we afraid of today that makes zombie films so popular?

Given the modern version of zombies, I think they are popular because we’re afraid of people who don’t think like us. They appear to be human but distorted humans. They appear mindless, yet driven by some force we don’t understand. And there is a fear that we might become like them if we get close.

Who is “them”? Could be anyone who is different from us. Conservatives, Christians, Muslims, Liberals, atheists, whoever. “They” are so different and scary because they don’t think like us and we have a sneaky suspicion that they’re out to get us. This difference feels like an attack and so the only response is equally violent. They must be destroyed. Their thought process has be obliterated. That’s why the way you kill a zombie is to destroy its brain.

Multi-culturalism seems to be such a great idea but in practice it doesn’t really overcome our basic fear of those we don’t understand. Why can’t they become more “normal”, that is, more like us? And yet we see them as essentially human yet their differences are frightening. Fortunately, people don’t act on their fear-fantasy and attack others. And that is the another function of our fear-fantasy; it expresses our fears and gives us a safe vent for a reaction to them where no one gets hurt.

Master Star Treker

I took my son and saw Master and Commander again last night (second time for both of us, first time together). That is one I’m going to get on DVD. What a story!

Anyway, it made me realize what is wrong with Star Trek these days. I could never put my finger on what was missing from Voyager and Enterprise. Was it the requisite hot chick in the tight jump suit? Was it bad writing? Was it the lack of a compelling storyline? Yeah, it was all that but it was more. In M&C, there was a great story but there was also a touch of James T. Kirk, too. Jack Aubrey was a man of the sea. He knew his ship and crew and was a master seaman. The Surprise was out on its own with a mission to complete. Her captain was driven and committed. Her crew was dedicated to that mission and that man. That is what is missing from Star Trek since the end of DS9. I never got the idea that Janeway or Archer really are in control. They seldom use their skills and cunning to win the day. It seems they sort of blunder through each episode. That didn’t happen with Kirk or Picard. You felt that these men were in charge of their ships and their destinies. Sisko sort of got to that point with the Dominian War but Janeway… ah poor Janeway. She tried to be tough but you just expected her to bake a batch of cookies at any moment. And Archer? It is all new and unknown to him. He doesn’t even trust his ship fully.

I think the producers of Star Trek should have Archer serve under Aubrey for bit and learn from him. He needs to listen to Lucky Jack’s advice to Mr. Hollom about leadership. He needs to be inspired by Jack’s sassy defiance of the odds. That’s what Star Trek needs: Jack Aubrey!