The American dream reimagined is not as we had imagined.
The American dream reimagined is not as we had imagined.
Of course, it'd be nearly impossible to disprove the popularity of
Zombies. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, zombies are quite popular
for a number of reasons, in that we can relate to the struggles of the
characters to stave off the workload of the everyday person. But, is there
another reason we romanticize being hunted down and killed by the billions by a
hoard of the undead? Rob Cantor in his essay The Apocalyptic Strain in
Popular Culture: The American Nightmare Becomes the American Dream believes
there is another reason for our obsession with these kinds of situations.
In his comparison of the zombie apocalypse to the re-establishment
of traditional American values, we can see a direct connection. With the fall
of a central government allowing for reconnection of a tight-knit family, and
the ideology of fighting for yourself and those you love, it’s easy to see why
humanity can be so enamored with the fall of humanity. This love is easily seen
in The Walking Dead, a T.V. Series that even goes so far as to
create a situation where an organized government was the enemy.
Pictured: A man in control of zombies, through the integrity of a fence.
(img_src: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5148637/10-tips-for-surviving-the-zombie-apocalypse)
I think the appeal of such apocalyptic events also rely on it killing an established "routine" that people often live by. At least in the film, "I Am a Hero", people really like the idea of a dramatic shift in their lives forced by some satanic power. Now realistically, such an event would be terrifying, but it's hard to deny that some part of us would find it...thrilling. Change may be labeled good or bad, but the unknown is what gives us apprehension...and excitement. -Josh
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing a lot of apocalyptic event based movies lately.. I haven't really realized it since I read this. I mean, directors also get creative with the post-apocalypse idea. Like with Warm Bodies, they added a romantic comedy feel to it. I think this generation is also diving into dystopic and utopia themed movies as well. Just something different from our current world!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post since apocalyptic movies are something new that we have never really had before as much as we have today. It is something that is new aside from all other popularized genres of movies like romances and pure horror movies. One example of that would be one of the upcoming movie Underworld where vampires and lycans are featured. Post apocalyptic movies are in my opinion similar to yours, something we should be proud to have because of the immense creativity and different aspect it carries compared to past movies genres.
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