Disaster movies, a type of film where the hero is in a life and death confrontation, are one of the most popular modern-day genres. Complete with special effects, they tend to show us our world on the brink of collapse. Another type of movie that shows the world at the brink of annihilation is science fantasy movies. The typical plots in both these types of movies include the lone hero who saves the helpless woman and/or child or children from earthquakes, volcanoes or the whole world from aliens.
The natural disaster movies continue in abundance. There are the geological disasters such as, "The Core" (2003). Then there are the usual earthquake plots - there were at least 7 of these that were best sellers between 2006 and 2011. Slightly less popular are the avalanche, meteor, asteroids and crashing comet plots. Then there are the volcanoes, floods which mainly feature the all- powerful tsunami, and the fire movies. But climbing steadily to first place are climate and epidemic movies. These are obviously the topics of the moment and to know that a scientist can and will single-handedly solve these problem is the inevitable end to the movie.
Yet how many of us are prepared to think about potentially real-life disasters? On the small island of Las Palmas in the Canary Island there is an active volcano, Cumbre Vieja, which scientists are certain will erupt. They are worried that this eruption will not be the usual limited disaster but a world catastrophe. The volcano has some unusual geological traits which could cause a section of the island to collapse into the ocean. This would then set off a mega tsunami which would hit and wipe out the east coast of America, including New York and Miami. What a great movie that would make! Of course there may not be too many New York cinemas left to watch it in, so in the meanwhile let's not make a movie about reality and in this way we can pretend the danger isn't out there.
Chernobyl was one of the world's greatest disasters. Twenty-five years ago this Russian nuclear power station "leaked." The short and long term effects were significant both in Russia and throughout the whole world. The World Health Organization (WHO) are still investigating the consequences of this accident. But even while we read this and say well the Russians were careless, the truth is, even when people aren't careless accidents can happen, as can be seen in the incident of the Japanese nuclear power station which was damaged when it was hit by an earthquake. And no movie has ever been made about either of these events. And while it is too early for the Japanese experience to be retold by Hollywood, the Chernobyl disaster has been carefully avoided.
The other type of movies are those when the earth is invaded by aliens who are inevitably bad and trying to do us harm. Science fantasy movies tend to be about a disaster befalling the human race. The trouble is that these aliens, who are intelligent enough to get to another planet almost always seem to have deadly intents and the same sort of negative traits that we see in human beings and the same aggressive behavior. James Cameron's "Avatar" acknowledges to some extent man as the aggressor. But his story is old fashioned and the main reason the film stands out is because it is in 3D and hence the special effects are super-special. Not to mention that the hero is a paraplegic who has to transform into an alien in order to be able to walk, save the planet, and of course get the girl.
During the 1990s, the world witnessed many civil wars: for example, the Burundi Civil War in Rwanda in Africa and the Bosnian war and the Chechen uprising in Europe. Parallel to these events came movies like Men in Black, Independence Day and Invasion from Mars. Although the battles in these films take place between men and aliens, the basic theme was merely a reflection of what was happening on earth all around the planet. The alien block-buster movies do not portray reality. But as the world disintegrates and we see an increase in violence movie makers are making some concessions to the real world. For example Spielberg's new series "Terra Nova" showed humans not only battling aliens but also each other. But then this series never made it past season 1. Was it too close to reality?
Basically disaster and fantasy movies are a form of escapism that give us an illusion of control. Paradoxically, the more disastrous the movie, the greater the sense of control and the subsequent sense of relief for the viewer when s/he walks out of the cinema. Thus it can be claimed that disaster movies serve a useful purpose. The destructive urges we see in nature and aliens calms the doubts and fears human beings suffer from. However, these movies create unhealthy illusions of power and control that have no connection to reality. And perhaps that is why they are here to stay.
Academic Reading
The natural disaster movies continue in abundance. There are the geological disasters such as, "The Core" (2003). Then there are the usual earthquake plots - there were at least 7 of these that were best sellers between 2006 and 2011. Slightly less popular are the avalanche, meteor, asteroids and crashing comet plots. Then there are the volcanoes, floods which mainly feature the all- powerful tsunami, and the fire movies. But climbing steadily to first place are climate and epidemic movies. These are obviously the topics of the moment and to know that a scientist can and will single-handedly solve these problem is the inevitable end to the movie.
Yet how many of us are prepared to think about potentially real-life disasters? On the small island of Las Palmas in the Canary Island there is an active volcano, Cumbre Vieja, which scientists are certain will erupt. They are worried that this eruption will not be the usual limited disaster but a world catastrophe. The volcano has some unusual geological traits which could cause a section of the island to collapse into the ocean. This would then set off a mega tsunami which would hit and wipe out the east coast of America, including New York and Miami. What a great movie that would make! Of course there may not be too many New York cinemas left to watch it in, so in the meanwhile let's not make a movie about reality and in this way we can pretend the danger isn't out there.
Chernobyl was one of the world's greatest disasters. Twenty-five years ago this Russian nuclear power station "leaked." The short and long term effects were significant both in Russia and throughout the whole world. The World Health Organization (WHO) are still investigating the consequences of this accident. But even while we read this and say well the Russians were careless, the truth is, even when people aren't careless accidents can happen, as can be seen in the incident of the Japanese nuclear power station which was damaged when it was hit by an earthquake. And no movie has ever been made about either of these events. And while it is too early for the Japanese experience to be retold by Hollywood, the Chernobyl disaster has been carefully avoided.
The other type of movies are those when the earth is invaded by aliens who are inevitably bad and trying to do us harm. Science fantasy movies tend to be about a disaster befalling the human race. The trouble is that these aliens, who are intelligent enough to get to another planet almost always seem to have deadly intents and the same sort of negative traits that we see in human beings and the same aggressive behavior. James Cameron's "Avatar" acknowledges to some extent man as the aggressor. But his story is old fashioned and the main reason the film stands out is because it is in 3D and hence the special effects are super-special. Not to mention that the hero is a paraplegic who has to transform into an alien in order to be able to walk, save the planet, and of course get the girl.
During the 1990s, the world witnessed many civil wars: for example, the Burundi Civil War in Rwanda in Africa and the Bosnian war and the Chechen uprising in Europe. Parallel to these events came movies like Men in Black, Independence Day and Invasion from Mars. Although the battles in these films take place between men and aliens, the basic theme was merely a reflection of what was happening on earth all around the planet. The alien block-buster movies do not portray reality. But as the world disintegrates and we see an increase in violence movie makers are making some concessions to the real world. For example Spielberg's new series "Terra Nova" showed humans not only battling aliens but also each other. But then this series never made it past season 1. Was it too close to reality?
Basically disaster and fantasy movies are a form of escapism that give us an illusion of control. Paradoxically, the more disastrous the movie, the greater the sense of control and the subsequent sense of relief for the viewer when s/he walks out of the cinema. Thus it can be claimed that disaster movies serve a useful purpose. The destructive urges we see in nature and aliens calms the doubts and fears human beings suffer from. However, these movies create unhealthy illusions of power and control that have no connection to reality. And perhaps that is why they are here to stay.
Academic Reading
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