Dawn Of The Dead (2004).
This film offers an interesting idea of the end of civilisation, "When there's no room left in hell, the dead will walk the earth". it's not an infection to be cured, such as in I Am Legend, and 28 Days/Weeks later, but instead showing the demise of humanity because we are so terrible that hell is full.
Harper and Bishop definately make a persuasive argument about the relation to the negativity of consumerism. Using the mall as a last stand, fighting for control, and with the quote, "its not us, its the place", shows how the film relates consumerism to the downfall of society and humanity. The baby born as a mindless zombie into an environment of consumer culture, the mall, shows how consumerism is viewed as a perpetuating downward spiral.
Selfishness and survival also come into play as important themes in the characters traits. The struggling together idea to overcome the obsticles is fought over on both sides, with characters such as Steve and CJ only being concerned with selfish self-preservation, and Anna, Kenneth, and Michael always trying to help others.
The failure for everything to be fixed in the end shows how the film views the problems of society as ongoing, there is no escape or immediate answer correcting everything, mmaking this a slightly different apocalypse film. Unlike pre-apocalypse films, the devastation is not averted, and with post-apocalypse films such as Terminator Salvation you see how humans can win in the end. Dawn of the Dead just shows the apocalypse as it unfolds with no answer to resolving it.
Olly
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I am legend is defently a comparison here, where it shows struggle and destruction but as you say it does show a light at the end of the tunnel where humans have created a new safe place to live out there days. i like the way your wording of 'there no room left in hell' meaning in a way we already live in a messed up society and it is only a matter of time until it leeks out on to earth, reminding me of the film 'little nicky'
ReplyDeletein my blog i stated that humans became paranoid and hide their bites but when you put selfish it made me rethink and put the two together, they are bitten and they know they will turn but being selfish and not wanting to die to them come before protecting friends and family from themselves.
I agree with the section about selfishness. However we also see how the character CJ, who in the beginning of the film, was arguably the most selfish, however at the end, sacrifices himself for the good of the others. This shows how given the circumstances, people change and the small community becomes more important than the individual.
ReplyDeleteI feel the ending is a far more realistic approach to what would happen if there was a zombie infestation. The old views of the hero will always prevail and save the day, have been replaced with the notion that there is no hope and the only real salvation is death.
With regards to consumerism I read an interesting point saying that Starbucks coffee refused to be featured in the film (the survivors manage to find the only mall in America with no Starbucks!)
Here is a link to some interesting trivia about the film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363547/trivia