I am Legend

I AM LEGEND

With my previous blogs I chose to write about journeys in which the hero is traveling to save their loved ones. In I am Legend it is every man for themselves. Watching this movie Greek Mythology and Archetypes just came screaming at me. You can clearly see the heroes, villains and other character archetypes. In the movie the idea of being the last man on earth, or at least the last man surviving in present day New York City with millions of zombie-like people trying to kill him. We have all heard of the expression being the last man on earth and this movie brings those ideas to life. One heroic man surviving millions of deathly creatures.

The Stages of a hero's Journey is especially relevant in the movie I am Legend. In stage one it is the departure. The movie shows how actor Will Smith (Robert Neville) is trying to get his wife and daughter out of New York to safety because a mass virus has spread throughout the world. His plan was to get his family on a helicopter and then he would eventually join them in safety. Unfortunately right after his daughter and wife leave on the helicopter it crashes and he watches as his life and love burn to the ground. He is left in New York with his dog, immune to the virus. Stage two, the initiation, is shown in the movie through his day to day life of trying to catch ' the dark seekers ' and figure out a cure to save himself and all of the effected people as well. He is put into a more difficult situation once his dog starts to turn into a dark seekers as well and he is forced to kill the last piece of family he has left. In Stage three which is the road of trials Robert Neville discovers a woman and her son when they save him from the dark seekers right before they almost eat him alive. When living with the woman and her son the dark seekers find where they live and attempt the kill them. Then we hit stage four, the innermost cave. This is when the dark seekers enter the house and are about to kill all three of them. While in a glass case where an experimental dark seeker body is kept Neville and the woman realize that his hard work has come to a close because the cure has worked. The dark seeker had started to change back to a normal human being. With no time to lose before the dark seekers break the glass and kill all of them Robert Neville puts the woman and her son in a capsule and tells them to leave for safety in the morning and in order to save them he must give his own life. As he shuts the capsule door he picks up a picture of his family and a grenade, killing the attacking Dark seekers and himself. Stage five, Return and Reintegration with Society is shown when the woman and her son the next drive to the safe zone with the cure ultimately ending the war of the dark seekers and the surviving man kind on earth.






Character Archetypes were very prominent in the movie I am Legend. Every character had a specific and meaningful part in order for the hero's journey to play out correctly.



Robert Neville (Will Smith)

The character archetype that perfectly fits Robert Neville is the hero. His task changes from saving his family to saving himself to saving innocent people. The goal he was wishing to reach throughout that whole movie is to find a cure to the virus that spread throughout the whole world and killed nearly 98% of the worlds population. Only 1% that was immune but not safe from the dark seekers and another 1% who have turned into the dark seekers. Luckily in the end although Robert Neville end up dying his mission to safe the world as much as could and fins a cure was successful.

Anna and son Ethan (Alice Braga & Charlie Tahan)

Anna and Ethan were only in the company of Robert for a day or so but in that period of time there character Archetypes were formed. They were represented as Loyal Retainers. Sidekicks to the hero trying to protect him and themselves as well.




Sam the dog (Kona & Abbey)

Unfortunately in the end Sam did not survive the virus and eventually became a dark seeker as well. Before Sam turned to the dark side the dog would be represented as the Friendly Beast. Sam saved Robert's life countless times but ultimately ended up killing itself because he risked his life in order for Robert to live.

The Dark Seekers

These were the evil creatures that had no choice but to want to kill any living being in sight. They used to be human beings but with the virus running through their veins they had the need for human blood. Since they were not always evil and used to be human beings they would not be considered the Devil Figure instead i would label them as The Creatures of Nightmare. The evolved from humans into monsters, killing machines.

Urban Myth or True Facts, 2012.

At first glance you may not think that the movie 2012 directed, written and executive produced by Roland Emmerich, would be a great representation of Greek Mythology and Archetypes but taking the time to watch the movie i realized what a direct relation it has. With my blogs I have been trying to pick movies that are not the expected choice in order to show that connections to Greek Mythology can be seen almost everywhere. I the movie 2012 natural disasters are used to create the evil figures. Although there are many little characters used to create conflict between people and have evil motives there is no bigger evil force than the disasters themselves. With the year 2012 itself being a myth/urban legend or actual fact it keeps us wondering as to what may actually happen but, at the same time is able to shows us great imagery throughout the movie.

In the movie 2012 John Cusack plays Jackson Curtis, a lonely distant father of two children because of his divorce with his wife in the previous years. Rumor has it that the Mayan calendar dates are going to end in the year 2012 resulting in the mass destruction of our world, ending man kind. Supposedly occurring on the date December 21st 2012. It has now leaked throughout the world that this may occur although not many people take it very seriously. With the attempt at getting to know his kids a little better Curtissack takes them out camping to a park. After some adventuring they come to discover some changes that have occurred in the park and with some research done they come to realize that 2012 is becoming more and more likely. All of a sudden the world comes to hectic ball of madness. Fireballs from the sky are falling and earthquakes start to happen everywhere. Throughout the movie the government has secretly prepared a massive ship (which then directly relates to the story of Noah's Arc) which they will go to when massive tsunamis start to occur all over the world. The story then continues to be a big journey to the boats and to stay safe by avoiding falling objects at the same time. In the end the man's family and himself all successfully make it to the boats and after one year, one month and 27 days on the boat the plan to relocate mankind on a part of salvageable land on Africa.

I found it very interesting looking at all the meanings of nature aspects such as wind, rain, lighting, water etc and mainly finding how it represents life and living. In this movie all of these aspects of nature are shown as evil and harmful. Wind and rain and everything else is represented as death, not life. The severity of all of natural disasters make them evil. In the movie although color makes this film so elaborate and amazing in the special affects area i wouldn't say there were any specific predominate colors shown. Red and orange would probably be very important because of all the explosions and fire and with these colors they represent fire, blood, sacrifice birth, death and emotion which pretty much wraps up the whole movie in a few words. Also though on the other side of the spectrum there was a lot of blacks and blues with water and the world coming to an end. It shows mystery, the unknown, death, evil but also in the end when the movie comes to a close the colors get brighter and happier. Brighter blues and pinks and yellows in the sky. Showing the rebirth of our world and once again creating mankind.



John Cusack (Jackson Curtis)

In this movie Cusack's character starts off being kind of a loner and a crappy dad. Throughout the movie you start to see changes in himself and the way he becomes the hero of the story. He becomes the fatherly figure he never was. In the movie 2012 he is the hero, and not only to his family. He tries to save as much people as possible risking his own life to save mankind on our earth. Even though it takes most of the movie for his true character to shine through, he became an unbelievable man and the hero of our world.

I decided that the Devil Figure of the movie was not a person, but nature. I don't think it would be right to depict god or mother nature as the bad guy in this film because although the story Noah's Arc which comes out from the bible and church, God and spirituality was not supposed to be completely directed at this movie. Quite simply, i feel that nature and the natural disasters occurring throughout the movie was represented as the Devil Figure because since it happened, it ultimately killed most of the people living on earth.

I found this movie very far fetched and kind of unrealistic but because 2012 is such a mystery to everyone it keeps you at the end of your seat. The unknown will always keep us guessing and that is why i think this movie was such a 'must see'.

Finding Nemo, A Father's Journey

Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is a movie about a journey to find the people you love. In the journey they put their life on the line in order to save one of their own. Throughout the movie many different heroes become known and together they travel great distances to save Nemo. Evil figures are represented as humans and giving you the point of view of a fish. Since we are unable of normally having this point of view available think this movie intrigues many people because of the change of roles. In many movies any living figures other than humans such as fish, snakes, spiders, woolly mammoths etc. are considered evil monsters. The human race is generally considered the dominant race and therefore seen as the good guys. In Finding Nemo because of the role reversal our own human race is the ones considered as evil.

The setting of the movie is placed in the ocean. Marlin, Nemo's clown-fish father, has been raising Nemo on his own since before Nemo was born. Nemo's mother was killed in the beginning of the movie,before Nemo was born, by a barracuda trying to save all of her hundreds of unborn fish eggs. The movie then starts at the time of where Nemo is now at the age of where he will be going to school. Although Marlin, being the overprotective father that he his, allows Nemo go to school. Which did not last long. Marlin then learns that for class the 'kids' are going to the dreaded Drop-Off ( the endpoint of the coral reef). Marlin's inappropriate behavior makes Nemo frustrated and therefore leading Nemo to swim off the Drop-Off. With their unfortunate luck, humans emerge and take Nemo away. For the rest of the movie Marlin experiences the difficult journey throughout the ocean in order to find his son. Many friends are made in the process of this expedition including Dory, Crush, Squirt, the 12-step Sharks (Bruce, Chum & Anchor). Although Nemo is held in captivity in the frightening dentist office he also meets friends in his fish tank. Gill, Peach, Bloat, Gurgle, Deb, Bubbles, and Jacques these characters are the various fish also living in the fish tank located in the Dentist Office.

Many connections are being made from Greek mythology to the movie Finding Nemo. I feel the three main characters Nemo, Marlin and Dory have the biggest impact.



Nemo:

Nemo is your typical teenager pushing the limits, wanting to escape that tight grip of all our parents hold on to us. The only difference is that he happens to be a clown-fish. The colors of Nemo's body is orange and white. Orange represents egoism which Nemo has a lot of. He wants nothing other than to go off with his friends and grow up, not listening to his father because he feels his is big enough to make his own decisions. He doesn't need anyone because he thinks he has reached the age of independence. White represents innocence and goodness. Although he chooses to ignore his fathers wishes over and over again he is a good kid at heart. If i were to label Nemo as a specific character Archetype i think he would fall under the category of the Damsel in Distress. Although Nemo is quite clearly a male fish he was taken away and is in need of rescue which his father is struggling to do throughout the film.



Marlin:

Finding Nemo is a story of the love a father has for his son, and how he would do anything in order to keep his son from harm. Marlin is Nemo's father and endures the difficult journey from their home at the coral reef, across the ocean to a dentists office. Most of the time being freaked out of his mind, he is a very worried man and with Nemo taken away it does not help with his already on edge nerves. Although Marlin's body colors are the same at Nemo's i feel that his represent something different. In Marlin's case his orange represents ambition. He has this feeling of invincibility in order to save his son at any cost. The white shows his morality and purity and peace. He has such a good spirit and does nothing other than to try to keep his son safe. Quite simply Marlin is the main hero, enduring the rough and incredibly difficult journey in order to find his son.



Dory:

Dory has a tendency to be a little forgetful but Marlin is very grateful of her assistance in the journey to find his son Nemo. She is definitely the comic relief in the movie being goofy and getting her and Marlin into a lot of sticky situations. She is colored blue and yellow. Blue showing her innocence and physically soothing. Dory has a very relaxed personality and nothing much bugs her because i think she 1. doesn't let it bug her 2. doesn't realize the severity of some of the things going on in her life at times. Dory is just an innocent bystander for most situations and sometimes seems to attract trouble. Yellow also shows her innocence and caring soul. Dory would be a Friendly Beast as a Character Archetype. She assists Marlin in his journey although not always making his trip any easier she is good company.