NEXT, WE’RE GOING TO REPEAL THE LAW OF GRAVITY

Just caught a preview of an upcoming movie called The Core. Apparently it involves a military effort to create a WMD by harnessing the Earth’s inner core and directing earthquakes at targeted enemies. As expected, it backfires as the Earth takes offense and somehow the inner core stops revolving. Scientists explain this is quite bad, so a heroic and handsome young group of flag-waving individuals is appointed to (I’m not making this up) travel to the core of the Earth, get it moving again, and get back out before the escaping pressure reaches the surface.

I detect a trend here. First we had flag-waving young heroes turning back comets hurtling towards the Earth. Then we had flag-waving young heroes defeating omnipotent planet-sized aliens by sending them a computer virus, complete with ‘Virus Uploading’ message that somehow escapes the baddies’ attention. And now for an encore, they’re going to rewire the inside of the whole planet.

Quite aside from the insult to the intelligence these films provide to anyone with even a basic knowledge of science and technology, do these films express an increasingly desperate desire to be back in charge, as everything seems increasing hopeless and out of control? And do such films appeal to both Bush lovers (“we’re Americans, we can successfully do anything”) and Bush haters (“if we can change the course of the planet physically, maybe we can even stop the war”). Dreaming in technicolour, anyone?

2 Responses to NEXT, WE’RE GOING TO REPEAL THE LAW OF GRAVITY

Rob Salkowitz says:

March 15, 2003 at 12:41

Having seen the previews, I think this movie is going to give a whole new meaning to the word “disaster.” Plus, in a week, we’ll all get to see stuff blowing up for free on TV – why pay $9 for the privilege?
Dave Pollard says:

March 15, 2003 at 12:49

At least the explosions in the movie theatre are in a good cause…