Rowynn Ricks
January 06, 2008 10:14 am
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I don’t generally think about the movies that I go to watch in theaters.
Perhaps it is because many of the movies aren’t really worth analyzing.
But often it is simply because I go to the movies because I don’t want to think. I just want to relax, give my mind a rest and be entertained for a couple of hours.
And it is with this mindset that I went to watch “I Am Legend” Thursday evening. Knowing that it was supposed to be somewhat of a scary movie with so-called ‘monsters’ and everything, I knew I probably wouldn’t be too relaxed, but I hoped I would still be entertained.
I was, but as I sat watching the movie I found all these questions swirling around in my head.
There is a scene where the main character Robert Neville captures one of the ‘monsters,’ which is in fact just a human who has been transformed by a virus into this extremely aggressive creature that is also overly sensitive to UV light. Neville, who is a scientist, has captured the sick being in order to try out a potential cure for the virus.
When he traps this mutated human to take it back to his lab, one of the other mutants risks being exposed to the sun’s harmful UV light in what seems to be an attempt to go after the one that has been taken.
In the movie, Neville comments on this action and claims that it is a sign that these infected humans are in fact no longer human, that they had lost all aspects of their humanity because the one risked danger to himself.
This commentary shocked me. I found myself wondering how this character could think humans would not be willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Did he really think the ultimate sign of humanness is selfishness?
But what scared me even more than the fact that anyone could think like this is that perhaps there was some truth to his view. Could it be that putting oneself above others is the deciding factor when it comes to defining humanity? Could it really be that to be human is to be selfish?
Sometimes I think it can really seem that way in today’s society.
However, I always thought the consensus was that humanity is defined by its intelligence. And that mankind was considered above the animals because of the human’s ability to think, to reason.
If intelligence is the standard, then I think the movie’s so-called monsters may have showed that they still retained a bit of their humanity.
For example, after Neville laid his trap for his specimen to test the possible cure on, the same virus victim that had risked himself set a very similar trap for the scientist. Later in the movie this same mutated man gathers up an army of his fellows to lay siege to Neville’s home.
These are not just simple acts of vengeance, but are in fact calculated acts of vengeance. This can be clearly seen in the attack on Neville’s home when the infected man brings enough of his fellows for a second attack after the first wave was destroyed in a blast.
Neville had clearly known there was the possibility that the mutants would one day discover where he lived and he had planned accordingly with the explosives. But what is amazing is that these beings, which he considers to be sub-human, clearly predict that he will have thought of having such protection and bring reinforcements for the attack.
Nevertheless, other scenes in the movie seem to reinforce Neville’s view that the beings are sub-human and basically animal-like.
For example, there is a scene during the siege when one of the infected men attacks Neville, jumping on the scientist and biting him on his jugular. This scene clearly parallels a scene at the beginning of the movie where a lioness attacks and brings down a deer. The comparison between the infected man and the lioness is obvious.
Toward the end of the movie there is a scene where Neville has barricaded himself behind reinforced glass doors. The vengeful mutant is coming after him by repeatedly banging his head against the glass until it breaks.
This scene also has a parallel scene earlier in the movie where Neville checks on a number of lab rats which have been infected by the virus. The rats are in glass cages and when Neville turns the light on to examine them they begin attacking their glass walls in an attempt to get out.
It seems the audience is meant to accept this animalistic view of the infected people, because Neville offers his cure to them but they just relentlessly continue their attack. They don’t seem to listen to Neville’s reason.
But how often are we, as humans, willing to listen to our enemies? Especially when they are trying to say there is something wrong with us that they can fix?
And how often do we become so caught up in ourselves and our own agendas that we fail to see other possibilities or other solutions?
Perhaps the “monsters” in the movie are such not because they lack humanity, but rather because they signify the monstrous aspects of humanity.
It’s something to think about.
Rowynn Ricks is a staff writer for the Woodward News.
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