I am Legend! I am Atheist! (spoilers)
Jan. 7th, 2008 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackOmega Man
I didn't realise until after, that the story I Am Legend was adapted from, was the same as Omega Man was. What's interesting, is that they seem different. Contrary to what people on message boards say, it seems like they're based on it in different ways, and differ somewhat, as opposed to most remakes which seem to be copied from the most recent film, exaggerating the most iconic aspects. (I may be wrong, it could be adapted from Omega Man.)
Religion
I didn't consider it before, but I might as well. Everything was near the end of the film, it wasn't mentioned in the first two hours. The references I recall in the film were:
* The woman says God got her to hear his radio message
* And to go to Virginia (or somewhere)
* Will Smith says God can't have, he can't have let most of the world's population be killed and still be guiding people.
I don't know what it was intended to say, if anything, but it worked for me, against my cultural background.
* Will Smith's observation seemed pretty cogent. As you know, I already disbelief God's intervention, partly for similar reasons, *before* a global apocalypse.
* On the other hand, if you take the bible literally, there *was* the flood.
* It was a little surprising to have the woman be so certain, and be right
* But it was uplifting that she *was*. Even secular stories have their own sorts of miracles, and they are good to experience.
But it seems some people think the film was actually saying:
* Will Smith tragically lost his faith when he couldn't cope with what happened
* But he was wrong because the woman had faith and it turned out all right.
I guess it could be. I think it depends what background you expect to come from. If you live in a culture of expecting God's active minute-to-minute physical intervention, and some people doubt, it sounds like it is in support of that.
On the other hand, it seems likely the woman's experience was less revelatory than she thought -- eg. she was prompted to listen to *another* message on the radio about the sanctuary.
In which case, nothing impossible happened. But she found a path laid for her, which she faithfully followed to salvation. In which case, the film just seems a stark reflection of a question in real life -- in real life bad things happen, and some people are spared, but not all.
Of course, another view is that Smith hallucinated the ending. That could support pretty much any view.
I didn't realise until after, that the story I Am Legend was adapted from, was the same as Omega Man was. What's interesting, is that they seem different. Contrary to what people on message boards say, it seems like they're based on it in different ways, and differ somewhat, as opposed to most remakes which seem to be copied from the most recent film, exaggerating the most iconic aspects. (I may be wrong, it could be adapted from Omega Man.)
Religion
I didn't consider it before, but I might as well. Everything was near the end of the film, it wasn't mentioned in the first two hours. The references I recall in the film were:
* The woman says God got her to hear his radio message
* And to go to Virginia (or somewhere)
* Will Smith says God can't have, he can't have let most of the world's population be killed and still be guiding people.
I don't know what it was intended to say, if anything, but it worked for me, against my cultural background.
* Will Smith's observation seemed pretty cogent. As you know, I already disbelief God's intervention, partly for similar reasons, *before* a global apocalypse.
* On the other hand, if you take the bible literally, there *was* the flood.
* It was a little surprising to have the woman be so certain, and be right
* But it was uplifting that she *was*. Even secular stories have their own sorts of miracles, and they are good to experience.
But it seems some people think the film was actually saying:
* Will Smith tragically lost his faith when he couldn't cope with what happened
* But he was wrong because the woman had faith and it turned out all right.
I guess it could be. I think it depends what background you expect to come from. If you live in a culture of expecting God's active minute-to-minute physical intervention, and some people doubt, it sounds like it is in support of that.
On the other hand, it seems likely the woman's experience was less revelatory than she thought -- eg. she was prompted to listen to *another* message on the radio about the sanctuary.
In which case, nothing impossible happened. But she found a path laid for her, which she faithfully followed to salvation. In which case, the film just seems a stark reflection of a question in real life -- in real life bad things happen, and some people are spared, but not all.
Of course, another view is that Smith hallucinated the ending. That could support pretty much any view.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-07 05:05 pm (UTC)Strange. I'm completely atheist, from a basically godless background, but felt the film was pushing the usual American religious message (which slightly spoilt an otherwise excellent film for me). Those aren't the only religious references or hints - Smith's wife prays over him with a cross on a chain just before the helicopter takes off, asking God to protect Smith, IIRC (which he does, until Smith miraculously discovers the cure). Also, there is a very obvious church spire in the middle of the Vermont? sanctuary at the end. And Smith says to Anna just before he shuts her in the safe that this must have been why God sent her to find him - so that he could give her the cure. Even the starting scene, where the (English!) doctor Krippin talks about her GM-viral cure for cancer, seems to be parodying a particular media stereotype of scientists "playing God" (with obvious dire consequences).
On the other hand, it seems likely the woman's experience was less revelatory than she thought -- eg. she was prompted to listen to *another* message on the radio about the sanctuary.
If this had been the case, surely when Smith asked her, "How do you know it's there?" she would have said she heard a radio broadcast, if only to give more weight to a view she acknowledges "sounds crazy", and thus persuade Smith to come with her.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2008-04-05 04:25 pm (UTC)Personally I think it's symptomatic of the high-levels of religion in this part of the world. The fact that only 30% of people go to a worship service regularly in Washington state (60% ish claim to believe in God/gods, but clearly half of those do it in their own space) is considered shocking and awfully low. I keep trying to point out it's more like 8% in the UK (I think that's right), but no one understands how much difference that really makes. The thing is, it's just generally assumed over here that the majority of people believe in God in some way shape or form. I think the more ignorant sections of society assume that it's the Christian God people believe in. And so cultural references to God are considered appropriate for the norm, because to be honest, it is the norm.
Rather than seeing Smith as portraying a Neville who had lost his faith, I saw him more as a person who probably wasn't that much into religion but had gone to church a lot anyway. So he doesn't really believe much, but is none the less comfortable talking about God and accepting that he might be working in the world. It's certainly a very common view point around here, and while I've never lived in New York, I suspect that it's possibly common there too, especially in the scientific community. I've met very few staunch atheists over here - I suspect that they get rather drowned out in the overwhelming religion=good view.
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