Since the beginning of the semester, I have been keeping in mind the connection between the Apocalypse and entertainment. These two essays explore and show the complex dichotomy of these concepts. The Apocalypse lends itself to extraordinary scenes of epic destruction that entertain the masses in movies, literature, and video games. The tradition of apocalypse is not experiencing any type of diminishment as technology advances. Technology is perpetuating the value of the apocalypse –the event- as entertainment.
The apocalypse and the arena of entertainment are catapulting each other. Even if he apocalyptic mindset is in transition in America, its entertainment value is not suffering. As the sales of Halo 3 show and the box office sales of movies such as 2012 the devastating scenes of the End still attract a wide audience in and out of the fundamentalist mindset. The fundamentalists are in favor in continuing the apocalyptic vision in order for their mindset to continue, but the apocalypse in entertainment lives outside of that mindset. This is why some parents were against using Halo 3 as a teaching tool, because they understand that video games like these can be taken misunderstood by both the secular world and the fundamentalist mindset.
Films such 28 Days Later, Children of Men, and Apocalypto are obviously part of the apocalyptic tradition, but they can also be described as a zombie movie, an action movie, and a tale of the ancient world. Children of Men’s ties to the Book of Revelation are much more obvious, but without being analyzed, these movies can be seen separate from the religious tradition. Before taking this class, I am not sure that I would have looked into them as part of an apocalyptic mindset.
The funny thing about the past two thousand years we still have a countdown, we still create a new even that will bring about the end. Whether it’s a meteor or any other cosmic event, a nuclear holocaust, or global warming there is always another signal to the End that has failed for two millennia. What is it about the Book of Revelation that keeps it alive even after it is proven wrong every new day that the sun rises on the Earth?
