One of the more intractable problems of political theory is the individual versus society.
Despite the lip-service, under the surface, there has been some resistance to the idea of human rights. Examples are numerous. The 'war on terror' meant that state sovereignty in matters of national security took precedence over a right against torture or indefinite confinement. Asian nations claim in the name of values and culture that social rules take precedence over individual freedom. In Islamic nations, individualism is being sugar-coated with the claim that shariah and other forms of muslim jurisprudence anticipate and actually promote individual liberty.
About twenty or so years ago, a Hollywood studio executive and author, Christopher Vogler, wrote a memo.
It was titled 'Mythic structure for writers'. The document was meant to serve as a practical summary of the anthropologist Jospeph Campbell's mono-myth theory published in 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces'. Vogler's memo grew to a dictionary thick book that has become the standard textbook in Hollywood. It now sits on the desks and book shelves of the entire industry. The Writer's Journey has such an influence that in a standard quest flick, The Matrix or The Hobbit, you can set your watch by how much time into the movie the protagonist will reject the call to adventure and when he will face his ordeal.
The Lego Movie makes no pretences that, as an epic, it is a shameless re-telling of the mono-mythic quest. The movie opens with the archetypical wise old man ( voiced by Morgan Freeman) making a prophecy foretelling the rise of a chosen one (boring even himself). In answer, many years later, small time builder, who in the UK would be Polish, emerges. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is voiced by is so ordinary and follows all the rules: his favourite song, as ordained, is Everything Is Amazing. As per the rules, he purchases insanely expensive coffee without complaint and dutifully watches and enjoys the only TV show on air, "Dear, Where Are My Pants?". There is doubt he could be the chosen one because he is so ordinary and follows the rules so wells, without showing an iota of creativity that even his work-makes feel he is boring beyond belief. However, in the end, *spoiler alert* this builder shows that success is a carefully calibrated mix of creativity and rule-following.
The average audience of this film will not push eleven and it shouldn't. The action, colours and sillyness is completely wasted on fat butt adults (except, cool ones like me). My favourite part was that pirate ships and spacecrafts are accompanied by someone actually voicing "Vroom! Vroom!", instead of regular SFX. That is the appropriate locomotive sounds for a Lego. It's in the details, Ma'am, details. Also, the classic space logo will bring a lot of lumps to throats of those born in the 80's.
By the end of the movie, two very important lessons are learned. The first, one should make whatever they want without bothering about what others are doing. The second, when talented people work together as a team working from one plan, the outcome is better than both:
A. Talented people working individually
B. Untalented people working together
Therein, lies the answer, to our intractable political theory problem.
References:
1. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With The Thousand Faces. 1949.
2. Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Third Edition. 2007.
Despite the lip-service, under the surface, there has been some resistance to the idea of human rights. Examples are numerous. The 'war on terror' meant that state sovereignty in matters of national security took precedence over a right against torture or indefinite confinement. Asian nations claim in the name of values and culture that social rules take precedence over individual freedom. In Islamic nations, individualism is being sugar-coated with the claim that shariah and other forms of muslim jurisprudence anticipate and actually promote individual liberty.
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| Movie poster *duh* |
About twenty or so years ago, a Hollywood studio executive and author, Christopher Vogler, wrote a memo.
It was titled 'Mythic structure for writers'. The document was meant to serve as a practical summary of the anthropologist Jospeph Campbell's mono-myth theory published in 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces'. Vogler's memo grew to a dictionary thick book that has become the standard textbook in Hollywood. It now sits on the desks and book shelves of the entire industry. The Writer's Journey has such an influence that in a standard quest flick, The Matrix or The Hobbit, you can set your watch by how much time into the movie the protagonist will reject the call to adventure and when he will face his ordeal.
.jpeg) |
| Super expensive coffee, according to the rules of Lego City, is AWESOME. Like the pricing of Lego itself. |
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| Lego Spaceman and Lego Batman work together. |
The average audience of this film will not push eleven and it shouldn't. The action, colours and sillyness is completely wasted on fat butt adults (except, cool ones like me). My favourite part was that pirate ships and spacecrafts are accompanied by someone actually voicing "Vroom! Vroom!", instead of regular SFX. That is the appropriate locomotive sounds for a Lego. It's in the details, Ma'am, details. Also, the classic space logo will bring a lot of lumps to throats of those born in the 80's.
By the end of the movie, two very important lessons are learned. The first, one should make whatever they want without bothering about what others are doing. The second, when talented people work together as a team working from one plan, the outcome is better than both:
A. Talented people working individually
B. Untalented people working together
Therein, lies the answer, to our intractable political theory problem.
References:
1. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With The Thousand Faces. 1949.
2. Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Third Edition. 2007.
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