Secular Myths and the Light of Humanity

 　　Science fiction is one of Hollywood's important film genres. It generally stimulates the audience through eerie or unimaginable cruel scenes, giving people an unparalleled psychological and emotional experience, so it has a large audience in the United States for a long time. One of the top-grossing films in Hollywood. In fact, among the numerous sci-fi films, many different types can be subdivided according to content and style. For example, "Star Wars" shows "the fear of forces other than the earth", while "Frankenstein" It shows "fear of modern science". This article focuses on science fiction films such as "The Flash," "Edward Scissorhands," and "Spider-Man." These films have striking similarities in terms of characterization, storylines, theme ideas, and artistic styles. Full of warm and touching human beauty. It is precisely because of this that this article believes that this type of sci-fi film has an independent artistic style compared with those that show war and struggle, so it boldly names them "humanistic sci-fi films". At the same time, this article will start with the characters and storylines of the film, trying to strip out the narrative drive and core of such science fiction films, as well as the deeply hidden humanistic care and ideological connotations of the film.

　　

　　The conflict between the protagonist as an "abnormal" and the meta-society has become the dramatic contradiction of the film.

　　

　　Whether it is Lightning, Edward or Spider-Man - Peter, they all become the meta-society with their distinctive terrifying appearances and extraordinary supernormal abilities. At the same time, they are also spoken, discriminated against and even slandered by people in the meta-society as the peeping objects of the other. They were once excluded from human beings, and their lack of belonging and group life experience made them out of tune with human society. These have become the main dramatic conflicts of such sci-fi films. They have built a confrontational relationship between the protagonist and the meta-society. Through the discrimination, disgust and harm of normal people against the protagonist, they bring out the warmth and warmth of the world, and question people's souls. It reveals the indifference and alienation between people in the post-industrial society.

　　Lightning has a genetic mutation due to a lightning strike in his mother's womb. He has no pigment in his body and even his eyes are white, so he is regarded as a monster and a devil. Scientists did not have time to install manpower for Edward in the process of making Edward, and Edward's scissors were regarded as offensive weapons to outsiders. One of them lived in the basement for a long time, and the other once lived in seclusion in the old castle. Once they entered the crowd and faced the cruel external society, they could not escape the fate of being avoided, discriminated against, insulted or even attacked by people. It can be said that the antagonistic relationship between the protagonist and the meta-society has become the core driving force of the film's narrative. It is with this contradiction that the storyline can be unfolded and the theme of the film's criticism of human nature and social morality is established. In fact, when the creators show people's attitude towards the protagonist, what they are trying to reveal and criticize is the indifference, alienation and confrontation between people in the post-industrial society. In the materialistic human society, social problems emerge one after another, and human nature has been alienated and distorted. Whether it's the young people in the labor camp who repeatedly hurt Lightning in "The Flash", the flirtatious, snooping, and gossipy housewives in "Edward Scissorhands" or the Green Goblin in "Spider-Man", they are all socially abused. , family, money, and selfish desires are alienated and mentally distorted and even psychopathic individuals.

　　Of course, humanistic science fiction films also show the beautiful side of human nature through the setting of two types of female images, so as to make up for the missing maternal love and lover's love of the protagonist. The female police officer in "The Lightning Miracle", the saleswoman Paige in "Edward Scissorhands", and Peter's aunt in "Spider-Man" are all loving and generous mother images. They have given the protagonist a warm family and selfless care. To a certain extent, they are the characters who guide and help the protagonist integrate into the meta-society. Lightning's classmate Anna, Paige's daughter Kim, and Peter's classmate MJ represent the protagonist's pure and unblemished love. Integrate spiritual contradictions and conflicts to finally achieve the fullness and perfection of life.

　　

　　Achieving self-salvation in saving society and regaining the meaning and fulfillment of life

　　

　　In "The Miracle of Lightning", lightning changed many people's attitudes and views on life, society and family with his extraordinary supernormal ability. Let the physics teacher rediscover the passion and dreams of his youth, he let the young people in the labor camp get out of the long-term psychological haze and face life again, and he also let the sheriff father and son untied the long-suppressed knot and hugged tightly. together. Of course, this also reflects the problems in the real society from many aspects, including the indifference and lack of communication between people. In "Edward Scissorhands", Edward, with his superb craftsmanship, trimmed plants of various shapes for the community, created wonderful hairstyles for women, and brought many joys and surprises to people. In "Spider-Man", Peter is a legendary hero who punishes evil and saves danger.

　　From these stories, we can see that these protagonists have completed the compensation and salvation of the self-superior human beings, forcing people to re-examine their own lives. In the process of saving the society, it also makes the protagonist rethink the value and meaning of his own life, so that the original incomplete life of the protagonist can be restored. I identify with their own identity, they have found the meaning of dedicating their lives to others and thus obtained the redemption and liberation of their own souls.

　　These may be the purpose of the narrative of humanistic science fiction films, to restore the almost disordered and alienated human society to a kind of peace and harmony, and to restore the distorted human nature to a kind of beauty and warmth, and in this process , the creator has created a series of secular myths through the protagonist, making people fascinated by the shocking audio-visual experience center.

　　

　　A return to mainstream ideology through the protagonist's self-imposed exile

　　

　　In "The Miracle of Lightning", Lightning finally chose to turn into a rainbow, and Edward returned to the castle and never entered the meta-society again, and Peter finally chose to stay away from the world. At the end of these films, all the protagonists voluntarily chose to leave the meta-society. This is of course a "trick" of the creators, and an important narrative strategy, that is, they want to make the film return to the mainstream ideology through the self-exile of the protagonist. As we all know, American society is a society with a normal operating system. There can be no magical heroes like Spider-Man, nor unusual "heretic" characters like Lightning and Edward. Therefore, their final way out can only be Banishment, like a cowboy who punishes evil and promotes good in a Western movie, eventually drives away. It's a narrative strategy, and it's a genre routine.

　　

　　Secular myths and humanistic ideals at cultural junctures

　　

　　Whether it is Lightning, Edward or Peter, they are all imaginary characters in the movie based on certain scientific basis, and their special functions and actions to save the world are even more bizarre imaginary products. Their stories cannot exist in the real society, but can only be a legend or a fairy tale, all of which are secular myths woven by the filmmakers for the audience. However, the creators do not blindly pursue visual spectacles and audio-visual shocks in such humanistic sci-fi films. They are also stories of saving humanity, revealing the creator's concern for reality and human nature in the depth of the narrative.

　　The creators keenly grasp and deeply perceive the rhythm and pulse of people's ideological spirit in the post-industrial society, so in this type of film they raise many social issues, reveal people's selfishness and indifference, and show the relationship between parents and children. The estrangement and lack of communication show the conflict and conflict between man and nature, between man and animals, and of course, the lack of love and understanding between man and man. Going for deep thought. It can be said that the creator stood at a cultural height and paid attention to the real society, and cast his own humanistic ideals into the film.