Always root for the human

One of the most fun films I saw this year was World’s End—the final installment of the trilogy that included Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. While the first two were about zombies and buddy cops, this one was about saving the planet from Stepford-like robots.

I can’t just watch a monster movie any longer, now that Scott Poole has made me think critically about the creatures we encounter in film and books. Monsters in American made me understand how dreaded beasts reflect our moment and incarnate our fears in history. In this particular era, it seems appropriate that robots would entrap our collective demons. Machines are taking over our lives by making them more perfect and pleasant. But there is hope. Throughout World’s End, as well most monster movies, there is one overwhelming urge--we root for the human. We long for messy, recalcitrant humanity to win.  Our survival instincts connect with the struggling, imperfect heroes.

Oddly enough, once we leave the theater, we forget to do this in our every day lives. We forget that we are supposed to vote for the human.