I hate sleeping at times. It feels like a terribly tedious obligation. I remember staying up late to get my school work done and cursing the onset of the inevitable exhaustion. The last time that I had read up on the subject, scientists weren't sure why sleep is necessary. All I can say is that it is a big requirement, though I am loathe to admit it.
Can you imagine what we could do with our unconscious time? Have you dreamed of the infinite possibilities? Maybe we could cure cancer or solve the energy crisis. We might even be able to put an end to war.
It's a fascinating prospect to think about. We're talking about an extension of our lives by one-third. I don't know how far we could go with such an extension, but this movie shows that just one man can do a whole lot.
Classic Movie Trailers - Phenomenon (1996)
From comics to film I've heard a common complaint, regarding the demise of certain characters. Fans are disappointed when their childhood hero, doesn't receive a death that is 'fitting' or 'heroic'. The general consensus, is that iconic adventurers should be given a send-off worthy of them. My argument would be that life isn't like that, and if art doesn't imitate life it's powerless.
I do readily acknowledge that fiction has a role, to be better and more satisfying than life often is. After all, we use it to escape the truth, so you may not see the purpose in telling grounded stories. Personally, I feel that fiction needs to mirror our world. If it doesn't, I doubt it would be half as satisfying.
Let's take any type of fantasy or sci-fi tale. If it's good, it helps you to buy into the magic. We know that we can't fly unaided, and we don't use laser swords, but while we watch and read we can accept these things. Now that Superman and Star Wars are decades old; we're used to slipping into a state of mind that allows us to enjoy them. Be that as it may, if their stories get farther removed, it will become much harder to relate to them.
I believe there is a line that fiction walks on, and if it crosses it too often, it feels like a falsity. After a while, on a conscious or unconscious level, we realize when something is too good to be true. You might follow the action for years, after becoming indifferent, but you'll be doing so out of habit. We don't want that in the end, and a serialized property is supposed to keep us riveted as long as possible.
So the art that we see and experience every day, is on a timer that is constantly ticking down. Each one has to keep their patrons invested, or replace them all with new, paying customers. The latter is as hard as you may imagine, so it's better to give the fans some things that they don't want. Death is untimely, heartbreaking and permanent; if no one tells the truth about that, everyone loses.
What I like about "Phenomenon" is the fact that mortality, has less importance than our own accomplishments. It's saying that death shouldn't be avoided; instead, it should be used as a motivating factor. If you look at George Malley's talents very closely, they all gave him time to do great things. Instead of being trapped in his 9-to-5, and getting caught up in his troubled personal life, he was able to be an inventor, a student, a teacher, a linguist and whatever else he wanted.
His life was extended, by one-third every day, and he used that time to go farther than any modern genius. He ran circles around us, and we could never catch up, but his purpose was to help us and prod us to try harder. I think that his character is a shining example, of what a hero is actually meant to be. We're not supposed to follow our idols forever; we're supposed to pick up their batons and carry them forward.
At the end of the day, we all get tired, and death is the final rest we all must take. The problem is that we focus on it, or avoid the matter entirely, to our detriment. Maybe sleep was meant to be a daily reminder, that our lives are as short as our periods of consciousness. We can let that fact depress us, or we can change the subject, but it's better to think about what we can do in the meantime.
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@ChannelSeals
See "Phenomenon" on Netflix!
Next week: "Dressed to Kill" (1941)
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