I love pop culture. It’s so underestimated. People often reiterate the maxim of stopping to smell the flowers, but it is important to remember to include those flowers that are constructs of our own consciousness.
One of the downsides to living in our modern world is that we are so bombarded with pop culture that we rarely get a chance to consider the significance of it. If one is lucky, he or she might get a chance to ponder a handful of the electricity that engulfs us all. Perhaps, if we’re lucky a chance spark in the mind closes a circuit of meaning.
Some pieces of pop culture are better at evoking this reaction than others. I watched "The Incredibles" last weekend. Whether intentional or not, this feature-length animation does a good job of addressing themes that are not only important to our current era, but ones that have been discussed for a very long time. I’m referring to Nietzsche’s problem of the Superman.
The Incredibles obviously phrases the matter in very literal terms. The story is set against the background of a world where superheroes have been forced to swear not to use their superpowers. This is a requirement they have to meet in order to take advantage of a government program that protects them from spurious lawsuits related to collateral damage caused in past heroic deeds.
The plot of the film hinges upon the angst experienced by these characters who are forced to live a life bereft of the use of their natural gifts. This makes the story a perfect reading of Nietzsche’s idea of how modern society conspires to hold back exceptional people by conditioning them with the supposedly effete institutions of democracy and Christianity. The theme of a minority of extraordinary personalities forced into positions of mediocrity pervades the whole first half of the movie.
The film is truly dynamic, though, in how it provides a balanced criticism of Nietzsche’s notion of a Superman who wields his power with little regard for the mediocrity that surrounds him. The villain in the film is an upstart mortal who invents means of giving himself artificial superpowers. In this way, the Nietzschean ideal is upheld; the bad guy is an average person who tries to assert himself into a circle of beings amongst which he can never be an equal. The flip side to this is that the villain of the story exists because, as a young adoring fan, he is thoughtlessly rebuffed by Mr. Incredible. The message seems to be that Nietzsche’s ideal requires a degree of compassion and understanding that cannot be expected of anyone. Otherwise, the result is a thoughtless hero who leaves in his wake a mess of broken-hearted souls just waiting to sabotage him.
The movie closes in an admittedly storybook ending (as befits a cartoon) in which society learns it cannot live without the Incredibles and their fellow superheroes, while the heroes come to realize the necessity of living their lives in concert with the society that surrounds them.
I was very impressed with the way The Incredibles presented very weighty themes in a palatable manner. I particularly like the fact that the creators of the movie are brave enough to encase these topics in a format that targets young viewers. Having young people think about the ideas that are brought up in this movie is important in a world where the subject of how America deals with its (arguable) status as sole superpower is more crucial than ever. It is easy to underestimate the strength of the representations put forward in the film, but I’m confident that the stories we tell our children can have a profound impact upon their lives. I know that Star Wars played a part in forming my early notions of good and evil – for better or worse.
Other than that, The Incredibles is just a very fun, humorous movie, and the animation is great. If you have not done so, see it.
The night after I watched The Incredibles, I found myself watching Fight Club. It occured to me that Fight Club serves as a convenient flipside to The Incredibles. Whereas the latter film deals with with the Nietzschean problem from the aspect of extraordinary individuals' conflicts with the outside world, Fight Club deals with the inner conflict of the Superman.
Like The Incredibles, Fight Club starts by seemingly validating the view that mediocrity (inner mediocrity, in this case) should be trampled underfoot in the interest of strength. Anyone who has watched the movie with the DVD commentary might recall director David Fincher explaining that, upon release, many critics commented that the movie promoted facsist ideals. These critics apparently didn't bother watching the second half of the film.
The movie is really the story of how the main character, a seemingly mediocre being who remains significantly nameless, discovers what he feels to be the perfect persona, Tyler Durden. In reality, his attachment to Tyler is just a knee-jerk reaction to his own mundane life. To become a truly "unique snowlake" the main character has to not only leave is old life behind but also defeat Tyler. The story is essentially about the main character finding the strength to overcome the lesser, materialistic trappings of society while also finding a comfortable place within that same society.
Again, aside from all this, Fight Club is just an excellent movie. Interestingly enough, it also works well for television broadcast. I watched it on TV this last time and noticed that there is barely any swearing in it. Apparently, seeing people get the shit beat out of them is A-OK for television, but saying the word shit is unthinkable.
