POWER THEMES: NO SACRIFICE, NO VICTORY
“We will seek out paths of greatest resistance for the challenge, and to prove we can conquer what could end us.”
Themes we know all too well.
I watched the movie Transformers:The Last Knight this weekend. I was thoroughly entertained. I don't have anything against the Transformers, but it's usually not my go-to franchise. This movie, however, made me revisit them all and it may be the best one of the lot.
What makes it special? The stardom was good: Mark Wahlberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Turturro, and of course the great voice of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. The visual effects were spectacular, as we have grown to expect from a Michael Bay film.
Mostly, though, it was fun to revisit the array of themes crammed into this film, summarized by the extreme phrase "no sacrifice, no victory." Throughout the film this phrase serves to inspire our heroes to take the next step in solving their crisis, no matter the cost.
This is not a movie summary. This is a love letter to the themes that make movies fun.
We enjoy concepts that span time.
I don't know whether it is the human need to extend lifespan or the simple curiosity of knowing where we came from and where we are going. It seems to be true, however, that we love to believe that the cause and effect happenings of people and planet are part of some larger plan. This shows up in our entertainment and our daily conversation. After all, "everything happens for a reason."
We enjoy off-the-scale visual experiences.
Imagination is limitless in that we can portray impossible things far beyond their normal boundaries. Imagination is limited in that most human minds have a small buffer, a small movie screen, within which to play the portrayal. Enter entertainment computer software, which can extend the buffer and remove all human limits and boundaries. We gorge ourselves at virtual tables.
We enjoy the heroic.
If you have never fantasied about doing something well beyond your capabilities, then I think you should take time to do that now. Something powerful happens when we visualize being a Category 10 Hero, when we are in reality only a Category 2 Hero. Somehow, by this exercise, we move the needle of potential – sometimes by a whole; sometimes by a fraction. Love your own heroism.
We enjoy victory over impossible odds.
Win or Die Trying. No Fear. You Live Once. Ride or Die. All the bumper stickers that lodge themselves into the collective conscience. We will seek out paths of greatest resistance for the challenge, and to prove we can conquer what could end us. If the primal choices are fight, flight, or freeze, which one would attract your attention most?
We like surprise, anticipation, and uncertainty.
There is a reason gambling is addictive. It brings with it a feel-good chemical rush created by the human endocrine system in response to some interesting external stimuli. Risk is part of life, but often we seek it out deliberately. We gravitate toward being teased, toward anticipation of the testing of our skill.
These are the Power Themes we love and that partially drive us as a culture. Watch the movie. You will love it!
