I don’t know how many of you folks out there are science fiction or fantasy fans. If you’re not, I think it’s your loss. Despite what your bitchy old maid English teacher told you in Jr. High School, it’s just as legitimate a literature as any other and asks the big questions about the “human condition” just as well as any other, sometimes better. After all, what’s more important than the future and the genre provides an excellent opportunity for “if this goes on” kinds of stories.
Naturally, the message people draw from these stories depend a lot on what they bring to the story with them. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is a classic example. It is excellently written with a depth and attention to detail one seldom sees. Virtually everyone who reads the books insists on seeing them as allegorical, i.e. one extended metaphor from cover to cover. I’ve met people who see an object lesson on abandoning traditional values, others who see the Second World War acted out in a commentary on fascism, still other see an environmental angle with the Ents. Lots of us have met hippy folk in the 60s and 70s quite convinced the stories foretold the peace, love, and dope generation. So much so that they insist the Hobbit’s pipeweed is marijuana. The point being that despite the author’s intention a reader may take a totally different message home than the author intended. And no, that admission doesn’t legitimize that stupid deconstructionist crap.
So it is with the movie Chronicles of Riddick starring Vin Diesel, a sorta, kinda sequel to Pitch Black. I enjoyed the movie greatly. I thought it was great story, although many might find it too dark in tone. This wasn’t a problem for me since I like my entertainment a little on the dark side. I’m one of those people that find people who are always chipper and happy intolerable. Morning people are particularly irritating. If you see me chipper and happy go-lucky, it’s probably raining. But I digress.
I’m not going to go all through the movie, so for the 3 or 4 of you who haven’t seen it, grab the DVD. I’m going to concern myself with the heavies in the movie, the Necromongers. I found these blood-thirsty closed-minded homicide machines to be a perfect metaphor for our present day Muslims. Ironically, one of the first people they waste in the film is a Muslim Imam. I know, I know. Muslims in the future? It doesn’t compute, but no movie is perfect.
The Necromonger’s religious beliefs are beyond bizarre, they are demonstrably insane. In order to achieve their paradise, the UnderVerse, they are dedicated to setting things right. Unfortunately for everybody that isn’t one of them, the Necromongers consider life itself to be a cosmic mistake, a tragic accident, a cosmic infestation if you will. They are literally a death cult. They practice what they preach by sterilizing themselves when they become Necromongers to prevent themselves from adding to the problem. Consequently, they increase only by conversion, which is easier than it sounds since the only other choice is to be murdered. Sound familiar? This is their only function. They travel from place to place, planet to planet, and destroy everything the find. Those that will convert are converted into killing machines themselves. Everyone that won’t is killed. Then the process is repeated somewhere else. They are relentless and are too far gone to be reasoned with. They know that their cause is righteous and the only way; they will brook no disagreement. That should also sound familiar.
That is certainly an interesting take on the film. I can see how that parallel can be drawn. Do you think it possible that other parallels can be drawn though?
The protagonist (Riddick) saves the day, and I’m not exactly sure that he had any kind of religious faith at all. Could we then draw the parallel of “non-religion wins over religion”?
Ron, that’s quite a mine field you want me to tap dance in. I don’t remember anything that indicated Riddick’s spiritual beliefs one way or the other. He might have been a profound believer in something for all we know. He did seem to respect the imam for instance. Even though Riddick was quite passionate about a number of things, he was probably the most rational character in the movie. Perhaps in his own way he represented reason versus emotion.
I’m not sure if I’d take the ‘Reason vs Emotion’ approach.
From what we know of Riddick in both films (primarily from the first) the character is definitely in touch with the animal part of himself (we’ll just say instinct). I think that is one of the things that made this character interesting: a rejection of reason and emotion in favor of instinct.
His concerns extend only to himself, and he has absolutely no interest in helping the others off the planet if it jeopardizes his own chance of escape.
The protagonist is changed by the end of the film by experiencing emotion at a deep level at the expense of reason and instinct. He makes the decision to go back for the others despite his own guaranteed escape.
I suppose if the first film represents a transition from instinct to emotion, then it is possible the second is a transition from emotion to reason… but I don’t think we really see that in the film.
…
I seem to have lost my train of thought.
The analogy was a bit of a stretch and not quite what I had in mind, but it was the best I could come up with at the time.
Perhaps suicide and slaughter versus survival and rational self-interest?
ok I have a question how did you figure all of the Necromongers ways I was doing some research and going threw a lot of articles but ended up with my needle on empty I want to know if there is more on this “cult” or “religion” I am interested in knowing there ways in way I can see where your getting at but I think it goes much deeper than what your saying. in the movie they have a leader that has been to the “promice land” where in our life ppl claim to have been but have no proof…but whos to say whos wrong also??? Eh! im just me
It’s an old, old post from my previous blog. As I recall, vaguely, I gathered the information from Wikipedia and some fan sites that claimed to be based on more detailed descriptions from tie-in novels.