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What is So Special About Vampires, Wizards and Death Games?
As the final installment of the ‘Twilight’ film series is about to hit theaters, it is hard not to wonder why those books translated so well on to the silver screen? The same question could be asked about ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Hunger Games’. Why are people so attracted to those specific stories about vampires, wizards and televised death games? The answer is that they were written in a way that make us want to believe they exist, regardless of how absurd that may seem in the face of every day reality.
Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games all appeal to young people. That is when humans still have the capacity to imagine the impossible, before the harsh realities of life sink in and we all become more concerned about things like our jobs and paying the bills. That’s not to say that many adults are not also drawn to these books, they are and in droves. Fictional books and films have always been about allowing us to escape reality for a while. What better way to do it than by watching vampires try to survive without eating all their human friends, seeing good wizards cast spells to defend the world against evil ones, and watching desperately hungry people try to kill each other in what someday could be the ultimate Reality TV Show?
If you believe you will have seen the last of the Cullens, Harry or Katniss when those film franchises finally catch up with the last of the books in each of those series, think again! Hollywood loves sequels that generate huge sums of money and with box office receipts slipping significantly for most new films these days, they need every franchise blockbuster hit they can get. Authors also get used to having lots of cash around. It would not surprise me to find that after they get done doing the typical ‘exploring other subjects’ thing, Stephenie Meyer, J.K Rowling and Suzanne Collins return with reboots of their unbelievably popular stories. Even if those authors do not come back with more of the same, others are waiting in the wings with amazing stories of their own.
As far as film sequels go, movie fans can’t seem to get enough of them. Who thought that Bruce Willis would again be playing Officer John McClane twenty five years and four hit films after Die Hard first hit theaters in 1988? ‘It’s A Good Day To Die Hard’ is set to premiere in February of 2013. When Arnold said, “I’ll be back,” he wasn’t kidding! A new Terminator film with the former Governator is in the planning stage and due sometime in the next few years. Likewise, Harrison Ford is in talks to reprise his role as Han Solo in the new ‘Star Wars’ film which is now in the large and cartoony white-gloved hands of the Disney people.
Elvis Presley was once scolded by a journalist for not touring during a time when the iconic performer was taking a break from the road. Instead, he was making movies and recording studio albums. After a meeting with The Beatles at Graceland during the mid-1960s, the King Of Rock and Roll decided to follow in their footsteps by laying down studio music tracks instead of constantly touring. That break allowed him to re-focus on his music and even afforded him the opportunity to record tracks in his own living room at Graceland. After the journalist tried to tell the King that he owed it to his fans to tour, Elvis said, “The only thing I owe my fans is to make records.”
It’s difficult not to feel that authors who create stories which become wildly popular and almost take on a life of their own owe their fans more. People who stand in line at midnight to buy the next Twilight, Potter or Hunger Games book are not interested in hearing about whatever excuses their favorite authors use to avoid writing yet another book in those series. They feel that they were the ones who gave those authors the fame and success they enjoy, so it is not unfair to expect those writers to keep the sequels coming. The problem is that people fail to understand that just like Elvis, people sometimes get burnt out on even the most successful things they do and need to take a break or make a change.
The good news is that there are always new authors with equally exciting stories about many of the same subjects ready to replace those who are no longer willing to churn out sequels. Just look at the Vampire Chronicles from Anne Rice. That was then, Twilight is now. The success of stories about vampires, wizards and futuristic death games lies our ability to believe that such things can be true. Before you doubt, read George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and see how an author managed to write a book in 1949 that would accurately predict many things about the world we live in today.
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