End of the world as we know it, and I feel fine...

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SOME POSSIBLE SPOILERS LATE ON. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THE FILMS MENTIONED, DO THAT FIRST.

(Although, really you should have seen them by now. We live in an age of instant access, what are you playing at? You make me sick. Not really. Love you. Anyway...)

I love post-apocalyptia. There, I said it.

While the idea of an event, or series of events which would lead to the devastation of a landscape (or the entire world) is horrifying to say the least, there's something about that world that both fascinates and and appeals to me, in the same morbid way that people enjoy the gore and horror of any classic slasher from Hostel to Saw, or even the creepiness of the 'PG' Coraline.

Seriously, who ever decided the age rating for Coraline, what the hell? While it's awesome that they're making kids movie's with a little more substance and flair than the usual fluff served up, that movie is creepy as balls. I haven't read the book, so I'm not sure whether this is more to do with Neil Gaiman's original story or Henry Selick's direction, although apparently Gaiman approved of the final product. Still, I'm almost certain at least 45% of the movie's creepiness comes from the stop-motion animation. There's something about that kind of character motion, riding the fine line between robotic and humanistic, that puts me slightly on edge; even when I'm watching Wallace and Gromit. Won't be forgetting that particular penguin anytime soon.

I'm getting away from myself. Let's get back to the wonderland that is the post-apocalypse, and why I just can't get enough.

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly why. Part of it I'm sure is the various post-apocalyptic works I have been exposed to. As of this moment, Fallout 3 remains my favourite video game. It has it's critics, but I really enjoyed The Book of Eli. And even with it's much maligned 'fast zombie's', I've yet to enjoy a zombie film more than I did 28 Days Later. But what within these makes their post-apoc world so enjoyable?

First of all, freedom. Maybe it's just because part of me wanted to be an explorer á la Indiana Jones, but the idea that I could go anywhere, wander to my hearts content. Say what you want about the destabalisation of civilisation, it certainly opens doors for you. For example, in Fallout 3 I can wander across a radiation-ravaged Washington, D.C. until I come to a factory that, before said ravaging, built robots. I can enter that factory and, providing I survive the remaining automaton's in the factories desolate hall's and corridor's, scavenge whatever I require to survive. Now whether the appeal of that is more down to laser battles with robots or the freedom to roam where I please is up for debate, but the latter is definitely a factor.

With that destabilisation of civilisation also comes the complete absence of health & safety. Forget the whole apocalypse thing for a minute; just imagine a world without the multi-layered cotton wool of health & safety. That's a world I want to live in, providing I survive the initial apocalypse of course.

My second post-apocalypse pro comes from a creative standpoint. I should preface this point by stating that one thing I would like to do with my life is write fiction (I say 'one of' because I don't really know exactly what I want to do, but more on that another time). A major part of writing any fictional tale is the setting. While I'll admit it's easier to pick a pre-existing area and set your story there, personally I prefer to build my own world's and fill them with characters, Sim's style. That may be more of a comment on my laziness and reluctance in researching for stories than on the virtues of the post-apocalyptic landscape but you know what? Shut up, Admiral Snippy of the SS Judgemental, your glares aren't welcome here.

Anyway, the point still stands. Once everything from the Old World has crumbled, the wasteland that's left is pretty much a blank canvas. Maybe a few structures from the previous civilisation are still knocking about, but whether anyone remembers what they were originally for is again, up to the creator. This is an important part of The Book of Eli, where pretty much all of America has been flattened into dust, but Carnegie has founded and controls a town based on old watering sources he remembers from the old days. It never states exactly where in America this town is, but in terms of plot it doesn't really matter, because after the apocalypse it may as well be the only town left.

Carnegie's control of his town links rather nicely into my third reason for loving post-apocalyptia, and that is that it can serve as the catalyst for as unbiased an examination of the human condition as there may be. Carnegie wishes to gain the book Eli carries, a Bible, so that he can use it's message to take complete control of the citizens of his town. However, in his desperation to have the book, he ultimately sacrifices both his health and control of the town, losing everything. This desperation is a theme throughout many post-apocalyptic works. Often, groups of humans resort to cannibalism to combat the lack of food. Only when everything is lost do we find out how low we will sink to survive.

In 28 Days Later, the male soldiers, having been without female companionship since possibly before the outbreak of infection, lose all sense of honour and decency when faced with female survivors, commenting on humanities basic needs. Meanwhile, the main female survivor, who is portrayed throughout the whole film as a ruthless survivalist who would abandon fellow survivors 'in a heartbeat' if they fell behind, suddenly begins to show mothering instincts when faced with a young teenager girl who has recently lost her father. This is a comment on human instincts, with the post-apocalyptic setting serving as a catalyst for that characteristic appearing.

Of course, there are many different kinds of apocalyptic disaster. If one is going to happen, my money's on all the weather-based disasters hitting at once. Tsunami's, earthquake's, tornado's and everything in between. Nuclear destruction, while likely, is all too obvious to actually happen and unfortunately a widespread zombie outbreak just isn't feasible at the moment.

Anyway, that's why I love the many world's of the post-apocalypse. I'm a little sorry this post was so long, but I hope you enjoyed reading it, even if it took several days. Leave any comments you want; how I could improve my blog-writing, whether you love or hate post-apocalyptia, what you had for lunch today, anything that you think of, leave a comment.

A very good day to you, beloved Sir's and Madam's.