How Far Do We Go?

DH and I watched I Am Legend last night...and today. I couldn't watch it in the dark - I almost tore the arm of the couch off. Sunlight made it much more bearable. I was actually feeling anxious, my heart was racing and I was physically feeling sick. I couldn't figure out what was bothering me the most. After we switched to some Alias - hey, Sidney Bristow I can get behind - I was thinking about what it was that bothered me the most about the movie.

If you haven't seen it yet, I'll try to not spoil anything. It's centered around the theory that a virus was found that cures cancer. The whole world jumps on the bandwagon. Then, as inevitably happens, something goes awry and this "cure" becomes a whole new beast, an epidemic that kills something like 99% of the world. The remaining 1% are either immune or have devolved due to the virus. That's the plot in a nutshell. I won't tell you how it ends because it's really not important, except to consider if the endings of this type of movie lead us to forget the cause and only focus on what may be.

I realized what bothered me the most is the same thing that bothers me about most zombie movies. There is always a very real cause or catalyst leading to the destruction of a very proud and haughty human race. Are we so far removed from becoming like these movies and books? Are we so sure of ourselves and our quests to unravel all of the mysteries, good and bad, that we'll end ourselves? Will millions of us suffer someday for what an elite few deem necessary without enough research to disprove this theory? Will our passion to end all illness actually cause greater destruction?

Only time will tell whether these questions are ever something to be worried over other than theoretically. In the meantime, if you want a movie that will make you question where our passions, desires and inquiries will lead us, watch I Am Legend....but you might want to leave the lights on.