Invasion of the Memes…?

Just how many movies can be made about aliens and alien invasions….?   If there was any doubt before that this is a primary “meme” present in the media and entertainment industry, then 2012 seems poised to drive the point home even further.  Recently I went and saw the comic book inspired movie “The Avengers”, which of course itself features an invasion of alienish monsters who come from a distant part of the universe through some kind of interdimensional portal to attack the Earth.  But not only that, this movie was preceeded by no less than 3 previews (in fact there may have been more than that) for other films featuring aliens attacking our planet.  The upcoming blockbusters “Battleship”, the comical “MIB 3”, and the alien prequel “Prometheus” are all about alien races which threaten the existence of humanity. 

So what?  It’s just Hollywood.  It’s just mindless entertainment.  But after my last trip to the cinema, I honestly could not shake the question as to WHY this topic is reaching near obsession levels in modern movies…   Haven’t we already exhausted this concept?  Hasn’t there already been countless movies made about aliens coming to earth to wreak havoc and destruction?  I guess what I find incredibly interesting is that not only is the theme of alien invasion not going away, but it seems to be increasingly cross-pollinated with other concepts of occultism and New Age deception.  The yet to be released “Prometheus” takes the ancient aliens concept a la Von Daniken and makes it a key plot element.  In the movie “Avengers”, we see Norse “mythology” (what is actually ancient European paganism) being seemlessly interwoven with more modern types of superheroes.  The antagonist “Loki” opens a portal using a magical object called the “Tesseract” (a new age term/concept) to open an interdimensional portal, allowing an army of demonic-looking aliens to come through and attack the pitifully helpless humans. 

Every year, more and more films seem to come out repeating this same, tired sequence.  A race of hostile, technologically-advanced beings decides to suddenly attack the Earth.  Somehow, an individual or group of people, whether ordinary folks or super-powered heroes, fights and defeats the onslaught.  Humanity, after surviving the prospect of annihilation, realizes how petty our differences are and a new era of peace and global cooperation is born.  Basically, this is the “message” that virtually every alien invasion movie delivers.  Sure, sometimes the bad aliens are defeated with the help of good aliens.  Some the bad aliens aren’t that bad after all, and they’re here to save us from destroying ourselves.  Sometimes human civilization has to ultimately start over and go back to being tribes of hunter/gatherers.  In any case, there is ALWAYS the spectacle of the “unveiling”, that first moment where both ordinary citizens and governments are smacked with the realization that “we are not alone”.  That always seems to be the most titilating moment of any alien movie, the moment where the viewer first gets to see…  What do they look like?  What is inside their massive ship?  Are they evil or benevolent?  What do they plan to do? 

Maybe that is really the whole point (if indeed there is a “point”…)  Maybe it’s just about constantly wetting the appetite, constantly rekindling the interest in whatever else is “out there”.  I used to think that the concept of “memes” and this ubiquitous presence of alien invasions in film was maybe too ridiculous to seriously think that people are being mentally “prepped” for something.  But, the more I see these types of movies coming out again, and again, and again, it becomes harder and harder to keep dismissing it. 

A few upcoming titles that should be coming out later this year (which don’t seem to have trailers for them yet) are movies like:

“The Grays” – A triumvirate of Grays, known as the Three Thieves, has occupied a small Kentucky town for decades–abducting its residents and manipulating fates and bloodlines in hopes of creating an ultra-intelligent human being. Nine-year-old Conner Callahan will face the ultimate terror as he struggles to understand who he has been bred to be and what he must do to save humanity.

“Extraterrestial” – A man wakes in a strange apartment after a long night of drinking. When his unfamiliar bedmate tries to usher him out, they both discover that spaceships are hovering over Madrid.

“Space Invaders” – (no synopsis given) Based on the 1978 video game.  (based on the title, seems pretty safe to assume it has something to do with invaders from space…)

Also, an upcoming release that seems worth mentioning (although it’s not strictly an alien invasion movie) is “The Traveler” – Traveler is set in a U.S. society run by a secret organization seeking to control the population via constant observation. Seeking to rebel against these constraints are an almost extinct group of people called Travelers, who can project their spirit into other dimensions, and their protectors, called Harlequins.  (!!)

Memes, memes and more memes.  Obviously, this is only a tiny slice of the vast amount of content one could point to in this discussion, but it’s a start I guess.  Is the world population actually being psychologically prepared to “react” to some future invasion-type event (whether real or fabricated)..?  Time will tell I suppose…