On Superbowl Sunday, millions of people around the world will see this trailer, and I’m guessing there are a number of them who might be left with one question…
What is this movie about?
Oh sure, I know and you know, because we’ve read the book. And even though no scenes remotely resembling the contents of this trailer appear in the novel, we at least know what the general plot is based on the title. But for the uninitiated, the trailer leaves out one tiny little detail that might be relevant to those contemplating plunking down hard earned cash to see this movie. I’m talking about, of course… zombies.
Maybe it’s just me, but I would think if you’re going to make a multi-million dollar zombie movie based on the best selling zombie novel of all time, you might want to tell folks that, oh, I don’t know… there are some zombies in your motion picture! Yeah, they may look like some crap leftover from a video game what with their physics defying activities and all, but nevertheless, they’re zombies. And if you just can’t bring yourself to say the word, at least put some small print somewhere on the screen saying something like Warning: Film Contains Zombies. Trust me, I worked in a movie theater for years, and just because a lot of people read the book does not mean everyone knows what the movie is. And some folks might just like to know about the flesh rending gut chomping zombies up front before they buy a ticket. Just saying.
And thinking about it a bit more, shouldn’t the same principle apply to evangelization as well? I’m not saying every word that comes out of your mouth should be about your faith, because, well, that would get annoying real quick. I mean, if someone asks you what you think they should do about their cat’s hairball problem, then yelling at them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior will probably result in nothing more than their avoiding you for the next few years. But in those instances where they actually question you about faith-related things, like what’s the deal with that rosary hanging from your rear view mirror or how is it you’re able to handle the stresses of the office just a little bit better than most people, then don’t clam up and tell them it’s personal. Don’t be afraid to tell people what’s the driving force behind your story. They may not buy a ticket right away, but in the long run they’ll appreciate the honesty.
6 comments:
1. I'm so glad you said that about nothing in the trailer remotely resembling anything from the book. I read the book when it first came out, sitting poolside in a gorgeous rental home in Florida. Where there may have been lots of poolside drinks flowing.
"Huh," I thought to myself when I first saw this trailer, "none of this looks familiar. I was sure I'd kept the margarita consumption within child-care friendly parameters while reading, so maybe I was suffering from undiagnosed heat stroke, and that's why I don't recognize this."
But now I know that it was neither tequila, nor sun poisoning, nor poor reading skills on my part.
Whew. I feel better. Thank you.
2. I agree- there's a difference between providing people with multiple, surface contact with your Faith like you describe and being a Catholic ninja. One is approachable- the other is undetectable.
3. As always, the best catechism blog on the interwebz.
Hmm. I haven't read the book and I def. wouldn't have guessed there were zombies. I was thinking disaster/alien invasion. Love the guys hand-carrying the Constitution to safety.
About evangelizing--yes! Esp. a good idea to think now about how we might explain self-denial to folks during Lent in a positive way.
Xena Catolica
"What is this?" "We don't know." I'll call that a fair warning.
" I'm so glad you said that about nothing in the trailer remotely resembling anything from the book. "
Yeah, I'm not one of those who insists on movies slavishly sticking to the source materials (except, for obvious reasons, Bible movies), but this looks like a definite case of "inspired by" rather than "adapted from."
"a good idea to think now about how we might explain self-denial to folks during Lent in a positive way."
I hadn't even thought of Lent coming up. A perfect opportunity if ever there was one.
"I'll call that a fair warning."
And 99% of the time you'd be absolutely right. But I'm a guy who had to sell tickets to that 1% carrying preschoolers into Candyman and then waiting for the inevitable request for a refund, so maybe I'm being over-cautious :)
The thing that gets me is that the movie obviously depicts the so-called "fast zombies" favored by filmmakers today. One of the enduring things about the book was its sticking with the beloved "shambling zombies" of yore.
I also prefer the classic slow zombies. At this point, the trailers for this movie looks so far removed from the book they may as well have changed the name.
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