Mr. Brown's Movie Breakdown: When You're Given The Opportunity Of A Lifetime

Tonight's marathon is about being given the opportunity of a lifetime. Here we are presented with several young men who grew up not knowing much about their fathers, are longing deep down for an opportunity to prove themselves and make a difference in the world, and are approached by wiser and much older men who see something inside them and ultimately offer them a chance to learn from them and save the world. Some of those opportunities are learning how to become a member of an organization called MIB, that monitors the traffiking of extraterrestrial life on Earth, an opportunity to preserve the survival of the human race by retrieving a hidden Earth ship before an enemy species does, an opportunity to become Captain of a Starfleet and fight hostile aliens throughout the galaxy, and finally the chance to become a Jedi Knight, save the kidnapped Princess from the Imperial army, and join the rebel forces in destroying a machine that can destroy planets and conquer galaxies. Tonight's marathon is all about rising to the occasion and being who you were destined to be. We have the following films on the menu for this evening:

Men In Black 1997, Titan AE 2000, Star Trek 2009, and Star Wars: A New Hope 1977

This is a strong marathon that gets more epic and iconic as it goes inevitably building up to the main event of the evening which is A New Hope. What makes movies like Star Wars and Star Trek such great films is that they give the audience heroes to grow with and ultimately root for in the end. Heroes that begin their journeys with the desire to go beyond their limitations and see the world while becoming what they were destined to be, and ultimately what their fathers before them were like. The lack of a father figure is essential to this marathon as each film centers around a young hero who never really got to know his father very well. With the exception of Luke Skywalker's father, all of the fathers of the characters in the movies prior to A New Hope die heroically, sacrificing their lives for their family and for others. Examples of this is J's father in Men in Black lll who shields others from a blast from an alien, Cale's father in Titan A.E, who gives his son an escape pod to fly away in while his planet gets destroyed, and Kirks father in the opening sequence of Star Trek who successfully evacuated his starship and flew it away from danger in an act of self sacrifice. The moment where Luke Skywalker looks into the sunset in A New Hope is one of the most powerful moments in film history as it shows Luke wanting to break away from the binds of being a farm boy and wanting to become a star pilot like his father before him. It is essentially the pairing of movies you wouldn't think would blend together well on the surface but once you think about the narrative behind each film, suddenly it becomes all clear.

The first movie of the marathon is the 1997 blockbuster titled Men In Black starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Linda Fiorentino. The story centers around a secret organization called The Men In Black that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth suddenly facing the ultimate threat of the world coming to an end thanks to the help of a giant alien cockroach disguised as a farmer. It is up to two agents named Agent J and Agent K who investigate the aliens arrival and save the world from total destruction. Men In Black focuses heavily on a near retired agent named K, who seeks out a young police officer named J, an aggressive, anti-authorative young adult who secretly wants more out of his life than just living the life of a cop, and gives him the opportunity to join his secret organization which means severing contact with his past life. J takes the opportunity to join the MIB, and ends up proving himself to be a worthy successor to Agent K, who ends up becoming retired at the end of the film. Men In Black remains one of the most successful movies of all time both in terms of pop culture and box office stature. Much like A New Hope, the film centers around a strong-willed and bright individual who wants to become the person he was destined to be.

The second movie of the marathon is the 2000 science fiction animated film titled Titan A.E featuring the voice talents of Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, John Lequizamo, and Nathan Lane. The story centers around a young man named Cale, who was saved by his father as a child and placed into a fleeing escape pod while the Earth was being destroyed, being sought out by a human captain who tells him that he must find a hidden Earth ship before an evil alien species does in order to preserve the safety of the human race. The opening of Titan A.E parallels the opening of JJ Abrams Star Trek film perfectly with both fathers performing heroic and desperate sacrifices for their families survival and the sons going onto doing great things. The film was not a box office success upon its release but has become a cult classic through life on home video. Unlike Men In Black, Titan A.E has a lot more in common with Star Trek and Star Wars in regards to being a space adventure and having a purpose of saving the world.

The third movie of the marathon is the 2009 Scfi blockbuster and highly regarded reboot to the popular Star Trek series directed by Star Wars The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams. This Star Trek story is different from all the other Star Trek films combined because it shows the origins of Captain James T. Kirk and how he became a Starfleet Captain, while putting together the crew of the Enterprise. Having an attitude problem much like Agent J in Men In Black and Cale in Titan A.E, Kirk begins as a reckless young individual who gets into bar fights while hitting on exotic women. He is approached by Captain Pike who gives Kirk an opportunity to follow his fathers legacy and become Captain of his own fleet. On his way to becoming a Captain, he must contend with the opposing views of Mr. Spock, who keeps him in check. The two must put aside their differences and battle a vengeful time-traveling Romulan who has the power to create black holes, wiping the Federation out one planet at a time. Abrams Star Trek takes the entire Star Trek serious and turns it on it's head by readjusting the timeline of events from the earlier Trek films and changing things to fit the brand new timeline of Abrams Trek films. The film was met with critical acclaim and is often regarded as being one of the finest Star Trek movies ever made. Captain Kirk wanting to live up to the legacy of his father is much in the same vein as Luke Skywalker wanting to live up to the reputation of his father being the greatest Star pilot in the galaxy and looked upon as a great warrior and Jedi Knight. It is the perfect prelude to Star Wars in this lineup.

The fourth and final movie of the marathon is the biggest of them all and in many ways, the main event of the evening. The 1977 Science Fiction blockbuster that started it all, and has gone onto become one of the most influential Scfi fantasy franchises of all time. George Lucas Star Wars: A New Hope became the film that every Science Fiction movie after it aspired to be. The story centers around a young boy named Luke Skywalker whose approached by an old Jedi Knight named Obi Wan Kenobi to help rescue Princess Leia from the imperial army led by the ruthless enemy named Darth Vader, and join the rebellion against the Empire. Nominated for ten academy awards including Best Picture and winner of six total, A New Hope redefined all the possibilities of what a summer blockbuster can be and created a great heroic character named Luke Skywalker, whom audiences followed for six years as he went from a regular farm boy on Tatooine to becoming a Jedi Knight and fulfilling his fathers destiny. What the scene in A New Hope where Luke looks into the sunset signifies is him being a young kid who lusts for a life of great significance and wants a chance to prove himself to the world. Like J, Cale, and Kirk, Luke has a problem with authority but in private, he's a guy deep down whose hungry for an opportunity that'll change his life and he gets just that through his fateful meeting with Obi Wan. Luke Skywalker's story is essentially the science fiction version of The Wizard Of Oz.

So what are all of these movies trying to say as a whole when you put them all together? The marathon says when all of the movies are put together that if someone has a powerful desire to make their dreams come true and wants an opportunity to live a life of great significance, then it will happen if you take a chance on it. Everyone should live out their full potential and desire to do great things. If someone asks you to come with them and help save the world, you should never say no to that because in all honesty, would you really trust someone else to do it over you? The lack of a father figure in one's life does not mean that they abandoned their children, but that sometimes certain circumstances in life prevent them from being there when their children are growing up. Men In Black says that alien do exist and are among us. Titan A.E, Star Trek 2009, and A New Hope all say together as one that when you have faith in your abilities as well as feeling a strong sense of duty, you can defeat your opponents and win the day. NEVER give up on your dreams...nor your destiny.

The Young Heroes: