Скачать или смотреть Steven D. Greydanus, "Humanism and Nihilism in Superhero Multiverse Movies," 9/29/2023

Steven D. Greydanus, film critic & founder of Decent Films
"Crisis of Meaning on Infinite Earths: Humanism and Nihilism in Superhero Multiverse Movies," Faith, Film, and Philosophy 2023, 9/29/2023

Multiverse storytelling has been part of superhero lore for at least 70 years. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ongoing “Multiverse Saga” arc and the wildly popular, critically acclaimed Spider-Verse animated movies, the multiverse concept currently has the biggest pop culture stage of our time. However, the multiverse theme has a long pedigree in superhero comics that goes back 70 years to the very beginnings of DC and Marvel superhero narratives.

What does continuing interest in multiverses in the superhero genre tell us? Is the multiverse ready for its closeup? What significance does the multiverse theme have for philosophical and theological questions? The search for signposts of meaning in narratives of infinitely branching possibilities may lead to unexpected destinations: some trailing off in nothingness; others fraught with significance. Join film critic Steven Greydanus for a wild ride across 70 plus years of superhero comics and films to investigate answers.

Steven D. Greydanus is a film critic with film reviews and commentary in media such as National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, Crux, Christianity Today, and Catholic World Report. He is founder of Decent Films, a member of the New York Film Critics Circle, and a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

This event was part of the series, Multiverses and Alternate Realities: Other Worlds in Film, sponsored by the Gonzaga Faith & Reason Institute, September 25-29, 2023. The idea of multiple universes existing simultaneously has roots in both philosophical reflections on possible worlds and contemporary physical cosmology but has become a major theme in recent popular films, such as 2023 Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once and movies in the Marvel Universe. These explorations of other cinematic worlds join older films that explore alternate possible paths of experience and action such as the classic Run, Lola Run, virtual realities of The Matrix and the Westworld series, imaginary worlds of fantasy films such as Avatar, alternative history explorations such as The Man in the High Castle, and films such as Total Recall that combine different forms of alternative reality. What motivates cinematic interest in alternate realities, especially at this particular historical moment? Do multiverse and alternate reality films reflect fears of possible dystopias far worse than the world we inhabit? Better possibilities to inspire us? Variant duplications of the world that we find more intriguing than mundane reality?

Gonzaga Faith & Reason Institute
Gonzaga University
https://www.gonzaga.edu/academics/gon...