5.2 KiB
[RST][HF][DC] "The Gospel According to Stephenson" - Upcoming movie: rationalist cop vs. dangerously genre-savvy vampire
-
Author: u/Adamantium9001 United Federation of Planets*
-
URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/3o9byi/rsthfdc_the_gospel_according_to_stephenson/
-
Score: 22
-
Created: 2015-10-10T20:52:46
Post:
Trailer: (short version), (extended)
12-minute interview with the director (he says it's thematically similar to classic Star Trek)
website: http://stephensonmovie.com
Crowdfunding page (1st phase) (3 days left as of this writing)
Comments:
u/ToaKraka [+9] https://i.imgur.com/OQGHleQ.png (30 minutes later)
Some interesting snippets, for those who say "tl;dr"...
From the "Synopsis" page on the website:
After a 120-year sleep, Stephenson--a hybrid form of human being with vampire-like characteristics--awakens in 2015 to a world he could never have imagined, one he must learn about quickly in order to implement his ultimate plans. Capitalizing on modern society's pop-culture obsession with vampires, Stephenson lures followers into adopting the vampire "lifestyle", with its promise of an amoral and responsibility-free existence. As the centerpiece of his master plan, Stephenson appeals to the human desire for immortality to promote his own twisted Gospel of "Eternal Life: Guaranteed"--the foundation of his new religion.
From the "Do You Believe?" page on the website:
"The Gospel According to Stephenson" is a horror movie with the theme of the believer vs. the skeptic at the very heart of the film's conflict. The basic story concerns the appearance of what appears to be a supernatural being in our modern society--Stephenson--and how the worldview of the people he comes in contact with colors their perception of him. Those with a supernatural worldview--"The Believers"--see him as an evil being needing to be stopped in the name of God and morality. Those with a naturalistic world view--"The Skeptics"--see vampirism as a disease that needs to be understood, and if necessary, cured. The Believers call in armies of Christians armed with crosses, wooden stakes and holy water. The Skeptics call in reason and science in the form of the CDC.
In coming up with the concepts for "The Gospel According to Stephenson," considerable research has been conducted with medical doctors and neuro-scientists to come up with a rational scientific explanation for how a vampire could actually exist, how vampirism is passed from person to person, and to explain Stephenson's "powers." Is Stephenson a new, hybrid species of human being? If so, does the vampire have the same rights as a "normal" human being? If people are lining up voluntarily to become vampires, is what he is doing evil or in need of being stopped?
u/brandalizing [+6] Reserve Pigeon Army (28 minutes later)
By the end of the extended trailer, I was ready to evil-laugh along with him. This looks incredibly intriguing.
u/ArgentStonecutter [+7] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (an hour later)
What's the downside?
u/None [+6] (2 hours later)
Probably the standard stuff - a nice solid tweak to the utility function, need for blood to survive. Probably a morality update.
u/JackStargazer [+2] Primordial Apologist (a day later)
I'm also assuming vampires cannot have children the natural way, which might be a problem in the proper long term.
u/Sailor_Vulcan [+2] Champion of Justice and Reason (2 hours later)
Probably the methods that he uses in order to convince people to become vampires. No needles or anesthetics, only teeth, since it's unlikely to be approved by the FDA by the time the story begins.
Although to be fair, brainwashing is reversible and the pain would be temporary, but death...not so much. Also the part where one of the vampires called someone "my child" was just creepy and unwarranted, although maybe creepiness was done on purpose in order to be thematic or something, but considering how many of the other characters would likely take that kind of comment seriously, it probably wasn't a smart thing for him to say.
u/None [+3] (3 hours later)
He is a priest, a after all.
u/Chosen_Pun [+3] The Chosen Ones (3 days later)
I feel like the scene in the trailer with the door-to-door vampires was something of a missed opportunity for a thresholds joke.
I mean, the guy did have a line right afterward asking viewers to 'let them in' but it's like they went right up to the point where it would be overtly funny but didn't quite, uh, cross, it...
Hm.
u/puesyomero [+2] The Culture (19 hours later)
looks like it will be fun. Vampirism as is seems like a really neat idea, but if vampires need human blood and no other replacement is found it could turn from religion to Ponzi scheme really fast and crumble under its own weight...