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September 12, 2011 4:05 PM Subscribe
Besides "The Abyss," what are some other Sci Fi movies in which a demonstration of a protagonist's love (for either spouse or family member) ends up being what saves the world?
I've been trying to think of other science fiction movies where an act of love or self-sacrifice for another human on the protagonist's part, DIRECTLY leads to the aliens/invading factor deciding to spare humanity/the planet and realize we're not so bad after all.
I want movies in which two people's love for each other directly ends up saving the world, because their love has made such an impression on whatever forces are on the verge of destroying humanity.
Difficulty: the love has to be between two humans, not between a human and an alien or otherworldly being, a la "The Fifth Element."
Thanks!
I've been trying to think of other science fiction movies where an act of love or self-sacrifice for another human on the protagonist's part, DIRECTLY leads to the aliens/invading factor deciding to spare humanity/the planet and realize we're not so bad after all.
I want movies in which two people's love for each other directly ends up saving the world, because their love has made such an impression on whatever forces are on the verge of destroying humanity.
Difficulty: the love has to be between two humans, not between a human and an alien or otherworldly being, a la "The Fifth Element."
Thanks!
Maybe a stretch, but The Matrix? Toward the end, Neo's basically dead, shot to pieces, and Trinity admits her love for him and pleads with him to get up, and he does, and kicks some Agent ass?
posted by xedrik at 4:07 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by xedrik at 4:07 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Armageddon? Kind of stretching it on the Sci Fi part...
posted by jangie at 4:14 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jangie at 4:14 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you enjoyed that theme in the movie version of the Abyss, I highly recommend the novelization by Orson Scott Card. The book is based on the movie and flushes out the background of the major characters, particularly the meeting, marriage and divorce of Lindsay and Bud. It's one of the best examples of a complex relationship in SciFi.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:42 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:42 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
You could possibly make the argument for the first Star Trek movie.
posted by gnomeloaf at 4:48 PM on September 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by gnomeloaf at 4:48 PM on September 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
Um. Star Wars? I'm pretty sure that if Han didn't have any tingly feelings for Leia he wouldn't have stuck around. Don't know if that counts for what you are looking for.
posted by two lights above the sea at 4:54 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by two lights above the sea at 4:54 PM on September 12, 2011
This isn't exactly what you are looking for, but one could argue that the complex relationship between Luke and Darth Vader -- how it was played out in conflict and yet was reconciled at the end of the day with Vader being redeemed when he saves Luke's life -- was a major undercurrent that affected the outcome of the movie.
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:54 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:54 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
The OP is not asking for examples where love was a key plot device in saving the good guys. The OP is looking for examples where a manifestation of love among humans actually made the alien would-be bad guy decide not to slaughter humanity after all.
Perhaps TVTropes has some ideas? Here's their Abyss page. This theme may or may not be recognized as one of their "tropes."
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:59 PM on September 12, 2011
Perhaps TVTropes has some ideas? Here's their Abyss page. This theme may or may not be recognized as one of their "tropes."
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:59 PM on September 12, 2011
The Day The Earth Stood Still?
It definitely has that element of humanity on trial and if I recall correctly it was a mother/son relationship that made humanity seem worthwhile to the alien even with all our pesky violence and warring. (There's also a remake with Keanu Reeves which I have not seen.)
posted by coffeepot at 5:03 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
It definitely has that element of humanity on trial and if I recall correctly it was a mother/son relationship that made humanity seem worthwhile to the alien even with all our pesky violence and warring. (There's also a remake with Keanu Reeves which I have not seen.)
posted by coffeepot at 5:03 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Return of the Jedi.
both Luke and Vader's love for one another.
posted by Ironmouth at 5:11 PM on September 12, 2011
both Luke and Vader's love for one another.
posted by Ironmouth at 5:11 PM on September 12, 2011
The animated series Robotech has love as a strong central theme over three arcs. In the first, the Macross Saga, love turns some aliens into allies and others into enemies. The alien allies help ensue humanity's survival.
The love between Baltar and Six in Battlestar Galatica may fit, depending on how human is defined.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:14 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
The love between Baltar and Six in Battlestar Galatica may fit, depending on how human is defined.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:14 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Altered States? Not aliens, and only possibly saving "the world" depending on how you interpret the swirling vortex at the end.
posted by cocoagirl at 5:16 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by cocoagirl at 5:16 PM on September 12, 2011
A Wrinkle in Time
posted by libraryhead at 5:28 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by libraryhead at 5:28 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Maybe a stretch, but The Matrix? Toward the end, Neo's basically dead, shot to pieces, and Trinity admits her love for him and pleads with him to get up, and he does, and kicks some Agent ass?
The situation is turned around and given a finer point in The Matrix Reloaded. Neo is given a choice to reboot the Matrix or try to save Trinity. Not rebooting the Matrix will trigger a catastrophic system crash that will kill the millions of humans locked inside the Matrix, and then the Machines will destroy Zion, anyway. Moreover, there's no guarantee that he can even save Trinity at all.
These actions lead up to the third movie, where Neo literally sacrifices himself in the name of a truce between Men and Machines, and the Architect agrees to keep his word and free the people that wish to escape the Matrix.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:37 PM on September 12, 2011
The situation is turned around and given a finer point in The Matrix Reloaded. Neo is given a choice to reboot the Matrix or try to save Trinity. Not rebooting the Matrix will trigger a catastrophic system crash that will kill the millions of humans locked inside the Matrix, and then the Machines will destroy Zion, anyway. Moreover, there's no guarantee that he can even save Trinity at all.
These actions lead up to the third movie, where Neo literally sacrifices himself in the name of a truce between Men and Machines, and the Architect agrees to keep his word and free the people that wish to escape the Matrix.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:37 PM on September 12, 2011
The recent film adaptation of Thor includes a plot point where the mortal Thor sacrifices himself to Loki and the Destroyer, which saves his friends and thereby proves himself worthy of regaining his Asgardian power, according to the terms of Odin's spell. Power returned, Thor then slaps Loki and the Destroyer upside the ears.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:39 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:39 PM on September 12, 2011
Maybe Sunshine? Cillian Murphy's character (Capa) has parents, and a sister with offspring, and he cares about them enough to complete the mission.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:02 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:02 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Donnie Darko, arguably. It depends on your interpretation of the ending.
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:18 PM on September 12, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:18 PM on September 12, 2011 [2 favorites]
TVTropes' Love Redeems and The Power of Love seem related, but don't have many examples that fit your criteria.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:26 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:26 PM on September 12, 2011
Best answer: Possibly not what you want, but: there's an episode of The Outer Limits (the 1960s one) called "A Feasibility Study". An entire town is transported to an alien planet to see if the human race will make suitable slaves. After some deliberation, the humans decide to deliberately infect themselves with an alien disease to sabotage the study and spare the rest of humanity. The closing scene of the people joining hands one by one (the disease spreads by touch) is one of the strongest depictions I've ever seen of an utterly selfless act taken for the benefit of people who will never know about it.
posted by baf at 6:34 PM on September 12, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by baf at 6:34 PM on September 12, 2011 [4 favorites]
Mod note: Dear beloved MeFites: The Fifth Element was mentioned in the question, therefore it can not also be an answer to the question.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:57 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:57 PM on September 12, 2011
How is Return of the Jedi a possible answer to this question:
I want movies in which two people's love for each other directly ends up saving the world, because their love has made such an impression on whatever forces are on the verge of destroying humanity.
No one is trying to destroy humanity. Star Wars does not involve an existential threat. And what's more, Luke and Vader's "love" for one another (I have to admit I'm laughing as I type that) doesn't "make an impression" on anyone else. Vader just finally has a change of heart at the last moment.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:08 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
I want movies in which two people's love for each other directly ends up saving the world, because their love has made such an impression on whatever forces are on the verge of destroying humanity.
No one is trying to destroy humanity. Star Wars does not involve an existential threat. And what's more, Luke and Vader's "love" for one another (I have to admit I'm laughing as I type that) doesn't "make an impression" on anyone else. Vader just finally has a change of heart at the last moment.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:08 PM on September 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Stephen King's Under the Dome, soon to be a movie produced by Showtime, addresses how life in a small town changes when a mysterious dome cuts it off from the world. Many hundreds of pages later the story ends with [SPOILER ALERT] a character convincing an casually destructive alien that her town, life and relationships have real value and should spared. The alien, whose behavior is akin to children torturing ants with a magnifying glass, is moved enough to remove the dome.
posted by carmicha at 8:42 PM on September 12, 2011
posted by carmicha at 8:42 PM on September 12, 2011
Sticherbeast: "Donnie Darko, arguably. It depends on your interpretation of the ending."
Huh. I suppose The Box does as well, depending on your interpretation of the ending.
posted by mkultra at 8:43 PM on September 12, 2011
Huh. I suppose The Box does as well, depending on your interpretation of the ending.
posted by mkultra at 8:43 PM on September 12, 2011
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
Col. Grey sacrifices his life: "You've been trying to tell me that death isn't the end. Don't back out on me now that I believe. "
posted by TrinsicWS at 1:38 AM on September 13, 2011
Col. Grey sacrifices his life: "You've been trying to tell me that death isn't the end. Don't back out on me now that I believe. "
posted by TrinsicWS at 1:38 AM on September 13, 2011
Saves the world?
That eliminates dozens of stories where love saves the day. Or the aeroplane. Or the building or something.
Erm, Samwise Gamgee's love for Frodo Baggins saved Middle Earth. It was very obvious in the books, maybe not so much so in the movies.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:44 AM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
That eliminates dozens of stories where love saves the day. Or the aeroplane. Or the building or something.
Erm, Samwise Gamgee's love for Frodo Baggins saved Middle Earth. It was very obvious in the books, maybe not so much so in the movies.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:44 AM on September 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding A Wrinkle in Time: Meg's love for Charles Wallace saves them from It. And in a later book, Meg finds it in herself to love her hated teacher, which saves them from darkness.
posted by nonasuch at 7:07 AM on September 13, 2011
posted by nonasuch at 7:07 AM on September 13, 2011
Not exactly what you're looking for but in the Seventh Sign, the pregnant woman saves the world through her faith in something or other
posted by canoehead at 8:11 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by canoehead at 8:11 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Subverted in District 9 where the alien's love for his son causes the human protagonist to change his mind and let him go back to their own planet.
...when there is a good chance that he will return with a fleet that will burn Johannesburg off the map, as well as the rest of the planet depending on just how pissed off they are.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:41 AM on September 13, 2011
...when there is a good chance that he will return with a fleet that will burn Johannesburg off the map, as well as the rest of the planet depending on just how pissed off they are.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:41 AM on September 13, 2011
In Pitch Black, Vin Diesel (in his last decent role, IMO) is moved by another character's willingness to sacrifice herself to save another that he does the same and enables the humans to escape the hungry aliens.
posted by cross_impact at 6:52 AM on September 14, 2011
posted by cross_impact at 6:52 AM on September 14, 2011
Not sci-fi and not a movie, but the ending of Buffy Season Six is quite a bit like this.
posted by Sticherbeast at 7:24 AM on September 14, 2011
posted by Sticherbeast at 7:24 AM on September 14, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by phunniemee at 4:06 PM on September 12, 2011 [2 favorites]