Myths in Movies

Myths are, among other things, stories based on real life events that are extended, enlarged, engorged, and riffed on as they are retold…” (Plate, 4). Myths don’t become myths for no reason. These stories have meanings and lessons that were relevant thousands of years ago when they were told, and will be relevant even today and in the future. For this reason, they will be told in many different forms – as oral stories, movies, television shows, and even in books. However, through all of this retelling, stories can be lost in translation. The main events of the story can be changed while the meaning and moral will remain the same. If a story is retold so many times by so many different people and in all these different ways, then change will occur. Also, the film industry has used mythologies in order to create some of the most popular films in history, including Star Wars, The Matrix, and many others. These films stand out because of the “ambiguity provided in its setting” (Plate, 9). In many films, the introduction will start in the sky, and it will lead to a more realistic and relatable setting. This can be considered a cosmogony because it deals with the chaos of outer space and the cosmos of the real world. Films like Star Wars use mythologies to create an entire following, and even though myths change during their retelling, it is for the better because it makes them more relatable to society today.