The City of Ember and Other Apocalyptic Movies

In this day and age, with all the catastrophes happening in every part of the world, it is not impossible for mankind to be endangered. With this in mind, many scientists are now trying to look for solutions to serious problems that may arise when nature unleashes to us its unknown fury. In a documentary entitled The Inconvenient Truth, Former United States Vice President Al Gore showed the relevance of global warming to mankind’s future. Fifty years from now, scientists predict that the earth will experience the next ice age. If what the scientists are saying comes true, millions of people will die. So environmentalists are imploring that we must all work together to save our planet from total destruction. We must all work together for our own self preservation.

A few nights ago, I watched a movie entitled The City of Ember. The City of Ember is a story about a place built underground by great engineers of the past. The purpose for which is for the preservation of mankind. A calamity of some sort befell the earth and the only solution so that mankind won’t be totally obliterated was for them to build a city underground. The key outside the city was entrusted to the present mayor who will then pass it on to the next. But then, as the years passed by, the key was forgotten, and so was the knowledge that there was a world beyond the City of Ember. For more than two-hundred years, the people lived underground, with no sunlight and with too much dependence on electricity. People in the City of Ember were already experiencing shortage of food and electrical malfunctions. That’s because they were only meant to live there for two hundred years and not more. Their supply was depleting and they were all living in poverty, thanks to the mayor who has forgotten about the key.

Two young adults were able to discover the key that would let them out the City of Ember. Through faith and perseverance they were able to find all the clues that would lead them out of the city. When they finally got out, it was their first time to see the sun and the sky. The earth was covered with lush greens and it was like paradise. Soon, the news spread to the City of Ember, and everyone was able to go out and live in the new earth once again.

An underground city is not impossible with today’s technology. If worse would come to worst, mankind might be forced to this similar kind of situation if indeed the next ice age is coming. Heaven forbid that it doesn’t come. Apocalyptic movies (i.e. I Am Legend, Day After Tomorrow, The Happening) remind us that we should all be concerned of our environment. Everything that we do affects everyone else, so we have to be mindful of our actions. We should all work together against global warming and other things that would destroy mankind and the environment. It is not enough that we rally. We have to inform those who don’t know. It is also not enough to inform. We should also act and the right time is NOW.