Fantasy and the Epic Battle

Swords, spears, mythical creatures, knights, shields, epic battles. I love it all.

Now before you say, "Bryan, grow up," I'm going to stop you. Call me a child at heart, or a kid trapped in an adults body, it's sort of sad that becoming an adult means that you have to give up the things that made you swoon when you were younger. I've made it a point in my life never to let go of the things that made my earlier years what they are, because I see no reason to give into the seriousness of adult life. This is turning into some sort of philosophical entry, but nonetheless, you're going to find out I'm not your average "geek." Frankly, I've grown apathetic to talking about web development, CSS, and stuff like that. There's so much more to me, and to all of us, than redecorating and repreaching the same thing all the time. So why not tell the story?

I've always been a fan of the epic battle, ever since I was a child. I grew up learning and being infatuated about the dark ages and medieval times. Every time my classes came to that point in world history, I was always finding myself at the library reading up on mail, mythril armor, the Excalibur and King Arthur. Actually, I was a great fan of the past and the future, or say, King Arthur and Darth Vader. When I would get home I'd watch the battles from movies like Braveheart. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not into blood and gore. I'm more into the emotions of the participants in the battle, the two sides fighting over what they think is right or what they believe is theirs. The two parties lining up on opposite sides of a large plain and watching the sweat drop down their faces before they make the first charge; the inspirational speech of their leader before they risk their lives. It gives me goose bumps every single time.

If you have talked to me about my music tastes, you'll know that I am a diehard fan of movie soundtracks and some of the best accompany epic battles. The drums, trumpets and choir - all adding to the life of the upcoming scene. I get weak when I hear it. Music is so important when it comes to scenes like this because it should only be there to further communicate the emotions of the fighters. I could start naming some of my favorite tracks from my favorite movies and trailers, but the list would easily get unwieldy.

Today I watched "The Chronicles of Narnia," and if you're a big fantasy fan, I'd suggest this movie. If you're more into the empty plot, spoon-fed stuff like that, don't waste your time. Other than the plot progression, one of my favorite parts of this movie was the final battle. It really does encompass everything I've talked about so far, and took it one step further. Take one good look at the trailer and you'll find that animals and other mythical creatures take part in the battle which adds another dimension to the standard fight. Seeing how the creators made each animal fight was very intriguing. Just everything about that scene really left an impression on me, which finally led to this post tonight.

Fantasy and science fiction movies have always ranked as my favorite genres, mainly because they serve as a gateway to the unknown - the "man, I wish I was there," feeling. The epic battle only proves that to a further degree. Powerful lessons seem to be taught during battle, lessons of love, fellowship, leadership and betrayal. Lessons of honor and sacrifice, and that there is no victory without loss. Those battles leave me with a renounced sense of imagination where for the days following, all I can think about are those scenes and where I would be placed if they were real. What would happen if I were on the front lines? How would I act? What would I say? What would I be feeling? I question myself along those lines.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person my age that really does that. Other times I wonder if things like this prevent me from being socially accepted. But it's me, and it's who I am. Believe me, at the rate I'm going, I'd rather have the imagination than seem normal to others. Then again, when was I ever considered normal?