I feel kind of bad about pointing this out, but since it will probably make it to publication... well, I just thought those outside the circulation of the FSView would like to share in a writer's insight:
"A Sound of Thunder has come up with one of the best creature ideas I’ve seen in awhile: the Monkey Lizard. This simian/reptile hybrid pack hunter descends upon its prey like mosquitoes fly into a bug light and, by its design alone, is easily the most interesting thing about this movie."
I spent about five minutes trying to figure out what the writer was trying to express with this simile. I still don't understand it. Anyone have any interpretations?
First off, The whole flying monkey thing was already done in a little movie called The Wizard of Oz. Second, It's not like bugs fly gracefully into bug lights. They run into them like morons. This should be an interesting movie that I will never pay to see.
ReplyDeleteThough I'm not technically outside the FSView's circulation, I'll count myself as such in the interest of enlightenment. You see, Mr. de la Cruz, the thing is that you're simply not familiar with the ancestral history of the majestic and, however regretful, frequently misunderstood Monkey Lizard, whose primordial instinct it is to descend upon its prey in PRECISELY the manner in which a mosquito flies into a bug light. The Monkey Lizard may not truly fly, per se, as the beautiful mosquito does, but the principle aspects in its food-acquiring method, as you shall see, are primarily the same.
ReplyDeleteLong ago, before we foolish humans were around, the Simian reptis, or “Monkey Lizard” as it is commonly known, came into existence. Tragically, due to evolution’s devious ways, the ancient Simian reptis was forced to search for its food by glaring down at the sun’s reflection in lakes, ponds, streams and the like at a chance of catching a silhouetted glimpse from a potential meal. I’m sure you can imagine, Mr. de la Cruz, just how frustrating this must have been as nine times out of ten, the shadow was its own. Thus, those that exist today (and yes, they do indeed still exist, though severely endangered), have an unconscious urge to drop down on their prey in the aforementioned fashion, even though improved vision no longer warrants this type of behavior.
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, it is a rather remarkable feat for such an ill-suffering creature to have survived so long, but to make to the big screen … well, you can see just how far they’ve really come. The ignorance you've expressed – however forgivable as the information on this rare and radiant creature is scarce – is all too common amongst those of us belonging to the classification Homo sapien. Since it is my aim to rectify this gross injustice one un/misinformed at a time, I hope that this brief tutorial has proven itself useful. Wise man? Let’s make it true.
Cheers,
J.J.R.
Speaker for the Speechless
I guess, after looking at it again, it means that the beast is strongly attracted to its prey. However, this is shown through a simile that incorporates an odd role-reversal: the beast, as the predator, is being compared to the mosquitoes, which seem like victims in the given situation, since they are drawn into the bug light and zapped.
ReplyDeleteDo you really need a simile to describe an animal on the hunt??? Wouldn't that normally be the familiar part of the comparison, maybe like "his eyes darted around like a gorrilizard searching for its prey"?
In a simile, one tries to explain something that's unfamiliar in terms of something that's relatively familiar. I mean, everyone watches National Geographic, right? Right?