Are We Living in a Disaster Movie?: How Genre Conventions Predict the Plot of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Some periods of history contain so many compounded disasters they seem to be inspired by disaster movies. In the early 2020s, the Covid-19 pandemic upended the world and thrust populations into a state of uncertainty and fear--as seen in movies like Outbreak, The Towering Inferno or Armageddon. Birthed from the author's original research on disaster movies, this book argues that the life cycle of Covid closely parallels various apocalyptic films, from the personas of the main players to the strike of the cataclysm itself. To view the Covid pandemic through the language of disaster movies, the book identifies those that mirror (predict!) each stage of the Covid pandemic, analyzing the similarities between the films and real-life events. A filmography of the featured disaster movies concludes the book.

Author: Brian A. Shaer
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 08/04/2022
Pages: 239
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.80w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9781476687292
ISBN10: 1476687293
BISAC Categories:
- Performing Arts | Film | History & Criticism
- Social Science | Disasters & Disaster Relief

About the Author
Brian A. Shaer studied communications at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications and earned a master's degree in cinema studies from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in South Florida.